Brown Sugar Banana Muffins with Avocado Buttercream

Friends, I have turned a corner.

A baking corner.

I used to be terrified of baking.  TERRIFIED.  But the other day I did it, just for fun.  

No 'Sundays with Joy' recipe to tackle, no friends coming over, nada.  I was just sitting on the couch, about ready to mutter those ugly words of "I'm bored!", and decided to do something about it before that phrase could escape my lips.

Even before I flipped through a cookbook I thought about all of those delicious pictures I have pinned and repinned on Pinterest and decided to just go through, one at a time, until I found one that I had all the ingredients on hand.  After three recipes, I found it:  Brown sugar banana muffins with avocado buttercream from How Sweet It Is.

I know, mine didn't come out as pretty as hers.  It's OK.  I made avocado buttercream!  And it tasted good.  Once I got over the color being on top of a muffin/cupcake (which I must admit, is actually growing on me...) I decided I liked it.  A lot.

And so did my friend Myra.  She told me I had enough and took the rest of them home with her yesterday.  Proof that avocado plus sugar is a good idea.

Bananas & avocados.  Two fruit that stand in solidarity, side by side, yet nobody knew...

For the recipe, please visit How Sweet It is HERE.  And then you can laugh at how ugly my frosting looks compared to hers ;)

*She used sour cream, which I didn't have, so I used buttermilk -- which I also didn't have.  I actually 'made' it by mixing milk with a little bit of vinegar and a tad of melted butter.  As far as I can tell, it worked just fine!
** My batched yielded 12 muffins, so I cut the avocado buttercream recipe in half.

COST: $4.95    Cost per muffin (12): $0.42

Get yo' greens! (Banana and Kale Smoothie -- A 'Sundays with Joy' Post)

Let's talk kale, shall we?  I had no idea what this stuff was until I was 25 years old and I spent a summer in Brazil with my future-at-the-time-in-laws.  Every once in awhile my mother-in-law would make this dish of a kind of bitter, but very delicious, green stuff.  That man of mine loved it.  LOVED it.  When I asked what it was the answer came back as couve.  So then I asked what it was in English, and the answer came back the same, couve.  Interesting, I had never heard of couve before...

A few years later, after the wedding bells had rung and the thought of cooking didn't intimidate me so much, I set out to find couve.  Lo and behold, it was something so simple to find -- kale.  Once we figured out that we could find it here in the States, my husband practically begged and pleaded for me to make things with it, as it is no doubt his favorite vegetable.  Sauteed kale with garlic, kale and potato pancakes, chicken and kale casserole... I graciously gave him what he asked for.

I bet he never thought I would turn it into a smoothie, though!

Yes, that's right.  This weeks recipe as we are working our way through Joy the Baker's cookbook (which you should totally go buy!) is kale and banana (and other stuff) smoothies.  Yes, a little odd, I know... but odd is not always synonymous with "bad", right?  Sometimes odd is "just right".  In this case, it means the latter.

I had the privilege of watching Joy at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend a few weeks ago, and guess which recipe she shared?  This one.  Along with two others that I will share with you when the time is right.  She made a great suggestion -- peel and freeze bananas to put in smoothies so you don't need ice.  Brilliant!  Later the night I went home and made this smoothie with soy milk and guess what?  Instant healthy goodness.  So good you actually don't even realize it is healthy... Actually, it just tasted like you were eating a banana with peanut butter.  All you moms out there, here you go -- time to be sneaky ;)

And that lover of kale that I am married to?  He liked it so much he even asked me to tell him how to do it so -- get this -- he could make it himself. 

WOW. 

That must mean it was good ;)

Cost: $1.70    Cost per glass (2): $0.85

PS - In Brazil they call smoothies just as "vitamins"  I could never figure out why, but today I put the ingredients into a nutrition counter and holy cow -- this thing is basically equivalent to a multivitamin!  221% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A?  Tons of other vitamins and minerals represented?  NOW I get it.  Drink your greens and live long and healthy!

