Last But Not Least – Quest for the Best Banana Bread

February 4, 2012April 13, 201331 Comments

This is it! Our very last banana bread recipe for our quest, and it’s a special one. There were two things that prompted our search for the best banana bread, which started in early 2011. The first was our friend Doree’s recipe. We knew it was amazing and were quite sure it was the best ever, so we wanted to put it to the test. The second was today’s recipe – Big Bird’s Banana Bread – which I used to make with my dad when I was a little one.

And so while the kids are still adjusting to the time change here in Hawaii (we’ve been up since 3:45 a.m. this morning), here’s a recipe that’s close to my heart. Big Bird’s Banana Bread is a recipe from The Sesame Street Library books that came out in 1977. These books were a favorite of mine as a child, but were ruined in a flood many years ago. Fortunately, when Mr. N was born I was able to find the complete set on eBay. Since then, I’ve been waiting for the day my kids would be old enough to make their very own Big Bird Banana Bread. Continue reading →

Quest for the Best Banana Bread – Mom Knows Best

January 24, 2012April 13, 201332 Comments

Tonight we continue on our quest for the best banana bread, which is actually nearing an end. In fact after today, we have only one last recipe (and it’s a special one) before the final taste test. I can’t even tell you how excited the kids are about lining up all the pieces of different banana breads for the final taste test. We don’t even know how many there are anymore, but they’re talking about it nearly every day. You would think it was Christmas again with their levels of anticipation.

But before we get to that special recipe and our final taste test, we had to try one more banana bread. It sounded too good to pass up. It comes to us from Dawn (actually Dawn’s mom) at First Look, Then Cook. If you don’t know Dawn, all of her recipes are delectable, but it’s her desserts that WOW me each and every time. She even makes me drool over chocolate (and folks that know me, know that’s saying something). Dawn has several delicious banana related desserts on her blog, but she swears by her mom’s recipe for banana bread, and how can you go wrong with a recipe from mom?! Continue reading →

Taking the Quest for the Best Banana Bread to New Elevations

December 7, 2011April 13, 201342 Comments

The countdown is on folks! Only a few more recipes before we’re opening up the freezer, thawing the banana bread slices and having ourselves a banana bread feast all the while we determine which is our favorite recipe. Perhaps it will be this one? Only time will tell.

This next recipe wasn’t originally going to be in the mix, but we ran across it while surfing around one day, and it was enough different than all the others that we had to give it a try. We found it over at a blog called Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen and it’s called Mountain Sky Banana Bread. So what was so special about this bread that it was calling our name? Cream cheese. Yum! Continue reading →

Quest for the Best Banana Bread Gets Bewitched

October 30, 2011April 13, 201349 Comments

We have recently seen some banana bread recipes floating about with pumpkin added to the mix. Now while that sounds totally interesting and very Halloween-y, we’re keeping our banana breads on this quest simple and pure.

Our eighth banana bread recipe on this quest came to us from Sally at Bewitching Kitchen. Now for those of you that don’t know Sally, she is an amazing cook and a bread baker extraordinaire. So you can bet we were excited to try this recipe.

Miss A was again at the ready for another banana bread baking adventure. She did a great job mashing the bananas and mixing them together with the buttermilk.

Continue reading →

Quest for the Best Banana Bread – Sprinkled to Perfection

October 15, 2011April 13, 201337 Comments

This past weekend we made a trip to our old home in Minnesota. It was our first trip back since we moved and it came with some mixed emotions. I knew it was going to be hard to see our old house. We have so many memories there – three years of little Mr. N, many great friends, weekend adventures, tons of wildlife and of course, bringing home baby Miss A. It was very hard for me to leave the very first place I truly felt at home as an adult with my new family. (Not to mention my old kitchen – gosh, do I miss that room. 😉 )

That said it is a beautiful part of the world and my sadness didn’t last long. It was quickly ushered out when we saw a buck standing outside our old house, hiked to the top of a bluff with our good friends, enjoyed a play date with Mr. N’s old friends at our favorite park, watched a bald eagle soaring overhead as we kayaked, and ate several meals at our favorite sandwich place. Continue reading →

Any Way You Want It

August 5, 2011April 13, 201324 Comments

I doubt that Journey was referring to Cornbread in their 1980 hit.

Just look at that hair! I love it! LOL.

But back to cornbread. Cornbread is one of those dishes that you can easily customize to suit your own tastes. Personally Mike and I prefer it spicy and cheesy, but the kids aren’t big fans of heat. So while we were in Maine we created a version that they would find more appetizing.

This recipe is a blend between one that Greg over at Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide created a few weeks back, and a the version that Mr. N and I made at his cooking class back in June. We started by mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl – corn meal, flour, sea salt and baking powder. Then we mixed all the wet ingredients in another bowl – honey, eggs and buttermilk. Next we made a well in the dry ingredients, poured the wet ingredients into the well and combined.