Pan de Banano

This year for International Day (our local version of "Thinking Day"), we are joining with our sister Brownie troop to represent Guatemala. Our Daisy troop is baking a Guatemalan banana bread recipe to serve as a snack.

This banana bread freezes well -- excellent for making ahead of the event!

Pan de Banano (Banana Bread)

• 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 or 3 large, ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mash the bananas and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and egg.

Sift the flour with the baking powder in a medium bowl, and fold it into the liquid mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve with honey as a cake bread, or as a dessert with cream or ice cream.

Adapted from a recipe at Mayan Traditions.

Halloween Apple Bites

Here is a silly snack that we made the week of Halloween -- the idea is from the October 2007 issue of FamilyFun magazine, and can also be found here.

Halloween Apple Bites

You will need:

• apples (1 apple will make four snacks)
• slivered almonds
• cutting board
• sharp knife
• napkins or plates to set the apple on
• small bowls to share the slivered almonds
• box or plastic bag to take home the apple trimmings for your compost pile!

One of the leaders can cut each apple into quarters. Core the quarters, and cut out a wedge from the skin side of each quarter. This makes the "mouth".

Have the girls press the slivered almonds into place for "teeth," at the top or bottom or both!

Easy Snack Mix

Here is the snack we made at our first meeting --


Easy Snack Mix

You will need:

• Chex Mix (about 1/2 cup per serving)
• nuts (about 1/3 cup per serving)
• plain M&M candies (about 1/4 cup per serving)
• measuring cups in the above measures
• small bowls (1 for each serving)
• snack-sized plastic bags for individual leftovers, if desired

Pass around the ingredients, letting each girl measure them out into her own bowl.

This is good with apple juice!