Banana Bread - Take 4,359

But by golly, I think I'm getting there. This is an adaptation of about 700 recipes I've tried over the last 5 years plus my own little tweaks.

-2 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp cinnamon
**
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
-1 cup vanilla-flavored greek yogurt
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-2 1/4 cups flour

Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray for baking. Mix 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tsp of cinnamon and dust the pans. Beat together butter and sugar until crumbly; add eggs 1 at a time. Add bananas, yogurt, vanilla & cinnamon and beat together. Mix flour, salt & baking soda together in a seperate bowl; add in batches to banana mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Add to loaf pans. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

I doctored up a recipe I found using instant apple cinnamon oatmeal. I didn't have any, and threw in a couple of extras. My version turned out really good. I used my mom's homemade applesauce I had in the freezer. She makes the best... just chunky enough and very sweet and cinnamony.

Bread

-1/4 cup butter, softened

-1 cup sugar

-1 1/2 cups applesauce

-2 eggs

-1 tsp vanilla

-3/4 cup quick cooking oats

-1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp salt

Topping

-1 tbsp quick cooking oats

-1 tsp sugar

-1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, applesauce and vanilla and mix well. Add oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Pour in a loaf pan and top with more oats, sugar and cinnamon. Bake in loaf pan at 350 for 60-65 minutes.

Gertrude's Cinnamon Rolls

Oh my, oh my! A sweet old lady at my mom and dad's church makes these for almost every church function. The first time I had them, I demanded the recipe. It makes A LOT of cinnamon rolls, but I just use the full recipe and freeze the ones we don't eat.

1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cup instant potatoes (yep)

1 1/2 cup scalded milk
3-4 packages dry yeast
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil
8 cups flour
cinnamon
softened butter

Whisk together the water and potato flakes.

Mix in the dry yeast and flour. Mix all the other ingredients together and add in. This requires a strong mixer!

Dust table with flour. Roll out dough. Spread butter on dough. Add sugar. Add cinnamon. Roll this sucker up and pop into the freezer to chill for about 10-15 minutes. I place mine on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove dough from freezer and cut into slices. Make them as thick or thin as you want. Bake 15-20 minutes on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.

* you could also add in raisins or walnuts

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Fall is upon us and that means let the pumpkin recipes commence! I know most people are still stuck on grilling and summer fun, but fall is my favorite time of year to cook and bake. This breakfast bake is yummy... posting it for my sister so she can make it for her "Tears & Cheers" back-to-school moms-only breakfast party. Enjoy!

-12 oz brown sugar & honey breakfast sausage links (could also use crumbled sausage)
-12 eggs
-1 (30 oz) can pumpkin pie filling
-1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp vanilla
-15 slices white bread, cubed
-confectioners' sugar
-maple syrup

Cook sausage according to package directions. Cool slightly; if using links, cut into 1/4 inch slices. In a very large bowl, whisk eggs, pie filling, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Add sausage and bread, stir to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 35o for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve with syrup.

Makes 12 servings.

Blueberry Pancakes

Tried this recipe for the first time today and it was a hit! Ellie and I love blueberry pancakes. Rob likes his plain. So, I throw his on the griddle and then fold the blueberries into the rest of the batter. I served with bacon... a classic favorite!

-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 1/4 tsp baking powder

-1 1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tbsp melted butter

-1 egg

-1 cup milk

-1/2 cup fresh blueberries (frozen would work, too, I guess)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat together egg and milk. Stir in to flour mixture. Add melted butter and stir until there are no lumps, being careful not to overbeat. Fold in blueberries and griddle 'em up!

Serve with warm maple syrup. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

Light, it's not. Delicious, it is!! I suppose you could use turkey sausage and 2% cheese in this recipe to lighten it up somewhat, but where's the fun in that? I like this recipe because it's very simple; not too many ingredients. And, you can make it up the night before and just throw it in the oven in the morning. I'm in charge of Christmas morning brunch (yes, I'm already planning) and this is on the menu with some cinnamon rolls.

1 (2lb) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 pound ground breakfast sausage

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish.

Cook sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat until browned; drain well. Heat oil in a large saucepan; cook potatoes and onion until potatoes are browned and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Cover with sausage. Sprinkle with cheese, top with eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until eggs are fully cooked.