banana bread, three ways

you know what you do with extremely ripe bananas right? of course! you make banana bread with it. that's what happened about 2 months ago when a giant bunch of bananas were going super ripe on us at work. instead of tossing it in the garbage, i took it home and turned it into these three delicious different variety of banana bread. the first one being the classic. yes, pure and simple, nothing to it. the second had some pecans added with a cinnamon-y sugar topping. and lastly the third one was in the shape of a bundt cake and turned into a banana bread coffee-cake of sort with a yummy cinnamon-swirl sugar and pecans inside and the same on top. the topping was super crispy and crunchy. all three breads tasted wonderfully with our morning coffee the next day after i baked it the night before. let's say everyone was quite happy with the end result of those ripening bananas.

so if you have some ripe bananas and you'd like to tackle or try a new recipe, why not give this a shot. i love how it uses vegetable oil and the buttermilk really makes it good, and not dry at all. i think these taste even better as it sits, like on the second or third day. but who's to say you can't eat it all in one day (the same day). and yes, this recipe is so good, i just made a loaf last night with some riped bananas. so go ahead and bake a loaf. it would be super perfect for later this week when everyone's around for thanksgiving. :)


i think what i love most about this recipe is that it doesn't use butter. especially when you're making 3 loaves. the oil makes it super easy to stir (when using a fork instead of doing it in a proper mixer).


i really like the cinnamon sugar streusel topping. it adds a nice crunchy texture to this bread. if you're a fan of sweets/sugary goodies, you should definitely try it.

banana bread
banana bread recipe from all recipes

ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas (no idea how many bananas, but a good rule of thumb is 2-3 really ripe medium bananas should do)
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

optional cinnamon streusel topping:

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup (8 ounces) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

directions

1. preheat oven to 325°f (165°c). spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.
2. blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
3. sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. mix well.
4. pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

makes 1 9x5-inch loaf. or you can triple it like i did and make 3. enjoy and happy eating. :)

three banana bread variations:

• plain: make as is, leave out the nuts.
• banana bread with pecans (or any nuts) & cinnamon streusel topping: make as is, but with the nuts. top the batter with cinnamon streusel topping.
• banana bread coffee cake: make as is, with the nuts. also make the cinnamon streusel topping. pour half the batter into a bundt cake pan, top it with half the streusel topping, then top it with the rest of the batter, follow by the rest of the topping. the result is something delicious-looking when you cut into it, like this.

this year's holiday running streak: run 1 mile a day, every day starting on thanksgiving day until new year's

you heard that right. i saw this on my fb feed and decided i would do it too! it's from runner's world mag website and they're pledging to run at least a mile a day every day starting on thanksgiving day and going all the way through until new year's day. it's only a mile, so how bad can that be? what's that? at least 12 minutes of my day on super slow days. but a 12-minute mile is too easy. i can probably nail this down in 10 or less. actually, it would be pretty awesome to see how fast i can run this mile come new year's day. anyway, my running pace at the moment sucks, so who knows. i'd be lucky if i could do it in 12!

okay, so there you have it. if you'd like to pledge to run a mile a day starting thanksgiving day and going up to new year's day... join in on the fun. it can't be that bad. let's see how many days you can do it in a row or if you have to take a rest day, run an extra mile the next day. not too difficult right? i am so looking forward to this. i have been slacking in the running department the last month or two. it's really bad. and we have many holiday festivities coming up, so it should be interesting to see how i will fit in the mile runs (rain or shine, or snow!) and doing everything else. :)

my latest instagram good eats

it's been a while since i've posted food photos from my instagram. i'm still eating lots of goodies, but more or less the same things. i mean, i can almost never say no to pho. and those vietnamese bbq pork bowls with vermicelli noodles? yeah, those too. along with chipotle's burrito bowl and anything and everything sweet. yeah, i've been on a sugar kick the last few months, my forehead isn't liking it one bit. i noticed the last month or so i've been breaking out. and it's bad. like really bad, right there in that sweet spot on my forehead where you cannot hide it, not with anything. so awful, i know.

