Favorite Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe comes from an old cookbook called 

"Six Ingredients or Less" 

that I've had for years.  You can see from my photo below it is pretty simple but I alter it a bit.

Banana Bread Recipe (family favorite)

1 cup butter, softened (I use real butter, not margarine)

2 cups sugar (the real stuff)

2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

4 eggs, well beaten

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon of cinnamon (my addition)

1 tablespoon of vanilla (my preferred addition)

or

1 teaspoon of Almond extract (used on occasion)

Directions:  In a large bowl cream sugar and butter.  Add beaten eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla.  Combine baking soda and flour, then add cinnamon.  Then add to banana mixture, stirring enough to moisten flour mixture. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until knife comes out clean in middle.  

Run butter knife around edges and turn out immediately to cool.  Or just slice while warm and pour yourself a big glass of milk.  

Sit in your happy place and enjoy!

Recipe makes two loaves which usually get eaten the same day I make them.  Hope you try it!

Hugs, Erin

Toasted Roast Beef Italian Sub on French Bread

Here's another great recipe that is easy, filling and fairly low in cost.

Toasted Roast Beef/Italian Sub on French Bread

Ingredients:

1 - 6 to 10 oz package of Roast Beef
1 - 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 - jar spagetti sauce (or pizza sauce)
1 - large loaf of fresh french bread (or 2 smaller loaves)





We like this brand of Roast Beef too.

This is the package label from the loaf of french bread.

Instructions:

Cut french bread loaf into 3 equal pieces or 4 equal pieces depending on your family.




Slice each of 3 or 4 pieces in half, like a sub sandwich.


Toast for 4 mins under the broiler.






Add spagetti or pizza sauce on both sides of bread







Add roast beef on top of sauce (3-6 slices per sandwich, depending on the thickness of your beef)





Cover both sides of sandwich with shredded mozzarella cheese


Toast for 4 mins under broiler





Let cool 2-3 minutes. Serve with lettuce salad and fresh fruit.






Cost:
Total cost around $8.50 for 3- 6 inch subs. 
     $2.00, mozz. cheese
     $1.50, spag. sauce (you will use half of spag sauce for recipe above)
     $2.50, loaf of french bread
     $2.50 roast beef for approx. 1/2 lb

This recipe is enough to feed 3 adults (or two male teenagers and Mom).
But I make everything in bulk these days since I live with teenagers and always have extra teenagers to feed.

I think this is a pretty good price for 3 sandwiches and I try to buy the ingredients when I can find the cheese and roast beef on sale. 

Hope you try it! Enjoy!

Hugs,  Erin

Another New Recipe...Meatball Casserole

Here's another dinner recipe I made two nights ago.  This recipe is super easy (which is good or I wouldn't make it) and very tasty.

This was got a 2 thumbs up from my kids and their friends.  I stole this from Sara over at Sara's Organized Chaos, her blog is awesome and always makes me laugh.  Check her out if you haven't already:  http://strandupdate.blogspot.com/

Meatball Casserole

1 box of pasta (you can use any type, I chose penna noodles)

1 jar spagetti sauce (regular size)

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz or 16 oz)

1 bag of thawed meatballs (I used a bag that had approx 28-32 meatballs)

1 container of ricotta or cottage cheese (I used the large size)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 package shredded mozerella cheese (I used a 12 ounce package)

Cook pasta approximately half the amount of time as package directs.  Drain pasta, stir in meatballs, spagetti sauce and tomato sauce.

Spead pasta mixture into 9x13 pan.  Spread cottage and parmesan cheeses (I mixed these together first) evenly over top of pasta mixture.  Top with mozerella cheese.

Bake for at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve with salad and dinner rolls.  Yummy!

This is the ingredients I used but feel free to modify to fit your preferences.

Hugs,  Erin

p.s.  I am including the photo I have for this recipe (ingredients only).  Why you ask?  Because I am scattered this week (and last week if you really want to know).... 

This is the only photo I took because when dinner finally came out of the oven

at 9:30 pm we were hungry so we ate. 

I put the leftovers in containers, cleaned up the kitchen and

never gave photos another thought. 

p.s.s.  Well...... at least I didn't give photos another thought until tonight,

when I started to write this post. 

p.s.s.s.  Next time I make this recipe, I will make an effort to take photos

so I can link back to this recipe.

New Recipe...One Dish Breakfast

When I'm stressed and feeling out of control I cook, bake or clean.  The last two nights I have been cooking new dinner recipes given to me by friends.  This is a breakfast receipe but my clan (and their friends) will always eat breakfast for dinner.  

Here's the recipe with photos following.

One Dish Breakfast

2 cans Crescent Rolls

1 lb. ground sausage, browned and drained of oil (I used mild pork sausage)

1 ½ to 3 cups of shredded hash browns, thawed

6 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used mild but sharp would be good too)

Salt and pepper (add to your liking)

1)  Gather ingredients

2)  Brown and drain sausage

3)  Unroll crescent rolls onto large cookie sheet or 9x13 pan. Seal all seams and curl up edges slightly
4)  Spread sausage over rolls
5)  Layer with hash browns (amount of your choice)
6)  Spread beaten eggs over top (evenly as possible)
7)  Layer cheese over top of all
8)  Season to taste with salt and pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Gather ingredients.

Brown and drain sausage.

Unroll crescent rolls onto large cookie sheet or 9x13 pan.

Seal all seams and curl up edges slightly.

Spread sausage over rolls

Layer with hash browns (amount of your choice)

Spread beaten eggs over top (evenly as possible)

Layer cheese over top of all

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (or until cheese is melted to your liking)

The result, a yummy simple breakfast-type pizza.

(You will note that my crust and cheese are bit overdone,

I adjusted the baking time above from the original recipe of 40 mins to 25-30 mins.)

 

 

Cut into squares with a pizza-cutter

NOTE:  This recipe was enough to feed me and three teenage boys. 

You could certainly cut everything in half for a smaller meal.

Hugs,  Erin