Best Ever Banana Bread

Best Ever Banana Bread by Juliana
Photograph by Leticia Alaniz @ 2014 All Rights Reserved

Only three weeks left until school starts, and I’ll be going to 6th grade! This summer I have been baking a lot and enjoying my acting classes.  We did a production on the play ‘The Circus That Came From Mars’ by Alfredo Cardona Peña. I had several roles, and many costume changes.  Our theatre director is Cora Cardona, (She’s a bit crazy and I love that in her)!  She says that when she gets angry she will turn into a witch and steam will come out of her ears.  Coincidentally, my mom says we're all witches in our family, so I am faithful to this belief.

Juliana Thompson in
The Circus That Came from Mars
Photograph by Leticia Alaniz @2014

One hot summer, I discovered a recipe on the back of the Gold Medal® flour package. I decided to give it a shot, since all the ingredients were in the pantry and it took no time to make the batter with the easy to follow recipe.  I whipped up the batter and put it in the oven. The sweet aroma filled up the house in minutes.  This banana bread comes out so chewy and moist, and is perfect for any time of day.  It pleased my whole family and pretty soon, my brothers were begging for more!  

Ingredients: 

1 cup sugar                                             1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter                                         2 1/2 cups flour

3 mashed very ripe bananas                   1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs                                                     1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350.  Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl mix sugar and butter.  Add eggs, mashed bananas, milk and vanilla; beat with an electric mixture until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until moistened. Pour batter into pan.

3. Bake for 1 hr 15 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. 
Enjoy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Photograph by Leticia Alaniz ©2014 All Rights Reserved

Red is a beautiful color and it represents passion and love.  One of my favorite cake flavors is red velvet.  It is love at first sight.  This classic Red Velvet Cupcake is sure to please everyone that is lucky enough to eat them.  I like to make a huge batch as my brothers can’t stop at one.  I have to literally hide them because they might eat them all in one sitting!  I top the cupcakes with a smooth cream cheese frosting that is decadent on it’s own.  The rich chocolaty aroma and flavor of the cupcakes is sure to lure anyone into the kitchen while they are baking in the oven.  My favorite part about it is the red color with the chocolate flavoring that go together perfectly. I like to add less butter and sugar when I bake these velvety cakes.  Bake them for your next birthday party.  Below is the recipe I follow.

Original recipe makes 30 cupcakes

Takes about 40 mins to make

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 1 cups sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/4 tsp red food color
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  

• Cream Cheese Frosting: 
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 2 tablespoons sour cream 
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not over beat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: 

Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and pure vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Macaroni & Cheese Over-the-Rainbow

Photograph by Leticia Alaniz © 2014

On movie night as a family we’re always trying to decide what good and yummy treats we can enjoy while watching a wonderful movie. One of my favorite options is always a creamy Macaroni and Cheese.  This is a favorite no fail recipe by Patty LaBelle.  She calls it Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese and it does literally transport you to magic land. This delicious casserole dish is always a great crowd pleaser! Because this recipe only takes about 35 minutes to bake you can enjoy it every movie night!  Follow the recipe for an Over-the-rainbow Macaroni and Cheese and enjoy a great movie night with your family.  

Servings: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta, cut into small cubes
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheight. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Stir in the melted butter into the large cooking pot with the macaroni. 

In a medium bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. 

To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese mixture, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.