Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

No matter what, I always end up with over ripe bananas on our counter.  Once they get too far gone to eat, they go straight into the freezer so that I can use them later for baked goods.  Miss F went crazy for these treats, having them for breakfast and in her snack bag for school.  There is no mixer needed, so she was able to make them nearly entirely herself.  We are still working on dishing the batter into the muffin cups, it is an acquired skill.  These muffins were adapted from Taste of Home.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 medium ripe bananas
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with the egg, oil and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt, just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Pin It Now!

Citrus Chicken Thighs

I made quite a few changes from the original recipe so that I could roast potatoes and broccoli along with the chicken thighs.  Miss F had fun squeezing the citrus and she was a big fan of the chicken, as long as hers didn't have any scallions on it.  I roasted the fingerling potatoes in the same pan as the chicken, which provided a nice brightness to them.  It would also work well with carrots in the same pan.  This chicken would also be great on the grill, as long as it is still grilling weather where you are.

Citrus Chicken Thighs

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

Set aside ¼ cup sliced scallions. Pulse the garlic, citrus zests, citrus juices, soy sauce, oil, salt, and remaining scallions in a food processor until well combined. Set aside ¼ cup of the marinade; place remaining marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat. Chill at least 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and place the chicken in a single layer in the dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve the chicken with the reserved scallions and marinade.

Pin It Now!

Roasted Parmesan Butternut Squash

Anyone else out there already thinking of Thanksgiving? If everything works out, we will be in our new home for turkey day this year. And I am so excited because the new house has DOUBLE OVENS. No more crazy rotation schedule while trying to roast a turkey, bake rolls and bake side dishes. There will be room for everything and everything will be cooked at its proper temperature, not some compromised temperature I had to settle for to make everything work. This butternut squash dish from Gourmet is going on my Thanksgiving Day menu. It is incredibly easy to prepare and it tastes like you slaved over it.  The squash can be chopped a day in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to bake.

Roasted Parmesan Butternut Squash

3 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup heavy cream
3 sage leaves
¾ cup finely grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a 2 quart shallow baking dish, toss the squash with the cream, sage, ½ cup of the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, top with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 20 minutes more, uncovered. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Pin It Now!