Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I'm quick jotting this down so it's a recipe I don't forget! The original idea came from here, just so I'm giving credit where it's due. I really wanted to make that recipe, but also really didn't want to use butter, and only had two bananas. Here's my tweaked version!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 overripe bananas (mine were frozen)
1/w c. regular or Greek plain yogurt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
1/2 + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. brewed coffee (just save a tiny bit from a leftover pot!)
1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips -- reserve for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If need be, thaw your bananas. If not, mash them.

"Cream" the yogurt, sugar, vanilla and salt. with a spoon or spatula. Add egg and mix well. Add bananas, remaining dry ingredients, and coffee. Mix well again until all dry ingredients are well incorporated and only a few tiny lumps of banana remain.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, depending on your oven.

As the bread cools, press the chocolate chips into the top of the bread and allow them to slightly melt on top. :)

"Creaming" the sugar and yogurt.

What the complete batter looks like!

And finally, what I did with an extra slice this evening while watching Chopped with Hubby!! Chocolate chip ice cream and caramel sauce were the perfect, decadent complement! Highly recommend.

Slice and enjoy! <3

Banana-Cranberry Quick Bread

Well, it's the end of the month again, which in our house means we can see the bottom of our pantry and fridge shelves! We still have a week to go though, since we shop strictly once a month due to distance and budget.

Our eggs, bread, and fresh fruit are almost gone, BUT I had a banana and some leftover cranberries in the freezer and just enough flour to get my brain thinking creatively. So this evening I made what I hope will be a delicious snack and breakfast loaf (that doesn't taste as cheap as it was!) to help us coast into our week before our next shopping trip.

This is adapted from my mom's original A - Z Loaf. This recipe is golden. I use it literally for every quick bread I make. 

Banana-Cranberry Quick Bread

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/3 c. oil
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) margarine, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 ripe or overripe banana
1 c. cranberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a regular bread loaf pan.

Simmer the cranberries on medium high heat with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. When they are tender to the touch, pull the pan off the heat. Set aside.

Cream the margarine and sugar with the vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, egg, and oil. Mix with a hand or stand mixer on high until well incorporated. Add the cinnamon, banana, lemon zest, lemon juice and cranberries.

Mix again on a low setting until the cranberries give just a tinge of color to the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for an hour and twenty minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The berries bake up so sweet, the crust is slightly chewy, and the lemon zest gives the perfect complimentary flavor.

My view for the evening. 

Enjoy with life, even when the pantry's empty.

Something Old, Something New, Something Inspired, Something True

I cannot even imagine how God decided to put the thought of making banana bread in my head tonight...but I am glad he did. It has been many months since I've whipped up the tested and tried recipe for walnut banana bread that I love. Especially just for my own family. It's been not so many months, though, since my cookbooks, along with most of my belongings and my home were destroyed in a raging house fire.

The fire brought many unwelcome realities into our lives. Homelessness, fear, illness, frustration,
depression.  Some of these we are still working through. Despite hard times though, God is good. How humbling it has been to have had to accept groceries, clothing, basic toiletries, furniture, even housing and means to have Christmas gifts for our child.

We have seen kindness without limits, love without condition. It is overwhelming. So much has happened since I have last posted on this blog. Even since I have last made that banana bread. But by the grace of God, here I type.

A few weeks ago, another kind soul from my workplace had an abundance of bananas, brown and overripe. She asked if I could use any of them. I gratefully snagged six, with every intent to bake up several loaves of bread. But in the midst of insurance calls, restoration orders, and sorting through the mess of our destroyed home, the bananas remained freezer-bound.

Finally, this evening, I felt compelled with hunger a sudden motivation to make that banana bread. I still don't know if the recipe was in my recipe box, which we think survived the fire and is with the restoration company, or if it is a pile of ash in a dumpster. Thankfully, the internet exists and thankfully, I started this random blog three years ago to record my favorite recipes. I stumbled back upon this website, and found an unexpected joy in creating something beautiful. As weird as it
may sound, God knew that banana bread recipe was just the thing I needed to put life and joy back into my day.

The recipe is my Mom's; we call it the A-Z Loaf. You can find it here. I love it because you can substitute the bananas and walnuts for just about anything (from Apples to Zucchini) that strikes your fancy. And I love it because it is my Mom's. It's funny that in the midst of chaos, a simple recipe and a silly blog site helped restore order.

Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Lord.

A-Z Loaf: Banana Bread with Ghiradelli Chocolate Glaze

Two whole weeks...feels like a lot more than that since I've posted!! But I guess a lot has happened to me and my family in those two short weeks. I can officially add another item to my "new" list from the beginning of this blog: being a para-educator.

Most of my mornings are now spent savoring those last few minutes in bed before I really have to get up, leaving little time for thinking about breakfast before I head off to school. And honestly, I don't think breakfast can get any easier than banana bread. Just throw it together the night before, and voila...instant get-dressed-gather-your-stuff-and-eat-breakfast-all-at-the-same-time.

This recipe is my mother's, and it is fabulous. I've always loved making this quick bread. The recipe is called "A to Z Loaf" because you can use just about any fruit, veggie or flavor to make it your own! I'll share the original recipe, the entire A-Z list, and the Ghiradelli Chocolate Glaze, a {completely unnecessary yet delicious} addition of my own.

Enjoy with life, especially on those crazy mornings.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups A-Z  (see following list)
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Ghiradelli Chocolate Glaze:

1/4 generous cup of large Ghiradelli dark chocolate pieces
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add oil and sugar. Cream well. Add A-Z and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients. Mix well.

Blend in nuts, if desired. Spoon into two well-greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Within the last few minutes of the baking process, melt the chocolate and margarine in a microwave safe bowl for fifteen seconds. Stir. Repeat process until all chocolate is melted and margarine is well-mixed in.

Pour atop the bread. Allow bread to cool completely before eating or serving. :)

A-Z List!
*use one of the following or a mixture of the following to equal 2 cups, except as indicated*

apples, grated
applesauce
apricots
bananas, mashed
carrots, grated
cherries, pitted and chopped
coconut, freshly ground
dates, pitted and finely chopped
eggplant, ground
 figs, finely chopped
grapes, seedless and chopped
honey (omit sugar)
lemons (use only 1/2 cup)
marmalade (omit 1 cup sugar)
mincemeat
oranges, chopped
peaches, canned or fresh
pears, chopped
peppermint, chopped
pineapple, crushed and drained
prunes, chopped (use 1 cup)
pumpkin, canned
raisins
raspberries, chopped
rhubarb, chopped
strawberries, fresh or frozen
sweet potatoes, grated
tapioca, cooked
tomatoes (use only 1/2 cup)
yams, cooked and mashed
yogurt, plain or flavored
zucchini, grated

Fabulous, right?? I absolutely LOVE how diverse this list is! Just to let you know, I omitted the walnuts and made only one loaf this time. {In other words, my husband isn't a walnut fan and I only had two bananas.}

Anyway, hope you enjoy this recipe and share it with anyone else who loves mixing and matching!