Not Barefoot in the Kitchen -- Banana Pudding Parfaits

I did it!  I am all banana'd out... but I am totally OK with that.  I thought this banana stuff would take two weeks, but four weeks and I am still cooking up bananas!  That's what happens when you have a little of family of two to eat a whole loaf of banana chocolate bread, a whole tub of banana rum ice cream, a whole banana upside down tart, and enjoy a banana panini or two on the side. 

I got home from work yesterday and grabbed the bananas out of the basket when I happened to glance in the mirror above the table... and something made me think back to my college days when a friend said, "You realize that you will have to be frumpy your entire life if you are going to be an elementary school teacher, right?"  Now, I didn't see some super-stylish model staring back at me, but I did see one non-frumpy woman. 

Sure, we have all seen those ladies who roll up to the local elementary school with their homemade dresses from some fabric with little chalkboards and crayons in the print.  Or is that just me that has seen that?  Well, I have.  But I would say that that really is not a requirement for being a teacher.  Trust me.  I personally have three qualifications that must happen with my wardrobe before I walk out the door.  It must be --

Classy
Yes, I am going to be working with children, but I need to look like I care about what I look like, even if the people I spend my time with are not going to notice.  Actually, they do notice.  Eight-year-olds notice if you take time to put together your outfit or not.  And they are quick to comment, either way.  Children are honest like that.

Comfy
With the amount of wandering around the classroom/sitting criss-cross-applesauce (remember "Indian Style"?)/kneeling next to desks to help with math that I do during the day, I must have something that allows me to move accordingly.  Plus, I just might want to join in a game of dodge-ball, and I need to be prepared :) 

Cute
For the first year or two of teaching I allowed the top two qualifications to define my wardrobe.  I looked good, but I didn't always look like me.  Now I make sure whatever I walk out the door wearing is something that I would find myself whether or not I am in my classroom. 

As you can tell, not only do I do budget cooking, but I do budget shopping in all areas.  Pants -- $24.99.  Top -- $11.99.  Sandals (Forever 21) -- $13.00.  Bracelet (which is actually a necklace wrapped around my wrist) -- sitting in my jewelry box since forever.

And yes, those curls are mine.  No scrunching needed ;)

So, what did this non-frumpy teacher do when she got home?  She made banana pudding parfait!

This is my last banana post. 

For now.

What can I say?  We love us some bananas!

From this point on I will go back to the norm -- cooking what I feel like cooking.  But trust me, there will be more banana stuff coming out of my kitchen, and when that happens I will let you know!

Until then, try this.  If you try only one of my recipes I found this year, try THIS ONE!  The homemade pudding is to die for.  I know I say all the time, "This was so good!" (because, honestly, I wouldn't try a recipe that didn't sound like it would be awesome, right?), but trust me on this one -- THIS WAS SO GOOD! ;)



Click button to see more yummy-banana-goodness!



Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 bananas, plus more for garnish
• 12 shortbread or other vanilla-flavored cookies (4 to 5 ounces total), crumbled, plus more for garnish
• Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

Directions

1. Have ready a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time), whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch; whisk in egg yolks.
2. Whisking constantly, cook mixture over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; whisking constantly, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding. Let pudding cool slightly; meanwhile, slice bananas.
3. In six 8-ounce glasses, alternately layer warm pudding with cookies and bananas, ending with pudding and covering bananas as completely as you can to prevent discoloration. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour, and covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

Cost Per Parfait: $0.95

Beach, Bananas, and a Berry Good Time... (Banana Panini)

Guess what we did this weekend...

Yup, you got it!

Are you surprised?  Probably not.  (Note -- no, I am not in any of these pictures.  Such is the life of the photo-taker in the family.  But my husband is there with the red surfboard.  He is well documented, as are his friends.  And my friends.  And my flowers and my food and... well, you get the point.  I really need to get better at including myself!)

I did get one picture with me included and it happens to be my favorite picture from the weekend --

Not only did we hang out with our friends who live far, far away (Washington State, which is far, far away if you live in California), but we discovered PinkBerry for the first time!  Oh my goodness, this stuff is good!  We were hoping to get some Ben & Jerry's, but they no longer had the shop open any more.  It was a sad moment until we saw a little place with a line out the door.  And I can see why.  I got salted caramel with coconut, toasted almonds, brownie bites, and heath bar crunch for my toppings.  Talk about sugar and happiness overload!  Good friends, good food, good times...  :)

What else do you think we did?  Ate bananas, of course!  We are, after all, making our way through some (and by "some" I mean "many") banana recipes.

Remember my super-sweet-find from the other day?  Well, I took some of that, spread it on some bread, placed some bananas in it, and grilled away.

I don't have a fancy George Foreman grill or anything, so it looks a little more like a grilled-cheese sandwich than a panini (I couldn't think of a creative way to make the grill-lines), but whatever, the taste is the same --> the taste of MMMmmmm!

I had one and then I was done.  It was good, but it was sweet.  Very sweet.  My husband didn't seem to mind though.  He asked for another one and then went into the kitchen and smeared some more of the Cocoa Almond Spread on a piece of bread.  I think I found something we need to keep stocked up on!  (Or maybe not... I kind of like him slim and fit ;) )


Click the button to see more banana posts.



Cost Per Sandwich: $1.38

Bonkers for Bananas: Banana Upside-Down Tart

It's a good time to be friends with me.

Wow, that's a bold statement.  So let me give you the facts and then let you decide.

I don't know what happened to me, but I have been bitten with the baking bug.  Yes, I am working on these banana recipes and all, but it is more than that. 

For example, last Friday I was in the middle of cleaning my house, dust rag in hand.  Suddenly I had a craving for snickerdoodles.  Like I needed them, and I needed them now.  Down went that dust rag and out came the sugar.

Those snickerdoodles were good, but come on, what do we (a little family of two) do with 24 cookies?  I mean, besides get ridiculously fat?  Especially when we are still working through homemade ice cream and there is a banana tart on the way? 

We share them with friends. 

And what do I do with an entire banana tart that I made this morning?

I cut it in half, wrap it up, and share it with another friend.  And it was oh-so-good.

As far as I can see, this baking streak is not ending any time soon.

Like I said, it is a good time to be friends with me.

Want more banana recipes?  Click the button!

Banana Upside-Down Tart

Recipe taken from Everyday Food, March 2012

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling

Yield Serves 8

Ingredients

• For the Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

• For the Filling

  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark rum, brandy, or bourbon
  • 5 firm-ripe medium bananas, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, melt butter and brown sugar over medium-high, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbling, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum, swirling to combine. Arrange banana slices in an even layer over sauce.
3. On a floured work surface, roll dough into a 12-inch round. Place on top of bananas and fold overhang inward. Bake until crust is golden and mixture is bubbling around edge, 45 to 50 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Cook's Note

Top It Off
Instead of trimming away excess dough, fold it over to make a sturdier base for the tart. Besides, who doesn't love more crust? Serving whipped cream alongside is not essential -- but it is wonderful.

Cost: $5.75                   Cost Per Serving (8) $0.72 

Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Banana Pops (A 'Bonkers for Bananas' Post)

I let it get to me.  I know, I know... Don't let the one bad comment ruin your day.  Oh, how that easy that is to say, yet can be so hard to do.

Let me back up a bit.  Let me tell you about my dream.  Remember the TV show '24'?  Remember in season 2 or 3 Jack was dating some girl named Audrey, who later appeared on Grey's Anatomy but will forever be in my mind Audrey-who-dated-Jack-Bauer?  Well, she was in my dream last night.  Along with my friend Querubia.  And some other dude.  Anyway, this other dude (who remains nameless) was driving Q and I around Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica while Audrey was following us.  We thought we were the good guys/spies/something and she (Audrey) was the bad one.  But then we realized that she was the good one trying to save us from the dude.  And then we passed some beach bungalows that looked really great to stay in and I mentioned that I would love to live there before I remembered, "Oh yeah, I am trying to survive here and I can't let the dude know I have caught onto his secret."  Then we stormed across a river onto the other side while all the other cars road across in big, white laundry baskets.  Water came in the car and got in my camera case and I was really sad but we needed to not focus and that and try to save our lives...

Why do I mention this?  Because if I remember that much detail about my dream (and trust me, there is more...) then I clearly did not rest last night.  Oh, I slept.  But I did not rest.  And that is how I started the day.

