Awesome Banana Bread

So, as I have stated before, I am banana challenged! I cannot for the life of me balance the quantity to consumption ratio when it comes to bananas. I either can't keep them in the house, or they sit in the fruit basket until they turn into squishy black lumps (appetizing thought, isn't it). Well, this week falls into the later category. I have had four black bananas staring me down for the last two or three days. One of my New Year's resolutions was to not throw any food in the garbage. So the guilt I have been feeling over the questionable bananas has been HUGE! I have also confessed that I make crappy Banana Bread. It always comes out dry and flat as a board. Now I do pride myself on the fact that I can master most recipes fairly well, but Banana Bread has alluded me for years. Yesterday I decided to conquer my fear, and attempt to bake a loaf. Let me backtrack a little bit. As I just mentioned, I have been trying to creatively use up odds and ends of food instead of throwing them away. When I was getting out the ingredients to start my baking project I found a container holding 1/2 cup of applesauce and another one holding a cup of leftover oatmeal. I thought what the heck, I'll throw those two items in with the other ingredients and see what happens. I have added leftover cooked cereal into my bread dough before ( a little trick I got from a rationing cook book published during World War II), and it actually makes the bread moister. It worked with this recipe, too. It made the Banana Bread delicious! It was moist and had a great texture! Now I am a happy girl! I recylced my potential food waste into a delicious treat, and I have made a decent loaf of Banana Bread! The kids snarfed it right up; so I'll take that to mean that this recipe is a keeper. I guess I can mark another item off my Bucket List (HA! HA!) Anyway, here's the recipe I concocted (the original recipe that I tweaked came from the BHG New Cookbook).

Moist Banana Bread

Sift together in a large bowl:
2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In a medium bowl combine:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil

Mix in until blended:
1 cup leftover cooked cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc)

Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Pour into one greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan(I spray the bottom of the loaf pan with cooking spray. Next place a piece of waxed paper cut to fit in the bottom of the pan. Then spray the waxed paper again with cooking spray and lightly flour. When it's time to take the bread out of the pan loosen the edges with a butter knife and shake the pan gently. It will come out perfectly every time!) Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the pan rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Warm Banana Cobbler

Holy Moses! I have to share this recipe with all of you! I made Warm Banana Cobbler for dessert tonight. I had some bananas that were freckly (see I can turn this into a frugal post). I wanted to try something new, and my family is getting sick of banana muffins or pancakes every time the bananas get ugly (which seems like about every fourth day). I must also confess that I make the crappiest banana bread......EVER!! I was hankerin' to do a little baking, and I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks ("Better Homes and Garden's 9x13 The Pan That Can). If your a banana fan you have got to try it; it is FABULOUS! I made a few tweaks by adding some nutmeg, and cinnamon. I also added an egg into the batter to give it a richer flavor. I also omitted the nuts (they make my tongue break out). My dear hubby gave it a double thumbs up, so it must be a winner (he's picky and not afraid to voice his opinion). I'm telling you it tastes like heaven! Anyway, drum roll please.......

Warm Banana Cobbler

1 1/2 cups self rising flour, divided ( just mix 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl. It is exactly the same thing)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup butter melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 ripe bananas
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 butter
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

In a medium bowl stir together 1 cup self rising flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Add in milk, melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Slice bananas over the top of the batter in a single layer. In a large bowl combine butter, 1/2 cup self rising flour, oatmeal, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Cut in the 1/2 cup of butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over bananas. Bake at 375 for 30 - 35 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes, and serve while it is still warm with ice cream.

The perfect treat for a cold winter night! Enjoy!