Happy Friday Friends!
So I thought I would finally recap my family’s holiday celebration from New Year’s Eve…TWO weeks later! Ugh, where has the time gone?? Well, better late than never, right?
What if I told you that there is not one, but TWO recipes included in this post? Would that make up for my lateness? Hmm? Maybe? Just a little?
Alright, let’s get to it!
I was so excited to be hosting the get together this year so that my family could finally see Casa de Broccoli for the first time. I started the day off with a little trip to the store for some necessities:
And yes, those Reese’s chips were totally necessary…you’ll see why in a minute.
Once I got back to the house, the next few hours where a whirlwind of madness…and the best part about it? BB was there to see me in all my panic frizz-hair glory…good news is he’s still around so I must not have scared him too bad! 😉
There were desserts (almost burning) in the oven, hard-boiled egg shells flying through the air, smoking pot holders
Wait, smoking pot holders?
Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a new strain of lung cancer discovered in a few years due to exposure to singed rubber.
Note to self: Start paying attention to what burner you turn on on the stove burners…or better yet, stop using the stovetop as additional counter space!
Luckily, I did not burn dessert…or the house…and dinner came together quite nicely. Everyone started showing up around 11:30am and by 1:00pm, we were ready to dig in!
I finally got around to using the Honeybaked Ham giftcard that the doctor’s got us LAST Christmas. They actually gave us the same thing this year, so I put them together and order a ham the size of a small child…because you know, in the south when you mean to feed 10 or 11 people, that really means you prep for 20! 😉
Sides included were my mom’s green beans from Thanksgiving and my trusty recipe for Baked Potato Salad…both have become staples in my family!
There were also deviled eggs, fruit salad, and my aunt brought her 7-turned-10 layer salad (lettuce, peas, tomatoes, cheese, and other stuff…I forget what all gets crammed in there, but man, is it delicious!)
I got a bit mischevious while prepping the food and stuck a “secret” ingredient into the deviled eggs. Any guesses as to what it was?
Anyone…anyone?
BEANS!!!
I got the idea from FitSugar.com and guess what…no one had a clue! Well, that is until I sprung it on them AFTER dinner! Oh how I love sneaking healthy food into people!
*picture me rubbing my hands together with a sly look on my face*
I also made a quick batch of raw cranberry relish once my mom realized she forgot to make the sauce she had intended on serving.
I’ve made different variations of this relish before…long ago inspired by a recipe I found online, but I have failed to track down again for some time. Of course I was too busy throwing things at my food processor to bother with measurements, but if I had to guess, it went something like this:
Raw Cranberry Date Relish
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Keywords: raw side vegan vegetarian cranberries Thanksgiving Christmas winter
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
- 2 cups raw cranberries
- 5-6 large dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches desired consistency.
And then of course, my dad had to have his “oh-how-convienent-there’s-even-lines-for-cutting-this-gelatinous-tube” cranberry sauce:
Ummm, yum?
(Mine was waaaaaaaay better!) 😉
And well, I don’t know about you guys, but where I come from you just don’t gather this many people under one roof without a little sugar to pass around.
But this time I’m not talking mistletoe.
I’m talking…
DESSERTS!
My aunt provided the perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookies, while I offered up my recent addiction in the baking department…pineapple upside-down cake!
Oh, but I didn’t stop there…remember those Reese’s chips?
I’d like you guys to meet my “ugly balls”…not to be confused with Schweddy balls, but I’m sure equally delicious.
Just pretend that I didn’t have a baking chip melty faux pas with my Oreo truffles and they actually look like these:
[source]
Yes, that’s MUCH better!
And finally, the recipe that I’ve been promising you guys for almost two weeks now AND my very first attempt at my own recipe for banana bread!
Mmm, don’t you just want to lick the screen?
It’s ok, I won’t tell!
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Banana Bread
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Keywords: bake bread dessert bananas whole wheat pastry flour Thanksgiving Christmas
Ingredients (1 Loaf, Serves 10)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup raw, granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup mashed banana
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and coat a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and coconut oil.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Add vanilla and mashed banana, and stir until combined.
6. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until all of the flour is incorporated. If using, fold in walnuts.
7. Transfer batter to a loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
I was really impressed with this recipe since I ended up just taking a few different ideas for measurements from half a dozen recipes I found online, but I know for sure that this will be my go-to for banana bread from now one!
Wow, so that was a bit of a doozy of a post, huh?
Ok, just one more thing before I sign off:
Shameless photo add-in of me and BB!
And that put me at exactly 1000 words…ok, I’m out!
What was the highlight of your week? Any good Friday the 13th stories?
