Doesn’t looking at this make you feel better, too?

I had a rough day Monday.  It got muddier and more ridiculous as the day went on.  Not because it rained in Austin; oh, no, don’t be silly.  Because I had to do something to occupy my tenacious 2 year old.  Sometimes the easiest and most obvious option is to fill a kiddie pool with water and let her go crazy.  Crazier, I mean.

I just changed EB from full to part time day care for monetary and grandma-related reasons.  My mom just retired and wants to help with EB more, slash I’m in the mood to do very little work.  But somehow moving to Wednesday to Friday school for her has amped up my work productivity.  The more I can’t do because of EB, the more I end up doing.  You wondered how I was getting so much fun stuff done before?  I had five full days to myself, where I ignored my to-do lists.

That night I decided Tuesday would be unlike Monday.  Except that Monday and Tuesday would be toddler filled.  FILLED.  I respect you full time mommas.  It’s for real.  So starting out Tuesday would be filled with bananas.  I baked banana muffins and I froze banana slices to make this ice cream a friend linked to on FB.  I’ll do a step-by-step on it, too.  I’m trying to win my child over with delicious things, and sooth my withered soul.

Here’s what you need:

• 1-1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t banking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 bananas, ripe
• 3/4 c white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c butter, melted
• OPTIONAL 2-3 T flax seed

Flax seed, flour, sugar, bananas, egg, butter, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Here’s what you do:

• Preheat oven to 375° F.  Lightly grease muffin pan.  I like to use a banking spray with butter and flour in it.  It makes 12 to 15 muffins, depending on how much you fill up the cups.
• In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flax seed.

Whisk dry ingredients. I don’t actually measure the flax seed, but that’s what it looks like.

• In a mixer (if you have it), beat together bananas, sugar, egg, and butter.  Blend until lumpy, but not completely smooth.

It makes it harder if your butter isn’t in sticks because Hubs likes to get the fancy stuff, but once you measure it, add butter to the bit that goes in the mixing bowl.

• Add slowly the flour mixture to the banana mixture while mixer is on 1 or 2.  Once completely added, switch to high until small banana chunks remain.

Slowly add the ingredients and try not to spill any by taking pictures.

• Spoon batter into cups.  Bake for 18 to 20 min (although my stove is crazy and it was done in 15 min.  Watch it).  Test with a  toothpick and let cool.

Sometimes I add a crumble, depending on how hyped up I want Eebs to be.  It’s pretty simple and you just mix 4 ingredients together with your hands until it looks like ground cornmeal.  Sprinkle over the muffins once they’re about to go in the oven.  Here’s what you need:

• 1/3 c packed brown sugar
• 2 T all purpose flour
• 1/8 t ground cinnamon
• 1 T butter

I like to think the flax seed makes them healthy.  I found this recipe who-knows-where and kept it in my tiny recipe box.  I always seem to have the ingredients around and as soon as the bananas get too ripe, I’m making them.  I have had great success with one recent caveat.  I doubled the recipe too quickly about a month ago and thought the little t’s were big T’s.  So it was the grossest over salting in history.  So always taste your batter before you bake it!  And be sure to hand some over the fence to your neighbor for their birthday.  Happy bday week, BE!

Do you bake to soothe the soul?  Hubs cooks and he feels better.  I always feel better after he cooks, too.  But sometimes, sometimes, I’m in the kitchen, too.

Baking Jells to make up for crazy Mama Jells.