Banana Bread

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 very ripe bananas, frozen and thawed (about 1 c)
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 4x8-inch or 5x9-inch loaf pan with Pam.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the oil into the mashed bananas.
3. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes at 350°F, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving.

Caramelized Butternut Squash

Adapted from peanutbutterandpeppers.com

 

Ingredients

• 9 cups (approx. 2.5 pounds) Butternut Squash, peeled, cut into cubes (or frozen, semi-thawed cubes)
• 3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
• ½ tsp. Cinnamon, ground
• ¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ - ½ cup Dried Cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray (or use a silpat, no spray needed).
3. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients, and mix until all the butternut squash is coated.
4. Place the butternut squash mixture on the baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, flipping half way through.
5. Place in a oven-ready serving dish (can be reheated or kept warm in the dish if needed, e.g., for Thanksgiving).

Brown sugar-glazed sweet potatoes

Adapted from epicurious

Ingredients

• 4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange potatoes in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil.
2. Bake potatoes 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens slightly, basting occasionally, about 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Top potatoes with marshmallows and nuts. Return to oven; bake until marshmallows begin to melt and brown, about 3 minutes.