Skinny Chef in Disguise: Cooking up a storm!!!

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and honestly it was not all I hoped it would be...culinary speaking. But in the midst of my unmet expectations for my time in the kitchen, God taught me a great lesson about enjoying time spent with my family...especially on the holidays!! It's not about me getting to cook all that I want to. And honestly, I've done plenty of cooking lately! This post will include LOTS of pictures and a recipe or two. First off:

Banana Bread!!!

This recipe is super easy and doesn't require anything more than just dumping and mixing. And the end result is sooooo good! I think I got this recipe from my mom at some point. I've had it for so long and the recipe card is proof that I've made it about 1,000 times. I'm not sure where she got it from, but trust me it's fantastic!

6 large bananas (the really ripe, almost black ones work best!)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk (did you know you can add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to 1 cup of milk and substitute for buttermilk? you can!!)

4 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup oil

5 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans

Bake at 325 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours (make sure a toothpick comes out clean from the middle)

Makes 2 large loafs. (Or you can make smaller loafs and some mini ones too, just because they're cute!)

I'm sure there is a proper way to add things in a certain order, but I've always just dumped it in and mixed as I go and it always turns out great! Enjoy!!

Next up we have Italian Cream Cake!! Today was my Mom's birthday and I wanted to cook dinner for her and all of our family. I planned an Italian theme menu: lasagna, salad, bread, and of course the Italian cream cake for dessert. The lasagna turned out good. It was my first time to ever make it. I get these ideas and as it's all baking away in the oven I start to doubt my decision to make something brand new when people are coming over for dinner! Luckily, it all turned out great. I got the Hearty Autumn salad recipe from a blog I follow by Lisa Young. You can check it out here. Here's what mine looked like.

I didn't really have a recipe for the lasagna. I researched a bunch of different recipes around the internet and finally decided to come up with my own. It was yummy and I'm looking forward to having the leftovers tomorrow for lunch!

Ok, on to the cake!! This was just the second time I've made this cake, but it is so delicious and it's easy to make!! I should make it more often...or maybe that would keep the skinny chef inside of me disguised for a very LONG time! So here's the recipe (from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook) and some pictures of the process!

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teasoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk (here's that vinegar trick again!)

1 cup flaked coconut

Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted

Beat butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beat until blended.

Combine flour and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut.

Beat egg white until stiff peaks form, and fold into batter. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 23 to 25 minutes. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool layers completely on wire racks. Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Yield: 1 3-layer cake.

I know this one has a lot of details and seems like a lot of work, but it's not too bad, and I promise it's worth it! Super moist, super yummy! Happy eating, friends!