Eggnog Banana Bread

My sons discovered they like eggnog this year, and now we have two half-full containers of the festive drink sitting in the fridge. So I started thinking about ways to use it up (I didn't know about Amy's Eggnog Pancakes until yesterday!) along with the ripe bananas on my kitchen counter.

My first experiment was a recipe for banana bread with the spices used in eggnog, but we found it kind of bland.

A few online searches later and I hit upon a combination of recipes that uses up some eggnog, is generous with cinnamon and nutmeg and includes an extra kick from rum or bourbon.

This bread stays moist thanks to the banana, there is limited sugar and you definitely get that eggnog-y taste.

The kicker is the icing and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

I prefer serving this warm, but my kids like it room temperature — with a glass of eggnog on the side, of course!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Eggnog Banana Bread
Inspired by recipes from Cooking Light and Taste of Home

1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/8 cups white whole wheat flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup eggnog
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons bourbon, rum or brandy

For the icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon or rum
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Note: This recipe will make 3 mini loaves, 18 muffins or 2 larger loaves. Fill your pans or muffin tins 3/4 full.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread pans or muffin tins with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, use and electric or stand mixer to beat together the eggs, eggnog, bananas, sugar, butter and rum. Beat until well mixed.

Add dry ingredients to eggnog-banana mixture in two batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrap edges of bowl as needed.

Pour into loaf pans or muffin tins. Bake loaf pans 35 to 35 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake muffins 20 to 25 minutes.

While bread cools, mix powdered sugar, rum and heavy cream in a small bowl until a smooth icing forms. Use a fork or whisk dipped in the icing to drizzle over the bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Beat-the-Heat July 4th menu

A couple weeks ago a friend messaged me for July 4 menu ideas that were easy to make, didn't need the oven and would work well for feeding a crowd.

That got us thinking. Amy, Erin and I put our heads together and came up with some suggestions.

These recipes should satisfy your guests, earn you some rave reviews and keep your house cool so you can beat the heat and spend more time celebrating summer and our nation's independence. Happy July 4th to you and yours!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Main Dishes:

Brats! They're so Midwest. You can boil them in beer ahead of time and grill them last minute.

Turkey Feta Spinach Burgers. Change up the usual burger fare with these super-tasty gems.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – 2 ways.If you have time to apply a rub and let your pork sit in the fridge overnight, tryNorth Carolina Pulled Pork in the slow cooker. If you want an even easier but just as tasty version, use a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce and get cooking with this recipe!

Side Dishes:

Greek Quinoa Salad stays fresh in the fridge. It's a very complimentary side for grilled meat or a stand-in main dish for when your cousin's vegetarian girlfriend shows up unexpectedly.

Summer Salad with Berry Vinaigrette. Erin figured out a way to bottle summer with this recipe! 

Dessert & a Cocktail: 

Popcorn Marshmallow Bars. Get patriotic and add red, white and blue M&Ms to these treats.

Watermelon Raspberry Rum Punch. Grown-ups need a treat, too. This cocktail is refreshing, slightly sweet and oh so yummy.

Watermelon Raspberry Rum Punch

When you are a mom of school-age kids, the end of summer is bittersweet. The start of school means an end to constant sibling arguing (yay!) and a return to hectic days ruled by schedules, homework, sports practices and lunch making (boo.)

All of this is worth celebrating.

Enter the Watermelon Raspberry Rum Punch. This fruity and frothy cocktail goes down easy.

It's the perfect drink to sip by the pool with a few other mom friends as you savor those last few days of summer break — or to celebrate the first few days of school and (at least for me) a chance to reclaim the house.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Watermelon Raspberry Rum Punch 

6 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
1 pint ripe raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon (or about 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1 cup light rum or lemon or citrus-flavored rum
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or splenda (optional)

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend or pulse until smooth.

Pour through strainer. Serve over ice with a garnish of small watermelon slices or a few raspberries. Drink and enjoy with friends.