"Perfect" Banana Bread (muffin directions also included)

I realize "perfect" may be a little over-the-top, but I have been working on the baking step of this recipe for a LONG time... like years... and I have finally figured out how to make it do what I want! I don't know why it didn't hit me earlier... the difference is so simple and now seems so obvious.

I guess I should first say that "perfect" banana bread to me means a lightly browned outside and a soft and gooey inside. If you like darker banana bread with a drier center, this ain't your post.

Blueberry Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 mashed, ripe bananas (Tip: If you have ripe bananas but don't have time to make banana bread, peel your bananas and freeze them for later. Then all you have to do is thaw them when you're ready!)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3T milk
• 1 cup blueberries (optional)

Grease loaf pan (I used the four loaf pan for the recipe). Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and bananas and mix. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and add to banana mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing each time. Add milk, vanilla and blueberries and mix. Spread batter evenly between four sections of the loaf pan.

Three quick tips:

1. If you're using a darker pan like me, set the oven 25 degrees lower.

2. I like making four mini loaves as opposed to one large loaf because the bread cooks more evenly.

3. Use your convection oven if you have one- it makes everything cook so evenly! Just remember to set the convection 25 degrees lower than what the oven temperature calls for.

Baking instructions:

1. Set your oven to 325 (or 300 is using convection). For non-dark pans, you can set tempt to 350 or 325 on convection.

2. Bake for 28 minutes.

and #3... are you ready?! ....

3. BROIL FOR 3 MINUTES!!!

That's it! Yes... the exact same thing you do to finish off a casserole when you need the cheese to brown but don't want the inside to overcook works with banana bread. WHY oh WHY did I not realize this sooner?!

4. Remove from oven and allow to rest in pan for 5 minutes before taking out. Bread will continue to cook while it rests. Use a toothpick to test the center after the 5 minutes to make sure the center is not too undercooked (unless you're like my husband and think banana bread can never be too undercooked).

Muffin Recipe:

To make muffins using this same recipe, preheat oven to convection 325 (for light coated muffin pan or 300 for dark). Fill cupcake insert 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes, broil for 3 minutes, and remove from pan immediately for a soft center.

#Summerdays2013 Week 8

Day 50: Prayers before bed and playtime before dinner with our super sweet weekend visitors. :)

Day 51: Our "niece" Teagan turns ONE! 

Day 52: We were all missing these three on Sunday afternoon. Tally is laying where Little Miss E's pack-in-play was. Sweetness.

Day 53: My sous chef- always at my feet. And I love it, if you haven't noticed. ;)

Day 54: Putting the finishing touches on our dinner for 11! The largest full dinner I've ever made for sure- I'll be sharing the recipes next week!

Day 55: Headed to Tally's first obedience class! Little buddy did GREAT!

He was picked to show "come" to the whole class- he was the only pup that got to be an example! We were quite proud. haha- yes we're those dog parents. ;)

Day 56: Nonna (aka my mom) sang Tally to sleep in the car. Sweetest thing ever!

You can find me on Instagram @hmnelsen

For the other places you can find me, click here.

Day at the Zoo

We finally have internet again! It went out last Wednesday in the storm, along with the TV, and both were finally fixed yesterday evening. Not having TV wasn't really that bad, but not having internet was not fun! So this week, I'll be catching up on the posts I've been wanting to share, including four yummy recipes we've tried in the past week... Pinterest has been ON lately. :)

...At the end of last week, I took a trip to the Atlanta Zoo with my sis-in-law, my nephew Jackson, and my friend Andrea and her baby, Teagan. Surprisingly, this was my first time to the Zoo. And if you know me at all, you know I get a little immature giddy when I see any type of wildlife. So a trip to the zoo is a pretty big deal for this 20-something girl. I've tried to play it cool (like when we went on this trip with friends who didn't know about my crazy wildlife love) because I know it's totally inappropriate for someone my age to get so excited about animals, but I've come to realize I just can't help it. There are worse traits, right?!

On our way! All three kids in the back ;)

First stop- the elephants

So what's better? 

A. A picture of the babies looking at the elephants...

 OR

B. A picture of the moms standing in front of the elephants, signing "elephant" to the babies while making an elephant noise?