but, all isn't lost. i know we are about to enter crazy, amazing, super awesome holiday fever with thanksgiving right around the corner and all that good eats, follow by the endless leading up to christmas holiday baking. i've told myself that i'm not going to stuff myself with leftover pies for breakfast, lunch and dinner... pretty much every day and/or meal after thanksgiving (day) until it's gone. noticed how i put in the "day" part. yeah, that's because this year, we're not even hosting thanksgiving at our house. i mean, on the actual day. we did however hosted an early thanksgiving meal at our house (because m will not be around and wants to enjoy the full day festivity with football & all) this past weekend. and yes, i ate pie every day for breakfast the last few mornings until they disappeared. i think i ate the last slice last night for dessert. but going back to what i was saying, i will not eat pie every day post thanksgiving day. hah! it's a good thing because my face cannot handle anymore sweet stuff. i'm really breaking out bad. it's terrible. i will still however bake at least a couple of pies and bring it over to my bro-in-law's house. i'm thinking a salted caramel apple pie and the classic pecan pie. you cannot have thanksgiving without pecan pie (who says you must have pumpkin pie? because i don't like pumpkin pie!).

okay, below are the good eats. not a whole lot, just a few. and if i can manage to snap some photos, maybe i'll post up the apple pie recipe i plan to make. so stay tune! :)


we hosted an early thanksgiving meal at our house this past weekend and i have to say, everything was amazing. the perfect meal, like ever! just a bummer the niners lost their game. boo.


seriously, this is the best thing about a thanksgiving meal. the desserts! you cannot go wrong with tartine's bread pudding, pecan pie and raspberry pie. mmmm... so good!


this gnocchi with porcini and smoked pancetta dish at beretta (in the mission, in sf) is so good. i get it every time we eat there. m and i had a dinner date the other night and everything we ordered was spot on delish!


i bought a thing of 2-dozen eggs from costco a while back and never got around to using up the eggs. the expiration date on them were fast approaching so i used up the last of them in my go-to chocolate cookie recipe. yum!

salted caramel french macarons

happy november. we're in november already?!! well, that's a-okay with me. we are getting closer and closer to THE. BEST. TIME. OF. THE. YEAR. you know what that is! christmas. actually, no. thanksgiving and christmas. best holidays ever. or two of the best. ;)

okay, so i had my second wedding baking gig last month and these salted caramel french macarons were one of the four flavors requested. i have to say it was quite the yummy request because these turned out great. the salted caramel buttercream was light and almost fluffy-like. so airy and just perfect with the right amount of salty and sweetness combo. i don't think i've made a better salted caramel buttercream than this one.

below's the recipe for these good-looking french macarons should you want to make some. i say why not?! salted caramel is quite the hit these days. you cannot go wrong with it. and especially with the holidays coming up, these would make for a great holiday gift to anyone and everyone. i know i plan to bake some goodies and give them away this holiday season. you can too! :)


i think i've found the perfect salted caramel buttercream recipe. these cute little french macaron cookies are so good and tastes even better as you age them longer. i say at least 3 full days.

french macarons with salted caramel buttercream

for the macaron shells:
1 cup (100g) powdered sugar
3/4 cup (60g) almond meal
2 large egg whites (60g), at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp golden yellow or any gel food coloring of your choice
salted caramel buttercream (recipe below)

for the salted caramel buttercream:
1/4 cup salted caramel sauce (recipe here)
1 stick (8 oz) butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

directions:

to make the macaron batter/shells:

1. line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
2. sift together the powdered sugar and almond meal so there are no lumps. set aside.
3. in the bowl of a standing electric mixer (or if you prefer, you can use a bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. while whipping, beat in the sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
4. add in the gel food coloring. then carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. when the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).
5. pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1.35-inch circles evenly spaced one-inch apart.
6. rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. then let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes depending on humidity before baking them in the oven (okay, if you can't wait 30-60 minutes, i say at least 15 minutes to let them settle a little. just make sure the humidity isn't ridiculously high or your macarons won't turn out so pretty). about 10-15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350°F. bake for 15 minutes.
7. once the macaron shells are out of the oven, let them sit for 30-60 seconds before removing the hot baking sheet underneath. let the macarons cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper.

to make the salted caramel buttercream:

1. make the salted caramel sauce according to the recipe and cool to room temperature.
2. in an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium high, speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. then gradually add in the 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce.
3. put the mixer on low and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. then increase the speed to medium and beat until fully incorporated.
4. your buttercream should be good and ready for use!

to assemble the macaron cookies:

1. before assembling these cookies, make sure to pair up all the cookie shells so they are as close as possible in size.
2. using a knife, spread a good amount of the salted caramel buttercream on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. you can also put the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe the filling onto the cookie if you like. i do that sometimes, but most time i just spread it on.
3. let them stand at least one day (keep them refrigerated) before serving (serve at room temperature), to meld the flavors. note: i say 3 days is the magic number. they taste so good after 3 days.

store in airtight container for up to 5 days. makes 20-24 macarons. happy eating because these are really, really, good! :)