Take a Megabite

Roasted Banana Bread

When you make this banana bread, just consider the oven a banana tanning bed. In a mere 15 minutes they have bronze beach bodies … and on top of all that, the fruit turns into a caramelized dream.

I fell in love with roasted bananas back when I made Roasted Banana Cupcakes. So I decided to take my mom’s classic banana bread and roast the bananas. Then I added a bit of cinnamon.

The next thing you know I was in love … in love with a bread. Why not?

Roasted Banana Bread {makes 1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves}
Recipe adapted from my mom

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas (about 1 cup after roasting + mashing)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 3 T canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• generous sprinkling of cinnamon (1/4 t-ish)
• turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place 4 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. The peels with darken. Don’t be alarmed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before peeling. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.
2. In a large bowl mash the roasted bananas. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl whisk the milk, egg and canola oil together. Pour the flour mixture into the roasted bananas, followed by the milk mixture and sugar. Stir until everything is incorporated. Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the batter and stir in.
3. Spray 3 mini bread pans or 1 large bread pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper and overlap two sides of the pan so you can lift the bread out eventually (like below). Spray with cooking spray again.
   
4. Divide batter between 3 prepared mini loaf pans or 1 large bread pan. Bake the minis for 30 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean. Bake the large loaf for an hour or until cake tester comes out clean.
5. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Hey Elliot, thanks for keeping it real and appreciating roasted banana bread.

Cornmeal Pancakes

I bought the good corn meal this week, and right on the front of the bag was a recipe for my dream pancake. I might’ve been tempted to make these for dinner throughout the week, but I held out until this morning, and I’m going to be honest when I say that I ate these as I made them (I couldn’t resist!) … the ones on the party plate were reserved for Jake.

Last Sunday my friend and I hung out and spent a significant amount of time talking about how pretty much cornbread anything is amazing. So here you go, friend of mine: cornbread-esque pancakes. A breakfast miracle.

Make these the next time you’re feeling starry-eyed about cornbread. They sure won’t disappoint. Serving them on a party plate doesn’t hurt either.

Cornmeal Pancakes
Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup medium grind cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4+ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 vegetable oil (I only had olive oil! It worked too.)
• maple syrup to serve

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, pour water over cornmeal, stir until thick. Add milk; beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and brown sugar. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Stir in oil. (If the batter seems thin, add 1/4 cup more flour.)
3. Cook on a hot non-stick skillet or griddle, leaving the temperature at a little below medium. (Feel free to melt a teensy bit of butter on the skillet or griddle before cooking. Chances are you won’t need to add anymore though, since these guys don’t bother sticking.)

What’s the batter with you?
See, it’s lookin’ a little thin so add some more flour, already!

Honey Cornmeal Scones

I can count on Jake making pizza every week.

I can count on Elliot mistaking a tulip for a squirrel and trying to fight it.
(He gets embarrassed when we go up close and he realizes it’s just a tulip.)

I can always count on being hungry for corn bread topped with honey, and these scones have that cornbread and honey thing that I find completely irresistible.

These guys are best warm, right out of the oven, but what isn’t? When they are no longer warm, dunk these guys in your coffee. Don’t bother being shy about it. Scones think of coffee as a hot tub.

Honey Cornmeal Scones {8 scones}
Recipe adapted from A Mingling of Tastes

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 T packed brown sugar
• 5 T unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes or frozen and grated

glaze -

• 2 T milk
• 1 T honey

* If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour substitute 1/2 cup cake flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.

Directions:

1. Place the butter in the freezer. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the egg, buttermilk, honey and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Grate the cold butter using the large holes on the side of your box grater. Add the cold butter and mix it in with a fork until it’s a loose sandy consistency.
4. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and gently combine just until all the flour is moistened.
5. Pat into a  half inch high circle and cut into 8 triangles. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Brush with glaze (2T milk + 1 T honey whisked together).
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool on baking sheet a couple minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Eat while warm!

Look at at that crumby middle.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!

Ok. The trick today is that I’m telling you again to make Corn Bread Pizza. The treat is that you’ll love it!
I like to roll the crust thin and then fit it into my 8 inch cake pan tucking the extra dough around the edges for a crust.

And check it out. It’s happy to see you.

P.S. I have cookies and granola on the brain. Keep coming back because there are good things coming your way.

Oh! And comment to say, “Hi” if you want to. I’d love it!

“Lick the Bowl” Beef Stew + Easy Corn Bread

Don’t bother asking for a bite of my meal. Really, don’t bother. Especially when I’m eating a meal as delicious as this. It’s just not going to happen.

I can’t wait to make this again on a freezing cold day. I’ll eat it in my frumpy fleece and yoga pants, and not even care.

This beef stew is amazing. Jake and I both wanted to lick the bowls, and both agreed that the flavorful thick broth was the very best part. And my love for corn bread is old news.

“Lick the Bowl” Beef Stew
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light and Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 4 T butter, divided
• 1 pound baby button mushrooms, cut in half
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 6 potatoes peeled and chopped
• 3 carrots peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 t thyme
• sprinkling of cinnamon
• sprinkling of allspice
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and saute for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. Add onion; saute 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushrooms.
2. Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining oil and butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef mixture; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned beef to mushroom mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining beef, sprinkling again with salt and pepper. Removing again and setting aside.
3. Measure out wine and balsamic vinegar and add to the Dutch oven, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon and allspice and bring to a boil. Stir in beef mixture (mushrooms, onion, garlic and beef) to the pan. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour.
4. Stir in potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and fifteen minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves. Eat with corn bread!

Easy Corn Bread
Recipe from Quaker

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt (optional)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8 or 9 inch pan.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, corn meal, sugar and baking powder).
3. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing until until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until light gold brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Serve warm with beef stew.

And here is Elliot being ever-s0-hopeful about cornbread.

Corn Bread Pizza

I love pizza and I love corn bread.

So here you go. A delicious marriage of those two amazing things.
We ate these outside. So many good things at once.
Too much of a good thing? Impossible.
Could I eat this one or five times a week? Hell yes.

Did you know that I also love individualized foods? It’s true. I do! That’s the link between my love for cupcakes and my love for these individual pizzas.

Corn Bread Pizza (makes two, but can easily be doubled)
Recipe from Meal Planning Mommies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1 cup flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil

Toppings:

• Tomato sauce ( 1/2 a jar)
• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Pinch of italian seasoning per pizza
• Whatever else your little heart desires

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 inch cake pans and sprinkle with corn meal.
2. Mix dry ingredients (corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt)
3. Mix water and olive oil in a separate bowl.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add water/oil mixture into the well and stir until a soft dough forms.
5. Refrigerate until ready or divide in half and roll each into an 8 inch circle. Place in prepared cake pans and top with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni and parmesan. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and put in the oven.
6. Bake for 12-16 minutes, rotating half way through. Remove from the oven when cheese is bubbling. Using a spatula or two, transfer to a plate. Eat like you mean it.

* This recipe can easily be made to apply for 3 people or doubled for 4 people!