day 36 = banana bread (#2)

i still had two bananas left from day 30 (banana cream pie) and this time charley let them rot on my counter (unlike day 10 when he tossed them in the trash). i was so excited to make a new banana bread recipe, but i realized i only had one egg and did not feel like leaving the house to go to the store. so i searched my cookbook collection and every recipe had 3 eggs in it. ok, now what. i went online and entered in the words "banana bread with one egg" and came up with this recipe. the problem is, i didn't have 1 full cup of sugar or 3 bananas. oy, i am going to need to improvise. here's what i did:

step 1: gather your ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 extremely ripe bananas, mashed*

8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

5 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

cinnamon

*if you don't have ripe bananas, don't fret, read the comment in day 8 from nancy (my inspiration)

step 2: grease and flour a loaf pan

step 3: sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt

step 4: lightly beat egg

step 5: cream the butter and sugar

step 6: add the flour mixture, then egg, then vanilla

step 7: mix in bananas, pineapple, and milk by hand

step 8: pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon

sarah:

i made this for us, but we didn't get a chance to eat it the first night. so i left for work and told charley to have some of it. when i called him in the evening to let him know we were going over to friends for dinner. here's our conversation:

me: "we need to be there in about an hour"

charley: "what are we going to bring?"

me: "we'll take the banana bread"

charley: "what's left of it..."

what's left of it?! it's only been a few hours how much could he have eaten! when i go home, there was only 1/2 the loaf left!! luckily, it's pretty dense so after a terrific meal we had with friends you only needed a little bit. i hope they enjoyed!

the bread is extremely moist and doughy. if you like a less doughy (more cake like) banana bread, see day 8. i highly recommend either this one or the recipe in my cookbook.

charley:

second time around on the banana bread and i didn't throw out the aged ingredient which did in fact make this dish that much better! i didn't realize that banana's become more flavorful as they brown and these must have been perfect because i couldn't help but eat half of it in two sittings.  Great stuff!

enjoy!

day 29 (part II) - killer shrimp soup

sarah:
there is a restaurant in marina del rey, ca called Killer Shrimp that closed down and has just reopened a few years later. we went to eat there twice now and the wait was over 45 mins so hopefully it will stay around now that it's back!

it's fantastic. they only serve one item: shrimp, 3 ways: with french bread, with pasta, or with rice. the shrimp come in a huge serving bowl filled with this wonderful sauce. peels remain on the shrimp so it gets a little messy, but you must give in and use your fingers. my favorite way to eat is dipping the french bread in the sauce... this is my best attempt to recreate the dish from memory, but i can't wait to go eat there and see if it's even close. it's also in my cookbook if you want more great food finds!

the total cost today (without the spices which i bought the last time we made this dish) was: $24.36. we are going to take the leftover broth to our friend's bbq tomorrow so people can enjoy the sauce!

• 2 quarts chicken broth (64oz)
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (use more if you like)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup clam juice
• 1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 pounds shrimp, with tails and shells
• 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread

1. pour broth into a large pot, and mix in rosemary, garlic, pepper, celery seed, fennel seed, thyme, red pepper flakes, clam juice, tomato paste, and butter. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. stir wine into the soup, and continue to simmer and occasionally stir 2 hours. if you have time, put the soup in the refrigerator and let sit overnight. the next day, put back on the stove and heat for 1/2 hr to hr. (i liked it better this way, but charley found no difference in taste when served immediately)
3. just before serving, stir in shrimp. cook for 3 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. serve with bread for soaking up all the yummy broth.

charley:
when sarah first said this wasn't as good as last time and didn't have a lot of flavor i wasn't sure what she was tasting.  in fact, i liked this more then last time because she added more heat then she did previously.  i like spicy food so this worked great for me.  i only wish there would have been more shrimp!

enjoy!

day 8 = 1952 banana chocolate chip bread

tonight's banana bread is special. my grandmother received the "Antoinette Pope School" (Macmillan)cookbook after she was married. she had a 1952 edition and gave it to me a few years ago when she stopped cooking. flipping through it today, i found a handwritten "Triple Recipe Chop Suey" note in the book. how fun!

sarah:

this smelled amazing when i was making it. the dough was so fluffy i really couldn't wait to bake it. my bananas were not ripe enough yet (but i was eager to make this) so i think that's the one downfall in how it came out. otherwise, i highly recommend this if you want a traditional banana bread. click on the picture of the recipe above and you should be able to read it.  if you want a really moist and vibrant banana bread, check out the recipe in my cookbook. that has to be the best banana bread i've ever had.

i did a few things to this recipe that were new tricks. if you are in a pinch, try these:

1) buttermilk substitute = put 1 tsp lemon juice in a 1/3 cup measuring cup.   pour enough milk to get to the top and let sit 5 mins. (use 1 tbsp for 1 cup).

2) salted butter substitute = substitue unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp salt per 1 stick of butter to your flour mixture. sift the flour mixture with other dry ingredients before using.

3) for a moist bread = the recipe calls for putting another pan on top of the the one you are using for a moist bread. i've never heard that before, but tried it and the bread is super moist!

4) who needs nuts when you can add chocolate chips!

charley:

i see we are on day eight and I am doing all that i can to keep from putting on weight.  to be honest i have put on about 1.5 lbs since the start of this and that is with a normal work-out regiment.  the food is just too good and i am loving it all.  i will just need to work out harder because i am so happy with what she makes.  i knew i found a keeper!!!!!  anyway for this evening's treat i was a little surprised as it was not as strong of a banana flavor as i would have expected.  it was good as it was not dry, but the strongest flavor to it was the  chocolate chips.  i am not sure if i would recommend removing the chocolate, but i think i would prefer more banana.  the cake itself was moist and tasty and i hope it has more banana taste the next day!

enjoy!