Birthday banana nut bread

I had glorious plans for my three-day weekend — glorious in a way Peter Gibbons would enjoy, in that I planned to watch a lot of Voyager on Netflix and sit on my butt as long as possible. But then I forgot the charger for my laptop at my internship and I was forced to do such abominable things as talk to my roommates and read books like some kind of Luddite.

Okay, it really wasn't all that bad.

One thing that did go the way I planned was banana bread. It was my friend's birthday on Friday, and when I offered to bake him a cake he said he didn't "need" a cake. A cakeless birthday is a thing unheard of and not tolerated (unless it's my own birthday) and I told him so. He requested banana nut bread, and I happily complied. I was lucky enough to have my brother and our friend helping out.

I've had Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook for a while but haven't gotten a chance to use it until now. And I've gotta say, the results were well worth it.

First up, mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl:

Mix the eggs, sugar (as always, I used brown sugar instead of plain sugar), and vegetable oil together...

Whoops, glare.

... then slowly add the flour mixture in. At this point the mixture was almost doughy and my used Kitchen Aide was wheezing a bit. We added in buttermilk, vanilla, bananas, and chopped walnuts, but skipped the coconut Martha recommended because, well, coconut is gross.

This recipe makes enough for two loaves. I tried to split them evenly, but I'm terrible at it.

Seriously bad at dividing things evenly. How did I get to college?

We stuck them in the oven for an hour and went off to Slide Hill Park to scare the bejeesus out of ourselves.

Film cameras: Not always a good choice.
Slide Hill Park: Always a good choice.

It worked, and when we got back the banana bread was mostly done. (We did leave it in an extra 10 minutes longer than Martha recommended because it didn't seem done.) We barely waited for it to cool before we dug in.

The loaf I gave away I wrapped in parchment paper and string. I was going for a home-made look, but my friend asked if I had added a prison shiv in the package, so maybe I didn't quite get my point across.

As a bonus, I made a cake shaped like the Norman Shield to celebrate this weekend's initiation of new brothers into Boyfriend's Fraternity. I'm pretty proud of the decoration on this one (the cake itself was just a box mix), so I just had to show it off!

Anyway, here's the recipe. Again, it belongs to Martha Stewart, so let's all cross our fingers and hope she doesn't sue me for reposting it here.

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

0.75 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1.3 cups vegetable oil

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1.5 cups ripe mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup (about 4 ounces) walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped

0.5 cup buttermilk

To make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil on medium-low speed until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Add the vanilla, banana, coconut, nuts, and buttermilk, and beat just to combine.

3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool completely. Bread can be kept at room temperature, well wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Humility helper

Like many things in life, my job ought to be incredibly simple but is instead plagued with a myriad of is to be dotted and ts to be crossed. I've been working here a year and a half, and while I still make mistakes, I've learned most of what makes the bureaucrats in Internal Control happy. (Think Futurama-style bureaucracy, or perhaps the Vogons.)

We're a person short in our office, so we've got a temp worker babysitting the front desk. She's just graduated from college and while she's perfectly nice (and fun to talk to!), she's way out of her depth as we wade through high-volume donation season. She's made such completely absurd mistakes as daring to put no more than one donation on a page, being nice to people on the phone, and taping checks to other pieces of paper. (Okay, that last one is a pretty big goof.)

But as usual, the universe knows what it's doing, and I watched the temp learn the ropes faster than I did, making up for her initial mistake of mis-handling checks by cataloguing donations at a faster rate than I was.

I actually have significantly more hair than this. But I couldn't resist a Picard reference.

I facepalmed at my earlier judgementalism (judgementality? judgeiness?) judgements and continued with my work. I made sure to be more helpful and encouraging to the temp — when the universe gives you a hint, you'd better be sure to listen.

Vodka penne

This is such an amazing recipe that to this day, members of my family fight over who discovered it. In any case, it's from Patricia Wells' Trattoria, and it's delicious. Best part? At only eight ingredients, it's simple and cheap. Here's what you need:

Oh, and olive oil.

First, pour some olive oil into a pan. (My mom and I used a pot, but technically, you're supposed to use a large fry pan.) Let it heat up and "when it smells good," add your crushed garlic.

Is there any better smell in the world than garlic frying in olive oil? Non, mis amis.

Before the garlic browns, add some crushed red pepper and a pinch (a small pinch) of salt. Let it sit for just a minute, then pour in a can of crushed or diced plum tomatoes.

