Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies

I haven't posted a recipe in *forever*, but I have definitely been cooking and baking. Fall and winter are my very favorite times to be in the kitchen. There's just something so cozy and warm about it. It's just not quite the same heating up the kitchen with the oven during the summer.

Spending time in the kitchen is even more fun now with my little helper. Is it as easy? Definitely not since she grabs at everything...and sometimes manages to get something that we left too close. But it's certainly more fun. She intently watches every single thing I do and it's so cute. I hope she loves to bake with me someday!

Oops!

These brown butter banana bread cookies are one of my favorite things I've made lately. I love banana bread and these cookies add a fun little twist. Making anything in cookie form is more fun, right? The browned butter frosting drizzled on top definitely takes them to the next level. Browned butter takes everything to the next level, I think. In my opinion, these are the perfect excuse to have cookies for breakfast {umm, there are bananas in them!}, but they also would make a great afternoon treat and they're even yummy enough to have as a dessert!

Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 small bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Icing Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, swirl the skillet until the butter becomes a light caramel brown color, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. {Click here for step by step photos of this process.}
2. Add the sugar to the brown butter and mix on low speed to start, then increase the speed and beat for one minute. (Mixture will not be light and fluffy.) Add in egg, and mix. Stir together mashed banana with baking soda and let sit for 2 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla to the bowl and mix.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing just until combined before adding the next batch.
4. Drop batter onto a parchment paper lined, or non-stick sprayed, baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing: Follow the directions for browning the butter in step 1 above. Whisk in powdered sugar, and drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

  

Creamy Lemon Pie {Weight Watchers Recipe}

So, it's no secret that I love sweets. I'm also doing Weight Watchers to get rid of this baby weight. That can present a problem. Remember that one time I bought a pile of clearance Easter candy at CVS with my Weight Watchers meeting name tag ON MY SHIRT?!?! 

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I did exercise self-control around all that candy and only had a little bit at a time. That's one of the things I love about Weight Watchers...it doesn't restrict anything. Tell me I can't have something and that's all I'm thinking about.

A sweet friend of mine brought us dinner one night after Emery was born and she made us this lemon pie. She knew I was doing Weight Watchers so she looked up a Weight Watchers friendly recipe. It was so, so yummy and didn't taste like a "diet" pie at all. Perfectly creamy and perfectly lemony. The fun thing is that you can change up the flavors of Jell-O and yogurt you use. I'm definitely planning to make one using lime Jell-O and yogurt and maybe strawberry, too.

Weight Watchers or not, this is a recipe I'm sure I'll make again and again!

Creamy Lemon Pie
Makes 8 servings
1/8 pie = 5 PointsPlus

8 oz package fat free Cool Whip
1 package sugar free lemon Jell-O (or another flavor)
1/4 cup boiling water
2 containers of lemon yogurt (or another flavor)
1 reduced fat graham cracker pie crust

In a medium bowl, stir Jell-O into boiling water and whisk until completely dissolved (it will take a couple minutes of whisking). Stir in yogurt and Cool Whip and pour into crust. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for a few hours until set.

Source: Weight Watchers

  

Five on Friday {March 7, 2014}

Happy Friday from the longest week ever! I pretty much want to throw confetti in the air and celebrate that it's finally here! I'm linking up with Darci again today for Five on Friday!

One.
*Today* is my last day of work before my maternity leave starts. It feels like the day before summer break!! Best feeling ever. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Working a full time job while pregnant is no joke, as I know lots of you know. It's been tough and I'm so glad I've reached the end...for now at least. :)

This was my classroom before school started. It definitely is not this neat and tidy anymore!

Two.
Being that it's been my last week of work, I've been getting myself a little something special these last couple of mornings before work. You know, just to help me make it through the day. It's necessary. After all, the days of guilt-free eating are quickly coming to an end. There is this new donut place that's on my way to work and I have found my perfect donut. I used to love the devil's food glazed donut at Krispy Kreme, but they just haven't been very good the last several years. They're just not chocolatey enough anymore...not to mention you never know if they'll have any. Big problems, I know. Anyway, this double chocolate donut is amazing. I want another one right this very minute.

