Name: Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 1 8 1/2 inch loaf
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour - I used white whole wheat); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 4 very ripe bananas; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 3/4 cup brown ale; 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

August 28, 2017

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! Scroll down for video.

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Do You Make Banana Bread?

Things I never make:

Banana bread

Weird, right? Banana bread is one of those super-basic things that everyone makes. But I really never do. I mean, until now. Because what else are you going to do when you have four super-ripe bananas about to start attracting flies in your kitchen?

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

You get your husband to bring a brown ale home from work and you make banana beer bread. Yep. Plus chocolate chips, because in my humble opinion banana bread is always made better by the addition of chocolate.

I was pretty concerned that this banana beer bread would turn out too wet. There is a lot of liquid in there. It turned out perfectly, though – so moist and sweet enough for dessert but wholesome enough for breakfast (because bananas and whole wheat flour). Put your banana beer bread in the fridge, though. I didn’t. It did not end well.

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Since I made this banana beer bread, maybe I’ll up the ante on my banana bread making game. Banana bread is one of the few ways that I can get Philip to consume bananas, and if beer is included, even better (the brown ale that I used was Maduro Brown Ale from Cigar City Brewing, and I have also had great luck with Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale).

This recipe was shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 1 8 1/2 inch loaf

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

15 minPrep Time:

1 hrCook Time:

1 hr, 15 Total Time:

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Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour - I used white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 very ripe bananas
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup brown ale
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350?. Spray a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas then stir in the butter, eggs, brown sugar, and beer.
Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and stir until no dry spots remain. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the banana bread for 55 minutes to an hour, rotating the pan halfway through baking. When the bread is done, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it cool completely before serving.

https://chattavore.com/banana-beer-bread/

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

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Other ways to use your overripe bananas:

Hummingbird Sheet Cake + Video

August 13, 2017

Hummingbird sheet cake transforms a slightly fussy classic Southern cake into something easy and portable yet still SO delicious – and pretty. Scroll down for video!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Getting the Job Done!

Being a Type A perfectionist and a blogger with a full-time job are things that are sometimes at odds in my life. My time is limited, and sometimes if I know a recipe is good I just want to get it up here to share with you guys. That means that my photos aren’t always perfect, but sometimes I just don’t have the time, energy, or, honestly, desire to retake the photos before I put them up here. I hope you guys will forgive me.

Another thing is that in the frenzy of beautiful images that I am surrounded by every day on blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram I sometimes start to feel like my recipes aren’t enough. Like, if I can’t put lavender or goat cheese in all the things then I probably shouldn’t share them. Or if I can’t make the prettiest deconstructed and perfectly lit bowl meal then I lose??. Oh boy. We’re our own worst critics, right? Seriously, no one has ever criticized one of my recipes for not being pretty or fancy enough (it’s probably coming now that I’ve put it out there. Oops.).

I listen to a few podcasts for food bloggers and one of the things I’ve heard recently is that we need to blog for our audience, not for other bloggers. That hit me like a splash of cold water in the face. I realized that thinking that everything I post has to be vegan, Paleo, and artfully arranged in a handmade ceramic bowl being held in front of a window by a European hand model was not based on any preference that a single one of my readers has ever expressed to me. It’s based on the things that I think are pretty on Instagram but not the way that I cook, eat, or live or probably the way that the majority of my readers cook, eat, or live (the last handmade ceramic bowl I priced was like 70 smackers. If any of y’all have that kind of dough to spend on dishes, pass some my way).

Hummingbird Sheet Cake

That’s where this hummingbird sheet cake comes from. Hummingbird cake, with pineapple, bananas, and spices baked into a cake coated in a thick layer of cream cheese icing (?) and toasted pecans, is one of my favorite cakes. But the first version I posted, while tasty and beautiful, was incredibly fussy. It broke while I was taking it out of the pan! While a perfect four-layer cake is what my overbearing perfectionist brain aspires to (and yes, I am perfectly capable of making it), a hummingbird sheet cake is what my tired, full-time job working, rest of the time blogging self finds realistic. And goodness, look at it. Is this hummingbird sheet cake really less pretty than this hummingbird layer cake? Personally, I don’t think so. That could just be because the approachability of Exhibit A is about 10000 times higher than Exhibit B. But I digress. They both taste equally delicious, and that’s really what matters anyway, right?

So if you’re a little short on time (or even just a little lazy, which is just fine with me), hummingbird sheet cake is where it’s at!

Shared on Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love and Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate.

