Double Cranberry Banana Bread

Two kinds of cranberries in banana bread ??? YES, PLEASE!!! My mom is always wondering why I am constantly looking through cookbooks and cooking magazines. The answer is inspiration. I would have never thought of putting cranberries in banana bread and I think of putting cranberries in just about everything. This quick bread is just so good.

I thought the assertive cranberry would overwhelm the more delicate banana flavor but it didn’t. There is a nice balance between the sweet banana and the tangy cranberry.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted from Taste of Home Fall Baking Magazine

2 1/2 TBS canola oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

6 TBS chopped pecans, divided

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and shortening. Beat in the egg, banana, and vanilla. In small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; mix well.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Fold in the cranberry sauce, pecans, and dried cranberries; mix well. Divide the batter between two 5″ x 3″ baking pans, sprayed with cooking Bake at 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan to cool completely.

Muffin Mania #4 Everything Bagel Muffins

My brother thinks it’s weird I get excited over little things like I do. I think it’s weird he only gets excited about big things. After all little things happen far more often then big things. Here are a few little things I am excited about right now.

I have loved to read since I learned how. I blame it on my first grade teacher, Sister Mary Theresa. I loved her with all the love a 7 year old can muster. I would have done anything to make her happy. What seemed to make her happy was when you would read your chapter books to her so I was going to be the best darn reader she ever saw.

I still love to read. The first hour of my day is dedicated to a good book and a hot bath. It helps me get into a good mind set for the day.

Yeah, so this happened last week. My parakeet, Harper, laid an egg. I highly doubt it’s fertile and I am okay with that. I am way too young to be a grandma.

To give you a little perspective, the egg is about the size of a dime and takes about 1/3 of the belly of a 3 1/2 inch, from the top of her head to the start of her tail, bird. I don’t know how she did it.

I love this picture of me and Squeak. I took it just after I threatened to feed him to the gerbil if he didn’t quit plucking on the damn cage bars. As you can see he is quite terrified of my totally meaningless threat. Plucking the cage bars does drive me insane though.

Everything Bagel Muffins

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Good AF Eats

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 TBS nutritional yeast

1 1/2 TBS melted butter or canola oil

3 TBS lightly beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

Everything Bagel seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and nutritional yeast. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, egg and milk. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fill each cup of the prepared muffin 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and place on a cooling rack.