Happy National Strawberry Jello Day!

Strawberry jello with homemade whipped cream atop it.

Banana Bread.

This bread is perfection. When done right, it is just the right balance between springy texture and banana goodness. When under or over cooked, well, it's still pretty good. :) On top of it all, it's very easy. So please, never let your browning bananas go to waste again!

Banana Bread, from Elsie Van Camp

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening (I always use softened butter)

1 T. sour milk or cream (I used sour cream this time, but I often use sour milk)

1 t. baking soda

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

3 bananas, mashed well

1/2 c. nuts, optional (I almost always add walnuts or pecans, but I forgot this time!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 in. loaf pan, (or several smaller pans) and set aside.

Cream the sugar and shortening (butter!) together till light and fluffy. Add sour milk or cream and baking soda to mixture, blend well. Add eggs.

Sift together the flour and salt, and then add to the mixture, alternating with the mashed bananas. When all is mixed well, add the nuts if you like. When well-blended, pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Adjust cook time if you are cooking smaller loaves.) Enjoy!

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes.

Oh. My. Wow.  These pancakes, hands down, were the best I've ever made, possibly ever tasted. They are light, fluffy, not too sweet, and are scented with vanilla deliciousness. I can't wait until the next time I get to make these.

I confess, I am NOT a pancake connoisseur. We usually buy the box of 'Just add water' mix, and as much as I love the idea of making pancakes from scratch, I'd yet to come across a recipe that consistently turned out as nice as the mix. I may never buy the mix again now. (Though I probably will. I have a toddler, who goes from full to screaming hungry in five minutes. I need something fast.) These pancakes are not slow cookers, by any means. They are a lovely quick breakfast for a relaxed Saturday morning, or, depending how your weekday mornings are, perhaps even then. Please make them. You'll never look at pancakes the same again. 

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

(Ree, the lovely woman who shared this recipe in her cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, does not have this recipe on her website anywhere that I can find. However, Deb over at Smitten Kitchen does such a lovely job with step-by-step photos and such I thought I'd send you there for the recipe. Enjoy!)

Lemon Granita.

This dessert is SO refreshing on a hot summer day. I've been tempted to take mine out to our deck to eat it in the evening, except that the mosquitoes have been terrible here. (We live near a swampy wildlife preserve.) Nevertheless, this lovely dish is light and fresh, a nice change from the heavy cakes, cookies and other desserts of late. I chose to make ours non-alcoholic, but if you wish for alcohol here, pour a bit of grappa or vodka over the top just before serving.

Lemon Granita, from The Simpler the Better, by Leslie Resvin

Ingredients:

4-5 lemons, with seeds (or any citrus. next time I'm trying lime!)

1 c. sugar (or to taste)

3 c. water

strawberries to top (opt.)

grappa or vodka, (opt.)

Directions:

Chill 9x13 metal pan in freezer.

Juice lemons, reserving seeds with juice. You should have about 3/4 cup juice with the seeds in it. Put in blender with sugar and water. Blend until sugar is dissolved and seeds are split open.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Pour mixture into chilled metal pan and freeze for 3 hours, stirring every hour or so as the slush forms. When it is all slush, it's done! Top with strawberries, alcohol, or nothing, as you see fit. Store in pan or in covered container. Enjoy!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

I've always said I'm not a huge fan of breakfast foods. Whenever traveling, I have to work to find a place that sells just what I want, nothing too greasy or heavy on the meat side. That being said, looking back over my posts, many of them have to do with breakfast foods. Part of that may be because I choose to post midday, and need something I can make before that, photograph, and, most importantly, get my family to eat; mostly though, I think it's that I'm trying to find a good breakfast that I like, that I can reliably turn to week to week.

This 'recipe' is one of those breakfasts. It makes your average morning a bit more special, with hardly any added effort.

To make, simply whip up whatever pancake batter you usually use, and then add shredded coconut. I prefer the sweetened variety for this, but I have used unsweetened and it works just fine. Stir the coconut in until the batter looks rather thick. When the pan is hot, spoon a bit of batter on and spread it out. (The coconut will hold the batter more into a ball, so you have to spread unless you want ridiculously thick pancakes.) When the batter is spread, sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top. Cook as usual. Serve plain, or with butter, whipped cream, powdered sugar, whatever you like, really. :) Enjoy!