Easy Banana Bread

I always have eyes bigger than my stomach when it comes to bananas for some reason.  We never seem to eat all of them before they get all brown and squishy.  I always loved my mom's banana bread but it was much more complicated than this recipe and it gets about the same result.

I found this recipe on Pinterest from Artsy-Fartsy Mama(where else) and use it all the time.  It's great for breakfast and even a little snack throughout the day!

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

2-4 very ripe bananas (I've used from 2-4 of them and it turns out great every time.)

1 package of yellow cake mix (I've also done it with chocolate...which was phenomenal)

1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips (Dark, white, milk...all good!)

2 eggs

Nuts optional

Preheat to 350 degrees. Smash bananas first. Mix ingredients together in a bowl and pour into greased loaf pans.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and done on inside. 

This recipe is soo good and so effortless. Plus it makes two loaves so that means you can give one away...or pop it in the freezer and bring it out a week later once your other loaf is gone!!

XOXO,

This post is linked up to Not Just a Housewife, Kathe with an E, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Chef in Training, Gunny Sack, Sewing Barefoot, Success U, Eye Heart, and Crafty Soiree.  You can find links to these awesome blogs on the page Linking Partaaays!  Go visit and share the love!

Savory Salsbury Steak Recipe

 Need a quick, easy, and crowd pleasing recipe for 1 lb. of ground meat?! Look no further! This is my savory Salsbury Steak recipe.  I love making it (hubs likes when I make it too)!

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1-2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup (depends how much sauce you like!)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like to use Italian seasoned)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup onion, minced

Recipe:
1. Combine the bread crumbs, onion, egg, and 1/4 cup of the soup in a bowl

2. Mix the ground beef and the other ingredients in the bowl by squishing it in your hands. Form patties like you would hamburger patties.

3. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a skillet with a lid

4.  Brown the patties.

5. Spoon out the fat

6. Cover the browned patties with the rest of the golden mushroom soup and let simmer 15-20 minutes.

7. Serve and hear the yums, ooohs and ahhs from your family!

I like to pair it with rice or mashed potatoes, and of course you gotta get your veggies in!

XOXO,

This post is linked to Recipe Sharing Monday.  You can see these lovely linky partyies under the page, Linky Partaaay.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

So I decided to experiment with meringues last night! I have always thought they were so classy and Southern. I'd never tried to make them before and decided to experiment with my own recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
1 cup of Castor sugar ( I made my own out of regular sugar like this!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsps cocoa powder
a few pinches of corn starch

How to make my chocolate meringues:
 Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with wax paper
1. Separate your egg whites into a very clean and dry glass bowl.
2. Let eggs sit for about 30 minutes if you pulled them out of the fridge so that they can get to room temp.
3. Put your other ingredients together in a bowl (other than your vanilla)
4.Use a hand mixer and set it on medium speed and begin to whip your egg whites.
5. Once the egg whites become frothy add your vanilla.
6. After it starts getting a little thicker start adding your other mixture in about 1 TBS at a time until the mixture becomes stiff (when you pick the mixer out of the egg whites they should form stiff peaks.
7. Put the mixture in a pastry bag with a decorative tip on it or use a spoon and drop about a Tbs on the sheets about an inch apart.

Bake for an hour and a half.  Then turn oven off slightly open the oven door and let cookies cool down with the oven.

There you have it, my meringue cookies! You can add more chocolate or less. It all depends on what you want! Next time I'm thinking of adding coffee!

P.S. Another great thing about these cookies is that they're only around 35 calories for one cookie and very low in fat!!

XOXO,

This post was featured at The Gunny Sack!

This post is linked at Not Just a Housewife, Kathe with an E, Recipe Sharing Monday, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Chef in Training, Gunny Sack, Sewing Barefoot, Classy Clutter and The Stuff of Success, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Serenity Saturday, Katie's Nesting Spot, The Frugal Girls, and Happy Hour Projects. All of these links can be found under the Linking Partaaay page!

Momma Crase's Southern Sweet Tea

Sweet tea is a staple of the southern diet. And I have always thought my mom's tasted better than any restaurant or just about any other place you can get a tall glass of sweet tea. So I thought I would share her recipe with YOU!


Here is our very simple family recipe for Southern Sweet Tea:

What you will need:

A Pitcher
Water
9 regular teabags or 5 family size bags (Lipton Iced Tea)
Sugar

How to make Momma's Tea:

1.  Put 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar in the pitcher, depends on how sweet you want your sweet tea :)
2. Pour 7 cups of filtered drinking water into the pitcher, 
3. Stir water and sugar until sugar is dissolved, set pitcher aside.
4. Get tea bags ready.
5. Pour two cups of water in a small sauce pan.
6. Bring water to a boil.
7. Take saucepan off the stove.
8. Put tea bags in the water, submerge and let sit for 2 minutes and 30-45 seconds
9. Take tea bags out of water IMPORTANT: Don't squeeze bags out in saucepan just take out. Squeezing makes it bitter.
10. Pour contents of saucepan into pitcher and stir to combine.
11. Place sweet tea into the fridge and let cool.

And there you have it!!! The best and simplest sweet tea recipe I know!!


Xoxo,

This post has been linked to The Stuff of Success, Tater Tots and Jello