Monday, December 8, 2008

A Little Sweetness



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMMY!!!!!
Go give her some birthday wishes!
That's what this weekend was, sweet! It was balanced & it was lovely, not to mention the weather is just so invigorating here in FL right now. The Christmas show at the church was nothing short of spectacular. A real heartfelt reminder of the reason for this season. And while Tristan played with an old friend on his playdate, I made a new one! We have known Angel & his mom Tanya for awhile but this was the first time we got together, just the 4 of us, & it was a wonderful thing!!

So, to celebrate all the sweetness here is some banana bread I made Saturday morning. I found this recipe from Emeril where he had 188 reviews & a 5 star rating so I was intrigued. It had a great banana taste without it being too sweet! Perfect for breakfast or snack. Everyone loved it.


BANANA BREAD

10 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Puree the bananas, sour cream, eggs & vanilla in a bowl using a mixer. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt into another bowl. Add the remaining 10 tablespoons butter & mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture in 3 batches, scraping the sides of the bowl & mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned & bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven & cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

My Thoughts:

I made this in a bundt pan for looks & it only took 35-38 minutes. I question the time above, even for a loaf pan, so keep checking after 40 minutes if you're using one. I also sprinkled mine with a little confectioners sugar for presentation.

Click Here to Print Recipe



I also made this sangria for our playdate because I know Tanya loves red wine. We noshed on a couple of appetizers, watched the boys play in the bounce house, & sipped our sangria as we constantly digressed from one thing to another. A sign of a great conversation. Like the banana bread, this had the perfect amount of sweetness without going overboard!

RED WINE SANGRIA
1 orange, sliced
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau or Triple Sec
750 ml Red Wine

In a pitcher, combine the sliced orange, sliced lemon & sugar. Mash gently until sugar is slightly dissolved. Add orange juice, Cointreau & red wine. Mix well & let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, pour over ice & garnish with a lemon or orange slice. Or top off with some club soda for a little spritzer.

My Thoughts:





I used Carlo Rossi Burgundy for this recipe. For a cheap wine, we enjoy it very much so it goes to show that expensive wine isn't always better. You can add any fruit you like to this sangria. All you need is a friend to sip it with & enjoy!

Click Here to Print Recipe

41 comments:

Carrie and Jim said...

I have never seen banana bread made like this. Neat concept on the shape...changes things up. I like that. Also, I love the Christmas ideas, I am always looking for new ideas.

Anonymous said...

next time i make banana bread, i think i'll bake it like this. just something new!! glad you had a great weekend! take care, be blessed!

Carrie said...

Two of my favorite things in the WHOLE world! Banana bread and Sangria!!

BTW, I made the Turkey Chili yesterday and it was DELICIOUS! Yummmmmmmmmm.... Guess what's for lunch today?

Yellow Beads said...

I love making bundt cakes this time of year because I have a "cathedral" looking bundt pan which is perfect for the Holidays! How was singing trees? We spent 2 hours at NITE LITE after the parade with Amelia--ear infection and high fever, oh fun.

Tam said...

OOO how I heart Sangria....I could drink until my lips are NUMB. LOL

OOO the cake...yummmy

Tam said...

not cake but banna bread....to me everything is cake...LOL LOL

Melissa Lester said...

Happy anniversary! I'm such a sweets fan, so I'm looking forward to your upcoming recipes for food gifts.

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary!!!
That banana bread looks delicious.. thanks for sharing the recipe.

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

Love the sangria recipe! I think I might try it this week! Thanks!

Kristina P. said...

Happy anniversary! The bread sounds delicious. I had a cookie exchange this weekend, and one of the cookies I made was a banana cookie. They are SOOOO good!

Anonymous said...

My husband loves banana bread! I'll have to make this sometime! And Happy Anniversary!

Maria said...

Pretty banana bread!! I was going to email you about those lemon ricotta biscuits. If you liked the cookies, you will love these!!

FROGGITY! said...

Happy Anniversary! That's awesome.

Great sounding/looking banana bread, too. Love me some Emeril. :) Planning on going to one of his restaurants down here at some point... just haven't gotten around to it yet!

Sangria = good times. Glad you had a great weekend!

The Blonde Duck said...

I couldn't believe that was banana bread! It looked gorgeous!

