Banana Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

I don't know how you feel about homemade Banana Bread...but, as for me; I never get tired of it. I always buy a nice bright yellow bunch of bananas every week and look forward to leaving at least 3 or 4 bananas to ripen to a 'brown spackled' stage that is the perfect way to make banana bread, muffins, or switch it around and make a nice bundt cake with just about the same recipe...the basic for banana bread, just adding more ingredients to 'spike' it up!

It depends what you have on hand to add to the batter, but I do get excited when I find that I have at least 1 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and as always...I do keep chocolate chips around when I'm in the mood to make Chocolate Chips Cookies. In this case I decided to add these yummy ingredients to the Banana Bread recipe...which in this case...became the Banana Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake...wheww, that was a long title for this simple coffee cake or with your favorite tea...on a leisurely afternoon!

The recipe is too long for me to type, so I will guide you to the source where I actually got the idea from!

Banana Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday #379

Nutella-Banana Bread

 

Glancing at this photo of my Nutella-Banana Bread makes you think...it's either the sloppiest presentation you've ever seen, or you might think that it is actually creative; well, I might add that it could be a 'mad artist...off their 'rocker'! Well, not that...either!

 

 Linking to: Thursday Favorite Things @Katherines Corner



                    Full Plate Thursday @Miz Helen's Country Cottage

 

Also, you will notice that this is the 4th inspired recipe from a magazine, or newspaper article of the local food section. I don't have to take the time to type out the recipe...you can actually just click on it. I changed the title of the Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread, to Nutella-Banana  Bread...simply for the reason that I did omit the hazelnuts...I added 1 extra bananas, and another 1/2 cup of flour...other than that, it does deserve the name...NUTELLA-BANANA BREAD!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread, from Cooking Light magazine

 



Click on the above link for the recipe. I used chocolate chips to melt down to drizzle on my bread...just got a little carried away, but let me assure you, that one bite of this Nutella-Banana Bread makes you feel like you're in 'Nutella Heaven'! My 7yr. old grandson loves it just spooning it on Ritz crackers...it really is so good for you with genuine hazelnuts added in with the skim milk and cocoa to make this incredible spread.

 

Nutella and Banana Panini

This may seem like a strange post, but this morning I was craving something sweet, ans why not  make something 'comforting' fun, and sinfully delicious without a lot of calories. I love Nutella, just like everyone else, but hardly ever use it to make a dessert... even though I have the jar sitting in my cupboard, next to the jar of peanut butter. I also had a whole Challah bread in my freezer, I had it sitting there for over one month. Such a perfect grilled panini with Nutella, and the banana pairing!

I must warn you, this Nutella Panini is not elegant...there's no other way to present it to make it look fancy; it's 'what you see is what you get' kind of a droolworthy awesome grilled sweet sandwich, made exclusively in a Panini Grill that is only for grilled sandwiches. I only ate one small portion, and wrapped up the rest to take over to my little grandson as a great snack when he came out of kindergarten. My daughter also enjoyed it as well!
Notice the perfect grill marks?... can't get better than that!

I'm sure, there must be an actual recipe out there, by I got my inspiration from one of my other favorite sandwich, which is the peanut butter banana sandwich, which I'm sure will taste as yummy, as a grilled panini.

 Nutella and Banana Panini
 recipe by; Elisabeth

Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread
1 or 2 ripe bananas, sliced
4 (1-inch thick) slices of Challah bread
or white sandwich bread

Spread 1 tablespoon of Nutella on one side of each slice of bread. If you're using a small, or med. banana, you can fill the entire bread slice with the banana slices.Top with the remaining bread slice, spread side down.

Preheat your panini grill, on med. high. This is a 'thrift find' panini grill, which I purchased about a year ago, for $9.99...a real bargain, and it works great!

 Place the panini (sandwich) on the hot grid, close the lid down and grill for about 5 or 6 minutes.

 When you see the grill marks appear, your sandwich is done.

While it's still warm, with a serrated knife, cut into half, or thirds...just watch it disappear... Yumm













 Some pre-Christmas visit at Macy's with my grandchildren!

 Last Saturday, at Macy's at City Place, in West Palm Beach...letter to Santa Claus!

Beautiful Christmas tree, at Macy's

I just had to snap this photo...so cool, so Christmasy...this car parked in front of Publix supermarket, after we left Macy's and stopped to buy a few items, at the supermarket. Imagine, the person cramming the Christmas tree into the car...also leaving the windows down and totally leaving down, and all open.

When we came out of the supermarket after 30 minutes, the car with the Christmas tree inside was still parked...isn't this a cute car?...a brand new FIAT! (not mine, of course)...wouldn't mind to own this little beauty:)

Chocolate-Banana Frozen Pops...and Giveaway

I've been wanting to make something with all the Dove chocolate products that my daughter Lora received from the Dove people, to try out their products. She shared some with me, but every time I get the chocolate cravings, I just nibble on the silk and smooth Dove chocolate pieces, and little nuggets...even though some are for baking. They are incredibly rich, creamy and so amazingly delicious!

