Guest Post: Banana Peanut Butter Bread Pudding

Today I am so happy to be sharing my first post-baby guest post!  Erin and I are truly kindred spirits.  From our love of peanut butter to desserts to funfetti, I knew Erin would be perfect to guest post.  Then I saw the recipe she sent me!  

Banana.  Love

Peanut butter.  Must eat daily.

Bread.  um....

Puddng. Yes please.

Banana Peanut Butter Bread Pudding! Now how can I get Erin over here to bake this for me??  In the meantime, please do check out this recipe and Erin's blog, you won't be disappointed!

Hello Yums and Loves readers! My name is Erin from The Spiffy Cookie and I have something to confess... No matter how many times it happens to me, I forget to read a recipe all the way through before setting out to prepare it. As a result I continuously get burned by overnight steps that I hadn't planned for (but I want to eat it today!). Because I know I cannot be alone in making such a mistake repeatedly, here is your warning that this recipe has an overnight step (or a four hour step if you are impatient). But it is well worth the wait, I promise. If you don't believe me just read the ingredient list: there's peanut butter!

As Alex mentioned in her Popover post,breakfast everything is better when made with peanut butter. So when she asked me to guest post after the arrival of her new bundle of joy, I knew I had to make something with peanut butter. May babies have a special place in my heart, because I just so happen to be one peanut-butter -infatuated May baby myself!

I used crunchy peanut butter in order to add a little bit of a crunch factor into this very moist bread pudding. Even though I typically am not a fan of crunchy surprises in something as soft as bread pudding (such as crunchy pieces of celery and onion in potato salad - despite liking the flavor), but it felt so right in this scenario. I blame it on the slightly crunchy browned top after baking due do the sprinkling of sugar. Pure delicious blame.

Feel free to enjoy this with a side of yogurt, or whipped cream for those of you who prefer dessert for breakfast (no judgment here). But I was perfectly content eating this all by itself.

BANANA PEANUT BUTTER BREAD PUDDING

Serves 2 generously

4 slices sandwich bread (I used nutty oat)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup half and half

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp honey

2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced

Butter for greasing your ramekins

Turbinado brown sugar for broiling (optional)

Directions:

1. Roughly cut or tear the bread into 1–inch pieces and set aside.
2. In a large, shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, half and half and salt. Heat the peanut butter in the microwave until soft - about 30 seconds. Stir the peanut butter into the egg mixture and mix until it's as even as possible (but it's okay to have a few peanut butter blobs).
3. Gently stir the bread into the egg-peanut butter mixture, tossing until evenly coated and absorbing the mixture. The bread will disintegrate a little, but that's fine. Slice the bananas and stir them gently in. Lightly grease two 6–inch wide ramekins (or use 4 smaller ramekins). Pour the pudding mixture into the ramekins and pat down gently. Cover in saran wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to fully meld.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar on tops of puddings. Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is golden and the pudding has puffed slightly. Serve immediately with optional vanilla yogurt or whip cream.

Source: Adapted slightly from The Kitchn

Looks delicious right?  I can't thank Erin enough for sharing this great recipe!  I am dying to try it!  Oh and did you see Erin's link to her homemade vanilla extract??  I want to make that this year!

Stay tuned for more great guest posts!

Fun Guest Posts

Hi all.  While adjusting to life as a new mom, I didn't want to put my other baby (this blog) totally on the back-burner.  So I have asked some of my blogging friends to help me out with some guest posts!  They were so sweet to agree!  I"ll be featuring their posts over the next few weeks, so please read over the great things they have to share.  I'll try and pop in over the next few weeks and hope to be back to blogging soon!  
Enjoy!

P is for Peyton

Last Thursday I enjoyed the most tasty, delicious, yummy treat of my whole life....

All 6 pounds 5 ounces of this little baby.  We welcomed Peyton into our family on Thursday the 17th and it's been wonderful ever since.

I am thankful to have had a great birth experience.  One of my very best friends was  my labor and delivery nurse, and she and Darling Husband were great support people.  We still look at each other and can't believe we have a baby!  She's a sweet girl, we feel completely blessed. 

Now the real fun begins.

OXO giveaway winner!

