Stuffed French Toasts

I'd heard about stuffed french toast a long time ago, but I'd never found a bread that I thought would work so I kinda forgot about it. Then a few weeks ago I was in the grocery store and I found a really nice, plump, soft fresh-baked french bread. I brought one home and made toast and sandwiches, which were great, but once I'd tasted this bread I knew I'd found the bread I'd been looking for. So I went back to the grocery store the next day and got two more loaves and set to work.

I've made regular french toast lots of times so the question was what to use as a filling. I wanted something sweet and creamy  so I decided to combine the organic strawberry preserves I always keep on hand with some cream cheese. It was a perfect combination. Everybody at home went nuts for it and we ended up overeating a bit! It's very rich so I don't do it often, but when I do, it's a major hit at my house and I'm sure it will be at yours too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
half and half
Vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Strawberry preserves
Cream cheese spread
French bread

Procedure:

Mix the half and half with the eggs.
Add cinnamon.
Mix well.
Cut the bread in thick slices.
Make an incision in those slices.
Fill the incision with preserves.
Then fill with the cream cheese spread.
Heat a pan to medium heat with butter.
Dredge the slices in the mix and place them in the pan.
Once they're golden brown on both sides they're ready to serve.
They're delicious on their own.
But I like them even better with sausages and banana slices. Enjoy!

Mix the half and half with the eggs

Add cinnamon.

Mix well.

Cut the bread in thick slices.

Make an incision in those slices.

Fill the incision with preserves.

Then fill with the cream cheese spread.

Heat a pan to medium heat with butter.

Dredge the slices in the mix and place them in the pan.

Once they're golden brown on both sides they're ready to serve.

They're delicious on their own.

But I like them even better with sausages and banana slices.

Enjoy!!!!

Bananalicious Muffins

I must start with the title: Bananalicious! Why? Because if you are a banana lover you will love this recipe. It's chock full of bananas and it's delicious!!  I love making banana muffins, but the thing is that my husband doesn't really like bananas very much. So every now and then when he isn't home I make them and enjoy them all by myself. (It's one of my guilty pleasures.) Let me tell you, every time is worth the wait. Enjoy; bon appetite! P.D. I didn't put a better picture of a single muffin because my guests started to eat before I was able to snap a picture. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 large egg
3 tablespoons of buttermilk
4 bananas mashed

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and spray muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the all purpose flour.

Add the sugar

Add the baking soda and salt.

Add the chopped walnuts and mix well.

In another bowl put the four bananas.

Mash them well.

Add the canola oil.

Add the egg.

Add the buttermilk.

Mix all the wet ingredients.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine. 

Stir until the mixture is even.

Fill the muffin pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Quick Banana Cream Pie

Once again bananas! I just love them and can’t get enough of them! My husband recently bought me a copy of the Taste of Home: Best Loved Recipes, and it was impossible for me not to try this irresistible banana pie. Even though it’s not made from scratch some times I want to dive into a guilty pleasure without a lot of work. And let me tell you this recipe was super easy! I changed it a little bit from the original version (Banana Cream Pie) hope you guys love it!

Ingredients:

1 cup cold 2% milk

1 package of vanilla instant pudding mix

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

¾ parts of a 12 oz cool whip topping carton

1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)

2 medium firm bananas, sliced

Procedure:

In a large bowl, whisk the milk and the pudding mix, for 2 minutes.

Let stand for two minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.

Fold in the ¾ parts of the whip topping and fold it until mixed.

Pour part of the pudding mixture into the pie crust. 

Cut the two bananas.

Layer it with banana slices.

Add the remaining mixture and garnish with more bananas if desired.

Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!

Banana Foster

I go bananas for bananas! It is no secret I just can’t get enough! So here is another recipe for the collection! I couldn’t wait to eat them so I totally forgot to take photos. Sorry. Eat it with ice cream or crepes! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 bananas

5 Tablespoons of brown sugar

3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

Cinnamon (to taste)

Procedure:

Cut the bananas in ¼ inch rounds.

Melt the butter at a medium to low temperature. Add the sugar; let it cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the bananas and the cinnamon and let it cook for 3 more minutes and enjoy!

Tip: You can add rum to the foster.

Strawberry – Banana Smoothie

In Puerto Rico where I currently live it’s very hot right now, so there is really nothing better than drinking a rich, cold smoothie in the middle of the day while looking up more recipes. I love bananas and it is very likely that you will be reading a lot of banana recipes on the blog. My husband says I’m obsessed with them… well maybe a little; I eat bananas even with my meals! I just love them!! Hope you guys love them too.

Ingredients:

1 – 2 Tablespoon Brown sugar

½ cup of milk

1 cup of whole strawberries

½ to 1 whole banana (To taste)

ice (To taste. I don’t use it but my husband loves it.)

Procedure:

Put the strawberries and bananas in the osterizer

Add the brown sugar

Add the milk

Mix

*If desired, add the ice and grind it.

Enjoy!

Banana Layer Cake

Well I love bananas and as soon as I saw this recipe I told my husband we were gonna eat a banana cake this week! He likes bananas but not as much as I do. I’m obsessed with them! I eat them in everything! Well if you are a banana lover you will definitely love this recipe!

Ingredients:

Cake:

2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3)

1 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well and flour two 8-inch layer cake pans or a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl.

Add shortening, bananas and vanilla. Beat at low speed, just until combined. 

At medium speed beat 2 minutes, occasionally scraping side of the bowl with a rubber scraper.

Add the eggs and buttermilk. Beat 2 more minutes. 

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake layers 30-35 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.

Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on a wire rack. 

Fill with sweetened whipped cream and sliced bananas or with cream cheese frosting. 

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese with butter and vanilla until well combined. Gradually add powdered sugar until you reach the consistency and sweetness that suits your taste.