Three.
A friend of my husband sent him this recently and we both laughed and laughed. Soon enough, this will be us. Gone are the days when we can decide we want to go somewhere and leave the house within minutes.

Four.
I really thought I was doing great to have already bought a few headbands and hair clips for Emery...until I saw this picture yesterday on one of the blogs I follow. The baby who these headbands are for hasn't even arrived yet! I'm actually just totally jealous of the organization...it's heavenly.

{via}

Five.
I cooked the other night for what will probably be the last time for a little while. I made this tortelllini soup recipe a few years ago and I remember loving it, but for some reason I never made it again. It's so easy...the hardest part is dicing the onions and mincing the garlic. It's also pretty healthy and is super yummy. It's perfect with a few slices of crusty bread on the side. Or nearly an entire loaf in my case. {See #2 above. Guilt-free eating days = almost over}

Whatever you end up doing this weekend, I hope it's wonderful!! :)

  

Five on Friday {November 22, 2013}

It's the Friday before Thanksgiving!! How can this be?? November 2013 will be over before we know it! This is my favorite time of year, though, and I'm determined to not let it fly by without enjoying every bit of it! I'm planning to start working on a Christmas tradition to do list this weekend. Makes me giddy just thinking about it! :) Whatever you end up doing this weekend, I hope it's wonderful! Happy Friday!! :)

 

One.
After today, only *two* more school days until Thanksgiving break! I am so, so ready! I actually look forward to going to work on days right before holidays because we get to do so much more fun stuff!! I'm going to make these Oreo turkeys with my class on Tuesday. I know they'll probably be wild, but they'll love it!! {I don't know where the idea came from. A teacher friend shared it with me.}

Two.
I can't believe it, but it's time to pick out Christmas cards! I *love* Christmas cards, but honestly, I get so overwhelmed when I look at the pages and pages of choices on Shutterfly! Having that many choices is a problem for indecisive people like me. There are a ton of Christmas card deals out right now, too. My favorite savings website, Southern Savers, recently did a post with a list of coupon codes for different websites where you can get free or almost free Christmas cards. You can check out the post here. I noticed I was drawn to the ones that say "Joy" because that's how I feel this year! Of course, I feel joy every Christmas, but even more this year! :) I am just so excited and happy about all the fun things to come in the next few months! Picking out a Christmas card next year will be *so* much fun. We'll have pictures of our sweet baby girl to share!! :) Here are some of my favorites on Shutterfly.

Joy Stripes

Scribbly Greetings

Humble Birth

Peace Cut Out

Snowy Window

Three.
I made these Italian beef sandwiches for dinner a couple of weeks ago and they were so, so good. I sometimes shy away from slow cooker meals because I feel like it sometimes makes things mushy, but it was perfect for this meal. This recipe could not be any easier, either. Just a few ingredients {I skipped the Giardiniera}, shred the meat, and you're good to go. I thought about doing a blog post just for the recipe, but there's no way I could even come close to taking a picture as good as Kristen's. This is a must try, for sure!

{Photo via Iowa Girl Eats}

Four.
One of my favorite {commercial} things about Christmas is ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. The countdown has already started! I just love snuggling up on the couch by the Christmas tree with Christmas candles burning, and watching a Christmas movie while drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas treats. You can't get much cozier than that! My favorite one on the list? Without a doubt, Christmas Vacation. I guess we'll have to catch another favorite, Elf, on a different channel. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

Five.
So...Black Friday shopping. I'm just not sure I can get into it. It's just so confusing this year! All the stores are opening earlier and earlier, and some are doing pre-Black Friday sales before actual Black Friday, which pretty much starts on Thanksgiving Day this year, if not earlier! Maybe I'll get some energy this weekend and check out all the ads. I do love the excitement of it all and it definitely puts me in the Christmas shopping spirit! I'm dying to get some presents under our Christmas tree!!

Oh, and one more thing...I *can't wait* for Thanksgiving dinner! That is all.

