Peach Banana Choco-Chip Bread

Well, I really needed some Kitchen Therapy the past few days. I not only made this but messed around with my Essential Oils as well (NOT for ingestion tho....made a lovely linen spray). This is a pretty darn good recipe. Yummy peaches from GA.....and I almost always have bananas that are a tad too ripe to just peel and eat. And then I remembered I had some chocolate chips. I only put a little in the bread, but I wanted to put tons in! I promise this is a recipe you'll enjoy.....maybe even with a little butter 'smooshed' on it.





PEACH BANANA CHOCO-CHIP BREAD

Makes 10 Servings

1 cup Splenda granulated (or sugar)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 stick of light butter at room temperature
2 large eggs (or ½ cup egg substitute)
2 ripe bananas
2 ripe peaches (both pealed and pitted; 1 sliced)**
1 TBSP brown sugar**
1 TBSP 1% milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¼ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 9x5x3” loaf pan, set aside.

Don't forget to spray inside your dishwasher so you don't have to clean up the overspray!

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and Splenda (or sugar). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a blender, blend the bananas and 1 peach (not the sliced one) together with a little bit of the milk. Mix in the remainder of the milk and the cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the butter mixture until well combined. Add the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In the loaf pan, lay out the sliced peaches and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Pour batter over this. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove bread from the pan and invert onto a cake/loaf plate and cool completely before slicing.

The bottom of the bread

**MY SPIN: The peaches and brown sugar on the bottom were an afterthought, as well as the chocolate chips. When I turned the loaf out of the pan, some of the sliced peaches stayed in the pan so I had a little puzzle to put together before inverting onto the cake plate. But it was worth it because it gave some added flavor and moisture to the bottom of the bread. I think if I make this again, I'll put some of the batter in the pan and then put the sliced peaches and brown sugar and then the rest of the batter. And, of course, I'm never 'careful' when measuring cinnamon....more is better in my world! Whichever way you do it, it's good!

Later!
Loving Life!
Peace.
Jan

Peach Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

Oh does it ever feel good to be doing Kitchen Therapy again!!! And what a wonderful time of the year! So many fresh fruits and veggies out there! I have my own 'personal' Veggie Lady who texts me when she has goodies she knows I like.....there's a wonderful Farmer's Market in town....a lot of other 'town folk' grow wonderful produce.....and if I can't get stuff there, I can always resort to the stores! These peaches, however, are real Georgia peaches.....purchased at a cute little stand someplace in Georgia on our way home from visiting Aunt Marie. The blueberries are from there as well. I love fresh *stuff*!  I've made a Peach Upside-Down Cake and a Blueberry Upside-Down Cake so it just made sense to combine them. And here's the result!  So yummy! Not kidding!!!

 

PEACH BLUEBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Makes 8 Servings

TOPPING:

2 TBSP light butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup fresh blueberries
cinnamon

CAKE:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 TBSP light butter
½ cup Splenda granulated (or sugar)
3 egg whites (or 1/3 cup egg whites from a carton)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup 1% milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Place 2 TBSP light butter in a 9-inch round cake pan. Heat in the oven until the butter is melted. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Arrange the peaches over this and then 'sprinkle' with the blueberries. Sprinkle this with cinnamon.....however much you want!

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat 3 TBSP light butter and the Splenda (or sugar) with an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the egg whites, applesauce and vanilla until smooth.

Alternating, add half the flour mixture and then half of the milk; repeat.

Spoon the batter over the fruit and spread evenly.

Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool @5 minutes on a wire rack and then turn cake upside-down on a plate or cake dish.



Fresh out of the oven!!

This can be served 'as is' or with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping.

MY SPIN: The cinnamon on the fruit was an afterthought, that's why it's not in the picture of ingredients. But, to know me is to know I love cinnamon and will put it in/on everything possible!

Later!