Scary Mommy said...

Sangria playdates? I knew I liked you. :)

Danyele Easterhaus said...

not just banana bread, but pretty banana bread! yeah!

and, let's see...send along some chili seasoning and tuscan spice rub recipes! uber fantastico!!!

Sweet Pea Chef said...

Do you have a recipe for spiced or glazed nuts as a gift? The other recipes sound great too!

Rebecca said...

I think it's an ok movie, but it isn't my favorite. I am a bit bothered that it seems to be a forced political statement on our children. Had I have seen it before the Hubs bought it I never would have allowed him to spend the money... but now the kids are diggin' it so I just go along...they are oblivious at their age to the politics of it all.

tiarastantrums said...

my eyes saw the cake and my stomach started to growl - too funny!!
Happy Anniversary! Mine is coming up her in a few weeks.

What are you Wearing - tomorrow!! Hope to see you!

Corine (@ComplicatedMama) said...

LOOOVE Sangria!

Me and my girlfriends always have some on hand for our Girls Night Outs :)

Im going to try your recipe next time

Corine (@ComplicatedMama) said...

LOOOVE Sangria!

Me and my girlfriends always have some on hand for our Girls Night Outs :)

Im going to try your recipe next time

Rachel said...

What a great weekend...I can't wait to sip sangria with you!
The weather has been awesome hear lately; it got kinda warm though Saturday...we went to a Christmas parade and the kids had a blast! I am sooo glad to hear the Christmas Tree event was spectacular...sorry I had to miss it!

Cheeky Kitchen said...

Whoever created bundt pans should be eternally blessed with good things. They turn the most normal of recipes into pure delight.

THANKS for the great idea! And...I'm diggin' your Christmas ideas. Am SOOOO behind this year. Yoinks.

Pam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pam said...

My kind of play date. I love that you used a bundt pan to make banana bread look so pretty.

Jen said...

I love the idea of putting banana bread in a bunt pan. How festive is that. I am going to have to try that. We are bug banana bread lovers here.
And I must say, you sure know how to host a play date. I wish all mom's were a cool as you.

Anonymous said...

Very creative! I love banana bread and what a great idea to put it in a bundt pan! Can't wait to see what you are going to post during the holidays!

sassy stephanie said...

Mmmm and sangria? Double Mmmmmm.

Happy anniversary!

Sandy said...

oh yummy on both recipes! we made banana bread last night, delish!

Heather said...

That banana bread sounds so yummy! My husband will thank you!

Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly) said...

I'm not a "spiced" bread fan, but I am a wine fan. I love sangria, but never make it. I'll have to try that recipe...it sounds easy.

michelle matthews said...

Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a great weekend!!! These recipes look delicious! I'll be making them!

Deanna said...

I definitely need to try this banana bread recipe. If it is Emeril it has to be good!

Lula! said...

Happy anniversary, again!

And we will drink sangria together...one day...oh yes, we will.

Kacey said...

L.O.V.E. Sangria! YUM! I love banana bread too and yours looks so pretty by using the bundt pan.

I'm so happy to hear your play date went well. Oh its so awesome to have friends to relax with and even nicer when their little one gets along with yours! I'm sure Tristan had a ball.

Happy Anniversary!

Alyson | New England Living said...

I'm always seeing the most yummy things over here at your blog! They make me want to take up cooking/baking full-time!

Happy anniversary! Mine is tomorrow!

Casey's trio said...

Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

I want a playdate...with you. and some red wine juice. That's what I call it. That's what the holidays are all about. Getting sloshed.

Meaghan said...

Hi there! There can never be too many gifts for a 4 year old fighting cancer!! If 100 people wanted to send something, awesome!

Could you send me an email to spiritjumper.spiritjump.com and then Ill give you his mailing address. I will also put you on the list of Spirit Jumpers. Whenever I get a new person in need I send an email to all my spirit jumpers. If you would like to send something to that person just email me back. NEVER feel obligated b/c I make sure each person gets at least 1 thing :)

Also if you would consider writing a short post about this project I would be so grateful! I really want to reach as many people as possible :)

xoxo
Meaghan

Lump said...

I need that kind of playdate. I can bring the beer!

Unknown said...

Now that's what I'm talking about.