Happy New Year, friends! 2021 has been INSANE and being busy never ceases. I don’t really mind, though. I like keeping busy, even during a two week winter vacation! To catch you up, here are just a few updates: I rung in a new decade last month and was lucky enough to celebrate it with my mom! We had pretty, pink cosmos and I got to cook for her which I absolutely love to do. It was a big deal to me, and I made chicken parmesan, chocolate fudge cake, shredded beef sliders, avocado cucumber sushi, grapefruit salad, crab cakes, homemade pasta, popovers, spinach bacon quiche, cranberry orange scones, croissants, caramelized sweet potatoes, DRY AGED RIBEYES–more on those in an upcoming post–and mashed potatoes. Did I mention she was here for only two days? We ate well and I can’t wait until the next visit.
We also hosted our first murder mystery party! We received a kit for Christmas and made the plan to have one with our closest, COVID-conscious group. But later, after I opened the box and started diving into the instructions, I was immediately alarmed at how confusing they were. I scrapped the whole thing except for the character names and descriptions. I actually had a ton of fun making it a highly customized game for our family and friends by re-writing the clues, secrets, and plot. It was a 1920’s themed soiree and we all had a blast! Jane, my mother-in-law won best actress, my sister-in-law won best detective, and my brother-in-law, Tim, won best costume (a jockey!). And my dear friend, Morgan, was the culprit all along! Just an FYI, when hosting a murder mystery party, it SERIOUSLY takes a lot of planning. As the host, you should know whodunnit and how to subtly guide your guests to the answer.
Anyway, that’s borderline too much information for a food blog. You’re here for the recipe! Let’s get to the chocolate chip banana bread! I doubled my usual loaf banana bread recipe to make it in a bundt pan. Then I drizzled some caramel sauce on top to make it a little more exciting. Well, as exciting as banana bread gets, that is. You can halve this recipe and make a single, 5″ x 9″ loaf. You can also swap out the chocolate chips for toasted walnuts!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
5 bananas
2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray. If halving the recipe, spray a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds. Don’t over mix. Spread into the bundt pan. Batter will be thick.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Then lower temperature to 325 and continue baking for another hour.
Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert on to a serving plate. Enjoy plain or with caramel sauce drizzled on top!
Awe I love the narrative you shared over the holidays on your food blog!!! How fun and festive!!!
I love your food! By the way I’ve gained some weight back that I initially lost for your wedding! So of course I’ll be on that workout regime you posted!!!