So here's the deal, guys. I had this entire post typed up and it was timely and filled with stories and photos and such and then... then I hit something. And everything disappeared. Today has been that sort of a day. Everything is going along as planned and then... BAM! (And not in the fun Emeril Lagasse way.)
So instead of that post, you get this one which is not nearly as interesting but still filled with tasty baking delights.
The great thing about summer is all the fresh fruit that's suddenly teeming in bins at the supermarket. The bad thing about summer is that I always overestimate just how much fruit we can eat whenever I see those teeming bins, especially the darling little apple bananas that are so sweet this time of year. Inevitably a bunch of them end up limp and blackened on the counter, a bevy of fruit flies trying to woo them.
When life gives you overripe 'naners, there's only one solution: banana bread!
My father's sister makes an excellent loaf and this is her recipe; it should be noted that this is simply a base. Feel free to add whatever you like - coconut, fruit, nuts, etc. This time around I added the last scrapings from a jar of peanut butter and a ton of chocolate chips and cinnamon. Scrumdiddlyumptious.
Tannie Sheralee's Bangin' Banana Bread
3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to that magical baking temperature, 350F.
In a mixing bowl, mash your bananas to a paste. Add in your melted butter and stir to combine. Add sugar and vanilla and stir some more. In a separate bowl, beat an egg until frothy and then add to the banana-sugar mix. Stir in baking soda, salt, and flour and mix until you have a nice batter. This is the point where you also add in whatever fixin's you want.
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy.
Goodbye, brave souls. You are going to a better place.
I discovered too late that both my loaf pans were being used and so I improvised and used these teeny bundt pans for the first time. It ended up actually being a better fit for our family - grab and go cake!
Not too long ago I posted a recipe for almond meal muffins. A friend of mine, Brian over at My Silver Lining, took that recipe and ran with it in a sweet direction by adding blueberries. It sounded like such a good combination (blueberries and almonds have always been clandestine lovers) that I had to give it a whirl and there's no time like the present! I doubled recipe, whipped out a batch of plain almond muffins, and then added vanilla extract, blueberries, and cinnamon to the remaining batter and baked them off.
Of course, I had to sample one. With some 'butter' (aka Earth Balance). If you have a sweet tooth I would advise adding some sugar because the vanilla extract doesn't do much to counteract the default savory flavor, but I prefer these just like this. The mealie texture combined with the cool, creamy berries is awesome and you can't beat the nutty richness of almonds paired with the sweet burst of berries.
(Alright, alright, I might have had two.)
And because it was so delicious and I can't resist showing you my adorable new soup bowl, here's a dinner shot. Cantaloupe, broccoli, and one cup of vegetarian gumbo:
Whew. Didn't think I was gonna get this done tonight. Having done so and squeezed in a workout, I'm finally off to bed for a good, hard sleep. Muchas smooches, darlings!
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