How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Banana Bread

One of the first things I ever learned to bake was Banana Bread, and I feel like over the years, I have found the best banana bread recipe which I pretty much make it all the time.  We don’t eat many bananas at my house, but I definitely buy them all the time.

So, last weekend we were going to a BBQ and I had volunteered to bring dessert.  I had recently found a recipe for Banana Cake that was similar to banana bread, but more cake-like.  I decided to give it a go, but when Saturday approached, I realized that I didn’t have any overly ripe bananas to make it! No!!!! How could this be?!  Well, sure enough there are tons of tips and tricks to ripen bananas at an accelerated rate on Pinterest and the internet, so I picked one and gave it a go!

What do you know, it actually worked!  After the bananas were ‘ripe’ they were super sweet and perfect for banana bread.  The texture was a bit stringy, but that didn’t make any difference once they were mashed and in the cake. I promise this is the easiest thing you will ever do….

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Banana Bread or other baking

 So, in more words….

1. Get your bananas and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Put your bananas on a LINED baking sheet. They will leak a bit and that’s a mess I don’t want to deal with (and you shouldn’t have to either).
3. Bake bananas at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the skin is dark brown/black. 
4. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before using.

Done!

Need some banana inspiration?  How about using this tip to make one of these easy recipes….

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread

The Best Banana Bread and Muffins

The Best Banana Bread and Muffins

Banana Bread with Warm Blueberry Compote

Banana Bread with Blueberry Compote

DIY 4th of July Burlap Wreath

In just a few weeks we will be celebrating the 4th of July, and I wanted to add a little red, white, and blue decor to the house.  Immediately I thought about our front door wreath and thought it would be perfect to spruce up!  A few months ago I made a spring burlap wreath on our front door….

Spring Burlap WreathIt was so easy to make with this Burlap Ribbon, and I also loved how it would be so easy to change around for different times of the year.  I secured the numbers and flowers with wire, so they could easily be removed and changed out.  However, when thinking up a 4th of July Wreath, I decided to just leave them on, and add some additional flowers.

4th of July Burlap Wreath

4th of July Burlap Wreath

I found the flowers at the dollar store and the little flag in a pack of 3 in the dollar section at Target.  So for just a couple bucks, we now have a festive wreath! 

For basic Burlap Wreath Tutorial visit the original post here.

 

Sharing with Domestic Superhero Link Party #14

It’s Thursday which means our weekly link party is here!  I can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to, and I want to share some great features with you as well!

I have been busy this week with a couple new posts seen below

week

I posted a couple recipes: Quinoa Fried Rice and Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes…..both super delicious!

I also compiled a list of 15 (mostly) Free Gift Idea’s for Dad…hurry over, Father’s Day is this Sunday!

Features

Now, on to the features from last week!  We had some great submissions and these were the most popular:

Monogrammed Onesie's

 

Abby has been on a roll with her posts and has been featured for the last several weeks! Check out these cute DIY monogrammed onesies!

 

Minnie Ears

 

  

Jessi at Practically Functional shared a quick and easy tutorial on how to make your own Minnie Mouse ears! This is so cute!

 

Homemade Twix Bars

 

 

Winnie cooked up these homemade Twix Bars….yum!

 

DIY Sliding Barn Door

 

 

Lastly, April over at Wilker Do’s, shared how she trandformed a plain old doorway into this awesome DIY Sliding Barn Door! Talk about a lot of work, but it came out so nice!

 

 

 

Thanks for everyone for linking up! If you have been featured above, please grab a ‘featured’ button from the right sidebar! ——>

Okay, now for this week’s link party!

Here are the ‘rules’

  • Please follow Domestic Superhero either by email (subscribe on the right side), on FacebookTwitteror on Pinterest (or all 3!).  I will follow back as well!
  • Please place my ‘Sharing With’ button (from the right sidebar) somewhere on your blog- on a Link party page, the actual post, a sidebar-wherever!  If you want me to add your button to my page, leave a note in the comments section.
  • Please link any project…DIY, recipes, crafts, tips, tricks….the more the merrier!
  • Visit a few other links to check out what others are posting!  Everyone loves comments so don’t be shy when you visit!


Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

For as long as I can remember, I have never liked Oreos.  They get stuck in my teeth, they have a weird chalky feeling in my mouth, and they are just too sweet.  Then, I got pregnant, and all those feeling disappeared.  Suddenly I loved chocolate (wasn’t a big fan before), and wanted to eat anything sweet I could get my hands on!  It wasn’t until late in my pregnancy I had something Oreo flavored, and I loved it.  Flash forward 3 years later, and I don’t really eat Oreos anymore…but, when I saw a recipe for an Oreo Cheesecake Cupcake, I knew I had to make it! First off I love cheesecake, and it seemed like a delicious mix.

