The best banana bread EVER!

I am not generally a fan of a "fruit" bread, they are often-times too dense for me or they are overly moist in the center and dry towards the edges, but this one from my BH&G cookbook really turned out well.

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs , beaten

1-1/2 cups mashed banana(5 medium)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.

3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

4. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Streusel-Nut Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup packed packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.

Brocccoli-Apple- Bacon Waldorf Salad

The original Waldorf salad, created at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the 1890s, contained only apples, mayonnaise, and celery. It was later that walnuts became part of the dish.


4 c. fresh broccoli
1/2 c. uncooked raisins ( regular or Golden)
1 sm. onion, chopped (I use a purple/red just because I like the taste..use what ever you like)
1/2 c. crisp fried bacon about 1 lb. ( I usually just use real bacon bits...saves some time)
1 c. apples
1 c. walnuts, chopped
Coleslaw Dressing (to coat until desired consistency)

Mix together all ingredients and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

A recipe for my co-author Wendy

Free Form Harvest Apple Tart

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, divided

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Lemon Flavor Gelatin, divided

2 medium Golden Delicious apples (about 1 lb.), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

PLACE flour, butter and half of the cream cheese in food processor; cover. Process, using pulsing action, until mixture is well blended and almost forms a ball. Shape dough into ball; wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place pastry on lightly floured surface; roll out to 14x8-inch rectangle. Place on parchment paper-covered baking sheet; set aside. Mix remaining cream cheese and half of the dry gelatin mix until well blended. Spread onto pastry to within 2 inches of edge.

TOSS apples with the remaining dry gelatin mix, the cornstarch and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese filling. Fold edge of pastry over apples toward center of tart. (Apples in center of tart will remain exposed.) Sprinkle top with almonds. Bake, in lower third of oven, 35 min. or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Cool. Store leftover tart in refrigerator.

Cranberry Pecan Cookies

All you need:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. sour cream, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
3 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. pecan pieces

All you do:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in sour cream and egg. Stir in vanilla and orange zest.
2. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold in cranberries and pecans. Roll into 1-inch balls.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are beginning to turn golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.