Banana Bread Recipe

I was asked this morning if I knew any tricks for Banana Bread or had a recipe and of course my answer was yes. ^_~ So, here I am, posting it for a dear friend, as well as anyone else that wants it. It is a very simple recipe and I my favorite thing about it is that I don't have to wait for overly ripe bananas. I have made this with fresh out of the store bananas and ones that are sickeningly ripe. Each time it comes out perfectly.

Now, this recipe is not originally mine. I will admit the base recipe is from a 1970's Betty Crocker Cookbook I picked up over a decade ago in a used bookstore. It is my holy grail, lol. I have made some alterations to the recipe that I very much enjoy and I hope you will as well. Now for the pictures of this recipe I did not use Walnuts in this batch. If you don't like walnuts but have another nut you enjoy, go for it. heck dump dried fruit in there, chocolate chips, what ever. Enjoy it!

Here we go!


1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Margarine
2 Eggs
2 Cup Mashed Bananas
1/3 Cup Water
1 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

1. Preheat over to 350F
2. Grease 1 loaf pan with non-stick baking spray
3. Cream margarine & sugar
4. Add eggs
5. Add bananas & water
6. Mix in remaining ingredients
7. Pour into loaf pan
8. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean
9. Remove from oven, loosen from sides of pan
10. Let cool 5 minutes
11. Turn out onto wire rack
12. Cool fully
13. Enjoy!

  

If you look behind the bowl you will see my recipe book.
It has seen better days, lol

Everything mixed together

See, lumpy is okay!

The little white bits on top are parts of unsquishified banana. I love them!

Side view

*Tip - Mashing your bananas should be done by hand and with kids if you got them. LOL I just dump 5-6 bananas into a bowl and use my hands, squishing it between my fingers until nice and mushy with some lumps. I also recommend doubling this recipe as this only makes 1 loaf and I assure you that you will want more than 1! It goes fast! 

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The Harry Potter Party

Crest Cookies 

     Sorry it has taken so long but I have been running around like a wizard without a wand for the last month. Finally am able to sit down for a few and post about my daughters birthday party! YAY! Most of this will just be quick pictures but at the end will be links to other Harry Potter posts I have made to help you cast your own Wizard Worthy party as well as links that I used to pull this off! So enjoy! And watch the video at the end!

And remember, most everything I did here cost me less than $5 to create - Like the Dementor and the Sorting Hat. It goes to show with some time, creativity and cheapness you can pull this off no problem!

Potion Area created from colored water, flours, sugars, printable labels and jars I found at goodwill

Chocolate Pumpkins created from Wilton Melts and Pumpkin Shaped Ice Cube Trays

Snitches, made from Ferrero Rochers and Craft Feathers

House Cookies - Edible images cover colored dough in the center. Break open and reveal your house!

Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans - Jelly Beans & Printable Boxes

Chocolate Frogs and Wands - Frog Molds, Twizzlers, Dipping Chocolate and Printable Boxes

The Dessert Set Up

Colored Corn Chips

Redid the Harry Potter Wanted Sign with my Daughter in there. 

We actually still have this hanging on the bathroom door, lol.

Cannot read it well but it says - This Way To The Ministry Of Magic

The Dinner Bar

Pumpkin Pasties!

Our Sorting Hat

Another Angle of the Dinner Bar

The Food Area

The Cake

Now watch the video to see all the decorations through out the house! 

Now for those links I promised you!

Sorting Hat

Platform 9 3/4's Sign

Acceptance Letter

Platform 9 3/4's Wall

Dementor

Party Invititation

Hogwarts Express Ticket

Chocolate Frog Box

Bertie Botts Box

Butter Beer

Pumpkin Pasties

I know there are more links, will have to dig them out. 

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Sorting Hat

Well the party is over and everything went great. I am still going through pictures and such but I figured I would make another post and how to. This is how to make your own Sorting Hat. This is very fast. Look at the pictures for reference. Feel free to ask questions if you got them. ^_^

What you will need:

• Needle
• Thread
• Old Bed sheet or piece of cloth
• Poster Board
• Cheap Witch Hat
• Stapler
• Water
• Scissors
• White Glue
• Spray Paint - Brown Textured and Black Flat

1. Take the old witch hat and cut off the top part. Keep the rim.
2. Take your poster board and just it into a circle as big as you want the rim.
3. Cut out the center larger than the inside of the witch hat.
4. Staple the poster board to the rim.
5. Cut 2 triangles from your cloth - different sizes but with enough bottom to go around the inner rim of the hat. 
6. Sew the side together of the triangles, leaving the bottom open.
7. Sew this to the rim to remake the hat.
8. Mix 2 parts glue to 1 part water and dip the hat top in.
9. String up the hat and let it dry overnight so it will stand up on it's own.
10. Next day stuff the hat with paper to give you a little more structure for now.
11. Cut rest of the cloth into strips.
12. Combine more glue and water in a bowl.
13. Wet strips, cover hat with them.
14. Take time to make many layers and form the eyes and mouth with extra.
15. Let dry overnight again.
16. Remove paper from inside, flip over, do underside of hat.
17. Let dry overnight again.
18. Spray paint with Brown, dry an hour, spray eyes and mouth black, dry overnight.
19. Put on head, pick a house!

Here are some images to help put that quick ramble in order, hehe

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A Silhouetted Scene Halloween Cookies

I thought I had posted these here but it looks like I hadn't, so here we go right quick!

~*Silhouetted Halloween Cookies - Large Version Set*~

~*2 other versions of the sets - One Coffin and One Small Set*~

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Pumpkin Carving 2011 - The Adults

Now, pumpkins aren't only for the kids in this house. In fact us adults get our pumpkin on something fierce. (Wow I so totally failed sounding cool with that. LOL) Alright, anywho. This is what the hubby and I did last year.

Braaaains! - By Jason (Aka The Hubby)

Fire Cat (Aka Ethereal Demon) - By Jason (Aka The Hubby)

Phage - By Jason (Aka The Hubby)

Red Mage - By Jason (Aka The Hubby)

Owl Totem - By Jason (Aka The Hubby)

The Headless Horseman - By Me! (^_^)

Jareth-o-Lantern - By Me! (^_^)

Now, you can find all these and more works that the hubby and I do on Deviant Art (Heck you may have seen them there last year if you frequent that site.) Here are the links

To The Hubby's Page - Sigil79

To My Page - Afina79

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