Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

My son requested these for his breakfast this morning.   I made them with the Homemade Biscuit Mix I made yesterday.  They turned out nice and fluffy.  He loved them!

Frozen Banana Chocolate Eclair Dessert

A frozen delight made from an old recipe.  This is what happened the other day when I made it in the morning.  I forgot a middle layer and left it in the freezer.  YUM!

Chunky Banana Nut Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Spice Cookies

Yes, you read it right!  These cookies are great!   At least my boys think so.   Dark chocolate, spices, bananas and nuts.  You can add dried fruit, too, if you wish.  With flax seed, wheat germ, wheat and soy flours, and of course oatmeal...what's not to love!   I bet you could even get away with eating these for breakfast, I did!

Frozen Dark Chocolate Banana Slices

These are great for after school snacks or a cool treat after a day outside.  Yeah, it's warm in Florida at the end of January!  A delightful bite of creamy, frozen banana, deep dark chocolate and your favorite topping.

Frozen Dark Chocolate Banana Slices

For One Banana

banana, sliced

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, I use Hershey's Special Dark

1 teaspoon coconut oil or solid shortening

favorite toppings, optional

Put dark chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave proof bowl.  In microwave, 1100 watt, heat on high for 30 seconds..stir until melted.  If needed, heat it another 10 seconds at 5 seconds intervals so you don't overheat the chocolate.  

Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet or platter that is freezer proof.  

Dip sliced banana in melted dark chocolate.  

Tap the fork on the edge to remove excess chocolate.  Place on a piece of parchment paper. Top with your favor toppings, if desired.  Put in freezer until frozen solid.  My boys were eating them after 30 minutes.  

The chocolate was hardened but the banana wasn't completely frozen.

It took them outside to take a picture and my mini horse wanted to visit. ~smile~

Frozen Banana Yogurt in the Freezer

My boys love ice cream, frozen yogurt and popsicles.  I have been trying to make healthier recipes for my boys....trying.   Since they have been asking for ice cream for days now,,  I thought I would make frozen yogurt instead.  Using four ingredients it is easy peasy.  Get your blender out and make this delicious frozen treat.  

The hardest part is the wait! 

Baked Banana French Toast Casserole with Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

I get tired of the same ole, same ole for breakfast/brunch, don't you?  Every morning, it's the same for us.  Eggs, turkey bacon, grits, oatmeal, pancakes...you get the idea.   It was time to try something new.  I decided on baked french toast and the result was a very delicious, dessert like meal.   Perfect for a lazing weekend brunch when you want something special but don't want to spend the morning making it. 

This needs to be made ahead of time, overnight is great.  You can make it in the morning for an evening dessert, too.  I made it in the afternoon and baked it the next morning.   A shorter amount of time would work as well.  I had an abundance of bananas I bought on sale, just wanting to become a part of this scrumptious pan of yumminess.  Those, along with homemade bread (I forgot to write the recipe down!) ...were perfect.  The baked french toast itself is not very sweet but the topping is.  The combination works well.  Feel free to adjust to your desired sweetness.  I also found that I did not need syrup or even powdered sugar, at all for this.  It's your breakfast/dessert, you eat it any way you like it.  After all, I read that eating dessert with breakfast helps you lose weight.  Perhaps it works if you eat your dessert for breakfast instead????  Enjoy!  <3 and hugs! 

Baked Banana French Toast with Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

Baked French Toast

1 loaf of French or Italian bread, sliced 3/4"

   may use regular bread, also

1 1/2 cups coconut milk, whole milk or half & half

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

   may use any combination

1/4 cup sugar or more 

1/4 honey or more 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 bananas or any fruit, or combination, you have on hand

1 tablespoon lemon juice and 4 tablespoons water, to dip bananas or apples in, if using

Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Grease, or spray with non stick spray, 8x10 pan. 

Put slices of bread in greased pan.  If using loaf bread, overlap the pieces.  

In large bowl, mix by hand, eggs, cream and milk, sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla.   

Pour over bread, pushing slices down.  Cover with foil and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.  Although I have never made this before, I would probably put it in the oven before the 2 hours was up, if'fen I took a mind to.  ~smile~  

When getting ready to bake, take out of oven for 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook, covered for 30 minutes.  While cooking, cut up fruit you wish to use, if any.  If your fruit tends to darken, mix lemon juice and water, and put fruit in it.  

Cut flour, brown sugar, vanilla and butter together to resemble crumbs.  

Place fruit that has been in lemon water, on paper towel to drain.  Pat dry.

After 30 minutes, take out of oven and carefully remove foil, there will be steam.   

Layer fruit and top with crumb mixture.  Bake another 15-20 minutes, until brown. 

*Note...my french toast looked like a mountain in the middle but settled back down once out of the oven.  

Serve with warm maple syrup and/or powdered sugar.  Warning....it will be very sweet if you do!  I like it just the way it is out of the oven.  Enjoy!  <3 and hugs! 

I would love for you to  stop by, subscribe (button is above the picture)  and leave a comment on Examiner.com.  Thank you!  <3 and hugs! 

