Maui Muffins

It’s been hot and I have been feeling like I am in the tropics. These are not your typical breakfast muffins. I created this recipe as a muffin recipe but both my daughter in love Danielle and I thought if they had cream cheese frosting on top, they could also double as a cupcake. Delicious no matter how you eat them, muffin or cupcake. You decide.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour, all purpose or gluten free

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2 carrots grated

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 stick butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Also add coconut.

Mix together and fill muffin liners 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 16-18 minutes or till tester comes out clean. Serve warm and enjoy! Yield about 18 muffins.

This recipe was loved by daughter in love Danielle, Princess Willow and grand pup Hermione who cleaned up the bites Willow dropped off of her plate. 😉 🐶 👑

Paula’s Banana Pudding

This dessert screams summer and I will tell you it’s the best banana pudding I have ever had. My best Joanne made this recipe about 15 years ago and told me to make it. So in memory of her, I did and wished I had not waited so long. I do one thing different to the recipe that Paula did not do. I used Fruit Fresh on the bananas and they stayed perfectly yellow, even days later. No cooking or baking in this recipe so it’s perfect for our hot summer days.

Ingredients:

1 5 ounce box of instant vanilla or French vanilla pudding (I used vanilla since I could not find French Vanilla in that size)

3 packages of Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies

12 ounces Cool Whip, thawed

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups milk

6-8 large bananas, sliced

2 Tablespoons Fruit Fresh mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water (Fruit Fresh is found in the canning isle of your grocery store)

Line a 13 x 9 pan with Chessman cookies. Using a hand mixer, prepare pudding with the 2 cups of milk an set aside. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Fold Cool Whip into cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Slice bananas and add to a bowl of Fruit Fresh and water. Toss bananas in the Fruit Fresh and layer on top of Chessman cookies. Fold sweetened condensed milk/cream cheese/cool whip into pudding and pour over bananas and cookies. Smooth the top of pudding and cover with another layer of Chessman cookies. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Disney’s Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana French Toast

This is not a copycat recipe but a recipe from Disney’s PCH Grill at the Paradise Pier Hotel at Disneyland. I would like to thank my sweet friend Elizabeth Sausville for finding this recipe and sharing it with me. When I first read the recipe, I thought it would be more like bread pudding but I changed my mind after I ate it. Definitely breakfast. And don’t make the powdered sugar and chocolate syrup optional, use both! I used my Copycat Saunder’s Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge syrup on this recipe. Delish. Decadent. Fabulous.

Challah Bread

Bread cubes

Ingredients:

Peanut butter, eggs, chocolate milk, cinnamon and salt

8 thick slices of day old challah bread, 1 loaf will do

2 ripe bananas, I used 3 because my bananas were on the small-medium size

1/4 cup chocolate chips, I used milk chocolate, I used 1/2 cup

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

6 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup chocolate milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate syrup and powdered sugar, optional (not optional in my opinion!)

Mix gently until bread has absorbed the egg mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Golden brown, right out of the oven.

Cut bread into one inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Slice bananas into 1/2 inch slices and add to bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.

Combine peanut butter, eggs, chocolate milk, cinnamon and salt in a blender. Process until smooth.

Warm right from the oven.

Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. Stir gently until bread cubes have absorbed the egg mixture.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40* minutes or until top is golden brown. I baked mine for 40 minutes, next time it will only be 35 minutes.

With powdered sugar.

Before serving, drizzle with chocolate syrup and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!

With powdered sugar and chocolate topping. Highly recommended!

Easy Peasy Homemade Banana Cake

So many times I hear people tell me that they can’t bake or decorate cakes. I wanted to create a recipe so easy, everyone can make this cake and be a rockstar. This is one moist and flavorful banana cake and that was my goal. Mix up the ingredients, cool and spread on the frosting. Easy Peasy.

Look at all of the yummy bananas in this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe freckled bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with butter or your favorite baking spray.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In your mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and alternate with buttermilk until all is incorporated together. Mix in bananas. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 pinch of salt

1 pound of powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and combine. Mix in powdered sugar until combined. Frost cake. Cover and store in refrigerator. Set out about 30 minutes before serving. Easy Peasy. Enjoy!

*About buttermilk. Buy it. You cannot make buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar. You only make sour milk and that my friends is not buttermilk. Buttermilk is the best thing about how delicious this cake is.

Banana Pudding Pie

I remember my Mom cooking banana pudding with sliced bananas on the stove when I was growing up. It came from a box but still a sweet memory. I took that memory and converted it to a homemade Banana Pudding Pie. Simple, delicious and easy to make. My Dad even had seconds, so I know it was good!  

Crust:1 11 ounce box of vanilla wafer cookies

1 sick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush cookies and stir in melted butter. Form a crust in your pie plate. Bake shell for 8 minutes and set aside. 
Pudding Pie Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch 

2 cups of milk, divided 

3 egg yokes, beaten

2 Tablespoons butter

3 bananas sliced 

2 teaspoons vanilla

In a saucepan, add sugar, flour and cornstarch and whisk together. Over medium heat, add one cup of milk and whisk, add in egg yokes and butter. Pour in the remaining cup of milk and start adding the sliced bananas. Bring to boil and stir frequently to prevent scorching and burning. Once pudding is very thick, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour in pie shell and refrigerate overnight or until set and firm. Decorate with whip cream. Enjoy!

