Simple Banana Nut Bread

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe for you fine folks.  Here's a super easy and delicious one that Trav and I made the other night to get rid of the scary looking bananas I had taking up space in the freezer.  I know that sounds terribly appetizing, but they work great for banana bread.  Anytime you have bananas that are on the verge of going bad, put them in your freezer whole and save them for a rainy day when you just have to have some yummy banana bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 bananas

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cream crisco and sugar. 

 Add eggs and beat well.  Take a second to kiss your sweet little helper.

 Mash up your bananas with a fork.

Add bananas to mixer along with milk and lemon juice and mix well.

 Add dry ingredients and mix well.

 Stir in chopped nuts.

 Pour into well greased loaf pan,

 and bake at 350 for approx 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

Your bread will rise significantly while baking.

Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes, then gently lay pan on the side and ease the bread out to cool on a clean rag.  Slice up into thick pieces, and serve with butter or my favorite, cream cheese.

Nummmmmmmy. 

And TOTALLY fat free.  Yep...

Enjoy, my friends!  Thank you so much for your continued support.

XO

~Penny Wenny

Easter Bunny Shortbread Cookies

I have been craving a yummy shortbread cookie this week and decided to kill two birds with one stone by fulfilling my craving, and trying to be festive for the upcoming holiday.  I googled a few recipes, and then called my momma.  Using her recipe and a few tips from a  Barefoot Contessa recipe, I came up with these cutie pies:

They were super quick and simple to make (my kind of dessert).

Here's what you need:

 Cookies

• 2 cups butter (4 squares) at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour

Chocolate Ears

• Chocolate chips, or baking chocolate squares
• Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First, mix together the butter and sugar until it begins to mix together (do not overmix, you don't want the butter to begin melting).

Add in vanilla and mix just until incorporated.

Add flour, mixing in a cup at a time.

Mix until the "peas" of butter begin to form a ball together with the flour.  Do not overmix.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a 1" thick disc.

Wrap disc in wax paper or saran and regrigerate about 30 min or until chilled.

Roll out chilled dough till it is approx 1/2" thick, and cut out your cookie shapes with a cookie cutter.  Try to handle the dough as minimally as possible while rolling and moving to cookie sheet to keep the dough chilled.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet, and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  (Okay, so maybe I like a little more than "lightly".  Judge me.)

Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden.  Do not over bake.

 Transfer (carefully) to a wire rack to cool.  Once cool, melt chocolate in a small bowl (in micro or above a steaming pot of water) and dip the cookie into the chocolate.

Sprinkle the warm chocolate, and set out on wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!  I feel so carnivorous biting these little guys ears off, but they just taste so good!

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!  Don't forget to enter the giveaway HERE that ends tomorrow night!  There are some darling accessories to be won by one lucky reader!

xoxoxo,

PW

I'm sharing this scrumptious treat with these awesome parties:

Nautical Baby Shower

This weekend has been jam packed- just how I like it. Thursday and Friday were spent preparing for the baby shower I threw Friday evening for one of my besties. She had mentioned a while back that she found a cute little sail boat at a second hand store for the nursery, so it sparked the idea of a nautical theme for her shower. I didn't want anything too cheesy (like many store-sold baby shower decorations are) and wanted to use things that she would be able to actually use for her new little munchkin. Here's what we ended up with:

I sewed this cute little banner using using a fun pom pom trim with coordinating nautical themed prints, which she can use somewhere in baby's room (if her heart desires).

I hung several white onesies and this darling nautical jumper that I thrifted and posted about here a few months back by an old rope with clothespins that I sprayed with some red and blue paint I had lying around.

I had intended on making some anchors to display but was tickled pink to find these at a local boutique by my house for $4 for the big one and $1 for the little guy.  Worth every penny.  For some height, I displayed them on a wicker IKEA basket that I borrowed from my mom.

I picked some of these awesome grass-looking weeds that grow rampant out by the highways near my house, and (many painful slivers later) arranged them in eclectic vases and pitchers that I have thrifted over time.  For some fun, I added a polka dot ribbon to a few of the "arrangements".



I displayed some shells that normally reside in our bathroom to continue with our theme.



I made a fabulous Raspberry Cranberry slush (recipe below) to serve in random sized mason jars that I already owned, borrowed a few from mom, and thrifted a few more for $0.25 each.

Dessert was simple.  I baked funfetti cupcakes (with a block of cream cheese added to the box recipe- try this and you'll never go back) and frosted with my traditional buttercream frosting.  I made little flags out of toothpicks and scrapbook paper, and displayed the cupcakes on a fabric covered cake platter set on stacked children's books.

The salad was a simple one I threw together with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breasts, diced apples, grapefruit segments, feta cheese, candied pecans, red onion, craisins, and Good Seasons Italian dressing (prepared per packet directions but with Red Wine Vinegar and added 1/4 cup sugar).  It was delicious.  We also enjoyed some yummy cheesy breadsticks that another friend brought.



I wrapped the little baby boy's gift in a homemade nautical themed bag.  I used a simple brown bag, cut out an anchor from scrapbook paper, a fish from leftover fabric, and a strand of ribbon, and glued all items to the front.  I finished it off with some frayed fabric and a strand of ribbon.

I also made a gift bag for another friend who was at the party who I still hadn't seen since the birth of her new baby girl (bad friend, I know) and used some fabric rosettes I had made earlier, and a few strands of ribbon and frayed fabric.

What's a shower without games?  My darling friend brought this creative little game "Celebrity babies" where she cut out pics of celebrities and covered their faces with random baby pics.  We had to guess who the celeb was.  Looks like I better read up on People this month because I got 2/11 right... yikes.



The shower was a success and I can't wait to meet the little guy cooking in that oven.  See you soon baby C!

Though I did spend a good amount of time cooking, baking, and preparing for this shower, I was able to do it on a very thrifty budget.  A little creativity goes along way folks!  Next time you're planning on walking into Party America, Zurchers, or Michaels to buy your baby shower decor, think again. 

The rest of my weekend (thus far) was spent upholstering the fabulous chair I told you about a few days back.  I'm hoping to have the reveal for you tomorrow.  I am in LOVE.  Since we got some fresh new snow here yesterday, after kicking and screaming about it, we decided to make the best of it and made a snowman. 

My little Trav was in heaven in his new snow gear (hand me down from his cousin and still 2 sizes too big) eating all of the snow. 

Did I mention how much I love being a momma?

"Favorites" Cran-Raspberry Slush

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen raspberries, thawed

1 cup crushed pineapple

1 pint cranberry juice

2 lemons, juiced

3 oranges, juiced

Directions:

Bring sugar and water to a boil.  Add other ingredients.  Put in tupperware bowl and cover with a lid.  Freeze overnight.  When ready to serve, break up frozen slush and serve with 7-up.

Yum! 

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