Mini Banana Muffins

It takes some serious self-control to not walk by the counter and pop a couple of these bite-sized muffins in my mouth!

Nate and I have been taking a sugar break. April has been a long month! Even though we aren't eating it, that hasn't stopped me from making it!

I love the chance to make special desserts. Bridal showers are the perfect excuse to make fun, little treats.

Wrappers dress-up anything you're serving.

I only use one banana bread recipe. My mom received the recipe from a friend while she was living in Texas in 1986. It is the recipe I've grown up eating and making- so don't mess with a good thing, right?

I whip up the wet ingredients in my Kitchen Aid and and then add the dry ingredients. This recipe only takes 5 minutes to mix up! 

I've found in the past that mini muffins can be a huge pain when filling each tiny hole! The secret to mess-free, stress-free mini muffins is way too simple. I use a small cookie scoop to fill my tins! So much easier and neater.

Banana Bread Recipe

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs 

2-3 ripe, well-mashed bananas

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Blend together sugar, butter, and eggs. Add bananas. 

In a medium bowl mix flour, salt, soda, and powder together. Slowly add to the creamed mixture.

Add cold water and blend.

Fold in 1/2 cup nuts.

Scoop into tin about 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees F. Large loaf about an hour. Small loaves about 45 but check starting at 35 minutes. Mini muffins about 15-20 minutes. 

Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 3 small loaves, 1 large loaf, or approx. 48 mini muffins.

Recipe doubles and freezes well. 

I wanted my mini muffins to be more decorative so I whipped up some cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together the cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer. Add in the vanilla and mix well.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. 

I filled a decorator with my frosting and piped a small star on each muffin before serving. 

A sweet spring treat. 

One of my favorite breads to make and eat :) and use up all of those over-ripe bananas! 

Who has bananas sitting on their counter that are past their prime?

Megan

Molasses Crinkles

These are some of my favorite cookies and one of the first I ever learned to bake! My favorite sweets to bake when I was little were poppy seed bread and molasses crinkles. (Check out my Poppy Seed Bread here). I loved using all of the tiny teaspoons and half teaspoons to measure out spices and extracts.

I also loved making these because I got to scoop the dough, roll it into a ball, and dip the top in sugar.

My house smelled so good while I was baking these! Aren't they adorable! I had so much fun taking pictures of these cute cookies!

These cookies are soft and chewy - my favorite kind! A nice, firm shell with a soft center.

Fresh from the oven! Puffed up gooey sweetness.

The cookies are so good straight out of the oven!

Molasses Crinkles are one of my grandpa's favorite cookies but he likes his on the hard, crunchy side.

I always make sure to make a tray or two a little "overdone" for him.

Molasses Crinkles Recipe

1 1/2 cups soft shortening

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 eggs 

1/2 cup molasses

4 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt 

granulated sugar for dipping

Mix thoroughly shortening, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses with an electric beater. 

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. 

Slowly mix dry ingredients into the shortening mixture.

Chill dough.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop a portion of dough out. Roll into a ball and dip the top in sugar. 

Place cookies sugared-side up on a cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. 

Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies. Note: do not over-bake, as these are a soft, chewy cookie.

These freeze well. 

Recipe from The Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale Recipe book, 1984. 

Great with coffee or milk! :)

Perfect! These make great gifts because it makes so many! I like to stick a couple in the freezer for later too!

Who is ready to bake?

Megan

Healthy Quinoa Skillet

Healthy and easy...it doesn't get any better than that does it?!

I love this quinoa dish and it is ready in 30 minutes or under.

It's fluffy. It's just the right amount of spicy. It's full of fresh cilantro. It's versatile.

Only 10 ingredients! I usually have all of these ingredients on-hand too which makes for a quick meal.

Making the Quinoa Skillet

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir onion and garlic and sauté until lightly browned. 

Pour quinoa into the skillet and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne, and salt & pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa and broth simmer I cut the zucchini ends off and sliced lengthwise. I scooped out the middle and lined the zucchini on a baking sheet. I popped them in the oven at 350 degrees F to start cooking while the quinoa finished simmering. 

After the 20 minutes, the quinoa should be cooked and fluffy. 

Mix in black beans, corn, cilantro, and heat through.

When the zucchini were soft, I removed from the oven and scooped some quinoa mixture into each boat and sprinkled with cheese. I put them back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

 

My family received this recipe from one of my sister's college roommates and we absolutely love it!

Quinoa Skillet Recipe

1 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir onion and garlic and sauté until lightly browned.

Pour quinoa into saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne, and salt & pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir corn and black beans in and heat through. Add cilantro and mix well.

Serve with your favorite toppings!
Some of our favorites are:
salsa, tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, or cheese

Eat many ways!
Some of our favorites are:
Fill enchiladas with this tasty quinoa
Fill zucchini boats and cover with cheese
In a bowl with our favorite toppings
As a side with tacos or fajitas
Straight out of the pan...

I love quick dinners that are so yummy!

What would you top the quinoa skillet with?

Megan

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

This Easy Butternut Squash soup is SO yummy! Warm, creamy, & naturally sweet.  

It's Soup & Salad night at our house!

My family has grown butternut squash in the family garden for several years.

My mom and brother have even drawn faces!

...then proceeded to take pictures of them before cutting them up and cooking the squash. 

*Update! Look at this picture I found- hilarious!

To make the soup-

To begin, heat pot with olive oil and butter. Add onions, salt, pepper, and sauté until soft.

I thawed my butternut squash to make my soup today. 

Add the butternut squash to the pot and heat through. 

Mix in the chicken broth and stir. Use an immersion blender to puree the onions and and large pieces of pulp. I like to puree the diced onion until quite smooth.

Lastly, add the half and half, stir, & serve! 

*Prepare butternut. 

1) Pre-cook,  2) thaw, or 3) chop into cubes.

1) Cooking the Butternut Squash
Slice the butternut's top and bottom off.
Now slice the butternut from top to bottom so that you have two, long rectangle pieces.
Place butternut face-down on a baking sheet with sides and add a half inch of water.
Bake at 350 F degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Check the softness of the butternut by poking through the skin with a fork.
When soft, drain water and let the butternut cool.
Once cool enough to touch, scrape fruit out of the skin into a bowl.
Now you are ready to make soup or freeze to use later!

2) Pull out of the freezer and thaw!

3) Slice the butternut's top and bottom off.
Now slice the butternut from top to bottom so that you have two, long rectangle pieces.
Continue to slice in half-inch slices.
Cut skin off and cube squash, about half-inch cubes.

Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe-

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

3 Tbsp. butter

1 large onion, diced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. or less pepper

1 butternut squash, prepared

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

Heat olive oil and butter in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat.

Add onions, salt, pepper, and sauté until soft. 

Add butternut squash. *If using pre-cooked, mix in and move to next step. If frozen, heat through. If raw cubes, mix in and sauté for a few minutes then add chicken broth, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes or until squash is soft. 

Add chicken broth and stir.

Using an immersion blender, mix until desired consistency is reached.  

Stir in half and half and serve.

-Because there are so many variations to this recipe, cooking time varies. 

I made this batch in about a half hour because my squash was pre-cooked. If you use uncooked, cooking time will increase about 5 minutes and you will have more prep that day. 

It really is a scrumptious, simple soup and has the perfect natural sweetness to it!

I'm looking forward to home-grown butternut squash this summer! 

Megan