This is for Wanda.....Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

My friend, Wanda, is "famous" for her pumpkin muffins....it's the easiest muffin recipe you will ever find! The recipe uses a boxed cake mix and canned pumpkin...that's IT...and they are perfectly moist and good!

When I came across the recipe for Shortcut Pumpkin Bread, I knew I needed to share it with Wanda. This recipe uses more than two ingredients, but it's still super easy.

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread (Parents Magazine - October 2010)
Prepare a yellow-cake mix according to package directions OMITTING water.
Stir in 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 cup mashed bananas, and 1 tsp cinnamon. (For Wanda-skip the bananas and add more pumpkin :)!)
Pour into a greased 9" loaf pan; bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
In a mixer bowl, beat 4 oz. softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup softened butter until creamy.
Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and slowly add 1 cup powdered sugar.
Frost cooled bread; chill. Makes 16 slices.

Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread

I'm just getting back in my routine from visiting family in Indiana. It was a wonderful trip, but as usual too short! Plus, it was weird knowing that this was my husband and I's last trip to see our families with just the two of us...next time we will have a baby in tow (exciting and scary at the same time)! I'll try to post some pictures of our trip home in a couple of days, but for now on to a new recipe I tried this morning.

I've had bananas begging to be used in my freezer for several months now, so when I came across the recipe for Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread from the 'Chef Jeff Cooks' book, I knew it was time to pull the bananas out. I need to mention that my husband checked this book out from the library, but there are so many great recipes I want to try that it will probably be my next cookbook purchase. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread
6 ripe bananas
1 tsp lemon juice
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch loaf pans by spraying them with cooking spray. Puree the bananas and lemon juice together using a blender or by hand. You should have about 2 cups mashed bananas. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together into a bowl. Place the banana mixture, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a mixer bowl and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment until blended. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans. Gently tap the filled pans to burst any air bubbles. Bake until the bread springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool the loaves in the pans for a few minutes, then turn the bread onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. The bread can be held at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 weeks.

Pistachio "Green" Bread

I came across this recipe around St. Patrick's Day. I needed something quick and easy to take to Bunko that fit with the St. Patrick's Day theme and this certainly fit the bill. Who doesn't love a cake mix recipe?

Pistachio "Bread"
1 box yellow cake mix
1 - 3 1/2 oz pkg instant pistachio pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients well and pour into two greased loaf pans. In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture on top of bread and press firmly into bread before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (I checked my bread at 35 minutes and it was done.)

Have blueberries...must make muffins....

One of my favorite things about summer is the availability of fresh berries. I try to include fresh fruit and vegetables in to my diet whenever possible (you need five servings a day!) and during the summer months I typically don't have a problem. I picked up some blueberries at the store the other day thinking I could just nibble on them as a snack. I could eat them by themselves, but I think blueberries are better used mixed in to muffins...pancakes...pies...basically because by themselves they are a little tart, but mixed in to a muffin (or anything else) they are perfect! Okay, so I didn't actually make muffins, but a close second...a Blueberry Loaf Bread from a "Light Cooking for Two" cookbook that I just recently checked out from the library. (May need to look for this one on half.com!) I also made a loaf of banana bread, which followed the same baking directions as the blueberry loaf.

Blueberry Loaf Bread

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls plan nonfat yogurt (I didn't have plain yogurt, so substituted raspberry which turned out very well!)

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, slightly beaten

1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt and next 3 ingredients; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into a 6x3x2 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan immediately, and let cook on a wire rack. Yields 1 loaf.

I had some bananas in the freezer waiting to be made into a banana bread, so I made that this morning as well!

Banana Bread

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

3 Tbls sugar

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Follow same instructions on recipe above!

Review: Both breads turned out very well and I would use these recipes again. The blueberry loaf was more porous than what I was expecting and I could have used a little more banana in the banana bread for a stronger flavor. Neither bread was overly sweet which I feel makes a good breakfast bread. Overall I was pleased with how they came out.