I vote B.

Little lion #1

Little lion #2

And a double shot- we're pretending like Jackson is roaring like a lion ;)

(Yes, I refrained from this part. Were you expecting to see a "little lion #3"? See, I do have restraint.)

This is the mama with her baby...

...and this is me intently looking for the mama and her baby. Andrea snuck this gem. 

In other news, I'm working with a great person on a new blog design for this space! I can't wait to debut the new look and share her info with you! And you know what the best part is? She's going to give away a FREE blog design to one of you guys! Can't wait to share more about this...

Hope you're having a GREAT week!!

Easy and Delicious Homemade Marinara Sauce

My super sweet sister made me one of my favorite wedding gifts over 5 1/2 years ago now (where has the time gone?!)

She put together a book of recipes categorized into appetizers, sides, main dishes, and desserts, and filled it with all of our favorite family recipes plus others she had found and loved.

Yeah, she rocks.

Tonight, Matt and I are having 9 of our good friends (and two teachers!) from high school over for dinner. Whenever I'm going to cook for a large group of people (in this case, 11), I like to start my prep work the day before. I usually do my dicing and measuring and make anything that needs to marinate for some time. Then, the day of, I get to feel like a TV chef and just toss in my little ramekins (or in my case, ziplock bags) full of the measured ingredients. It saves me time and makes the day-of cooking more fun. And it maybe makes me feel cool to cook like the TV chefs.

SO, what does this have to do with my sister's awesome wedding gift?! Well, yesterday I made this amazingly delicious family sauce recipe that's inside the cookbook she gave me:

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 c. chopped sweet onion

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 T dried oregano

1 1/4 T dried basil

1 1/4 T salt

1/3 c. brown sugar

2- 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes

2- 28 oz. cans tomato puree

2- 6 oz. cans tomato paste

4 c. water

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Sauté onions in EVOO. Add garlic AFTER onions are sautéed. Add all ingredients except baking soda to onions and bring to a boil. Add baking soda after sauce comes to a boil. Simmer for at least 2 hours before serving. 

I like to mix all of the ingredients together while the onions are sautéing, but you don't have to do this.

But you DO have to buy good tomatoes. Spend a little more- it makes all the difference in the taste!

So what is this sauce going on for tonight's dinner you ask? One of my favorite Italian meals- Stuffed Shells. Mmmm Mmmm! I'm pairing it with Pork Marsala Medallions and Garlic Green Beans. Hopefully it will all turn out well and you might just see the recipes on here next week. :)

For my dad's bolognese sauce recipe (spaghetti meat sauce) click here. It's a little less measured and a little more taste-and-tweak, but still SO good!

Linking up with Ashley and Jessica today for Taste of Tuesday!

Guest Post and Tie-Dye Cupcakes

Today, Krista from A Handful of Everything will be sharing a summer recipe with you guys! Swing by and check her out sometime- she is the sweetest! You'll be seeing her name on here again in September- she'll be hosting a party and giveaway that I know you guys will love!

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Making things with your kids is such a great way to spend time with them.  Especially when it is something they get to eat afterwards.  My boys wanted to make something tie-dye over the 4th of July but since we weren't home it didn't happen.  I thought this would be a fun way to make something bright and colorful like tie dye and be a fun tasty snack for summer :)

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

1 cake mix and ingredients to make
2 muffin tins
18 cupcake liners
food coloring
Frosting

Preheat your oven to 325˚ F. You can do 350˚ but I like a softer airier cake so I turn it down 25˚. Line 18 muffin wells with cupcake liners.  

(we took 6 out since we didn't need them all)

Mix the cake mix according to the directions.  

Divide the batter into 3 equal portions, or more if you want more colors and place in separate bowls.  Let your kiddos pick out the colors that they like and mix each bowl with the desired colors.  

Using a small scoop or teaspoon add a scoop of batter from one color into 18 of the cupcake liners.  Repeat with the remaining colors.  

Use a toothpick and let your kids swirl all of the colors around to make the tie-dye effect. 

Bake as directed about 19-22 minutes.  

Let cool for a few minutes in the pan then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Add food coloring to frosting if desired and frost cooled cupcakes!