When you combine the hot cocoa station with some homemade banana bread or some warm pumpkin bread, it makes for some happy kids after school.

I must confess that the pumpkin bread is from a box.  I bought the Krusteaz Pumpkin Bread from Costco before my surgery because I didn’t think I’d be in the mood for baking.  We’ve all decided that we like this with butter and cinnamon sugar on top.

The banana bread is homemade.  I couldn’t resist baking when I saw that we had a few over-ripe bananas.  As much as I love making homemade bread with yeast, I also love a good quick and easy quick bread recipe.

Here’s the recipe I use for Banana Bread:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 medium ripe bananas (mashed)

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom of a bread pan.

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

Add bananas, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix.

Add 2 cups of chocolate chips (optional).

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Happy Baking!