banana strawberry muffins

Wanna come over for a cup of coffee and a muffin?

I promise I won't talk about food. Unless you want to talk about food...and if your eyes start to glaze over when I get a little ridiculous, I'll even try to notice so that I don't just keep jabbering on.

And if I do you have my permission to make fun of me. It's not a problem. You won't be the only one.

Obviously.

We could talk about non-food things. I may tell you a gross patient story though...then you won't want to eat. So maybe I'm not actually fit for company.

What do normal people talk about? I forget.

I want to talk about food though because I love to talk about food.

I love to make food.

I love to feed people.

I love to eat food.

I had perfectly ripe [when they've just passed the freckled brown stage into the half-brown stage] bananas sitting around and I wanted to use them. I was debating between cookies or cake or muffins and I remembered that I also had strawberries in my freezer that I picked last summer. Bananas and strawberries are a match made in heaven. So, banana muffins with a strawberry cream cheese filling needed to be made.

Let's make muffins!

I've been baking more at night because I'm up all night [I sit here writing this at 4:28am] and pictures at night are the worst. OK, maybe not the worst, but I don't approve of the night light because I'm a picture snob pain in the butt.

Banana Strawberry Muffins
I started this recipe with the strawberry filling. I wanted to mix up the strawberry cream cheese and then freeze it before I plopped it in the middle of my muffin to bake. You don't have to use strawberries you picked and froze, you can grab some from the freezer section at the grocery. I cooked them down so the sweet syrup that came off of them thickened up a little before I blended it in to the cream cheese.

Strawberry Filling
3/4 cup [no sugar added] strawberries reduced to 1/2 cup, cooled
8 oz block cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend together and place in the freezer until it firms up, 4 hours - overnight. You can't screw this part up! If you are totally opposed to the reducing your strawberries, I guess you could grab a high quality jam, but you'll want to reduce the powdered sugar otherwise things will be VERY sweet.

Banana Muffins
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup [or 4 Tbsp] softened butter
2 cups sugar
3 bananas, smashed
1/4 cup unsweetened yogurt [I like Greek]
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Combine the oil, butter, sugar, bananas, and yogurt. Next, add the eggs and vanilla and get things all kinds of mixed up. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients and incorporate them into the wet mixture until it's just mixed.

I used my 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop again [it's my favorite size, really] to fill my muffin liners. A slightly under filled scoop on the bottom, then about 1 Tbsp of the frozen strawberry cream cheese, and then just enough batter to cover the top. You should be about 1/4 " from the top of the muffin liner. Because next you're going to cram as much streusel topping on those muffins.

[Side note: if you do a full scoop on the bottom and then fill the liner all the way your muffins will be overflowing. Still edible. Still tasty. But overflowing and misshapen.]

Streusel
6 Tbsp butter softened
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp molassas
pinch of salt

Combine and spoon on top of unbaked muffins. Smash it down a little so it sticks. Sure, these muffins would be fine without it, but IT'S SO CRUNCHY AND TASTY AND GOOD. You want it.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool then eat those babies. I keep them in the refrigerator because the cream cheese filling stays soft and goey and I feel better about it being cold. They taste best warm or at room temperature though.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

If this is food karma, I don't know what I did to deserve it...

Last Friday, I started thinking about pumpkin bread.

Saturday, I shoved those sweet, pumpkiny thoughts way down into the depths of my brain. I will have willpower!

Sunday, I tried a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Nope, my pumpkin bread desire scoffed at my attempt with carrots-as if.

Monday, I decided the concoction in my brain needed chocolate chips and oatmeal.

Tuesday, I debated purchasing a slice at my favorite campus coffee shop. Nah, I can make that plus...oatmeal and chocolate. Then I searched for recipes. Then I thought "MAPLE AND PUMPKIN!" Then I reconsidered the chocolate chips and replaced them with pecans. Then I thought about browned butter.

Do you understand why it is so difficult to live with myself yet?

Mary understands [don't worry, she only got teeny-tiny bites without any pecans]. She crawled right over to her grandpa as soon as he sat down to have some pumpkin bread. I'm pretty sure Mary and I are kindred spirits.

I chose a recipe, altered it to be what I want [because, really...would I leave something the way it was?], made some browned butter frosting, and demolished a slice.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups Flour
• 1-3/4 cups Oatmeal
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
  
• 4 Eggs
• 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt [I used 0% FAGE], or Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup [the real deal]
  Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  
• 1 cup Pecans [Optional, but you know you want them. Also, take 10 minutes and roast them because it takes a pecan and makes it a PEEEE-CAN! What I'm trying to tell you is that roasted/toasted pecans are where it's at, just throw them in a skillet over med-high heat until you can smell a toasty smell. I'm very technical here.]

