On the Divide

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Recipe Corner: Ten Minute Banana Bread

We found this recipe for banana bread at http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bananabread . It is called 10-minute banana bread, and is based on a recipe from the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking. It has become an easy favorite when we have bananas that are too mushy even for banana splits. It seems to do fine at our elevation without any adjustments.

We have variations and additions, which is why this is going on our family blog. Our recipe card is getting hard to read what with all the blips and blobs of dough and stuff on it.

Ten Minute Banana Bread

Combine:

4-5 TB (about half a stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
2-3 very ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar (usually 1/3 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional, but we like it)

Add and then blend in:

1-1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder

and spices (we usually start with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. each of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger).

Most people combine all the dry ingredients and then add them to the wet ones. Since we are lazy and don't want to wash any extra bowls, we add them straight to the wets. Usually we add the salt and spices and stir all the wets. Then we dump in the flour, put the leavening on top of the flour and stir it gently to mix it with the flour, then mix the flour/leavening in with the rest of the batter.

Since this is a quick bread, don't over-mix when combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

Finally, put in any interesting additions. We use two or three from the following list: chopped nuts, raisins, dried or fresh/frozen cranberries, candied ginger, chocolate chips, plus no doubt we'll come up with more later.

Put in a greased loaf pan and bake 30 minutes or so in a preheated 350F oven. The time it bakes depends on the loaf pan size. This does pretty well in one standard size loaf pan.

It can be made into mini-loaves and probably also muffins. We find that most quick bread recipes make decent muffins and vice-versa, and also simple cakes (in our 8x8 square pan).

Here are some variations:

One can cream the butter and sugar together for about 2-3 minutes before adding the other wet ingredients. That apparently is what the original Joy of Cooking recipe calls for.

One can substitute 2/3 to 1 cup pumpkin for some or all of the banana.

One can use oil instead of butter.

An extra banana doesn't do any harm.

Our latest variation, which turned out very well, is to add 1/3 cup of oats (the kind used for oatmeal or oatmeal cookies) and 2 TB. of molasses. Yum.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Recipe Corner: Chocolate Fondue

This may become our new New Year's Eve dessert tradition...

Chocolate Fondue

8 oz. milk chocolate (we used a package of El Rey's Rio Caribe Irapa Dark Milk Chocolate discos)
8 oz. white chocolate (we used a package of El Rey's Icoa White Chocolate discos)
1 cup heavy cream (one half-pint carton)
2-3 tablespoons of our home-made cherry schnapps

Dump all ingredients into our electric fondue pot. Turn the heat to the recommended setting for dessert fondues. Wait until it all melts and stir it until smooth. Turn the heat down a bit, as recommended in the booklet that came with the fondue pot. Dip in yummy things and commence the feast.

This evening's yummy things included approximate 1"-sized cubes and chunks of strawberries, bananas, apples, and angel food cake.

It was very, very good. And very, very easy.

Happy New Year to all.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ski Monument Hill merchandise

A commenter asked where to purchase "Ski Monument Hill" merchandise.

T-shirts, posters, travel mugs, and the famous license plate holder are currently available from the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, according to their recent advertisement in a local newspaper. They have a "limited number" of these promotional items available for your holiday gift-giving needs.

We have not yet skied Monument Hill this winter. With some luck, we won't have to. For those who wish to try it, the weather forecast for tomorrow includes plenty of snow and wind. Good luck!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Changes

A lot has changed since the last post!

We still live on the Divide, but in a different area. Our new place is lower in elevation, below the tree zone. It has taken quite a while to get settled! Maybe there will be more posts here in a while. Or maybe the blog will stay dormant until we're totally unpacked and comfortable in our new house.

We won't have as many wild animals wandering around. No more bears in the garbage, deer in the garden. Or not as many. No more grouse sunning themselves on the fence railing, no more turkeys wandering through the yard, no more mountain lions screaming at midnight. Our new area does have bluebirds, magpies, geese flying overhead, frogs singing in early summer.

We see sunrise on the mountains from our house instead of seeing the fog in the valley. We look up instead of down for our views.

I will continue to add family recipes to the blog. That way, I know I can find them easily!