So I whipped up these Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes and didn’t look back. I always thought it was hard to make cheesecake (it’s not!), so I have never tried it, but boy was I wrong (and totally missing out!).  This recipe made about 35 cupcakes for me, but it would depend on how high you fill the wrapper.  I just used a standard muffin tin, which allowed a whole Oreo to fit at the bottom.  I loved how you could see the Oreo through the bottom of the wrapper too!  I had to give a ton of these away, or else I would have eaten them all!  Everyone raved about them (even my husband who generally doesn’t like cheesecake!), so I hope you like them as much as we did!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
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Ingredients
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds (4 8-oz packages) cream cheese, room temperature (I used 2 low fat and 2 regular)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.
2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.
3. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt.
4. Stir/fold in chopped cookies by hand.
5. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through (around 11-12 minute mark), until filling is set, about 22-25 minutes.
6. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.
Notes
Cupcakes should be refrigerated if not eating/serving. They will spoil if left out for a long period of time. These should keep well in the fridge for up to a week (though, the longer they sit, the soggier the cookie gets on the bottom-but it still tastes good!).
Domestic Superhero http://domesticsuperhero.com/
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

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Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes


Quinoa ‘Fried Rice’

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

Quinoa is one of my most favorite ingredients ever!  It has many amazing health benefits with it’s abundance of protein, unsaturated fats, and essential vitamins and minerals.  It even helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer (according to Eat to Defeat). Plus, I love the taste of it…it’s a must whether you live a vegetarian life style or not.  Quinoa is the perfect substitute when it comes to making rice.  This ‘Fried rice’ came together so well, it’s been added to my rotation of recipes indefinitely!  This dish is perfect a meal by itself, or as a side.  Tonight I will be serving it along with some Easy Baked Tofu.

Be on the look out this week, because I am going to post a really informative post about Quinoa!

Back to the ‘Fried Rice’…it’s super easy, so lets get to it!

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
Sriracha, for serving
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add corn, peas, carrots and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
Add ginger and soy sauce, and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Stir in green onions and eggs.
Serve immediately, drizzled with Sriracha, if desired.
Notes
Serves 4-6
Domestic Superhero http://domesticsuperhero.com/

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

This recipe was such a hit at my house, and I hope y’all enjoy it as well! I even thought the left over the next day tasted great!

Love Quinoa as much as me? Check out these other great quinoa recipes:



Like this recipe? Head over to Domestic Superhero on Facebook for more!

15 {Mostly} Free Gift Ideas for Dad

15 {Mostly} Free Gift Ideas for Dad

 With Father’s Day only one week away, I bet there are a lot of y’all scrambling for ideas!  My 2 year old son already told his dad what he is getting him….crackers.  Makes it easy on me!  Anyway, I decided to round up 15 really easy and basically free ideas that you can do with your kids to honor Dad on his special day. 

My Daddy survey free printable from Kinzies Kreations 

Father's Day Printable

I love this free printable from Shanty 2 Chic. It is a super easy project but it looks so cute!

Father's Day Printable

Put this one in a frame and call it a day (or on a wood block for extra points)! Love this subway art free printable from Just Us Four!

Subway Art Father's Day Printable

Does dad have a sweet tooth? This candy idea and bottle decorations would be perfect! Check out Little Luna for the free printables!

Super Dad Free Printables

Yesterday on Tuesday has the right idea with this free printable Dad survey. Love the little banner adornment! 

Free About Dad Printable Survery

Superman printables to attach to little gift bags!  Check out I Dig Pinterest for the free printable!

Superdad Free Printable

Today’s Creative Blog made this Superhero Dad printable! I love the cutout frame, but it looks like this could also bee turned into a card or other art project!

Father's Day Printable

This is another really cute My Dad Survey from A Typical English Home. I really like that this one includes a portrait space for the child to draw dad!

My Dad Printable

These little neck ties would be perfect for soda, beer, or wine!  Head over to The Idea Room for this printable!

Neck Tie Printable

Making it Feel Like Home gives a great tutorial on how to fold your own white shirt card!

How to fold a white shirt

Yesterday on Tuesday also made these really cute Best Dad Ever Printables, and she gives ideas about what to use them on!

Best Dad Ever

Gonna have a little party for dad? These are the perfect Super Dad decorations!

Super Dad Decor

Make your own little shirt and tie gift bags! So easy and handy!

Father's Dad Goodie Bags

Pick your own cardstock and print these out for a cite jar decoration!

Father's Day Printable

Lastly, have a dad who likes to golf?  Print these out and fix them onto a bag of tees and you are done! What a simple and easy idea!

Father's Day Golf Idea

 

Hope everyone has a great Father’s Day!

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