Super Easy Recipe for Banana Bread

 I was browsing Pinterest the other day and came across a recipe for banana bread. It looked super easy and I thought I would give it a try. Here is a small loaf I made and added ribbon and now I have a neat little gift.

 I am all about easy. This recipe calls for a yellow cake mix with pudding. Add 3 or 4 ripe bananas, 2 eggs and  1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips. Put in your greased loaf pans and bake on 350 until done. I wasn't sure how long to bake mine so I kept checking with a toothpick.

You could add pecans or walnuts if wanted. I just used what was on hand. I had put some ripened bananas in the freezer the other day, so I pulled them out and used them in this recipe. I am not sure why the middle is sunken, but they tasted delicious!

Cake in a Mug

We love sweets at our house, but we just don't need them. Since I am not working full time I have enjoyed baking and cooking more and that means we eat more. That is not a good thing. A friend had told me about a cake in a cup recipe that was simple and satisfying so I tried it and we enjoyed it.

This is the final cake in a cup at our house.

You must use an Angel Food cake mix and any other

cake mix of your choice. I love chocolate and this is

what I had on hand. It made my decision an easy one.

You combine your two cake mixes together in a gallon

Ziploc bag. Make sure they are mixed well.

You will need to measure 1/3 cup of the mixture and add

to a cup or mug that is microwavable.

Add 3 tablespoons of water.

Mix very well and microwave for 1 minute.

This is what your cake will look like after being cooked.

I had some lite cool whip and added that on top. Some

ice cream would be good too.

My husband and I have enjoyed this simple, but delicious

dessert. You try it and let me know what flavor of cake

mix you  use. I think I want to try lemon next.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Lemon Mint Tea

 It is the time of year that we start craving flavored teas and

other drinks that are cool and refreshing. I started making

lemon mint tea a few years ago and it has become a favorite.

 You will need to pick up some mint flavoring at the

 grocery store unless you use mint leaves. I like to use

the flavoring and garnish with the leaves.

 Also, add a can of pink lemonade concentrate to your list.

 This recipe is one that I had saved from Southern Lady.

The recipe is as follows:

3 1/2 quarts cold water, divided

3 family-size tea bags

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 (12-ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

Garnish: fresh lemon slices

In medium saucepan, bring 1 quart water to boil; remove from heat. Add tea bags and mint;

cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain tea into large container. Add sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add lemonade concentrate and remaining water; stir to mix well. Serve over ice. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Add fresh mint leaves if desired.

Janet's Version

 I use decaffeinated tea and substitute splenda for the sugar. I also don't use quite that much sweetener. Instead of using the fresh mint leaves I add several drops of mint flavoring. I use the mint leaves for garnish.

This makes close to a gallon, but you will need a lot because most folks want more than one glass.

 Enjoy that glass of tea while you read, explore Pinterest, etc.

I couldn't help but share my notebook that I stored all my goodies in. I would put each page in a protector and pull them out in when I needed or used them. This was before Pinterest and days of pinning.

Enjoy!

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler

My husband planted blackberries in the fall of 2010.  This is the first year that we have had a lot of berries. I made a cobbler to share on Mother's Day and I have so many berries in the freezer that I will use to make jam. The cobbler recipe is a combination of two recipes. One is very old and the other is from Pioneer Woman.

 This is a picture of some of our vines where you can see a few ripe berries and others that are still red.

           I measured out 2 cups of berries and washed them really well.

 The recipe is very easy. Measure a cup of  self rising flour.

 Add a cup of sugar.

 Add a cup of whole milk and stir until smooth.

 Melt 1/2 stick of butter in baking dish.

Add the flour, sugar, and milk mixture to the butter.

 Put the berries on top of mixture. DO NOT STIR!

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. This is delicious with vanilla ice cream. You can also use canned fruit or other fresh fruit. Enjoy!