For my son’s first birthday I made him this banana cake. It was my first attempt at it, but it turned out really good. We all loved it.

I diverted from the instructions a little bit. I divided the batter between 2 pans. 1 small round pan so that Elyas would have his own cake, and a normal 8 x 8 square glass pan. They both turned out great.

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-cake-vi/detail.aspx

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup butter

·         2 1/8 cups white sugar

·         3 eggs

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 1/2 cups buttermilk

·         2 teaspoons lemon juice

·         1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

·          

·         1/2 cup butter, softened

·         1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

·         3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2.   In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.   Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

4.   For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Deviled Eggs

It's Easter Sunday and that always makes me think of hard boiled eggs, Easter egg hunts, and deviled eggs. Actually what went through my mind was a menu of good holiday appropriate food; a nice honey-ham, mashed potatoes with a nice light gravy, peas, potato rolls, and yes you guessed it, deviled eggs.

I love these at family-get-togethers and parties. They are good year round really, but very appropriate I think for Easter.

I found this recipe at Rachaelraymag.com and I found the picture at pinchmysalt.com.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

12 large eggs

Ice water

6 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons mustard

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Salt and black pepper

Paprika, for dusting

Directions:

A Good Hard Boiled Egg

In a large pot, arrange the eggs in a single layer and add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. You can measure by sticking your finger on top of the egg; the water should come up to your first knuckle. Cover the eggs with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat; let stand for 14 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon into a bowl full of ice water. Let them stand until they are cool to the touch.

Shell the egg by mapping it with cracks (tap it lightly all over). Peel them in a bowl of water.

Deviled Eggs

Halve eggs lengthwise and scoop the yolks into a medium bowl, reserving the egg whites.

Mash the yolk with the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne; season with salt and black pepper.

Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg white halves and dust with paprika.

About Me and My Blog

Hi.

My name is Kim and I wanted to start a blog where I could collect and keep my favorite or just good recipes that I have used and loved.

I don't really have that much time to cook, but when I do cook, it is like heaven. I love getting in the kitchen and experimenting with new recipes. When I don't like the way a certain recipe turns out I tweak it until it meets my standards.

This blog was actually inspired by my best friend and cousin who has her own wonderful food blog which you should check out, Swertyeats.blogspot.com. It is awesome.