I teach math everyday.  Math is simple.  2+2=4, 7-5=2, and Tiffany + lack of sleep = overly sensitive and impatient teacher.  It is always the same.

And that brings us to what my students and I refer to as 'Banana Pops'.   See, I have been doing these banana recipes, and they have been great.  Really great.  But they are recipes to feed 10 or 8, and we are in two.  This means that my banana bread took about a week three days to finish and we are still working our way through the ice cream.  Don't get me wrong, it tastes wonderful, but it all tastes like bananas.  (Duh.)  Day in and day out bananas.  However, I want to finish this banana journey I set out on so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone -- make a recipe AND have fun with my students.  They love it when I bring things in to cook with them.  That made today Banana Pop Day. 

As you can see, they were having fun.  Most of them were having fun, anyway.  But there had to be the very small percentage who complained, goofed off instead of helping their table, and one who asked, "Do I have to do it?"  I think under normal circumstances I would have let it roll off me, but every time one of these little comments happened (ok, the three times) it just grated on me.  I have planned something so fun for you and you just want to complain? I wanted to shout.  Of course, I couldn't, so I just held it in.  But it wasn't fun for me anymore.  Suddenly I was not making banana pops with my kids.  Nope, now I was just cleaning up chocolate, digging out bananas, scraping burnt chocolate into the trash, and rinsing my own burnt fingers (due to my own lack of thinking) under the running water.  Now it was work.  And that hurt me.  Because I wanted it to be fun and I wanted it to be a good memory and I wanted... I wanted to sleep. 

Instead, I headed to my boss's office and began to cry. 

Yes, I cried over bananas and chocolate not going quite as planned.  The first time in seven years of teaching that I cried because my students weren't happy with my activity.  And I felt so stupid... But she listened.  And then she said, "Of course you are feeling this way.  You put energy and thought into this and wanted it to be a great moment, but you wound up getting slapped in the face."   Yes.  That is exactly how I felt.  As she pointed out, "A slap in the face doesn't hurt less just because a nine-year-old is doing it."  We talked it out, moved onto other topics of conversation, and I went to get my kids from PE to take them back to their banana pops, waiting for them.

Which they loved.

So, they weren't the prettiest.  But they tasted great.  When I look at those smiles I realize that maybe one or two didn't have the best moment, but most loved it.  That's why I did it -- for those kids. 

Wanna know something sweet?  Those kids who wanted to stay out of it and didn't do anything had pops, too.  Their seatmates didn't want them to be left out and made some specifically for them.  Everyone had at least one, and everybody wanted more.  Everybody.  So really, I did it for them -- the complainers and mishchief makers -- as well. 

I was going to come home and make some pretty ones and take some great pictures, but I will leave that to the rest of the food photography world right now.  I am going to leave these pictures as they are.  These are our banana pops.  The pictures might be a little rough, but so was the experience.  But end the end it turned out alright.

And look, someone even made one for me.  :)

For more banana recipes -- and ones that really turned out alright! -- click the Bonkers for Bananas button below.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes plus freezing

Yield Makes 20

Ingredients

• 5 firm-ripe bananas, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon sprinkles

Directions

1. Insert a toothpick into each banana piece. Arrange bananas, toothpick side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, 2 hours.
2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips in 10-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Working quickly, dip each banana piece in chocolate, shake off excess, and cover with sprinkles. Chocolate should set quickly, but if necessary, freeze pops to harden coating before serving.

Cook's Note

Freeze pops, wrapped, up to 3 days.

Cost: $3.45                   Cost Per Serving (20) $0.17

Bonkers for Bananas: Banana Rum Ice Cream

It's HERE! 

I leaked it out on Facebook the other day that I discovered the secret to making ice cream without an ice cream maker and everyone kept asking me, "HOW?"  Clearly, this is something that is desired knowledge, and I have it.  Kind of makes me feel powerful... and makes me question if I should share my secret.  What can I say?  Knowledge is power, and we all like power.  But I figure if Martha Stewart shared it with me I should be kind enough to share it with you.

Banana Rum Ice Cream.  Four words that really mean just one: delicious. 

