Chaos and Old Memories...

My favorite Christmas memory has got to be my Gramma Gordon making cinnamon buns for us - she's Canadian, they call them buns - it took me years of being made fun of to stop calling them buns...  She would come to our house for Christmas and it seems like the oven didn't stop for the duration of her visit.  But here's the kicker - no recipe...  She just tossed stuff in.  My sister and I have both tried to take notes during her cinnamon roll haze and both ended up with completely different recipes; neither of which was anything close to the heavenly flavor Gramma created.They were the most divine rolls you can imagine, all fluffy and soft, gooey and smooshy in the middle.  She created paradise.  I know you're on pins and needles - I want that recipe!  Nope, still don't have it. 

That's me, 40 weeks pregnant and attempting to get down Gramma's recipe. 

The pie-man and my mother.

Second memory.  My Dad makes pies.  They are the best pies it the whole world, he makes them every year and my sisters and neighbors beg for them.  They are the prettiest pies you've ever seen, perfectly browned, cute little designs on the top.  Who would have thought you could make a good gluten free crust.  My Dad has been gluten free almost my whole life, back when nobody knew what in the world celiac was - even doctors and the only place you could buy anything was to special order!  Anyhow, back to pie.  He served a church mission in France and apparently learned there, although his mom is the Bun Queen so there was probably a seed planted somewhere along the way.  Ready for another kicker.  I don't have that recipe either.  He's another one of those 'toss whatever in the pan and see what happens' chef.  So my goal, when I fly in to visit them in February!!!  Is to finally get a pie recipe - and I'll share it with Erin and she can share it with you :)

Okay, finally a recipe - Sour Cream Banana Bread.  THE BEST banana bread in the ENTIRE WORLD.  Yes, it's gf. No memories attached to it, other than I try really hard to make it a few times a month and it's always gone in a day.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups (I like Bobs Red Mill but that's because I can always find a good deal:)  )  All GF purpose flour
•   2 heaping tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 cup chocolate chips - best if they are the little one, or chop them up a bit, they tend to fall to the bottom.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Want another recipe just because I'm craving them right now.  Take a pretzel - glutino are my favorite brand (and the link is the cheapest place I've found them)  put a Rolo on top, then bake for a few minutes to soften the Rolo, then put a pecan on top.  Yummo.  I've seen them with M&M's instead of pecans too.  Still, yum :)  And really easy to pass out for Christmas goodies to your neighbors.