Banana muffins and a tip for serving them to your family hot out of the oven first thing in the morning

My hubby had to be up and out early this Saturday morning to help with our district Pine wood derby so I wanted something hot for him and the kids. So I made Banana muffins.

Sorry the picture kinda stinks. It was early and my brain was not yet fully functional and I had not yet had coffee :)








Now I know what you are thinking... How did you whip those up at such an early hour? Well the trick is I had made the batter a few weeks ago and froze it in the muffin wrapper! Yes you can do that!

First here is the recipe I used... Banana muffins It is similar to the recipe I grew up with but it uses melted butter instead of shortening (Bonus if you ask me!) Line your muffin pan with liners (paper or silicone) Fill 1/2 to 2/3 full (I tend to under fill when I am going to freeze them. I feel they bake better). A metal scoop works great for this! and pop into your freezer. After they are frozen you can remove them from the pan and put into a zip top freezer bag.

When you are ready to bake put the # of muffins you want to  bake back into a muffin pan, put it into your oven  and turn it on to the desired temp. Bake for the normal time knowing you may need to bake them a few extra minutes but do the toothpick test to be sure (insert a tooth pick into the center of muffin and if it comes out clean it is done.)

Hubby really liked these. He said they were moist an yummy and the Girl liked the slight crispy-ness on the top.

Oh and I was extra nice and made hubby an egg sandwich while the muffins were cooking. So if you see him today and he is in an extra good mood... you are welcome... :)

Bottle Tote

I have had the idea for this for a while... My Girl Loved it!

I made it out of the leftovers of a pair of jeans that I had cut off the legs after the knee blew out. I made shorts out of the top of the jeans for my girl and could not bring myself to throw out this pretty embroidery. Blue also happens to be my girls favorite color :)  The strap is from an old pair of my jeans that had worn out beyond repair.

Are you a "Pinner"?

OK I admit I have a problem... I have become addicted to pinterest. Like I needed something else to take up my time. But here's the thing... I have actually been learning some cool things and it has helped my inspiration :)
I have seen some "pins" about awesome school lunches and had some of these cool ziploc containers which were not working for my hubby's lunch as I had hoped but they work great for the Boy. Here is what I sent with him today...

He was super excited! Never mind it is similar to the lunch he gets every day :)
PB with home made strawberry jam, raisins, pretzels & a Granola thin.

Meal plan 3/25 – 3/31 (First published 3/26/2012)

Back from another bit of a bloggin break... I'm working on getting back on track with my meal plans and letting you all know what we have been up to. Please try some of these recipes they are seriously good :)


Sunday, Grilled Marinated Turkey breast ... This was new for us and oh so good!
Monday, Steak Fajitas in the Crock Pot with Mango Salsa ... This has become a favorite
Tuesday, Herb Crusted Pork Chops ... New
Wednesday, Tasty and Tender round steak W/ scalloped potatoes ... New
Thursday,  Crock Pot Cream Chese Chicken
Friday, Home made Pizza See my pizza post here...
Saturday, Chili because I can start it in the morning and just leave it. The Hubby and I have a busy day with the kids so I need something that will be ready when we get home. I have leftover cornbread in the freezer I will serve with it.

Valentines day... (First published 2/15/2012)

I am in the minority that I am not a big fan of valentines day. I do still want to do something nice for my kids though so here is what I made them for dinner...

They Loved it and thought it was pretty cool.
Here is my "go to"  pizza dough recipe. It will yield 1 Large pizza or 2 medium thin crust pizzas.
I double it most of the time.
Pizza Dough
Printable recipe for Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Extra flour may be needed if your dough is super sticky
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 Teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar (or granulated sugar substitute)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
Heat oven to 400 degrees

Mix flour, yeast, salt & sugar in a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment).
Add in water and oil. Stir until mixed thouroughly (dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl).
Cover and let dough set for 15 minutes at least, an hour is better.
Sprinkle a bit of flour or cornmeal or flour onto a baking stone or lightly oil an aluminum pan.

With wet or floured fingers press dough out to desired size. Top with sauce and your favorite toppings and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes
           
See those happy faces... OK maybee valentines day isn't so bad :)
Helpfull equipment:
Pizza Stone
Mixer with dough hook