Banana Bread

Lately, we’re had a lot of bananas lying around.  I’ve been eating a lot of smoothies, and I think that Noah encourages me to over buy bananas simply because he knows what happens when the bananas start to get a little on the smushy side…banana bread.

When I was in grad school, Hayley and I decided that we needed to determine the absolute best recipe for banana bread.  I think that we went through something like 12 or 14 recipes and ended up in love with the recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  The recipe comes together differently than your usual quick bread – you’ll be convinced that something is wrong until you get the bananas into the mix, but I promise you that this makes a great loaf of banana bread.  I’ve tried a few others here and there, but this one remains my standby.

Banana Bread – The Joy of Cooking

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour  (166.67 grams)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl, beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 2 to 3 minutes:
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar

Beat in the flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (I throw ½ t vanilla in here)

Fold in until combined:
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or  equivalent in chocolate chips, YUM)

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

Peanut butter cookies with crunch

Early last month I promised my friend Tab that I would make him some peanut butter cookies.   I’m pretty sure that when I told him that I would be happy to make them he didn’t think that it would take me six weeks to get around to it, but these particular cookies are worth waiting for.   The recipe comes from a little cookbook called “Sweet Gratitude” by Judith Sutton, and despite the fact that I’ve been stockpiling new peanut butter cookie recipes for a few years now, this is the one that I make every single time.  It’s easy, it’s fast, I always have the ingredients in the house and oh yeah – they are pretty damn great.

Peanut Butter Cookies With Crunch (makes 60 tiny cookies, or 24/26 normal sized ones):

• 1 ½  c unbleached all purpose flour
• ½ t baking soda
• ¼ t salt
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ c granulated sugar
• ¼ c plus 2 T packed light brown sugar
• ¾ c crunchy peanut butter (not “natural – break out the Jif for this one)
• 1 large egg
• 1 t pure vanilla extract

1. Put the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease (or, if you’re me, use parchment paper) two large baking sheets.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Beat in the peanut butter.  Beat in the egg, blending well, then beat in the vanilla.  On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 2 additions.
4. Scoop out a slightly rounded teaspoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into a scant 1-inch ball, and place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  With the back of a fork, gently press a crisscross pattern into each cookie, flattening it to ¼ inch thick.
5. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through backing, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and barely colored on top.  Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.  (Note – I like to use my oxo scoop to measure out the cookies, plus I like these better as a normal sized, 2 1/2 inch cookie.  If you make the bigger size, bake for 10 to 13 minutes.
6. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days.

Consider yourself warned – this cookie dough is really, really good.  Not that I eat raw cookie dough or anything…ok, fine – what else are you supposed to do with the peanut-buttery goodness on the beaters?

Now, to get these cookies to Tab before I’m forced to eat them all myself…although, then I could make a second batch!

Note – this batch is already down by one, but who’s counting?

Asian dumpling soup and a very cold night

My kitchen smells amazing.

I just walked downstairs and was greeted with the smell of ginger and garlic and that wonderful           smell that only a great pot of soup can give a kitchen.  I decided that my first jump back into actually making dinner should be something that makes me happy not just while eating it, but while putting it all together, and this recipe hits the spot.

Last year I found an incredibly easy and really good recipe for Asian Dumpling Soup.  Every so often, Martha nails it.  I made the soup over and over last winter, and can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get back to it.  It’s flavorful and substantial but not too heavy, the scallions, ginger and garlic make store bought stock taste delicious, and you can throw in whatever kind of dumpling floats your boat.

The long and the short of it is that this is a soup worth making, especially on nights where it’s 21 degrees out and your husband is going to have to shovel when he gets home.  I would shovel myself, of course, but I’m cooking dinner!

Asian Dumpling Soup – From Everyday Food, March 2004

Ingredients

• 4 scallions, white and green parts only, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup peeled and slivered fresh ginger (I often throw in the end pieces for flavor and then fish them out before eating)
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth (veggie broth is good, too)
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved and thinly sliced (or whatever mushrooms you like, tonight I’m using partobella)
• 1 package (15 ounces) frozen stuffed dumplings
• 1 can (15 ounces) baby corn, drained (1 2/3 cups) I use frozen corn instead
• 2 bunches watercress, stems trimmed (4 cups) I like to use baby spinach, but I’ve also used frozen spinach.  Popeye would be proud of me.
  

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and mushrooms, cook until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add dumplings and baby corn; boil until dumplings are tender, about 4 minutes. Add watercress, stir until wilted, about 30 seconds. Spoon into bowls, and serve immediately.

Music to cook by:  Simon and Garfunkle’s Greatest Hits and Lily Allen’s Fuck You.   Love that song.

