Banana Bread with Walnuts & Chocolate Chips

My husband and I met Lisa and Glenn Leibel in the beginning of the summer of 1991. They had just married in March, and Evan and I were engaged to get married that October. I can remember when we sat down to do our wedding invitations later that summer, we debated on inviting them to the wedding. We had known them only a few months, but felt a strong connection to our new friends. We decided to invite them, and the four of us have been an integral part of each others’ lives ever since—through the births of our children, the deaths of three of our fathers, career changes, new homes, and the list goes on. Our families have vacationed together, spent holidays together, and are there for each other for life’s celebrations and heartaches. These are friends that are not like family; they ARE family. You know what I mean; we all have these special people in our lives. 

Now that the kids are grown, we found ourselves out to dinner recently, just the four of us. As we all put on our reading glasses to look at the menu, we realized that 20 years has gone by in the blink in the eye. We sipped our wine and toasted to 20 years of marriage and friendship, then spent the rest of the night enjoying a hardy meal and hardy laughs. —Diana

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On this recent visit Lisa brought her incredible banana bread. It's so delicious, you may not want to share.

You'll need:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 medium-size bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup flour

1/3 cup hot water

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Blend the sugar and butter. Mix in eggs and bananas and blend until smooth. Add salt and baking soda. Mix together. Add flour and hot water, alternating each ingredient. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips (if desired). 

Pour into greased 9-by-5 loaf pan and bake for one hour. Grab a big glass of cold milk and enjoy!

French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Frosting and Bacon

Who says you can't have cupcakes for breakfast? This recipe comes from Cousins in the Kitchen fan Lisa Stanley from Memphis, Tenn. who writes: "It was hard not to eat one of these for breakfast this morning. Who am I kidding? It was hard not to eat all six. I found this recipe and made some slight adjustments. Enjoy!" 


Thanks Lisa for satisfying our sweet tooth first thing in the morning. Love it! 

For the cupcakes you'll need:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 + 2 tbsp cup milk
1 ½ tsps vanilla
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3 large eggs, separated
6-8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

For the maple buttercream frosting you'll need:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature 
2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 tsps heavy cream, at room temperature
3/4 tsp maple extract 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla and set aside. Add the egg yolks to the creamed butter one at time, waiting for each one to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Raise the speed to medium and mix briefly until a smooth batter is formed. 

Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Thoroughly clean the bowl of the mixer and put the egg whites inside. Whip the egg whites on high speed, using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks are formed. Working in 3 batches, using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter, until just incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the cups in the muffin pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, mix the butter and sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the heavy cream and maple extract. Beat until fluffy and well blended. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Frost cupcakes and then add the crispy bacon...yes, bacon!