Banana bread

• 5 Tablespoons butter 
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar 
• 1/2 C. brown sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 egg whites (You can use two whole eggs, its just a bit denser) 
• 1 tsp. vanilla (I usually do not add) 
• 1 1/2 C mashed very ripe bananas (About three) 
• 1 3/4 C. ap flour 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 C. heavy cream (milk is just fine) 
• 1/3 C. chopped nuts (I always always omit!) 

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray bottom only of 9x5x3 loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Beat butter in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat well. Add egg and vanilla, beat well until blended. Add mashed banana on medium high speed.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add them to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Fold nuts in last.
4. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 1 hour 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool on wire rack.

Glass sun catchers

Went out of my way to find these. They still exist. Lesson learned, you have to over fill the cavities as the beads shrink.

Strawberry Scones

Frozen strawberries are too watery and release too much liquid, so go with fresh strawberries for this recipe. 

 

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon for brushing the scones
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons sparkly sugar (like for xmas cookies)

 

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your hands, quickly cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few larger butter lumps. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until dough begins to form. Don’t over mix. Gently fold in the strawberries.Transfer dough to a floured countertop and gently push the dough together with your hands, just until it forms a ball. Form the dough into a 1-inch circle by patting the dough and gently pressing the dough. Don’t overwork the dough. You want to work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into 8 triangles.Place scones on prepared baking sheet and put in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. This will prevent the scones from spreading when baking. Remove the scones from the freezer. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with the additional heavy cream. Sprinkle the scones with sparkly sugar. For this batch I did not. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until scones are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  You can make a simple glaze for the scones if you like.

 

Sourdough bread

Banana Bread Muffins

1 stick softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, finely mashed
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Bake at 350*, 60 minutes for a loaf and about 20 minutes for muffins.

Beaded Lanyards