As far as I'm concerned, when you get the craving for chocolates, Dove, or Godiva chocolates are the only ones that can satisfy your craving...although Godiva has not come up with their product to bake with, but Dove, has...it should be available in the supermarkets by now. I really wanted to melt these little chocolate silky nuggets to dip them into strawberries, but I did not have the large ones, so I settled for nice, not too ripe banana pieces. I've seen the "store bought" simple chocolate covered frozen bananas that a friend of mine boasts about...nothing compares to the cute little pop sized ones dipped into melted down chocolate pieces, and sprinkle them with the confetti sprinkles, and pop them in the freezer. I could not wait for them to freeze and grabbed my camera to take the photos, while I had some sunshine streaming into my condo!
BTW-It's been 2 months now since I started my Weight Watchers program...and have lost 13 lbs. which averages out to about 1.6 lbs a week...gaining 2 lbs during the weekend, and losing it again the following week, plus 1 more!
So, there you have it...who says you cannot enjoy a chocolate Banana frozen pop, or two...to satisfy your sweet tooth? They are 5 points each...just be cautious!

As a way of thanking all of you...my friends, I have this beautiful authentic LENOX candy dish to give you, as a giveaway for all your kind words, and support for not just the last 2 months, but for the nearly 2 years of supporting my blog, which I so reluctantly wanted to do!
The LENOX candy dish is 4 inches in diameter, the original pretty simple beige, with the gold trimming, and little heart shaped design around the dish. Isn't this a pretty photo I took, with the reflection of the heart shape in the sunlight? The dish is about less than 3 inches tall!
Better yet...as you know my blog is not just about "good food", but "good thrift finds"...and I was totally blown away when I found this gorgeous little candy dish at my local Goodwill...it was just staring at me, or me staring at it, when I saw it sitting on the shelf, I immediately recognized that it's a LENOX. My hand was shaking to see the price on the back...$4.99...seriously! There is not a mark, or any kind of flaws on this beautiful dish. It retails, at least $40.00 if not more; I'm sure of that! This is the original style, and color.

Again...same rules apply: Just make sure you follow my blog...that's all! My FRIEND CONNECT Google list was totally taken off by Google, so that means I lost 112 additional followers. I specifically asked a few new followers to please follow me on my existing follow list, after I followed them back...well, I'm hoping they will do so, because I am -112 followers, as of the first of March!

I will use my Random.org number generator, on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 to determine the winner.
The giveaway entry will end on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 11:00pm EST. I will ship to any country, outside of the U.S....isn't that great? You will love this little dish, as much as I do, but I have a lot of pretty things, and DO find just as much in my search for great "thrift finds"

...and now, for the recipe!



Chocolate- Banana Frozen Pops
my own recipe

3 to 5 firm-ripe bananas cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup of Dove semisweet chocolate little nuggets, or
semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 2 Tbsp sprinkles

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips in 10 second increments, stirring between each, until melted smooth. You can put a drop or two water, for smoother consistency. Place the banana pieces on a wax paper lined plate, and liberally spoon the chocolate sauce over the banana pieces. Sprinkle liberally over the chocolate covered bananas, and place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Insert a toothpick into each banana piece. (I used a plastic cocktail pick which is prettier) Chocolate will set quickly in freezer. Keep them wrapped in freezer, for up to 1 week. Totally yummy, and very, very, popular with kids and adults, alike!

Some of my weekend indulgences...at friends' house
Clams with Linguine

Nonno Sal's BBQ Pork Ribs...

Twice baked potatoes with melted Cheddar Cheese...

Paula Deen's Banana Nut Bread...and Awards

If you're feeling sluggish in the mid-afternoon, here's a very nice "pick me up" ...a slice of Banana Nut Bread, and a cold glass of organic low-fat milk. Of course, you can substitute it for a nice steaming cup of tea, or coffee...the choice is yours!

You"re probably wondering why I chose Paula Deen...the "queen of fatty foods" ...
Is it because it's FAT TUESDAY?...would that be appropriate for someone who is still on the Weight Watchers program?...or just recently finding out that she has type 2 diabetes, that she had for three years already, and we just found out!

It's really true, that we don't have to cook like that, with all the butter and fat, she is not encouraging us to cook that way, but it certainly is very tempting to try those recipes. I have found an easier method...just cut down on the fat, and make it a lighter version!

I found a super great thrift find, recently, at Goodwill. Paula Deen's first cookbook, before she became a famous food network star. It was copyrighted in 1997. The price, as you can see it was $1.29 soft cover book, filled with her early famous recipes. She owned a small restaurant at the time, in Savannah Georgia, with her two sons working there. Very cozy, simple, and down-home good Southern foods. I was really impressed with the Banana Bread recipe, and would like to share it with you. As far as for points value...it has to be at least 3 points pr slice...compared to 2 points with the WW Banana Bread, which I will also make soon. I lightened it up a bit, but I must admit, this was an incredible Banana Bread, enjoyed by all!

