Chocolate, chocolate, and bananas...oh my!

Today I was super green and found a way to use my almost-too-soft bananas (like I almost threw them away!!) for some chocolate banana bread. Since my hubby is super picky and asked..."can you make mine without the banana?"...ummm what?? I decided I would simply up the ante with chocolate, lots of chocolate! It would (hopefully) disguise the fact that there was actually something healthy snuck in that delicious loaf of goodness! So I began with a yummy recipe for banana bread then added cocoa and chocolate chips, lots of them! He conceded and agreed that although there were bananas in the bread, it was ammmazing!!! And yes, it was. Here is the recipe, adapted from a couple I found on Pinterest. Pinterest is my friend...

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

• 1 stick softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 ripened bananas
• 1 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (save the 1/4 for the top...)

Instructions: Cream egg, sugar and butter (fancy way of saying mix until nice and smooth!) Ok, then mix the remaining ingredients (save the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for the top, of course!) and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 until middle is just done! Enjoy, friends, enjoy! (Maybe with ice cream or wine or in my case? Both. Yes, let that sink in a second...)

Something Sweet

It's been a long time (looooong) since my last blog but today I bring you "something sweet". Pulling something yummy and sweet out of the oven to go with your coffee (or wine, perhaps?? Once the kids are in bed?) is like pulling a little love out of  the oven...for family, friends, for YOU! I can't think of anything I'd rather do in my spare time than whip up something yummy. Except for devour it, of course! Now, between working a full-time job, juggling two kids, karate, homework and oh yes, a hubby...it's a treat these days to squeeze in the time for homemade baked goods. This is where shortcuts come in, of course! I swear by them! Who cares if your goodies began with a mix or if that coffee cake you shared with co-workers had icing from a can?? Nobody, that's who! I like to take a little from scratch, a little store bought and make it my own. Since I'm the neighborhood weirdo who passes out salsa for Cinco De Mayo, cupcakes for Mother's Day and sugar cookies for Easter, I need a little help! (side note: I'm not like a super friendly, amazing chick...I just happen to have a food obsession but don't want it all to go to the hips so I share. A lot.)

Here it is, a recipe for my latest fave: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I use half cup milk with a little vinegar..)
• 1/2 cup coffee, lukewarm (you can use decaf coffee if desired!)
• 24 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped 
• Mix ingredients, placing one pb cup in each cupcake wrapper...
• Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes! Ice and enjoy!!

OR: Just be lazy girl and make a boxed chocolate cake mix...no judgement up in here!!

Then, what I did was ice them with a can of cream cheese icing mixed with a cup of creamy peanut butter and topped with a peanut butter cup!