Curse this!

Or curse Debbie for the recipe?!? ;-) It's addicting all right and I have had a good few loaves by myself the last few days!

The recipe is for a glazed banana bread that is FABULOUS too... but the kiddos much prefer chocolate chips and even nuts in theirs lately so I make that adjustment. It's super moist and perfectly delicious. Try it out and hopefully you have more self control than me. ha!

Glazed Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 mashed bananas
1 cup buttermilk (1 c milk + 1/2 tsp vinegar)
1/2 cup oil (I use 1/2 cup applesauce instead)
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda

Directions:

Soften butter and mix well in Bosch. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. If baking in 3 small loaf pans, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 -50 minutes. (This is always the hard part - the top seems done but inside still seems uncooked - I usually do the whole time but kind of start checking around 45). If making a large loaf pan, then it says to bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes - may need to cover with foil half way though.

Glaze:

4 TBS butter
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup orange juice
1 and 1/2 cup sugar

Mix well with wisk. Pour glaze over tops of bread while still hot in pans (poke holes in bread).

Debbie's Notes: This is double the real glaze recipe, but I cut down on the oil by half a cup in the bread and add more glaze to make it moist - tastes better to me!

Kim's Notes: I do not add the almond extract to the bread when doing chocolate chips/nuts in it... And don't do the glaze on it obviously. I add 1 bag chocolate chips and 1 cup nuts... then more nuts on top!

Colby... and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!

Today at lunch Colby rested his chin in his hands with a grin and said, "Mom, why do you not want me to grow up!?!" Priceless! I have really only said to him a few times that I want him to stay just like this forever... and he had thought about it I guess and really wanted to know why! I told him because he was so fun to wrestle and snuggle and hug and play with and I just didn't want him to get any bigger... because then he would be too grown up to play with me. He said, "Well ok Mom but I just am going to get as big as Dover and that's all ok!" Dover is his 16 year old cousin. So finally I agreed after a little more discussion... and we even shook on it. ;-)

He is such a happy and fun kid- he never wants to do anything wrong or dissapoint Ger or I... and loves keeping his room clean! But he is always teasing us and making us laugh- I am so glad that he has one more year of preschool since we have so much fun hanging out together! This morning I think we played Zingo seriously 20 times... he kept putting the pieces in upside down to trick me and was rolling with laughter. So funny. Then we bowled a few times with his set from Pottery Barn Kids. It's kind of nice being so restricted because I get lots of time to just play games with Colby instead of running around doing errands or cleaning or the "me" things. (These pics were taken after church a few Sunday's ago. He stripped down to his undies and lay on his bed with his arms behind his head telling me all about what he learned! I had to take a pic.)

One of Colby's favorite things is my Banana Bread Muffins... with lots of Chocolate Chips. I posted this recipe a while back, but here it is again for those who missed it. Super moist and delicious. Yummy for breakfast, an after school snack... or even dessert. ;-)

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD
1 c mashed bananas
1 c sour cream
1/4 c margarine
1 1/3 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour (I do 1 c wheat & 1 c white)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c nuts
1-2 c chocolate chips (I always add a full bag! Can also be made without chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 4 mini loaf pans or 2 regular loaf pans. Combine banana and sour cream, set aside. In large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in the vanilla and banana mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; stir into the banana mixture. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for:

20-25 minutes for muffins

35-40 minutes for mini loaf pans

45-50 minutes for 2 regular loaf pans.