Action shot!

Stir the tomato, olive oil, and spices and let it simmer over medium-low heat while the water boils and you cook the pasta. Make sure it's al dente and not over-cooked. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce that has been simmering. By now the sauce should be thicker than it was and all the flavors should be best friends with each other. Throw in the pasta and mix it. Add heavy cream and stir.

Smell frequently in order to fully enjoy this.

Throw in a shot of vodka. If you're like my parents, you only have vodka around for this purpose.

More action shots!

Let the alcohol simmer off a little bit before serving. You can add as much pasta as you want, but my grandmother always preferred it with a higher sauce-to-pasta ratio, so that's how my mom makes it. I personally prefer it a little thicker, with more pasta, but it's up to you.

Traditionally, this dish is served without cheese toppings and with parsley or basil on top. Serve it with a crisp white wine or a strong white wine that can stand up to spices.

Yesssssssssssss.

I'm seriously in love with this recipe — I had two servings, and my family and I cleaned our plates with slices of bread and our fingers. (Yes, we almost reduced ourselves to licking our plates.)

Vodka Penne
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 plump garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
Sea salt
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1 pound dried tubular pasta (penne)
2 tablespoons vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream

To make:
1. In an unheated skillet large enough to hold the pasta later, heat olive oil, then add garlic, then red pepper, then salt. Cook over moderate heat just until the garlic turns golden, but doesn't brown, about two to three minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and stir to blend. Let it simmer uncovered until the sauce begins to thicken.
3. In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta until it's tender but firm to bite.
4. Drain the pasta, then add it to the skillet with the tomato sauce.
5. Add cream and toss.
6. Add vodka and toss.
7. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it rest for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb the sauce.
8. Transfer to warmed shallow pasta bowls and serve immediately, with parsley on top and without cheese.
9. Bask in the praise of whomever you're cooking for.

Gifts from 2011

I had a great Christmas —my family and I spent it at home, unwrapping our presents and eating amazing food I'll have to replicate soon at my apartment. We were all very pleased with our gifts — we seem to have actually succeeded at getting or making each other thoughtful, caring gifts!

I've been blessed enough to have the space and money to do a lot of baking, and Christmas reminded me of how blessed I am to have relatives who notice how much I love it. My boyfriend's parents got me an adorable "little black apron:"

And see that Kitchen Aide mixer behind me on the counter? That's my Christmas present from my brother. I've never squealed so hard on Christmas — at least not since I hit puberty. It's used and greasy and funky and I will love it until it peters out. And of course, I got my iPod Touch, which I'm currently addicted to. It's a great tool and an even greater toy — plus it takes much better pictures (like the one in this post!)

Beyond all the toys and trinkets, I gained a lot of momentum in 2011 that I can't wait to use in this new year. Thanks to good friends and a boyfriend with the patience of a saint, I've grown stronger and dealt with setbacks with less panic and more wisdom.

I feel like I'm stepping off from a better place than I was last year, and I think that's the whole point. I've dealt with a crushing lack of self-confidence for years, and what I've been forcing myself to learn is that no matter how often I feel like a failure or how often I succeed, what's important is that we keep climbing. I've been at the bottom so many times, and I resent myself for sliding back. I'm trying to look back at what I've achieved instead of letting myself be intimidated by what I have yet to conquer.

Another skill I've finally learned in this past year is to look to other people for help. It's hard to accept that we're not alone in our perilous, Sisyphus-like struggles, but asking for help — or even just sharing that you're hurting — can be the most important step forward you make all year. I'm graduating from college in six short months with most of my friends, and it's a good reminder to look over at them and realize that I'm not the only one worrying about the job market, moving back in with parents, and the future of romantic lives. We can all use a hand, whether we're offering it or asking for a boost.

I have a lot to learn in 2012, from learning the moods of my mixer, to cooking meat without supervision, to getting a "grown-up" job, to coping with doubt and crisis. I can't wait to see where I am — mentally and geographically! — in another twelve months, and that attitude makes all the difference!

Before I end, three quick notes:

1. I've been pretty lax about posting here in the past week, but I've been gathering a lot material to post here. Expect a blogging surge!
2. I was inspired to write this post by my mentor, who wrote a great post looking back on 2011 instead of forward to 2012.
3. My mixer needs a name. Any suggestions?