Banana Nut Mini Muffins

I've been on such a baking kick lately, and my parents are pretty good at instigating. Little hints like "we could use some cupcakes around here" and "we don't have many sweets in the house" are typical triggers to my baking shenanigans. I love it.

Being that I'm a huge fan of anything banana flavored, and my mom likes anything that has nuts in it, we decided to make a bunch of banana nut mini muffins for our on-the-go breakfasts in the mornings.

So here's a recipe for making banana nut muffins. We went for mini muffins, but any size will do!
Also, many recipes call for 1 and 1/2 stick of butter, but we like the healthier alternative of applesauce! The substitutes are 1:1, so if you prefer butter, it would be 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 chopped nuts (your choice)
(we chose walnuts)

Also, many banana nut recipes call for butter, but we like the healthier alternative of applesauce! The substitutes are 1:1, so if you prefer butter, it would be 3/4 cups of butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)  

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. Whip the remaining bananas and sugar together until well blended. Add the applesauce (or butter), eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway.

Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yields: about 24 mini muffins

Enjoy your quick and easy breakfast muffins!

xoxo,
Laura

Downtown River

Hey Michigan, are we just going to have winter all year around? Every single time it starts to remotely warm up (and I mean 10+ degrees), we get hit with another blizzard and another 5+ inches of snow. We're running out of places to shovel the snowy remains of winter. It just keeps piling up. 

Woof.

Last week we met up for another chilly lunch hour. We walked down by the river downtown. Despite the bitterness, it's still quite beautiful by the water. It is difficult to stay outside for more than 20 minutes without the appropriate winter-wear. 

Laura's wearing: Dress (top)- H&M // Skirt and Bracelet- Forever21 // Michigan Necklace- Sparrow
Wedges- Deena & Ozzy f/ Urban Outfitters // Earrings- Old Navy

Katelyn's wearing: Coat- The North Face // Scarf- Handmade // Sweater- H&M
Jeans- Urban Outfitters // Shoes- Minnetonka // Socks- Gifted

Any other mid-westerners having a hard time finding winter outfit inspiration now that we've been going on 3 solid months of blizzards? We're looking for new ways to style our already overly worn in sweaters and boots.

xoxo,
L&K

Travel Tuesday: Spanish Food

Today's post comes from a very special place: my stomach. While I was living in Spain I made a goal to 1. Never eat fast food and 2. At least TRY anything that was given to me. I tried snails, meat from a bull, I'm pretty sure my first Señora secretly fed us pig brains (there's proof!), and essentially anything that was put in front of me. I loved everything except for gazpacho (or any type of cold soup really) and cold tuna pasta. That being said, I wanted to share my top 5 favorite foods from Spain! 

5.  Patatas Bravas

 

(photo from bbcgoodfood.com/click through for recipe)

These handsome fried potatoes are covered in a kind of spicy ketchup sauce and are delicioso!

4. Croquetas

(photo from nbclatino.com/click through for recipe) 

Croquetas are pretty much fried mashed potatoes with jam or whatever else you decide to put in them! 

3. Jamón y Manchego

 

(photo credit: Tamorlan on Wikimedia Commons)

 A little dried ham and some rich cheese make for a great snack. Or, put in on some fresh baked bread and you have yourself a bocadillo!

2. Churros con Chocolate 

 

Fried dough dipped in the best chocolate? Que rico! It was also the best snack between classes with some of my lovely amigos.

And now for my number one favorite food in Spain...

 

If only wine were a food group...but for real. 

1. Tortilla Española AND Paella! It's a tie!

 

 

I would give you some sort of recipe but the truth is I'm a terrible cook. The only solution is to go to Spain and try them all for yourself!

What are your favorite foods from different cultures?

xoxo, K

Conversation Heart Cookies

Continuing on with the Valentine's Day theme, I made some conversation heart sugar cookies. I'm a sucker for baking treats that portray a specific holiday or event. You can see where I made these sugar cookies with a Christmas theme HERE.
Making these cookies for Valentine's Day was even more fun because I got to add some of my own little phrases.

Ingredients: 

1 and 1/2 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Butter, Softened

1 Egg

2 Teaspoons Vanilla or Almond Extract

2 and 1/2 Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Desired Cookie Cutters

What you'll need for Royal Icing:
 3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
6 Tablespoons Water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream sugar, butter and egg; add flavoring. Blend in dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Divide dough in half, roll onto floured surface and cut as desired.

Bake on greased cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes. (Keep an eye on them, they bake quickly!)

 

Then, of course, decorate them as your heart desires. The best part, right?! 

 

Tell us about your Valentine's Day plans this year! Are you going out to dinner? Having a date night in? Seeing a movie?

Steven and I will be in Detroit for the George Strait farewell tour, and I'm so excited to take him to see a country legend, as it's our last chance to see him live. It was on Steve's bucket list to see King George in his lifetime, so I'm glad I can help cross that off his list. <3

xoxo,
Laura

Cherry Chocolate Fudge

With little-to-no plans this past weekend, I thought it would be a good time to start making some Valentine's Day treats. I always enjoy spreading the love around the office and leaving sweets in the kitchen for everyone to enjoy. Yesterday, for the sake of being festive, I made some cherry chocolate fudge. 

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
7 ounces marshmallow cream
1 package white chocolate chips
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 jar (12 oz) maraschino cherries (chopped)
red food coloring (if desired)

Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil and grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cream and remaining the butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the white chips and marshmallow cream. Add the chopped cherries and red coloring (if desired) right before pouring into the prepared pan.

For chocolate topping: Melt chocolate chips in a double-boiler and spread over the the fudge. Swirl as desired with knife or toothpick. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Discard foil; cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
Yields: about 3 pounds.

Make sure to share with your loved ones!

xoxo,
Laura

Laura's Spring Wish List

In case spring ever decides to show it's face in 2014, I have picked selected a few of my favorite items I'm loving for the upcoming season. I'm having a hard time not automatically loving everything that has color in it. I love everything about springtime: floral prints, bare legs, flowers blossoming, new scents, blue skies (finally), and my birthday! 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Speaking of spring, this April I will be heading down to Nashville for my birthday weekend to meet up with my Steven. To top it off, two of my best friends, Tieka and Eric will be joining us! I absolutely cannot wait. Do you have any upcoming trips this year that you're excited about? I want to hear your plans!

xoxo,
Laura

Morning Snow

This morning, we woke up before the sunrise to meet up downtown. It. Was. Freezing. I had completely underestimated how cold it was going to be today because I threw heels on for work and didn't think twice to wear socks and boots. Dumb, Laura. Dumb. Regardless, we braved the bitter cold yet again, hiked up to the top of the parking garage, and shivered while we snapped some photos.

 

Katelyn's wearing: Blouse- Thrifted // Blazer- H&M // Pants- Target // Shoes- Target // 

Necklace- Forever21 // Hat- H&M

 

Laura's wearing: Blouse- Marshalls // Faux Fur Vest- H&M // Pants- J.C.Penney // Shoes- Target

Bag- Sparrow // Watch- Charming Charlie // Earrings- Old Navy

 

T. G. Tomorrow I. F.

xoxo,
L & K