Azoresgal~Life on an Island

  A rich and fudgy, easy to make, chocolate chip banana bread!  Made super quick with the use of a boxed cake mix, and made in one bowl!  Oh and please trust me,it tastes just as good as it looks! INGREDIENTS 3 Bananas Ripe, Mashed ( about 6 small island bananas) 1/3 cup Oil 3 Eggs Large 1 box Chocolate cake mix Or Devil’s Food cake 1 cup Chocolate chips Regular or mini 1/2 cup  chocolate chips for topping (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven 180C/350F In a large mixing bowl, mix together mashed bananas, oil and eggs until smooth. Add cake mix, chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix! Pour batter into two greased/floured loaf pans (Dimensions: 8×4). Sprinkle extra chocolate chips and  on top. Bake 45- 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean. *Don’t replace oil with butter because butter makes this bread too dense. *Make sure to use the ripest bananas you can find because ...

 Friends,today I bring you a fantastic dessert, that is sweet, hot, cold, crispy, and creamy. Imagine if you will, a flour tortilla wrapped around a banana and nutella then lightly fried, dusted with cinammon sugar, topped with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, and lets add caramel sauce while we are at it.... are you  still there ?? Did you faint....or feel weak in the knees ?? I don´t blame you, these are amazing! Ingredients -  flour tortillas -  bananas -  Nutella - Vegetable oil for frying - ½ cup of sugar - 1 tbsp cinnamon - Vanilla ice cream - Caramel sauce Heat the oil, these will be shallow fried. Spoon a large spoonful of Nutella into the middle of the tortilla. Place half a banana in the center, ( I used two, as our baby bananas are small) Fold the right and left sides of the tortilla over the ends of the banana, then fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the banana, and continue to roll the tortilla until you...

I saved the sad looking, brown spotted bananas in my fruit bowl, and made a banana tarte tatin. Tarte tatin is one fancy shmancy looking dessert,   but it's one of the simplest things you can make. With very few ingredients you can  bake up a delicious and impressive looking dessert.  Bananas and caramel just go together really well, just think bananas foster .  I must warn you, once you bite into a piece, you will find yourself reaching for another. 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar 4 tbsp. butter 1 tbsp. orange zest 1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon 4-5 large firm-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise 1 package  puff pastry, thawed Vanilla ice cream, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 220// 425°. 2. Cook sugar and butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat, swirling skillet often, until mixture is deep golden brown, 8–10 minutes. (do not stir or sugar will crystalize) 3. Remove from heat and stir in orange zest and cinnamon; pour caramel mixture into a small glass or...

 Baking banana bread is such a great way to use ripened bananas. Not only is this recipe super easy to make, but it is very delicious. It’s  great for breakfast, the perfect after school snack or a sweet surprise in a lunch box. If you would like to jazz up the flavor a bit, you could add walnuts or chocolate chips. Oh by the way, it's really great with cream cheese frosting too...just sayin'. Banana Bread 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups brown sugar 7 large ripe bananas, mashed ( our bananas are very small, so I use 14) 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs, slightly beaten 3 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon cinnamon chopped walnuts (opt.) Directions: Makes two loaves of banana bread. 1. Cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the bananas, vanilla and eggs. 2. Whisk together the dry ingredients. 3. Add to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. 4. Bake at 350F. Ch...

Ban for banana + offee for toffee = Banoffee Pie! A British favorite. Delicious caramel with sweet sliced banana and smooth whipped cream. So very yummy, and very easy to make. I made a little pie dish, you could certainly make individual ones. Try to stop your self after one slice of this banoffee pie. about 4 bananas sliced cooked condensed milk/ Dulce de leche-1 tin 200 ml of cream  + 2 Tablespoons icing sugar (whipped) 2 cups Digestive biscuits/Marie biscuits-crumbs, 1/2 Butter -melted cocoa powder/or chocolate sprinkles/or grated chocolate Use the food processor to grind the biscuits. Mix the crumbs and the melted butter and transfer it into a pie dish. Press the crumbs to make the crust. Refridgerate it for about 15 mins. Next layer is the caramel poured over the crust. Top with the sliced bananas. Top bananas with the whipped cream, be sure to cover all the bananas or they turn brown. Dust with cocoa powder/ or chocolate shavings/ or chocolate sprinkle...

This smoothie is just right for a hot summer day! It has been really hot and muggy the last couple of days on the island. These are yummy, and refreshing at the same time. My kids love them, even our oldest who doesn't much care for bananas. If you get a chance, slice and freeze your bananas, makes this even thicker! The milk you use is up to you, we use skim, you could even use almond milk or soy milk. Want to make it extra special add some cocoa powder or chocolate syrup !   4-6 baby bananas, broken into chunks ( or frozen slices) 2 cups milk ( your choice, skim, soy, almond) 1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter ( I have used as little as 2 Tablespoons 2 cups ice cubes *** add some honey for sweetness OR chocolate syrup OR cocoa Place bananas, milk, peanut butter, and ice cubes in a blender; blend until smooth .

We love these at our house, they are a lovely treat for breakfast, or the perfect afternoon snack ! Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 overripe bananas (6 small island bananas) 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled OR oil 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup pecans/walnuts chopped * optional Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180  and lightly butter 2 muffin tins or use paper liners In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash  the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture.  With an electric mixer, whip the bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted 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 with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffi...