Recipe: Sweet Potato Bread

One of the Thanksgiving sides seems to traditionally be a sweet potato dish. This year we boiled and mashed sweet potatoes instead of baking them and were left with quite some leftovers.

Since I made the mashed potatoes into gnocchi, I figured I'd change the sweet potatoes into something as well. The same evening after I made the gnocchi, I made sweet potato bread for the next day's breakfast.


There was apple sauce in the refrigerator which is a perfect replacement for oil in these mix and pour recipes to make it low fat. Try to use unsweetened apple sauce when replacing the oil in recipes otherwise your end result will be too sweet.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
   
2. Use a spray oil to grease a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
   
4. Stir in the sugar, pecans, and raisins.
5. In another bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, milk, and mashed sweet potatoes. Mix well.
6. Add the sweet potato mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a large spoon until combined.
7. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pan.

Recipe: Banana Nut Bread

Bought a bunch of bananas and they ripened too fast? Don't throw them out! A banana that is turning black is actually very ripe and perfect for making banana bread.
Banana bread became a standard of American cooking books in the 1930s and gained popularity in the 1950s.

This recipe is adapted from one by Milliken & Feniger.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

$1 Off 2 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits and Sweet Rolls

The local supermarkets here at times offer Pillsbury Grands for 99¢ each. Using these manufacturer coupons I found on the internet, it's like getting them as a buy one get one free!
Print up a couple copies of each coupon and stock your refrigerator for the holidays.


Pillsbury Grands Biscuits $1 off 2

Pillsbury Grands Sweet Rolls $1 off 2

Coupons expire 30 days from the date you print.

Recipe: Banana Bread

I always buy a large bunch of bananas for my smoothies but when they start to ripen faster than I can use them, I make banana bread. Here is a simple and fast recipe. If you have a stand mixer, it makes it all the faster to prepare.





Ingredients

* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 very ripe bananas (the blacker they are the sweeter)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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

In a large bowl cream together eggs and sugar then stir in mashed bananas, vanilla, oil and cinnamon.

Carefully add and stir in the flour mixture, a third at a time, until just combined.

Pour batter into a 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour.


Use can serve this as a nice dessert. A toasted slice of banana bread with a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream on top. Add a drizzle of maple syrup for decadence!