What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

I had company over the weekend and wanted to have a breakfast for Sunday morning that would sustain everyone through the church hours (why are we always so hungry on Sunday?!), and could be made ahead of time.  I went with Baked Oatmeal and Banana Bread.  Mmmmm.  I made the Banana Bread early in the week and froze it, and whipped up the Baked Oatmeal on Saturday afternoon.  It made Sunday morning a piece of cake (or should I say Banana bread?).  Whatever, it was yummy!

 I enjoy a nice sweet bread for breakfast, and always love it when I find a recipe that’s moist and healthy!  I’ve been making this recipe from Cooking Light for a couple of years.  It’s super fast to whip up, too!  I save those nice brown bananas that aren’t good to eat, but make the best bread, by putting them into a Ziplock bag and popping them into the freezer.  Anytime I want Banana bread, I have bananas ready to go!

Easy Banana Bread  – From Cooking Light

1 cup mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg white
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking Spray

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with mixer at med. speed until smooth.
3.  Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring just until moist.  Spoon batter int a 8×4 inch loaf pan, coated with cooking spray.
4.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack, remove from pan.  Cool completely.

Here’s the Baked Oatmeal.  I like to serve it with fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries or peaches.  This makes a filling, delicious breakfast!

Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins – I use dried Cranberries
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup applesauce – You can substitute with mashed bananas, too.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serve warm

I mix up the oatmeal recipe the night before and refrigerate it.  In the morning, I bake it.  Super easy.  Super delicious!

What recipes do you make that are your tried and true, dependable ones?

With love from my country kitchen,