Resolutions

New year’s resolutions and I have an on and off relationship.  Some years I make them, other years I make them at Rosh Hashanah, and then there are the years I don’t even bother because I’m so busy thinking about the word resolution vs. re-solution, which I think I like better than resolution…

But I digress.  This is a “make them” year, and here’s what I have so far:

1.  Cook dinner more often.  The past few months I have basically stopped cooking, and I miss it.  I’ve found that if I don’t plan for it, it doesn’t happen, so back to planning ahead!

2.  Stop sucking at returning personal calls.  I struggled with this the year I worked at Hillel.  When you are on the phone and meeting with people all day, it can take all the energy you have left to pick up the phone when you get home, even if it’s someone you love and miss very much.  Note to self – the couch is a phone call killing abyss.  A comfortable, wonderful phone call killing abyss.  Avoid lovely couch until calls are made.

3.  Step up the blogging.  I hate doing anything half assed, so it’s time to get better with the camera and with the updating.

4. Gain some weight.  I needed at least one slam dunk, right?

Are any of you making new year’s resolutions?  What are they?  I might want to take them as my own.

The ark is sailing…

For the second, no, make that third time in six months, our department is moving offices.  Our building-wide flood (really, it was more of a leak gone very, very wrong) has continued to drive us all up the wall.  Our first and second set of temporary offices were all in the Federation building, but Monday morning movers are coming to take us to our new home several miles down the road.

This move, while a bit of a pain, will ultimately be a good thing – we were very, very crowded – sharing offices, overhearing other people’s conversations (kind of fun, sometimes, unless you’re the one who is being overheard), constantly juggling where to meet.

All that aside, I was sharing an office with my friend Lisa, which made work feel a lot like freshman year (minus the fraternity parties, of course).  Luckily, our new for now offices are next to each other.  I know.  You were worried.

So, new year, new offices.   I’ll keep you updated!

(btw – the ark reference is thanks to my friend Susie, who chose the winning nickname for our current suite.  I’m not sure if she suggested it because of the flood, or because we’re packed in here like they must have been all those biblical years ago.  My vote was for Markley, but you can’t win ‘em all!).

Noah and the torch

Last night Noah had the honor of participating in the Olympic Torch Relay as it came through Windsor.  It was so much fun – about 20 of our friends and family (many from across the border!) came to watch, and then we had pizza and beer back at our house.

As soon as we can get the video up and the rest of the pictures uploaded  I’ll postthem, but in the meantime, I’ll leave you with this…

Yummy, ugly food

It is cold here.  Really freaking cold.  The kind of cold that makes you want, no, need to jump in bed in between walking in the door and making dinner.   The kind of cold that makes you want to eat something hot, fast, and very, very comforting.

Last night I decided to forgo the plan I had for dinner and instead make not one, but two boxes of Aimee’s macaroni and cheese.  Noah and I are partial to the white cheddar with some tuna thrown in.   I like to pretend that the tuna makes it healthy.

When Noah found out what I was making for dinner he declared me a genius.  He’s totally right.  It was a perfect dinner – definitely too ugly for pictures, but delicious enough for me to want again tonight – too bad there weren’t any leftovers!

Baby Abe-y

My travels, while wonderful, are finally over for a while.  I had a great extra-long weekend in Florida with Hayley, Ian and their new baby Abram.  Abram, aka baby Abe-y or Babe-ram, is delicious, and I was so happy to spend time with him.

We spent our days doing a whole lot of nothing, which was perfect – lots of sitting, talking, napping, shopping, snacking, watching silly movies – you get the point.  The weather in Florida was unseasonably warm, which was fine by me – I loved the heat and even the humidity, especially since it was literally 18 degrees in Detroit while I was gone.  I don’t get to spend enough time with Hayley, so leaving was definitely hard, but I know that I will see her soon (ish, anyway).

Now – time to get used to a full length work week, being at home for more than a few days in row, and best of all – getting to spend some time with Noah!

A good, good night

Last night Noah and I got back from Lisa and Dan’s wedding – we had such a great time.    The thing that sticks most with me is how incredibly happy the two of them were to be married to each other.   Lisa was just radiating with joy and Dan was doing the same.  I was thrilled to be able to be a part of their simcha, and can’t wait to see what adventures life will bring them (hopefully including a visit to Windsor very soon!).   Happy two day anniversary!

Speaking of a good, good night – my brother sent me this link to a video of students from  l’Université du Québec à Montréal  lip syncing “I Gotta Feeling”.  The attention to detail and the amount of coordination that must have gone into this is just incredible.  Check it out – I think it’s worth the 4 1/2 minutes!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcOFN_VBVo

Chatting with customs

Last night I pulled up in one of the regular customs lanes (not the fast lane – I had groceries in the car, particularly some yogurt for Jordana), and the person recognized me.  I hand him my passport and visa, and he takes a quick look and asks “hey, what’s new?”.  We ended up having a 2 minute conversation about Thanksgiving, if I had been homesick, my nephews, black Friday, how much we both hate the malls during the month of December, and internet shopping.

I’m sure the person behind me was jumping out of his/her skin because we were taking so long, but it sure was fun for me!