Naner Bread

I LOVE banana bread, especially my gramma's recipe.  I made two loaves of it and one of them is going to be important for tomorrow's dinner...

Recipe for Gramma Ann's Banana Bread

Cream Together:
2/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Shortening
2 Eggs

Stir In:
3 Tbsp Buttermilk (if I don't have any I just use regular milk, however, I have heard beer is a great substitute as well)
1 C Mashed Banana (I usually use two thawed bananas that I'd saved in the freezer)
2 C Sifted Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Chopped Nuts or Chocolate Chips (optional)

Put in a well greased pan and let stand for 20 minutes.  Bake at 350˚F for 50 - 60 minutes.  Test by sticking a butter knife in the middle and making sure it comes out clean.



Now, I'm doing double duty with this bread because Brent and I went to a FANTASTIC easter brunch and there was Banana Bread French Toast there.  It was the most incredible I'd ever tasted.

Pics of that to come!

For now, enjoy the banana bread and the lovely smell it fills your house with :)

Super Delish Impromptu Dinner

Brent and I eat chicken A LOT.  That's our main source of protein and while he and I love it a lot, we can also get sick of it pretty quickly.  We're constantly trying to find different ways to dress it up.

I told Brent I wanted to brush this curry sauce on it and he said he didn't think that it'd be that great for grilling.. I, of course, was bummed because I loves me some curry..  He went online and Googled "good dry rub for chicken" and he clicked on a random link..  It was AWESOME!  :)  I think it'd be really good on a roast chicken, too...

So, anyway - we had grilled asparagus (with course grain salt and some of that fake Promise Butter stuff), chicken breast and mashed sweet potatoes a la Paula Deen, y'oll!!!!!!!!  Let me tell you...  AAAAMAZING!

Here's the recipe for the rub:

1 tsp.  Ground Black Pepper
1-1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar (packed)
1 tsp Ground Oregano
1-1/2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Ginger**
1/2 tsp All Sprice
1 tsp Dry Mustard

Mix ingredients in a bowl and rub onto chicken (if making bone-in chicken breast, rub on the meat under the skin and replace skin)

Store the remaining rub in an air-tight jar or plastic container and store in a dark place.

**I didn't have enough ginger, I got a little over 1 tsp into the bowl, it still turned out well, though.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Brent and I were watching TV one morning and that crazy Paula Deen was making these potatoes.  My mouth was watering as I watched her whip those together.

10 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup Butter
3 Tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

I did NOT make this large of a batch - I peeled and chopped four sweet potatoes and guess-tamated from there.  When I was watching her make these on TV she added a boatload of honey..  She says she likes honey.. I'm guessing not as much as she likes butter, but still.  I also added 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.

The sweet potatoes really complimented the chicken with the rub we made.  It was awesome :)

This is a really crummy entry because I don't have any pictures.  I wanted to take pictures as soon as we ate everything.  The only thing we have left is a small container of the mashed potatoes :)