Barleans Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I was given Barleans Greens Chocolate Silk Powder to try and create a recipe for #Choctoberfest2016 This smoothie is healthy, nutritious and delicious. This product is full fiber and antioxidants. A great meal replacement in the morning or lunch. Perfect for in between meals. You and your kids will love this.

Ingredients:
1 8 ounce container of plain yogurt or vanilla, I used fat-free
1 scoop of Barleans Green Chocolate Silk Powder
3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 Banana, frozen
1/4 cup milk, whole, low-fat, almond soy, whatever you prefer

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. I use frozen fruit, in this case a frozen banana. Frozen fruit will thicken your drink without using ice. Makes 1 delicious smoothie. Enjoy!

*Opinions are strictly my own

Bananas About Banana Walnut Cake

I was asked to make a banana cake with walnuts and cream cheese frosting. I decided to share the recipe with you. The secret to a good moist banana cake is ripe bananas. Try to plan ahead so you have ripe bananas. 
Ingredients:

3 cups flour 

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside. 

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

5-6 ripe bananas, rough mash (chunky)

1 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, more for sprinkling on top and around cake if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 nine inch cake pans or 3 eight cake pans with a spray (Bakers Joy) and line with parchment paper. 

Mix sugar and oil together. Blend well until combined. Add eggs one at a time and combine with oil and sugar mixture. Blend in vanilla. 

Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I usually blend in a third of the flour mixture at a time. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stir in your mashed bananas. Lastly add your walnuts. I like to toast mine for a few minutes either in a skillet on the stove or under the broiler. It really brings out the flavor in the walnuts but this is completely optional. Just be careful not to burn them because burned walnuts do not taste good. Bake for  25 – 35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. It all depends on what size cake pan you use. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese, room temperature 

2 sticks of butter, room temperature 

3 teaspoons of vanilla

2 pounds of powdered sugar 10x is what I use 

Blend cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar or you will be wearing it. Don’t ask me how I know!  😉  Frost cake and enjoy. Keep refrigerated and take out 20-30 minutes before serving. 

I Can’t Believe It’s A Blueberry Smoothie

I recently did a smoothie recipe using Dole Packaged Foods. I had not made a smoothie for a long time. Now I seem to be in a smoothie kick lately. New year, healthy me. This smoothie can definitely be a meal replacement will all of the healthy ingredients.  My secret to a good thick smoothie is using frozen fruit. No need for ice that will water down your drink. Lastly, put liquid (yogurt, milk or juice) in first. Liquid needs to be by the blades of your blender for smooth blending!

  
Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (use soy, almond, skim, etc)

1 6-8 ounce container of yogurt, I used Greek for protein (or throw in a scoop of protein powder)

1 small banana, fresh or frozen 

1 cup of raw baby spinach, I usually grab a handful out of the bag

1/2 cup frozen pineapple*

1/2 cup of frozen blueberries*

  
Layer the above ingredients in your blender in that order. My blender has a smoothie setting, if you’re does not, blend/pulse till smooth. This recipe makes a delicious recipe and I promise you, you will not taste the the spinach. In fact, this smoothie tastes like a blueberry milkshake. It’s delicious, nutritious and very filling. Hard to believe this has protein, fruit, dairy and vegetables and it hits almost every mark on the food pyramid. 

  

Finished product and no sign of green spinach, which is tasteless in this smoothie.  
*If you do not have a smoothie option on your blender, partially thaw your fruit in order not to damage your blender blade. 

Tropical Strawberry Protein Smoothie

I absolutely love smoothies.  I love the fact that they are so healthy and refreshing. Simple healthy ingredients along with your blender create delicious nutritious drink. My smoothie was made from Dole Fresh Frozen Strawberries and Dole Fresh Frozen Pineapple, Dole bananas,  Dole Pineapple Juice and low fat yogurt. Easy, simple, just plain delicious!  At “Live on Green”, people from all over the country will be treated to 100,000 square feet of free entertainment, activities, including food ideas from Ally of What’s for Dinner? Ally’s Kitchen on stage near the Dole Bistro. #DoleRose #DolePackagedFoods #LiveOnGreen #TournamentOfRoses 
2 cups Dole frozen strawberries, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups of Dole Frozen Pineapple, plus more for garnish

2 Dole bananas, fresh or from frozen*

2 6 ounce low fat vanilla yogurts

1 6 ounce can of Dole pineapple juice**

1 scoop whey protein powder, optional

In a blender combine the above ingredients. No need to add ice since the fruit is frozen, it will be cold, thick and delicious not to mention healthy. Blend until smooth.

 
 *If I have bananas starting to get too ripe before I can use them, I will peel them and place them in a freezer bag in my freezer.

**If you find the smoothie too thick for your liking, add more pineapple juice.
Makes enough to share with a friend. Enjoy!

Nutty About Banana Muffins

I love muffins. I love banana walnut muffins. You will be nutty over this recipe that is full of banana flavor and packed with nuts. 
  
Ingredients:

4 Bananas, put 2 in mixer, 2 in a bowl that have been roughly mashed

3/4 stick butter, melted 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of chopped walnuts

  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners. Put dry ingredients in a bowl,  flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Whisk together and set aside. 
Peel 2 bananas and place in mixer. Blend until smooth. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in brown sugar and add vanilla. Add melted butter that has cooled. 
Add dry ingredients. Blend and stir in roughly mashed bananas and walnuts.  Fill muffin liners about halfway full. Bake for 18 minutes or until done. I yielded 18 muffins from this recipe. They freeze well and if you share with a friend, they will love you forever. 😊  Enjoy.