Banana Bread...with my kind of flare =)

Chocolate.  Need I say more?  If heaven were made of chocolate, I could die happy knowing I'll be bathing, eating and living chocolate for the rest of my afterlife.  But until then I will continue to include it in my daily diet..in moderation of course, ;P.

One week I was on a freak banana bread streak.  I had an abundance of the versatile fruit and much of it was over-ripening.  Maybe it was on purpose, or maybe I just forgot about the huge bunch lying on the counter...we'll never know.  What I do remember is after the 3rd batch of regular banana bread, I wanted to try something new!  I looked in my refrigerator and saw leftover sour cream from quesadilla night.  Perfect!  Sour cream is a wonderful ingredient that brings an incredible moisture to your recipe.  I also perused through my pantry, and the bag of chocolate chips started calling to me that they wanted in on this amazing-ness.  So, end result..Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!  Uh, I die! =)

I must warn you though, once you take a bite of this delicious, chocolate-y goodness you will be diving in for more.  And if you're not a huge fan of chocolate...you will be converted!  I hope you enjoy your journey to becoming a worshipper of chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 Cup  Unsalted Butter, softened

1/2 Cup  Sugar

1 Egg

2 - 3  Ripe Bananas

1 tsp  Vanilla Extract

1 Cup  All-purpose Flour

1 tsp  Baking Soda

2 Tablespoon  Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 Cup  Sour Cream

1 Cup  Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mash up bananas with sugar and butter.  Stir in egg, vanilla and sour cream.  

3. Mix in dry ingredients till incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

5.  Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow it to cool completely on a rack.

This is best eaten warm...right out of the pan!  But of course we need to share, so slice this delicious, chocolate-y, banana goodness into 8-10 generous pieces and pass it around. =)

Easy Peasy Pancake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

 

2 Cups  Bisquick

1 Cup  Milk

2  Eggs

1 Tbsp  Sugar

1 Tsp  Baking Powder

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tsp  Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir all ingredients together till blended.

2. Scoop batter with 1/4-cup measuring cup, and pour onto hot greased griddle (cast iron pan works great too).

3. (Optional) Place a few slices of fruit onto batter as it's cooking

4. Cook till edges are dry.  Flip, and cook till golden.

Pancaaaakes!!! ^^

Want a super quick and easy breakfast that will get the entire family's tummys rumbling?  The secret is...pancakes!  Who can resist a stack of fluffy, fresh-off-the-stove pancakes?  The best part is you don't have to spend all morning slaving over a hot stove.  In fact, enjoy a cup of coffee while you're working your magic, ^^.

If plain pancakes are too boring for your taste, no problem!  Just slice up a few bananas and throw it on top each dollop of batter as it's cooking.  If you don't care too much for bananas or want different types of pancakes just put your choice of fruits, chocolate, or what have you on each pancake.  It's a good thing this recipe makes about 15 pancakes, because you're guaranteed to have seconds, =).