Loving Life!
Peace.
Jan

PB & Chocolate Chip Bars

So I had a full jar of peanut butter hanging around and decided to find something fun to do with it besides dip apples. Ta Da! What could be better than something like this? Again, this is such an easy recipe and so good! Most of the ingredients were already 'in house'......I just had to get the brown sugar and chocolate chips. These are a fun little bar!

PB & Chocolate Chip Bars

Makes 12 pieces

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
¾ cup peanut butter
1 stick light butter, softened
3 TBSP 2% milk
1 large egg
1 TBSP vanilla extract
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

You can see that I'm an 'equal opportunity shopper'!

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or pan. Set aside.

Don't forget to spray in your dishwasher to avoid having to clean the overspray off your counters!

 

Mix together all of the ingredients EXCEPT the chocolate chips with an electric mixer until well combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the dough evenly in the sprayed pan.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes on a cooling rack. Cut into 12 bars and enjoy!!

Fresh out of the oven!

 

Enjoy!

Later!

Loving Life!
Jan

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken Part 2

A while ago.....and if you search on here you'll find it....I did a whole chicken in the crock pot and it was good. This one is too! It was a toss up.....chicken soup or this way. Obvious which one won! This is really easy. Pictured are the spices I used, but you can use whatever spices you like. Remember....a recipe is only a suggestion!

 

CROCK POT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN PART 2

My plate with chicken rice and what you don't see are pickled beets (that recipe is on here too)
 

1 whole fresh chicken

Any spices you want to make a 'rub'

Get whole chickens while they're on sale and freeze them!

Wad up 4 pieces of aluminum foil and place in the bottom of your crock pot.

Remove gizzards and set aside for future use or discard.

Mix spices together; rub the spices on the outside of the chicken.

Place the chicken in the crock pot on top of the pieces of foil and cook on low for @6 – 7 hours or high for @5 hours. Do NOT put any water or oil in the crock pot.

Fall apart tender and juicy!

Enjoy!

 

Later!
Loving Life!
Jan

Lemon 'Pudding' Cake

Well, I haven't done this in a while! Since hurting my ankle, it's been a long journey to being able to be on my feet for more than a few minutes without being in pain. With the help of a VA doctor (yes, for those who didn't know, I am an Army Veteran) and the brace she instructed me to wear, I'm almost back to normal (whatever that may be)! I know I said I wasn't going to be using Splenda anymore, but I am because I need to get my weight back under control. Tough thing for anyone to admit, but the poundage found me! While I'm NOT following 'that plan' anymore, I am being more careful about my portion control and what I'm eating.....and I've decided it's time to enjoy some baked goods again -- my own, NOT the sugary stuff in the stores. Soooo.....here's my first venture in baking in a long, long time. When I tell you I picked a wonderful recipe to tweak and share, I am not lying!! And it should be called Lemon Meringue Cake because that's what it tastes like. The bottom of this is, tho, like a lemon pudding and the top is a meringue-y cake. Oh, just go make it! You truly won't be sorry!!! 

 

LEMON 'PUDDING' CAKE

Makes 9 Servings

Mine! And it was good!
 

 

4 large eggs, separated

zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 TBSP light butter, melted
1 cup Splenda granulated (or sugar)
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
1 ½ cups 2% milk

Place a large roasting pan on a rack in the center of the oven. Fill it halfway with water. Preheat oven to 350° with the pan of water in the oven.

 

 

Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with butter flavor spray (or you can butter the pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter.

In another bowl, stir together the Splenda (or sugar), flour and salt.

Whisk half of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then half the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture and then the rest of the milk (be sure to whisk after each add).

Whip the egg whites until light peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Place the baking dish carefully into the water in the pan in the oven. Bake 45 minutes until the top is a golden color.

 

Carefully remove both pans from the oven and then remove the pan with the cake from the water. Let cool completely.

MY SPIN: This can be eaten 'as is' at room temperature. Or you could serve it with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping and a few blueberries. If you don't use it all, you'll need to refrigerate it and it would be delicious cold.

Enjoy!

Loving Life!
Jan