Banana Bread

I've always been a big fan of banana bread. There are so many different recipes out there, but this one that I found in my newest Taste of Home cookbook is my new favorite! One recipe makes two delicious loaves. Last night, I decided to make french toast (pictured above) with it and oh my goodness, it was out of this world!

Banana Bread w/ Orange Glaze (adapted from Taste of Home)

Bread Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Butter, softened
• 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 Medium Ripe Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour (I did 2 cups regular, 1 cup wheat)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
• 3 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between. Beat in bananas and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture until combined well.

Transfer batter to two well greased bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients. drizzle over loaves when they come out of the oven. Cool for 10 minutes in bread pan then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast

I saw the idea for this french toast on a Food Network show a few weeks ago and I've been craving it ever since. As a kid my mom used to make me peanut butter and banana sandwiches all the time This french toast was not only delicious, but brought me back to my mother's kitchen with every bite.

Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices honey wheat bread (cut thick)
• 2 Ripened Bananas
• Honey (to drizzle)
  
• Peanut Butter (I used creamy)
• 4 eggs (I used 1 cup of egg beaters)
  
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
  
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Rum
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat griddle on medium heat.

Spread each slice of bread with peanut butter to your liking. Top three slices of bread with sliced bananas and drizzle the honey over the bananas. Top each slice with a banana-free slice of bread.

Whisk remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Dip both sides of each sandwich into the batter and place on griddle (feel free to grease the griddle with a little bit of butter or non-stick cooking spray). Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Cut in half and serve warm with butter and maple syrup (add powdered sugar if desired).