My favorite winter/quarantine recipes.
Nothing makes me feel better during the winter time, than a bowl of delicious warm soup. And friends, I am here to tell you, that the recipe that I most want to share with you, fits the bill.
I was fortunate enough to win a contest on Instagram – yes, can you believe it? – they actually do give away those things we spend so much time liking, tagging, and sharing with others. One of my absolute favorite ladies to follow is @kateonthedaily. She lives in Perry Georgia and instead of her mailing my prize, we actually set up a place and time to meet at a gas station, (please don’t let your children do this) when Frank and I were on our way home from Florida a couple of weeks ago. Kate is just as sweet and beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. In my make life fun giftbox was her Creamy Chicken Divan Soup recipe. This is without a doubt the best soup I have ever eaten. Here’s some pics of the ingredients and directions.
I have a group on Facebook called Lovers of home design and decor, and when I posted about this recipe, I got more comments on it than when I post pictures of home design. Believe me, you will not be disappointed when you try this recipe. It is that good.
One more recipe that I want to share in this post is my favorite banana nut bread recipe. Raise your hand if you made banana bread sometime during quarantine or this past winter snowstorm 2021. Well, I did and here is what I consider the best recipe for Banana Bread. It comes from the Magnolia Table recipe book, by Joanna Gaines.
If you know me, you know that I love Chip and Joanna. Frank and I have been called the Tennessee version of the fixer uppers when we remodel and fix up terrible old properties. (I wish) We made a trip to Magnolia in Waco, Texas, a few years ago, and some of the design choices I made in our house was inspired by things I saw there in Joanna’s shop.
Anyway, here are the ingredients:
Banana Bread Ingredients
- Non-stick baking spray, for the pan
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 very ripe bananas, mashed (leave a little chunky)
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (can use chocolate chips)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Directions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray 8×8″ pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl with hand held electric mixer) eat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Add the bananas and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Add the pecans (if using) and mix until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. I like to cover the whole surface completely with sugar; use as much as you like.
- Bake until tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the bread cool slightly in the pan on a rack. Slice and serve with warm butter.
- When completely cooled, cover the pan with foil and store at room
- temperature for up to 2 days.
I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you try them, I would love to hear about it. Please drop me a comment below and thank you for joining me here today.
Until next time, if you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.
Mitzie