Mary

Yield: one 9x13 cake (about 20 servings)

Hummingbird Sheet Cake

30 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

1 hr, 20 Total Time:

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1 1/2 teaspoons Alchemy Spice Wake and Bake Blend in place of the cinnamon & nutmeg)
3 eggs
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
8 ounce cans crushed pineapple (with juice)
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4)
2 cups finely chopped pecans (can toast them lightly if you wish)
8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup unsalted butter-1 stick (softened)
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9x13 baking pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In another medium to large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and sugar. Stir in the mashed bananas, the pineapple, and one cup of the pecans (I did all of the mixing for this cake by hand...do not use a mixer. I also forgot to put pecans in the batter, and the world did not come to an end).
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it's fine if you have a couple of lumps of flour in your batter). Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly in pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Make the frosting: using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter until well incorporated, then beat in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, making sure that the previous addition is fully incorporated before adding more (going slowly will keep you from making a gigantic mess...like I did). Beat in the vanilla.
To assemble the cake, spread the frosting across over the top of the cake and sprinkle the cake with one cup of toasted pecans.

https://chattavore.com/hummingbird-sheet-cake/

Hummingbird sheet cake transforms a slightly fussy classic Southern cake into something easy and portable yet still SO delicious - and pretty. | recipe from Chattavore.com

Blueberry Creme Brûlée + Video

July 31, 2017

Blueberry creme brûlée is a simple but fancy dessert that is a perfect use for fresh summer blueberries (but is just as good with frozen)! Scroll down for video.

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Creme Brûlée Obsession

Philip loves creme brûlée. Anytime that we go out to dinner at an upscale restaurant, I can count on eating creme brûlée unless I want to order my own dessert. He is pretty much obsessed with the stuff. I mean, not that I mind. Creme brûlée is freaking delicious.

Blueberry Creme Brûlée

My blueberry creme brûlée is lightened up a little bit, with milk in addition to the heavy cream (creme brûlée is usually made with all cream). You can make the homemade blueberry sauce ahead of time if you want…the recipe comes together quite quickly. It does take some time to cook and chill, but this blueberry creme brûlée is so worth it, and most of that time is hands-off! You can also leave out the blueberries or use another berry instead!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your dessert board on Pinterest!

Mary

Yield: 4 custards

Blueberry Creme Brûlée

15 minPrep Time:

1 hr, 30 Cook Time:

1 hr, 45 Total Time:

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Ingredients

For the Blueberry Sauce

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

For the Creme Brûlée

4 egg yolks
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 4 teaspoons to brûlée
pinch salt

Instructions

To make the blueberry sauce, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir constantly, mashing the berries slightly with the spoon, until the sauce thickens somewhat. Divide the sauce among 4 6-ounce ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 300?Fahrenheit.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are homogenous. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour a ladleful of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the tempered egg yolks into the pan of warm cream and whisk until completely combined. Strain into a large measuring cup or another container with a spout.
Place the ramekins with the blueberry sauce into a 9-inch square baking pan. Divide the cream mixture among the ramekins. Pour water into the pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Cover with foil and bake, checking often for doneness, for 45 minutes up to 1 1/2 hours, until mostly set but still slightly jiggly (it took 1 1/2 hours in my countertop oven).
Allow the custards to cool in the pan to room temperature then refrigerate until completely chilled. Sprinkle the custards evenly with granulated sugar and brûlée with a kitchen torch until the sugar is completely melted. Allow to stand until the sugar has cooled down, then serve.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from the book My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.

https://chattavore.com/blueberry-creme-brulee/

Blueberry creme brûlée is a simple but fancy dessert that is a perfect use for fresh summer blueberries (but is just as good with frozen)! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

This recipe is adapted from the book My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.

Recommended for this recipe:

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt + Video

July 28, 2017

These easy scones with plums and Greek yogurt are full of good stuff – yogurt, whole wheat, and fruit – and they’re so delicious you won’t be able to resist! (Scroll down for video)

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Scones v. Biscuits

A while back one of my friends posted on Facebook about trying what some tout as the best biscuit in Chattanooga (I contend that my biscuits are the best in Chattanooga…I still need to open that biscuits and gravy food truck). A British friend of hers commented that she really didn’t understand what an American biscuit was, as “biscuit” is the word that Brits use for what we in the States call a cookie. I commented and told her that I thought of a biscuit as a slightly more moist, savory scone.

I think that was a pretty decent explanation.That post and my tea at the English Rose made me start thinking that scones are really something that I don’t make enough. I mean, I love scones, and even though they’re not exactly like biscuits they’re definitely just as easy.

Plum Scones

A couple of weeks ago I was racking my brain trying to think of a recipe to put some fresh plums into. I considered putting them into my chicken biscuits, but ultimately decided that was a peach’s job and instead decided that plums needed to go into some easy scones. These easy scones have fresh chopped plums, Greek yogurt, and milk. I even went and healthed them up even more by adding some whole wheat flour.

