Banana Bread

There's something about starting a blog that requires you to write in it sometimes. 

Oh yea. 

It's that you are required to write in it sometimes. 

I guess I got confused. 

But really I just got busy. Once summer rolls around stuff happens, people travel, amazing and wonderful things take place. And I find myself avoiding the computer. I live in Michigan, so you have to understand that we get approximately three months (and three months only) where the weather reaches temperatures ABOVE 40. It's amazing. 

So I hope you will understand when I show up late for the blog party. Or whatever. 

IT'S SUMMER! 

All of that being said, I have still been cooking and baking. (And eating.) 

Check out this banana bread! 

Banana bread is not a very "summery" treat. I know. I get it.

BUT I had overripe bananas in my freezer and a late night craving. So bear with me. 

I hope you know about overripe bananas. But hey, if you don't it's okay. I'll tell you. 

When your bananas get brown and gross looking...toss them in the freezer. Then when you are laying on the couch at 11 o'clock at night and suddenly need banana bread slathered in homemade cinnamon honey butter, you'll be prepared. 

Toss the frozen bananas in a warm water bath for 5 or so minutes and when they thaw you can squeeze the banana goo out of the peels for perfect banana bread. 

(I know...banana goo is not the most appetizing description...especially when my job is to make this appetizing. But I'm just calling it like it is.)

So I've made this recipe like 400 times and every single time my husband has eaten it without complaint. No problems. 

He's usually really easy to please like that. As long as the rice is fully cooked and I haven't over garlickified something (although he's warming up to my strong obsession with too much garlic) he's usually pretty happy.

But this time he took one bite and said, "this has walnuts in it?!?!" like I had taken his least favorite food and stuffed it in his favorite food just to be mean. 

Note to self: apparently my husband doesn't like walnuts in his bread. My bad.

Anywho, it turns out that was the only problem with this banana bread. The optional addition of walnuts. 

So make this banana bread. 

Nuts or not.

Summer or not.

Just make it. 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

10 tbsp plus 1 tsp butter

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Lightly grease a bread pan with 1 tsp of the butter. Puree the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with a whisk attachment. Add the remaining 10 tbsp of butter and mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture in 3 batches, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe slightly adapted from: FoodNetwork.com

But seriously, add the walnuts. 

Chicken Stuffed Croissants

I wish you could taste test through the internet.

I just don't think that anything I can say will do this recipe the justice it deserves. So you should be able to taste test. 

Someone get on that already.

These are seriously SOOOO good. Warm, gooey cheese mixed with chicken chunks, onion, and garlic stuffed inside a buttery, flakey croissant... You know you want a taste test.

Actually, just go in your kitchen and make them. 

Now. 

And then eat them all. 

This is one of those recipes that I'm pretty sure you just can't mess up. You really can't go wrong with stuffing delicious cheese mixtures into bread. 

And they are actually quite filling so I usually serve these as our main dish. However, I have made mini versions for a party once and everyone thought I was cool.

Or they were cool. 

I can't quite remember...

Serve these hot. 

Or cold. 

For lunch.

Or dinner.

In sickness. 

And in...Ok ok. I'm not going to say these are so good you should marry them. 

I mean, that would be crazy...

But seriously. 

Go. Make. Them. Now.

Chicken Stuffed Croissants

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into chunks

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tbsp butter

1 8oz. package cream cheese

2 cans buttery crescent rolls (regular size)

1 egg white mixed with 1 tsp water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a skillet, melt butter and sautée onion and garlic until translucent and kind of caramely. Pour the onion, garlic, butter, and cooked chicken chunks over the cream cheese and mix. It is a lot easier to mix if you do it while it's hot. 

On a greased cookie sheet, spread the crescent rolls out. Pinch and seal two triangles together to create a rectangle. Repeat with remaining rolls. (Each package should make four large rectangles.)

Place a large spoonful on each dough square. Pull each corner to the top and seal. 

Once all the rolls are stuffed and sealed, brush a thin layer of the egg white mixture on each top. (I always sprinkle a little garlic salt and shredded parmesan on each one before baking, but that is completely optional.)

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Recipe adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Just say "I do" already.