Once you've mixed the dry and the wet, just combine them until it's all sweet and delicious looking. If you want pecans, you should add them in now.

Fill your greased bread pans 3/4 full. This made two large loafs for me. Bake those breads at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Once they're done, a toothpick will come out clean. [I baked mine for 50 minutes and the top got dark, but the middle is gooey--I should have given them another 5-7 minutes.] Don't get too worried about the bread getting dry because the combination of pumpkin and yogurt make this bread MOIST.

Once they're out if you'd like to make this "breakfast bread" more like dessert [who doesn't?], you can add a browned butter frosting. If you've never browned butter, we need to talk.

Browned Butter Frosting

• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter, browned and cooled to room temp
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup [the real deal]
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• pinch Salt
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• a splash of milk if you need it depending on how thick/thin you like your frosting
  Mix to combine and the slather that delicious frosting all over the bread. OH.MY.LANTA. 

Or don't do it because you'll be stuck with pumpkin bread lust sometime in your future. 

I cannot stop thinking about that bite. GET IN MY MOUTH.

chai banana bread

I don't cook or bake or do much in the kitchen the way I used to, so I'm coming back here for recipes. It's easier than trying to be worry about maintaining two blogs all all that jazz. Ain't nobody got time for that. [I don't even know what this saying is from, but it's all over facebook and pinterest and I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I'm so up on my pop culture right now.]

Plus, I don't have a tiny kitchen any more.
I live in a house with a large kitchen with windows and an island and everything! It's so awesome.
They have a dishwasher! And not the kind with two arms and hands whose name is Amy.

I miss my little apartment sometimes though.

Yesterday, I had a statistics exam why no, I do not care about F/Q/Z/T tables beyond getting an A in this class. As you know, I'm all about stress relievers, so I baked some banana bread. It's about the baking not the eating, so I'm good with this form of self-care.

Stress relieved.

Whew!


Chai Banana Bread

• 2 Bananas, mashed
• 2 bags of Chai tea, cut open
• 1 container, or 1/2 cup 0% Greek Yogurt [I used Fage]
• 2 Eggs
• 5 Tbsp Butter, melted
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Quick Oats
• 1 1/4 cups Flour [use GF, whole wheat, something fancy if your heart desires]
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda

Preheat your oven to 350. 

Combine the first five ingredients [just cut the bags of tea open and dump it in] and then add the sugar and stir until combined. Next, add the oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Stir again until just combined. I'm lazy, so I smashed the bananas with a fork and then used the same fork to stir everything. Laaaaaaazy. 

Dump it in a greased loaf pan of the larger variety [I used a 9x5] and bake for 50-65 minutes checking frequently during the last 15 minutes so you don't over bake that bread.

Let it cool and by that I mean, don't dig in right away because you want to put some glaze on it.

Unless you're feeling healthy, then this glaze tastes like dirt. 

Glaze

• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• a pinch of All Spice
• a pinch of Cloves
• a pinch of Salt
• 2-3 Tbsp Milk of choice, I went with Heavy Whipping cream 

As we all know, I don't measure icings, glazes, frostings, etc. HOWEVER, this is a decent estimation of what I did this time. (-: You can adjust the spices or leave them out, but oh, they taste good. I put the glaze on while the loaf was still warm.

Then I ate a slice, but not because I was stressed. I ate it to make sure it wasn't poisonous. 

I'm still alive.

love you people.

xo

Bread

I don't bake bread. Yeast scares me.

OK, I made bread once or twice with yeast and it came out. It was good. I just don't have the desire in my heart to bake bread frequently.

And yeast scares me.
It's fickle.

Last week, I received a ziplock baggie with some yeasty smelling sludge in it.

It was a starter for Amish Friendship Bread my friend Lee passed on to me. I thought, OK, I'll do this. I got home and Megan got really excited because she LOVES Amish Friendship Bread.

L

O

V

E
S

Then I went to Indiana and cackled at Megan knowing that she would not get any of my Amish Friendship Bread. I was not friendly. Then I promised to bring back a starter so we could make it again.

I'm nice like that.

It's Day 10!!!!

Let's get this show on the road!

First, check out these awesome vintage tupperware my grandma keeps her sugar and flour in. Love them!

The only directions given are: do NOT use a metal bowl or spoon. 

Why? I have no idea. Oh, and this is a sweet, crumby, cakey bread. 

Hence the cinnamon sugar.

The cinnamon sugar that coats your greased pans and tops the bread making a crispy, delicious, sugary crust. 

Yeah, kinda like that.

Oh and this was my "helper."

Stinkin' cute.

If you are anywhere close to me and want a starter, I have two to give away! Also, that link from above looks very similar to this version of Amish Friendship Bread and gives you directions for doing your own starter.