Banana Cream Chocolate Eclair Cake and Mama

April 1st was the 20th anniversary of my Precious Mama's passing.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel the void that was made, the day I had to say goodbye.  Nobody, try as they may, can take the place of your Darling Mama, or the ones that raised you.  She is your best friend, the one you think of when something, or someone, makes you smile, laugh, frown, cry....  My Sweet Mama wasn't around when I found out I was pregnant with my oldest, my first born child, at the age of 40.  She wasn't there to hear my twins first cries.   I needed her so when I had cardiomyopathy and congested heart failure one week after my twins were born.  When the cardiologist told me he didn't know if I would live or not.  When I was alone in Cardiac ICU because my husband had to stay home with my precious boys...my newborn twins and oldest son that was 2 1/2 years old.   I was praying desperately that my boys would have their Mama in their lives and not have to go through the pain I have.  I am truly Blessed to be here with them and to hear their sweet voices call my name "Mama."  <3 <3 <3

Mama's aren't replaceable, neither are the treasured recipes they used to make and the precious recipes that accompany them.  I found one of my Mama's recipes for Chocolate Eclair Cake the other day.  A very easy, no bake cake.  I new immediately I would make it, when I told the boys, they were very excited!  I decided to use banana cream, instead of vanilla, and added bananas in the cake, it was a hit.  Hope you enjoy making this recipe and making a new memory with, and for, your loved ones.  <3 and hugs!

The Lightest Little Banana Cakes

A really fast post so I can get the recipe out.  I had written a post on the blog earlier.  Made the cakes.  Posted the pictures to facebook.  Went to publish the post and the computer locked up.  Couldn't do a thing with it, then....GONE!  Post went away into the lost files of internet space.  I wonder how many posts, pictures, emails...have been lost, never to be found.

Anywho, here goes.  Use muffin pans, little loaf pans, little square muffin pans.  Or, a 9x13 pan.  These are the Lightest Little Banana Cakes you will Evah eat!  I've added a Cream Cheese Frosting recipe although I don't use it.  I really don't think it needs it.  However, It goes well with it.  <3 and hUgs!

mini loaves

Lightest Little Banana Cakes

1 1/2 sticks margarine or butter, room temperature and softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

4 bananas, mashed

fruit pectin, optional

mini chocolate chips, optional

chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Spray pans with oil

cream margarine/butter and sugar.

beat in eggs.

add 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 

beat.

add 1/3 cup butter milk and vanilla.

beat.

add 1 cup flour.

beat.

add 1/3 cup butter milk.

beat.

add last cup of flour.

beat.

add 1/3 cup butter milk.

beat.  

Batter will be thick like pound cake batter.  

add more butter milk if too thick.

fold in nuts and or chocolate chips, if desired.

mash bananas and sprinkle with fruit fresh or lemon juice if desired.

fold into batter.

fill pans 1/2 to 2/3 full.  

cook in a preheated 325 degree oven.

for 10 minutes, turn pans around.

cook another 5 minutes - 10 

check to see if browned (at 5 min.)

tooth pick comes out clean when done.

as always, my oven cooks different than yours....please adjust time accordingly

immediately take out of pan on cool on rack.  

With mini chocolate chips!

Enjoy!  <3 and hUgs! 

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened 
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar


Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. 
Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. 
Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until icing is smooth.
Spread on cooled cake. 
Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the icing, if desired. 
I used half the frosting on the cake.   This cake is also good without any frosting at all.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Cream Cookie Pie

I know we are just like everyone of you with more than one child.  It seems everyone wants something different.  We either take turns with who gets to chose what, or like today, I take what everyone wants and turn it into one dish.  This time I combined Chocolate Chips Cookies one wanted with Bananas another wanted and Pudding the last one wanted.  The end result was GREAT!  With the help of one of the twins, we had this delicious "Pie" ready for all to enjoy!  We hope you do too!  <3 and Hugs!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Cream Cookie Pie

Large Bag Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix and ingredients to fix it.

Large Box Instant Banana Cream Pie Pudding

2-3 Bananas

2 1/2 cups milk

I used Better Crocker Cookie mix with one egg and reduced the margarine to 6 tablespoons.  Mix and cook in a lightly greased pie plate at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  As always...my oven is different than yours so start checking early.  :D   Cool on rack.

While cooling make pudding.

Once cookie is cooled...slice bananas and layer on cookie.  Add pudding and let set in fridge for 4 hrs.

Top with whipped topping.  I keep mine in the freezer.

Cut a piece and put in the freezer for a bit. It is so Good frozen!  Enjoy!  <3 and Hugs!

My Wonderful Little Helper!  <3 and Hugs!

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Fluffy Pancakes

It's the weekend, Yay!  Time for pancakes to be made and if any are left, frozen for a quick breakfast during the week.  My Boys just love pancakes and put everything on them they can find.  Today they put Peanut Butter Maple Syrup and Bananas on top.  YUM!

Fluffy Pancakes

2 cups Self Rising Flour

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 Buttermilk

I didn't have buttermilk so I added 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar to the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes

2 Tablespoons Butter, or Margarine, Melted

2 Eggs, beaten

Add vinegar to whole milk if you don't have buttermilk, and let sit

Melt butter or margarine and let cool

Mix dry ingredients

Add beaten eggs, 1 1/4 cup milk (add the rest of the milk if needed after stirring) and cooled melted butter to dry ingrediensts.  Stir only to mix, do not over stir.  Let sit for 10 minutes or more.

Heat lightly oiled skillet to medium.  It is ready for pancakes when a drop of water dances in it. 

Add 1/4 cup (I used an ice cream scoop) pancake mix.  When bubbles pop, making little holes, pancakes are ready to turn over.  Cook until brown.  I cook mine on a lower temperature so they don't brown too fast.

Peanut Butter Maple Syrup

4 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

Mix well.  Can heat on low temperature. 

Top Pancakes with Bananas and Peanut Butter Maple Syrup drizzled over the top.