Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Go Banana, Mr. Foster (Bananas Foster Banana Bread)

Banana Bread returns. The quintessential baked good of the pandemic — or maybe second to sourdough. The question actually is: is banana *bread* actually a bread? Why is it not a cake?

And why the name “Go Bananas, Mr. Foster!”? Well, Bananas Foster, the dessert, often made “table side” at restaurants (how 1970s), is lots of butter, lots of sugar — which when mixed together make a caramel-like sauce — rum to flambe and bananas, served with ice cream, is pretty much wrapped up in this banana bread. Well, minus the ice cream and I didn’t set the banana bread on fire. Also, if you ever went to a University of Maine sporting event, you will know that the black bear mascot is named Bananas the Bear. There is a little jingle/cheer that goes “Go! Bananas! Go-go Bananas!” So I have had that stuck in my head for days, so I combined Bananas Foster and Bananas the Bear. Go-go Bananas!
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3. March 2021
Breads

Cinnamon “Swirl” No Knead Bread, Baked in a Dutch Oven

Here is my second bread to show off for Bread Week: an artisan cinnamon raisin bread. I’d say that it is a cinnamon “swirl” bread, but with no knead breads, they are pretty hard to create the swirl itself, so it is more like cinnamon “streak” bread. I know that raisins are a a controversial food item (sort of like Brussels Sprouts). If you don’t like ’em, leave ’em out. 🙂
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2. March 2021
Breads

Low Knead Whole Wheat Anadama Bread,
Baked in a Dutch Oven

Anadama Bread: one of those typically Massachusetts / New England breads. I actually revised this one — and then entered it into a contest, which I don’t think that I will win, but nevertheless, I entered — by adding a little bit of nutmeg, a very dark avocado blossom honey to go with the molasses, and then baking it in one of my dutch ovens instead of the traditional loaf pan. Came out quite nicely. It’s a lovely breakfast bread, so may become part of my standard bread making routine.
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1. March 2021
Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Almond Butter Cinnamon Chip Mini Cookies (No Flour/GF)

These are Almond Butter Cinnamon Chip Mini Cookies. A cookie will easily fit in the palm of my hand (like literally the palm part, not touching my fingers). They are wheat free / gluten free, butter free and despite taking all that fun stuff out, taste really yummy. Full of cinnamon and almond. They can also be made with mini chocolate or mini white chocolate chips.
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28. February 2021
Dinner, Lunch, Soups

Souper Simple Chicken and Himalayan Red Rice Soup

Chicken soup is always a hearty, nourishing, “makes yah feel good” type of food and that was just what I wanted today. I was also lazy, so I went the “lazy person route” and just bought a rotisserie chicken at Whole Foods. And instead of noodles, this time I went for rice — Himalayan Red Rice, in fact. It lends itself to soup as the rice stays firm for a pretty long time and have a nice nutty flavor. If you can’t find Himalayan Red Rice, any long grain “wild” rice will do (just don’t use white rice because you have mush instead of rice after a very short time).
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25. February 2021