Banana Peanut Butter Nut Bread

One of my favorite breads to make has always been banana nut bread. Unfortunately we never had bananas hang around too long to make the bread out of them since we would peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Mmmmmmm....

For the record, I just found out that one of Elvis Presley's favorite sandwiches was peanut butter, banana, and bacon. It is delicious, omg...

Anyways, back to this bread, I decided that this time I was going to try to combine both the bananas and the peanut butter in the bread since I usually spread peanut butter on my banana bread when I eat it. It came out perfectly! The bananas remained in tact and helped keep the bread moist, while the peanut butter was still able to come through without overpowering the banana. Great success for me! Enjoy!

• 1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp Butter
• 4 oz Chopped Walnuts
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 cup and 2 tsp White Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 3 ripe Bananas
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cup AP Flour (AP = All Purpose)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit  In a container, combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp white sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Then in a medium sauce pan, brown 2 Tbsp of butter on low heat until the butter turns a rich brown color. Once browned, coat walnuts in the butter and then place in the container with the sugar mixture. Shake around and evenly coat the walnuts. Once coated, set walnuts on some parchment paper to dry and move aside.

Step 2: In a bowl, take your three bananas and cut up to fit in the bowl. Then take a fork and mash the bananas, but be sure to keep some lumps in it. Set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, cream the 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar together. Add in the peanut butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Then slowly start adding in the flour until it has all been added. Lastly, fold in the banana mash, making sure to keep the lumps of banana in there. 

Step 4: Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan and cover with your sugared walnuts. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once done, pull out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before taking out of the pan. Enjoy!


Note: Serve with cream cheese (just spread it on your bread as you eat it!)!

Yield: Makes 1 loaf.

Shrimp Linguine in Tomato Cream Sauce

I feel so fancy when I get to eat shrimp. Growing up we didn't have shrimp too often, mostly on New Years Eve and maybe a few other holidays here and there. So when I get a chance to get shrimp, I take it and I feel fancy!

Looking through the pantry the other night I had all the ingredients for some tasty pasta, I just didn't have a meat selected. Immediately I jumped on the chance to have shrimp! I ran to the store and started brainstorming ideas on how to create this pasta. I hope you find this recipe as tasty as I did! Enjoy!

• 4 oz Linguine (cooked)
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp White Wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 2 Tbsp Garlic (minced)
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 30-40 Large Shrimp (peeled and uncooked)
• 2 Tbsp Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Spinach (raw)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Step 1: In a medium sauce pan, heat up 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the diced tomatoes and 1/4 cup white wine. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes and then add 1 Tbsp garlic and turn off heat. Set aside.

Step 2: In another saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the shrimp and 1 Tbsp of garlic and cook until the shrimp becomes a nice reddish pink color. Set aside.

Step 3: In another saucepan, add 2 Tbsp White Wine and the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and then add to the saucepan with the tomato pan. In the same pan you cooked the spinach in, add 2 Tbsp cream cheese and 1/2 cup white wine and bring to a slow simmer. Add in 1/2 cup Parmesan and stir until most of the cheese has been melted. Add this mixture to the same pan that now has both the tomatoes and the spinach. On a plate, dish out one serving of pasta and cover with a nice amount of the tomato mixture. Throw a few shrimp on top, and voila! Enjoy!


Note: Serve with a wedge of lemon, a spoonful of pesto, and some extra Parmesan cheese.

Yield: Serves 2-4.