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, @Miz Helen's Country Cottage
                Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop, @Katherines Corner
                Food Photography @Crisp Photoworks

Banana Nut Bread
The Lady and Sons, by Paula Deen

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
(I used 1/3 cup vegetable oil)
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs beaten
3 ripe bananas mashed
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream shortening and sugar. (whisk oil, and sugar, if you're using oil.) Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and add to creamed mixture.

Add remaining ingredients; mix well.

Pour into a well greased pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
( I baked mine for 30 minutes on 350 degrees, and lowered the temperature to 325, for an additional 25 minutes.)

This is such a cute award...besides the fact that it's called CUTE AWARD! I received this from my friend Csilla, in Hungary, @Csilla Konyhája . She recently made a fantastic cheese danish...a childhood favorite of mine, which I will attempt to make soon.

These two lovely awards, I received from my friend Ping, in Malaysia, @ ping's pickings. Check out her latest refreshing carrot, and ginger cocktail...so pretty, and refreshing...a good way to have your daily carrots...lol

"A word of Love can make a world of difference".

These beautiful bouquet of roses, I chose to take as an award, instead of the awards that was returned to me, by my friend Amelia, from Malaysia @ Amelia's De-sserts. Check out her latest cute, and funny "chick creation" and her yummy coconut topped light dessert.
The Liebster award, I cannot accept since it is for bloggers with less than 200 followers. With the 2 lists of followers I have twice as the 200, so I decided that I would accept these beautiful roses as the award!

Thank you Csilla, thank you Ping, and ...thank you Amelia, for the lovely awards. I am really and truly honored...I will make the best effort to pay these forward, and link them!

Old-Fashioned Date and Nut Bread-Cookbook Sundays

Not again, not another banana bread?...you're probably wondering. Well it's not, it is a super wonderful Date bread, with walnuts, from another "thrift find" book of mine, which cost only $2.49, from Goodwill. This book does not have any pictures, it is, what it is! Just simple, and I love it, because these are recipes from backs of labels on cans, boxes,  jars, you name it...these are the forgotten, and tossed away recipes, compiled into one super great book.

I made this bread for my family, to have with their extremely early breakfast at about 4:00AM, for their caffe latte. They were rushing off to catch their plane to New York City...it's beyond me...why at this time for the year, would you wand to spend 3 days in snow, ice, and sleet in the city? ...the answer is...NEW YORK, NEW YORK..."the city, that never sleeps". It's a city that welcomes you 365 days a year, and 24/7. Also when you are in the restaurant business, as my son-in-law is, He likes to check out the restaurants in Miami, and the best ones, in New York.

I am staying away from the extreme cold and snow, but for them, it's an adventure. The little ones have never seen snow. My children got all bundled up in their snugly winter gear, from head to toe. For the last three days my daughter Lora was gathering stuff for them from her friend who has children their age. Her friend and little family spend every Christmas in Idaho with their family, so obviously they have all the winter clothes.
I've been away from the cold climate in Ohio for over 35 years, and that's a long time. Your blood thins out when you are not used to such cold weather, they say. We had our lowest temperature here, in South Florida, which is a record low of 29 degrees with a 12 degree wind chill, which cooled it even more into the teens. I was not about to budge and venture out that day.

So, I'm standing at the checkout at Goodwill, I suddenly notice the man across the counter standing there with a parrot on his shoulder. He, he, only in "Florida" do you see all kinds of people with their diffirent pets in stores...I always carry my camera...never know what kind of encounter I run into, grabbed my camera out of my purse, and could not resist taking a close up. As you can see, my purse is still open, and my "thrift finds" are ready to be purchased.

The famous Russian stackable dolls, is what I call them-don't know the name, but this is one of the largest I'v seen, such a "handcraft"...only one little flaw, only consists of two pieces, and not the smaller, and tiny ones. Cost, $5.99...that is a super bargain...seriously. I've seen one set in a consignment antique shop that was half the size, and not this good of a quality, because this is thicker, heavier, and the artwork is much more superior. That other one cost at the antique shop $22.99. I'm going to do a giveaway on this, if I get interested bloggers who would like it. The stackable shelves, are 100% bamboo, original price per set of 3, is still on it, for $24.99, I paid $3.96 for each...that's another bargain.

The gentleman was nice enough to let me take a photo of him and the pretty pink parrot, I asked him if the parrot talks...he said no "I do the talking for him"...sometimes it's better this way, no telling what these parrots repeat when their owner does not expect it!

I snapped the picture so fast, did not want to be to obvious, but Manager John, behind the counter, and the other young man, who is an employee, where eager to be in the picture...I even told them that I will post this on my blog, so they were gracious and even smiled!...You meet all kinds of people in this store especially...for some reason, and that reason is, they have the best wares, pictures, toys, books, clothes, shoes, you name it, they have everything, and even the "mega rich" go there, to look for books, and "neckties" and belts?...hmm wonder why?...I saw the couple drive away in their Mercedes!