Mix it up Monday

We usually don't have brown bananas here because frankly, I like ripe bananas--the more brown spots the better for me! For those of you who don't like ripe bananas, here's a recipe that's comes together quickly and got high ratings at my house!

 Banana Coffee Cake

(From Quick Cooking Magazine)

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda 

TOPPING:

1 cup pecans

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the bananas and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Combine topping ingredients. Transfer to a greased 13" X 9" baking pan.  Sprinkle with the topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when touched.  Cool on a wire rack.  

Another school year has come to a close and we made a whirlwind trip to Michigan to bring our musician son and his gear home from college. Not all was work, though. We spent Saturday exploring some of the charming towns and neighborhoods around Grand Rapids and ate at some great restaurants. We've usually stayed on the other side of campus in Holland, but we've been missing out. Grand Rapids has some wonderful chefs!

Fresh Mozzarella!

Saturday we joined the crowd at the Wealthy Street Bakery on Grand Rapid's northeast side. I had an excellent Mediterranean salad and couldn't resist buying a loaf of whole wheat bread to take home with us. How fun it would be to visit again on a warmer day and enjoy coffee and a pastry at one of the little tables outside!


The long drive gave me a lot of stitching time and I'll be uploading new goodies for Early Work Mercantile this evening!