Happy weekend, everyone!! :)

  

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

One of my favorite things about fall is all of the pumpkins! I love seeing pumpkins everywhere, I love pumpkin candles, I love pumpkin spice lattes, and I love pumpkin bread. There's something just so homey and cozy about pumpkins. I light my pumpkin candles as soon as I get home every day and it instantly makes our house feel so warm and welcoming. I love it. It's the small things. :)

I first had this pumpkin bread a few years ago when one of Daniel's co-workers sent him home with a loaf. We both loved it and ate the whole thing in about two days. Maybe it was just one day. It was a long time ago...I can't remember. Don't judge. Anyway, he asked her for the recipe and I've been making it several times every fall since. Making this pumpkin bread even made it onto our fall bucket list. It's that good, y'all.

I made my first batch of the season this a couple of weekends ago and I cannot even tell you how good our house smelled. You will not be able to wait for this bread to come out of the oven! It has the just the right balance of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg and it is perfectly moist.

You've got to try this pumpkin bread this fall. You just might find yourself eating an entire loaf in one day, too. ;)

Perfect Pumpkin Bread
Makes 3 loaves
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3-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1 heaping tsp. nutmeg
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 unbeaten eggs
2/3 cup water
1 can pure pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. Grease three medium-sized loaf pans (8" x 4"). Pour the batter into the loaf pans as equally as possible.
4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the bread starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Check with a toothpick to make sure it's done.
5. Cool, slice, and enjoy!

  

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

One of my favorite things about fall is the food. I'm a fan of any kind of comfort food and fall seems to lend itself to so many of my favorites...two of which being soup and anything with pumpkin! I can hardly wait to make my first batch of pumpkin bread! But this post is about one of our new favorite soups.

I found this recipe last year {Pinterest, of course!} and made it several times throughout fall and winter. I've actually never even had a real jalapeno popper, but something about the recipe just made me want to make it! The flavors in this soup are just so warm and cozy. {Can flavors be cozy? I'm thinking yes.} The spiciness of the jalapeno peppers, the slight crunch of the corn, and the richness of the cream cheese are a delicious combination.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili
Makes 6 servings
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Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 jalapeno peppers, diced, seeds removed (leave the seeds if you want more heat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-1/4 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes with juices
1-1/2 cups chicken broth (reduce or omit if you want a thicker soup)
1 (19 oz.) can cannellini beans
1 (14 oz.) can corn
8 ounces cream cheese
Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and saute onion, jalapeno peppers, and garlic until soft and tender.
2. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (if needed) with the chicken and lightly brown chicken on all sides. Season with chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
3. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, beans and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
4. Add cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
5. Add toppings to soup as desired. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice

  

Pizza Bites {Football Food}

Only one more day until college football starts!!! Yay!! I am SO excited! I do love watching the game every week, but one of my favorite things about football season is having a reason to make fun appetizers and snacks. I shared the recipe for cheddar bacon dip last week which is of our favorites. It is so good! This week, I'm sharing another one of our favorites. Pizza bites!

These pizza bites are easy, cute, and most importantly, delicious! They also taste great at room temperature so you don't have to stress about keeping them warm. Just serve them with a side of your favorite marinara sauce and you have a great party snack. To make this recipe even easier, I always use pre-made pizza dough. I buy it in the bakery section at Publix. You could definitely make it with your own favorite pizza dough recipe, though.

Here's the recipe!

Pizza Bites
Makes about 20-24 bites
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1 lb. pizza dough (enough for one whole pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese (20-24 pieces)
Pepperoni

Topping:
olive oil
Italian seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.  Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces.  Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni.  Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed.  Place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Source: Annie's Eats

Hope you love this one! Oh, and Roll Tide! :)

  

Cheddar Bacon Dip {Football Food}

This dip couldn't be easier to make and it's the perfect snack for watching college football. Only 8 more days...I can't wait!! :) It only requires four ingredients and literally comes together in less than five minutes. My favorite kind of recipe!

All you'll need is sour cream, a packet of ranch dressing mix, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Make sure you get the real bacon bits, not the crunchy things that my students pile onto their lunch tray. {They literally eat them by the spoonful. Ew.}

These are the bacon bits you're looking for.
{Source}

I used a blend of cheddar and white cheddar.

Make this for your next football party. Your friends will thank you!

Cheddar Bacon Dip
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16 oz. light sour cream
1 packet ranch dressing mix
3 oz. package of bacon bits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix ingredients until well blended and refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Plain Chicken