Authentic? Eh.

I’m not going to lie…the butter and Greek yogurt make these plum scones pretty dang tender and biscuit-like, so I don’t want anyone fussing that they aren’t authentic. I’m a Southern cook, so it’s going to come across in just about everything I make. Still, if you taste these easy scones I don’t think you’re going to complain, especially if you have them with some salted butter or some lemon curd (my personal preference). And whether you have a cup of coffee or tea, I don’t think you can go wrong. Try them and see for yourself!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

Mary

Yield: 8 scones

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

40 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup chopped fresh plums (3-4 plums)
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until only small pieces of butter are visible. Stir in the Greek yogurt and milk.
Turn the scone dough out onto a floured surface. Fold and turn until a cohesive dough forms. Form into a large rectangle (use a rolling pin if needed - I just patted it out with my hands).
Sprinkle the chopped plums onto the dough and roll the dough into a tube. Flour again and form a disc, about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream or milk and sprinkle with the additional tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and no longer doughy. Serve warm with butter, jam, lemon curd, or clotted cream.

https://chattavore.com/easy-scones/

a close-up picture of a scone with plums and greek yogurt on a plate with lemon curd

Frozen Watermelon Margarita (non-alcoholic version included) + Video

June 26, 2017

This frozen watermelon margarita is like summer in a salty sugar-rimmed glass! For the kids and teetotalers, a non-alcoholic version is included! Scroll down for video!

Who out there can’t get enough ?watermelon? in the summertime (??)? Interestingly, I married a man who will eat watermelon if he is forced to, but since he’s never forced to, he doesn’t eat watermelon. He’s never liked cantaloupe or honeydew, and honestly, though I like them, I get that. Watermelon though? He used to like it but now he doesn’t. What gives?

Because of this, I have been forced to buy these little mini watermelons. I have seen them called “personal” watermelons and that always makes me laugh. It’s my own personal watermelon…it really is. It’s really kind of convenient, because even if Philip were eating it too a big watermelon would be way more than we’d ever finish before it went south and I don’t think I have any storage containers that big anyway.

Funny story about the watermelons used to make this recipe…I’ll admit that while I usually try to get my produce, at least in the summer, from local stands and what not, I bought these at Costco, which had these baby watermelons in pairs in a little mesh bag. My friend was grabbing dog food over by the wall and I told her that I was going to go grab some watermelons, and went traipsing back to the cart carrying two small watermelons right. in front. of my chest. Ooooooops. Also, how many of you can’t carry a watermelon without thinking about Dirty Dancing? I know I can’t (can you believe that Philip has never seen that movie?!?!).

Mostly I’m a watermelon purist. I really don’t care to eat it in a salad or anything like that, and I would never, ever put salt on my watermelon. But…there’s something about a watermelon margarita that gets my heart pumping (especially a frozen watermelon margarita!). Watermelon and lime go really well together, and frozen watermelon is basically like melon flavored ice. I literally just chunk my watermelon up and freeze it – so easy. Instead of lime juice, I use frozen limeade concentrate here. You all know I usually go for fresh but I read a lot of articles about frozen lime margaritas and they all recommended limeade concentrate because it retains its flavor better. I’m not one to argue.

This frozen watermelon margarita comes together super-quick in your blender, and a non-alcoholic version is as simple as subbing in lemon-lime soda for the tequila and triple sec. And, I’m going to commit heresy against myself here, but a rimmed glass is an absolute necessity when you are having a margarita, virgin or not (I like a mixture of sugar and salt). I rolled my eyes at myself when I realized that I had put a straw in a rimmed glass, but then I realized that this drink does well with a good stir from time to time, so I recommend you follow suit!

Mary

Yield: 1 drink

Frozen Watermelon Margarita (non-alcoholic version included)

10 minPrep Time:

10 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1 cup frozen watermelon chunks
2 tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate
1 1/2 ounces (one shot) silver tequila (gold is fine too, but I always prefer silver)
2 teaspoons triple sec
OR sub 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7Up, or Sierra Mist) for the tequila and triple sec
3-4 ice cubes
lime wedges for garnish

For rimming the glass

lime juice or water
2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

Pour the lime juice or water into one small plate and the sugar and salt into another plate. Mix the sugar and salt together with your fingers. Dip the rim of your glass into the water or lime juice then twist into the sugar/salt mixture. Set aside.
Combine the watermelon, limeade, tequila and triple sec (or lemon-lime soda), and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into the rimmed glass and serve garnished with a wedge of lime.

https://chattavore.com/frozen-watermelon-margarita-non-alcoholic-version-included/

This frozen watermelon margarita is like summer in a salty sugar-rimmed glass! For the kids and teetotalers, a non-alcoholic version is included! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

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