A bunch of bananas, some sweetened condensed milk, a pint heavy whipping cream, and a little bit of rum and sugar cooked together.  That's all it took.

As a side note, not only did I make ice cream for the first time, but I made whipped cream for the first time.  It was always one of those things I knew I could do, I just never did.  Now I can check that off of my list of things that must be mastered in the kitchen.

This recipe called for a lot of banana.  That would be where it gets the title, right?  Now that I have mastered it once my brain is rolling with all the possible ice cream ideas.  Like, what if I did pineapple with the condensed milk and added coconut milk instead of the rum/sugar concoction?  Would that make pina colada flavor?  Or how about chocolate with the condensed milk and stirring in bits of Oreo's?  Or maybe Andes Mints?  Oh, the possibilities are endless!  And I am completely alright with that.

I figure as long as you have the whipped cream (fresh, from you), the condensed milk with its added flavor, and something to stir in that is sweet, you can just mix them all together and freeze overnight.  It worked with bananas, I am sure it will work with other things.

Now the secret is out.  Now you know you, too, can make ice cream in your own kitchen.  Please, let me know what flavors YOU come up with!

Whenever you see this logo, click it to see the other fun banana recipes I am trying this month.  Next up, simple banana popsicles and a banana panini... Go ahead, click it :)

Recipe from Everyday Food, March 2012

• Prep Time 10 minutes
• Total Time 40 minutes plus freezing
• Yield Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dark rum
• 3/4 cup golden raisins  (Didn't use them -- I don't like raisins.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 soft-ripe medium bananas, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups cold heavy cream

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine rum, raisins, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high.  Let boil for five minutes and remove from heat, letting cool completely, 30 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine bananas and condensed milk and process until smooth, 2 minutes. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold banana mixture into whipped cream. Fold in rum-raisin mixture. Pour into a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic, and freeze until firm, about 8 hours (or covered, up to 1 week).

Cost: $7.94                   Cost Per Serving (8 bowls) $0.99

Bonkers for Bananas: Banana Chocolate Bread

I am going through this weird weather thing.  Since I have already spent my days under the sun and applied tons of sunscreen and have tans lines crisscrossing my back, I feel like Summer has come and gone.  So when the rain is pouring down outside (as it has been these past few days, at least here in California) I feel like it is Fall.  I drive down the freeway thinking about mashed potatoes and turkey, scarves and umbrellas.  But then I have to stop myself, because it is not Fall.  It is Spring. 

Or it is supposed to be, anyway.

It sure does feel like Fall though.

Which makes my search for super banana recipes very necessary at this moment.  I love Spring!  If the weather isn't going to help me out, then I need something to bring Spring into my life.  And bananas, although I eat them all year around, seem Spring-ish to me.  I think it is the bright yellow... maybe.  I don't really know, but I like them, they remind me of Spring, and that is all that really matters.

Really, though, the rain is alright.  I mean, rainy day recesses are downright awful for elementary teachers(imagine all those little bodies, trapped inside, bouncing off the walls... and the poor teacher who has to maintain her sanity during that time), but at the same time, rainy days after school hours are quite nice.  Kind of peaceful.  Perfect baking weather.  Especially when these are your ingredients:

 
Bananas?  Yum.  Chocolate?  Yum.  Together?  Double yum.  The bread, since it has chocolate AND sour cream in it, comes out nice and moist, almost like a fudgy cake.  Not your typical banana bread, but who is complaining about that?  Not me.  I like banana bread and I like fudgy cake, so this is the best of both worlds.  Perfect for a rainy day.  Or a sunny day.  Or any day, really!

Recipe from Everyday Food, March 2012

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 1 1/4 hours
• Yield Serves 10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (3 to 4)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and chocolate on medium. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
3. Let bread cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Cook's Note

Store tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days, or freeze, up to 3 months.

Chopped or Chips?
For this loaf, we like the variety of sizes we get from chopping. Tiny bits of chocolate flavor the bread beautifully, while larger ones provide big hits of deliciousness.

Kitchen Tip
If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, put them in a 300-degree oven, unpeeled, for 15 minutes to soften.

Cost: $5.92                   Cost Per Serving (10) $0.59