Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook

C reamy and satisfying—a true morning treat. Want it sweeter? Increase the sugar by using flavored yogurt.

Serves 1

1 banana, cut into chunks and frozen at least 15 minutes

1 cup frozen strawberries, blueberries or raspberries

¼ cup orange juice

1 6-ounce container (¾ cup) nonfat plain yogurt

1. In blender or food processor, combine banana chunks, berries and orange juice. Puree until blended. Add yogurt; purée until smooth. If needed, add more juice to achieve desired consistency.

TIP

Don’t throw out overripe bananas! Plan ahead for future smoothies; peel and freeze those black bananas in resealable plastic bags.

Best Banana Bread

T oasting walnuts add a nice crunch to this super-moist bread. Just spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 large very ripe bananas

½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for pan

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; lightly coat with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. In another bowl, mash bananas with sour cream or yogurt until blended. In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer on high speed, cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.

3. Fold banana mixture into batter until blended. Lightly fold in dry ingredients and walnuts until just combined. Batter will be chunky. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake about 1 hour, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool inpan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan to loosen bread. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

TIP

The riper the bananas, the better the banana flavor.

Hearty Bran Apple Muffins

S imple and satisfying, these muffins make a healthy breakfast.

Makes 12 muffins

2½ cups All-Bran cereal

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

¾ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey or molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1¾ cups plain yogurt or buttermilk

1 small apple, peeled and cut into chunks

¾ cup granulated sugar tossed with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a standard muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In food processor, pulse 2 cups of the cereal until finely ground. (Reserve remaining cereal.) In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt until combined. In another large bowl, whisk egg and yolk until light in color. Whisk in brown sugar, honey or molasses and vanilla, then melted butter. Whisk in yogurt until combined. Fold in ground cereal until blended.

3. Gently fold in flour mixture, un ground cereal and apples just until batter is combined. Do not overmix. Drop batter into prepared muffin cups. Batter should fill cups and mound on top. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over top of muffins.

4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife around muffin edges to release from pan. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

TIP

To pit olives, hit them with the flat side of a knife to break the flesh, remove the pit and set the olive pieces aside to garnish the tart.

Breakfast Casserole with Bacon and Cheddar