pineapple banana bundt cake

I made this into a bundt cake instead of a loaf.  Was really good and a big hit.  I had some pineapple that
I needed to use and it was time to make my Monday work treat.  This was a recipe for 2 loaf bread but as you can see I went the cake route.
The bananas, buttermilk, and coconut oil help the cake stay fluffy, springy-soft, tender, and ridiculously moist. The pineapple dominates the flavor profile and this is more pineapple-banana than banana-pineapple bread.The coconut oil is hardly detectable, perfect for those who don't love coconut. The ingredients are whisked together in minutes without needing a mixer and in just one bowl. The recipe makes two medium-small loaves, perfect for gifting or freezing.  This was a work treat..oh imagine that!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (canola or vegetable oil, or browned or melted butter may be substituted)
1/3 cup buttermilk (1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream may be substituted)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, optional but recommended
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 to 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (2 large or 3 small ripe bananas)
1 cup pineapple, diced (I used frozen; mango, peaches, nectarines, strawberries or blueberries may be substituted)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with floured cooking spray; set aside. (I have not tried it but I suspect you could bake as muffins, mini loaves, or in a Bundt pan, adjusting baking times accordingly).
2. In a large bowl combine the eggs, coconut oil, buttermilk, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, optional salt, and stir to just incorporate; don't overmix because the gluten will overdevelop and bread will be tougher. Stir in bananas. Stir in pineapple (if using frozen, just add it frozen, no need to thaw it first. If using fresh or canned, make sure it's well-drained or it could water-down the batter).
3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 45 minutes, or until top is golden and set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (banana bread is gooey and it may not come out perfectly clean). If bread is browning too fast on the top, you may wish to lower your oven temperature to 325F in last 15 minutes of cooking, or tent the pan with foil; although I don't suspect this will be an issue. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Bread will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container or large Ziplock at room temperature (I wrap my fully cooled bread in Clingwrap, then I place it in a gallon-sized Ziplock). Second loaf may be frozen for up to 3 months. Optionally serve with Browned Butter Vanilla Glaze or Make Pineapple Butter rather than Strawberry Butter.

thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things You L♥ve.

Donna

oatmeal cranberry cookie

Just another work treat, they seem to really like having cookies to munch on so I'm always on a search for something new.  Of course the old stand by's they love too!  This is a simple cookie to make and you could say it's healthy...well come one it's got oats in it!  :)

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons neutral flavored oil (canola, melted coconut, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups old fashioned oats + ¼ cup hot water
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup each: dried cranberries, chopped pecans, chocolate chips
• **you can make these with walnuts and dried cherries**

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a bowl, combine butter, oil, and vanilla. Mash until butter is soft. Add in sugars and stir to cream them together, and then stir in an egg.
In a separate bowl, combine oats and hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes until oats are slightly softened. Add them to the wet mixture.
Add in flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and stir to combine it all with the wet mixture. Add in your mix-ins (no more than 1 cup of total assorted mix-ins).
Refrigerate dough for at least 10 minutes.
Measure out tablespoon-sized cookies, and bake them onto parchment lined cookie sheets for 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden.
Let the cookies cool fully before removing them from the baking sheet

**do not skip step of letting oatmeal set or you could have very flat cookies**
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

Potato Lasagna

Someone posted this on FB and to me it looked so yummy and easy, so of course I had to make it.  It's so simple and yet so delicious.  The only thing I changed *seems I never really follow a recipe to a T have to always change something* ...so with that said I added steamed aldente broccoli.  Need a vegetable in the dish.

Potato Lasagna
Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS
5 potatoes, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
8-10 slices ham
7-8 slices mozzarella cheese
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Slice the peeled potatoes into ½ centimeter slices.
Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, tossing them to make sure they’re coated evenly.
Press a layer of potatoes evenly into the bottom of a greased, square baking pan.
Place half of the ham slices evenly on top of the potatoes, followed by half of the sliced cheese.
Follow with another layer of potatoes, then the remaining ham and sliced cheese.
Sprinkle the bacon and parsley evenly on top of the sliced cheese, and place one final layer of potatoes on top.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the potatoes, then press it into an even layer.
In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream and eggs. Pour on top of the shredded cheese.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the cheese is a deep golden brown.
Cool slightly, slice, then serve!

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

2 Cards

Been working on Christmas and Birthday cards.  I've been using my eclipse the past couple of
days trying to find some good fonts to make card front titles.  I found this font "back to black" on Dafont web site, almost all of their fonts are free and there are sooooooooooooo many to choose from.  The little trees in the "christmas Cheer" is from the font "christmas Time"

The Christmas card is very plain, I just wanted to get it on something so I could tell if I wanted to make more.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna

Challah *quick*

A friend posted this on FB and I thought I'd see if it really is quick...Yup sure is and so simple.  Made in a big so there's no mess to clean up  How great is that and the added bonus is that it tastes as good as it looks.
Give it a try you won't be sorry.

INGREDIENTS (1 challah)
1 tbsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup
1 egg for basting (optional for vegan challah, substitute olive oil)
Sesame seeds for topping
PREPARATION
1. In a 1 gallon plastic ziplock bag, add the yeast, water, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of flour.
2. Give the bag a little shake. Don’t work too hard- remember, it’s a lazy challah!
3. Place the bag in a bowl of warm water for 30 mins. The dough should be very wet. It will start to bubble and self-knead. WHOA.
4. Add the 1/4 cup flour and give the bag another shake.
5. Leave the bag for 1 hour to rise. This step can vary depending on the temperature in your house, so let the dough rise until it looks kneaded. It should still be a wet dough. You can flip the bag over every 20 mins to help it along.
6. Preheat oven to 300F/150C
7. On a floured surface, separate the dough and stretch out 3 strands. Braid.
8. Baste with egg and sprinkle sesame seeds (optional for vegan challah, substitute olive oil). Leave to rise for 15 mins (optional but recommended).
9.  Bake on a non stick tray for 40 mins or until golden on top.

I served this with the stuffed shells which will be coming soon.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve/
Donna