Grandma's Belated Birthday Present

I finally finished the lap quilt for my mother's birthday.  I'm so glad that she actually liked it:-) 



Banana Bread Cobbler

 

Yummy!  This dessert is outstanding!  My husband loves bananas and he couldn't get enough of this 'cobbler.'  I must say when saw the name of the recipe, I was curious and put it in my ever growing 'to try' stash.  I didn't have the correct pan size so it took it a little longer to cook. 

After reading the reviews, there are some things I plan to try next time... and there will be a next time.  lol  I like warm cobbler with vanilla ice cream melting on top.  However, this was rich enough that we didn't eat it with ice cream.

I'll try decreasing the sugar content by 1/4 - 1/3 cup for both the cobbler and streusel topping to make it healthier.  And, I plan to substitute natural applesauce for half of the butter to cut down on fat content.

For coconut lovers only... sprinkle 1-1 1/2 cups toasted coconut on top of the bananas; sprinkle with streusel topping and bake.  (I'll probably add the coconut straight out of the package.)

I don't think I'll ever do this step but just wanted to make note of it here.  After removing the cobbler from the oven, one reviewer pours a jar of caramel sauce over the top.

Ingredients:

• 1  cup  self-rising flour (1 c all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt)
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  cup  milk
• 1/2  cup  butter, melted
• 4  medium-size ripe bananas, sliced
• Streusel Topping
• Vanilla ice cream, optional

Cobbler Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together flour and next 2 ingredients just until blended; whisk in melted butter. Pour batter into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Top with banana slices, and sprinkle with Streusel Topping.

2. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with ice cream.

Streusel Topping:

Ingredients:

• 3/4  cup  firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2  cup  self-rising flour (1/2 c all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt)
• 1/2  cup  butter, softened
• 1  cup  uncooked regular oats
• 1/2  cup  chopped pecans

Preparation:
Stir together brown sugar, flour, and butter until crumbly, using a fork. Stir in oats and pecans.

Southern Living:  Banana Bread Cobbler

Breakfast Braid

Never been a breakfast person... eating and certainly not cooking:-)    As Lauren and Matt were coming by on Saturday, I had a supply of breakfast recipes I have been hoarding for quite some time and finally chose this recipe. 

I had gone to HEB a couple days before to get all the ingredients I would need, or so I thought.  As I was thinking about the recipe in anticipation of cooking it Saturday morning, I realized that I had bought pie crust instead of pizza dough!  After a quick trip to the grocery store, I was again prepared to get started.  As I gathered ingredients, I had to substitute bacon for the sausage that I had forgotten to mark off my list.  This versatile recipe would be great with sausage, bacon or ham.  It's very easy to assemble and makes an impressive addition to a buffet.

Ingredients

• 1  (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1/4  cup  chopped onion
• 4  ounces  bacon, diced
• 3  large eggs, lightly beaten (use 4 eggs next time)
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4  cup  shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4  cup  chopped seeded jalapeño peppers (did not use but may put on 1/2 next time for heat enthusiasts)
• 1  large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.
3. Add onion and bacon; cook until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.
5. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

*I made the slits all the way up both sides.  I turned under the 'T' at both ends and then started braiding the dough.

Southern Living: Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack and Egg Breakfast Braid