Fresh Out of the Oven

Hey, P.S. if you just read this post because you thought it would be about some new single J-Lo dropped, sorry and hated it for ya. Cuz I'm a talking about my oven, and the goodness coming out of it. Let's be honest folks. How many of you there are getting ready in the morning for work and out of the corner of your eye you catch sight of a bunch of bananas that are beginning to turn black and think to yourself, "Dang, you know I oughtta be eating those before they go bad, or else I'll have to make some banana nut bread." If you were raised in the south, anyway, you prolly have similar thought patterns. TO throw them out would be sacrilege since that's when they are best for making into that most comforting of comfort foods.

So I know this isn't a dinner entry. But now that I've actually GOT the book that the project is based on in hand (god bless UPS), I might as well whip it out and start a-cookin' from it hello. So this weekend I've got the dueling holidays of Valentine's Day and the first day of Chinese New Year (both on the 14th). I'm in the preliminary phases on planning some sort of hybrid fusion night with maybe a chinese themed lovers meal. But I needed something to give to the lucky couples. So I thought I'd make some banana nut bread and try out Mr. Claiborne's recipe. And a double batch at that. I took myself to the UFM Bakery shop today on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 and bought a bunch of small loaf pans and some walnuts so I could get cracking once home from that somewhat oppressive place otherwise known as the office.

I needed two cups of bananas crushed. Yes, it tells you to use a fork. But you know I had had a few glasses of red wine and needed something more visceral. How much fun would it be to put all those bananas through the food chopper attachment on my kitchenaid. Yes, and overkill I might admit. But please tell me that you can't see the satisfaction in getting to use something that throws us back to the play-dough set days with it squirting out in worm like shapes. And yes, it was everything I was hoping for. I highly recommend this most therapeutic of culinary joys.

But--and I'll say this loud and proud--I just gotta change up the recipes sometime. I mean, come on, Craig, what were you thinking girl? To omit spices or vanilla of any kind? Duh. My mama wouldn't be having any of that. So nutmeg, cinnamon, a dash of allspice and a splash of vanilla were added. And the better for it, yes siree Bob. :)

Oh, and I squirted a generous heaping of red food coloring in the batter to make it as pink/red as possble. Lukcy for me the color red and be equally used in Valentine's or Chinese New Year.