Banana Bread

I have the best memories of my mom making banana bread when I was a kid--it was soo moist, flavorful, and delicious.  I never cared much for bread when I was young, but banana bread was like candy! Especially the kind with nuts.

About two years ago, I had a cooking itch to make one of my mom's favorite recipes.  BUT, with no recipe on hand, I had to give myself up to the fates of google's search engine.  That's when I found THIS Banana Bread recipe on Elise Bauer's food and cooking blog, Simply Recipes.  This was the very first Elise recipe I ever made, and I've been going back to her website for dinner ideas ever since.

Follow the below recipe for a banana bread that is fast, easy, and clearly delicious.

Banana Bread
The below recipe can be made with either 3, or 4 bananas.  I typically make it with three large, very ripe bananas, or four small ones.  Add according to your taste preferences.  You can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients
* 3-4 bananas, cut into pieces, and mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 cup flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup pecans, or walnuts
* pinch of salt
* 1 egg, beaten
* 5 tablespoons butter (1/3 cup), melted

1.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut up 3-4 bananas and mash (either with a potato masher, or whisker in a bowl, or a Kitchenaid mixer).

2.) Add 1 egg and beat to combine thoroughly.

3.) Cube up butter and place in a microwave-safe bowl.

4.) Melt in microwave and add to banana/egg batter.

5.) Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.

6.) Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt.

7.) Add 1 cup sugar and mix to integrate.

8.) 1/2 cup at a time, add 1 1/2 cup flour.  Mix to integrate.

9.) Measure 1 cup pecans.

10.) Scrape down sides of bowl, add pecans to mixture, and mix one last time.  Pour batter into a well-greased loaf pan.

11.) Cook at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour.  The bread will be done when it's both golden on top and a knife comes out clean.  Remove from oven.

11.) Transfer to plate and allow to cool.  Serve in 1/2-to-1 inch slices.  Makes 10-12 servings.

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Oatmeal with Fruit & Walnuts

Practically every morning, I make myself a bowl of oatmeal.  I love oatmeal--it's so much heftier than a regular bowl of cereal and you can really customize how you prepare it.  What do you mean? Customize oatmeal? Isn't oatmeal a brown blob of gross that was only eaten by pilgrims and prairie people before we had processed sugary treats like Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms? Well, no.  Actually, it's a complex carb that is GOOD for you, keeps you fuller longer and is indeed, quite tasty, if you know how to prepare it correctly.  Like all dishes in cooking, oatmeal can be clearly delicious with the right ingredients, combinations, and preparational techniques.

Knowing how to make oatmeal can be a challenge, however--do you make it with milk? water? what is the proper oats to liquid ratio? how long do you cook it? is it supposed to be milky like cream of wheat? 

For me, these answers are simple: always prepare oatmeal with water, but feel free to add splashes of milk to the oats in the final dish; the ratio is usually 2:1 (1 cup water to one half cup oats; or 2 cups water to 1 cup oats), and the consistency should never be milky unless you add some milk during the cooking process.  Also, I need to point out I'm talking about steel-cut oats, or regular oats here, not that instant crap that is pre-sugared, processed, etc.

Essentially, what this recipe calls you to do is very simple (heat up water, cook the oats, etc.), and then it makes a judgment call on what I like to add to the oats--fruits and nuts, brown sugar, and spices.  However, you can practically substitute anything for the fruit and nut combo here that you like, you'll just have to tweak the recipe to your preferences.  I've known people to add cocoa powder when cooking oatmeal ("chocolate oatmeal") and even to make the dish into a kind of loaf and bake it in the oven.  However you prepare oatmeal, the right ingredients and techniques will always be clearly delicious!

Oatmeal with Fruit & Walnuts
You can really add any fruit or nut here.  My recipe calls for bananas and walnuts, but apples, craisins, raisins, berries (blueberries! raspberries! blackberries!) as well as pecans and almonds can all be substituted.

*1 cup water
*1/2 cup steel cut oats
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
*1 teaspoon nutmeg
*1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1 banana, cut into circular pieces, optional
*1/4 cup walnuts, optional
*1 teaspoon vanilla/almond extract, optional

1.) Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 1/2 cup steel cut oats.  Cook for one minute, stirring occassionally, and remove from heat.
2.) Now, fix the oatmeal with your favorite ingredients: add brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, nuts, and fruit.  Stir to integrate.
3.) Pour into a bowl and splash with milk (optional).  Serve immediately and enjoy!

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