One of the most valuable lessons I learned from living with EW was that almost-bad bananas could be salvaged by putting them in the freezer to use at a later date. This rule has allowed me countless opportunities to make this, and she has further used them to make this.
The problem with this lesson, is that the bananas in the freezer can start to pile up when you have no excuse to make the best and hugest birthday cake ever.* I decided it was time to make some banana bread, but my usual recipe has essentially the same sugar and butter content as the cake. So I started looking around for recipes with less butter and less sugar. Of course, there are all kinds of recipes out there. Some with apple sauce, some with sour cream, some with yogurt. But then there was this recipe with none of those things. Just the standards: bananas, flour, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla. The only addition this recipe has - cinnamon. Oh, and chocolate chips.
I decided to give it a try, and because I had so many bananas, I decided to make two batches, one with chocolate chips and one without. The chipless version is not the most delicious thing in the world (what can I say, butter does make a difference), but it's a nice alternative that's a wee bit healthier. And if you toast it and put some butter or cream cheese on it, it is the best thing ever. The cinnamon really makes a difference. The chocolate chip version, I am happy to report, is not lacking in the least from the missing butter. It's gooey and delicious.
* I did recently make a birthday cake. But the recipient is a chocolate lover, so I made this.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Banana Bread 2 Ways
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A Nice Thing to Have Around
A couple days after Thanksgiving, I made these buttermilk biscuits because I didn't want to waste the leftover buttermilk. I ate one at the time and put the rest in the freezer. Since then, I've been eating them for dinner with eggs and cheese. I wouldn't call them the best biscuits ever, but I will say that the idea of having them in my freezer made me really happy. So, with this as the starting point, I would like to solicit ideas from you and yours on how to make the best biscuit.
The problem with these? They were good but they sort of tasted like pancakes in biscuit form. I guess more salt, less sugar (though I only used 1 tablespoon to begin with) is a starting point, but i am sure someone can give me the key to a homemade egg 'n cheese sandwich.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Full Meal, Over Three Days
Round three of delicious homemade bread was the most delicious yet, and round four (sourdough) is bubbling up now. I really get a kick out of making bread, especially when the instructions are all: "Don't forget to feed your starter! Remember, it's a living creature!" 
To be honest though, I started with dessert. Magnolia's recipe for chocolate cupcakes and a simple buttercream icing. I improvised a little and added peppermint extract to the icing. In case you can't tell, the raspberries on three of the cupcakes spell out: "TOD", ie, transit-oriented development. 
And today, after picking up our CSA box, I was feeling inspired and threw together a roasted vegetable medley of Kabocha Squash (apparently chefs will sometimes use this as a substitute for pumpkin. I don't blame them--it's delicious.), red daikon, a couple of radishes, potatoes, and onions. Roasted vegetables are the best.
Check to see if there are CSA pickup points in your neighborhood: NYC, Chicago, and Hartford, to name a few.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Cooking = Procrastination
So remember the Ciabatta recipe? I finally attempted it, and conclusion=delicious. Here we see a hunk with some chili I threw together (black beans, a variety of sweet peppers, some cilantro and parsely, butternut squash, and lots o' spices.)
Of course, as this picture illustrates, bread and chili should really be started early in the day, to avoid eating your delicious meal at midnight. (The clock is a little fast...)
Also, just for fun, pretty pretty California tomatoes! The time to really enjoy these lovelies is leaving, sadly, but I have enjoyed the season.
Monday, October 6, 2008
It's possible that I am becoming a slave to King Arthur's Flour emails....
I made their ciabatta bread and am totally in love with the world. Pictures for that to come. 
Today, they sent an email claiming "best gingerbread ever, guaranteed." Gingerbread that's all bready, and sweet, and dense and delicious? Ummm, yes please? I love that the recipe calls for whole wheat flour and cyrstallized ginger. YUM.
Photo from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=7