Congrats to Robyn!! She is the winner of the Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer from OXO!  She said she'd like to use it for a recipe that includes beets! YUM!  Congrats Robyn...your new kitchen tool should be arriving shortly!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!

Sweet Potato Chips and OXO giveaway!

Could you use a handy new kitchen tool?  Now is your chance to win one for FREE!

As part of the Blogger Outreach Program, OXO provided me with this Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer for free, and another one for a blog reader to receive! To put this slicer to the test, I made sweet potato chips!

This slicer was so easy to use.  It is a very manageable size and you just simply slide the gauge to change the thickness.   I made chips using the medium and thickest settings.

Medium on the left.  Thickest on the right. 

I sliced through that sweet potato in no time!  So much easier with this Hand-Held slicer!

Sweet Potato Chips

Serves at least 2

Preheat oven to 375.  Line 2 cookie sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.

1 large sweet potato thinly sliced (made more than enough for Darling Husband and myself) 

oive oil

salt

pepper

brown sugar (for a sweet version)

Drizzle sweet potato slices with olive oil.  I placed my slices in a big Ziploc bag.  

For the savory version, toss with salt and pepper, or your favorite fry seasoning.

For the sweet version, toss with brown sugar.

Divide amongst cookie sheets in an even, thin layer.  Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once.

Serve with sloppy joe sliders and you're in business!

Now for the fun stuff!  For a chance to win your very own Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer, all you need to do is comment on this post and tell me what you would like to make with this handy slicer!  Contest will run until Wednesday, May 16, 6pm PST.  This is a great little tool to have on hand.  Will be fun for all the summer veggies coming up!

Texas Sheet Cake

Sometimes you just really need some chocolate cake

And you just really need it quick.  Like now.

Then you truly need Texas Sheet Cake.  
I LOVE it. This is a simple, no-frills, I'm just an awesome chocolate cake.  Don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful layered chocolate cake. The layers of cake and frosting, I can appreciate it, and I truly enjoy every bite.  But sometimes? Sometimes I just want a piece of chocolate cake that is as satisfying as it is simple.  
You pour the batter in a jelly roll pan and frost it while it's hot! No need to waste time waiting for this cake to cool.

And if you don't lick that frosting bowl clean, you are CRAZY.

I made this cake recently for my book club.  We always have delicious food and do minimal book discussion.  Our most recent choice was the ever-popular 50 Shades of Grey (I read all 3! yikes).  This cake feeds a crowd, unless you invite me.

Texas Sheet Cake

For the cake:

2 cups flour

2 cups minus a Tablespoon of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon, you can eliminate the cinnamon, but it does add just a little something fun to the flavor

2 sticks butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

For the Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter

1/4 tsp salt

4 Tablespoons cocoa powder

7 Tablespoons milk

1 tsp vanilla

Cake:

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Stir in cocoa powder and water and bring to a boil.  Pour the boiling cocoa mixture over your dry ingredients, mix with a spoon until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and baking soda. Add this to your cocoa mixture, but be careful not to overbeat, just blend together.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting:

You will want to start making your frosting as soon as you remove your cake from the oven.  If you have the desire, you should sift your powdered sugar.  This isn't necessary, but it does help prevent any lumps in your frosting.  Sift the sugar while your cake is baking.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  When your butter is just about melted, add the cocoa and milk and bring just to a boil.  As soon as the mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat. Pour this into your bowl with the powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla.  You will want to work quickly as the icing will start to set.  Pour over your cake and let sit till firm.

Once you try this cake, it will become a regular in your baking arsenal.  It's just perfect for you chocolate lovers.  BFF Nikki made a delicious noodle dish for book club, check out her recipe.  Noodles and chocolate cake really go together nicely!

Happy Birthday Kory!

I truly have the best friends.  Not to brag, it's just a fact.

Today I celebrate the birth of my dear friend Kory.  She has more creativity in her little finger than I could ever dream of having.  Always stylish and adorable. 

We spend so much of our time laughing and having fun.

Her sense of fun and adventure is inspiring.  I don't think it's possible to spend 5 minutes with this girl and not fall in love with her. 

Cheers to you Kory! Thank you for the many years of true friendship (and beer).