Banana Bread and Lots of Stuff

When it comes to food, which do you prefer - smooth or chunky?

I'm not just talking peanut butter.

Do you like chocolate pudding or Rocky Road ice cream better?

A cream-of-whatever soup, or minestrone?

A sugar cookie, or oatmeal chocolate chip?

Place me firmly in the chunky group (no weight jokes please).

I choose the Rockiest Road there is. Or Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Or a cookie with just enough cookie dough to hold the the other stuff together.
Creme brulee? Only the top. NY Cheesecake? No thanks.

Smooth is for coffee, vodka and men.
Must. Have. Pieces.

And that's why, when I make banana bread, it has lots of STUFF in it.
If you're more of a smoothie, just leave the pieces out.
That's your right. It's still a very good recipe.
But all the stuff makes it a great one.

Banana Bread with Stuff
adapted from For The Love of Cooking


1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 all purpose)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 egg

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

5 Tbsps. plus 1 tsp. vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups of "stuff", any combination - walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, coconut, granola, fresh berries, dried fruit,  crystallized ginger, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a loaf pan or coat with cooking spray.
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the vanilla yogurt. Start with the flour and end with the flour.

Gently add the mashed banana and vanilla. Add all your "stuff" and combine well, but try not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle a little extra stuff on top if you'd like.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan before removing.

The Best Thing I Ate All Week

Apple streusel cookie, from When Pigs Fly bakery. I'm not sure cookie is descriptive enough here. It's like a combination scone/ muffin top/ apple crisp. A thick round of apple, raisins, nuts, sugar-y topping held together with just enough buttery dough.
That's what I'm talking about!

What's the best thing you ate all week?

But wait, there's more...


For those of you who were asking, here's a picture of the Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake.

And I am sad to report that it did not help our football team one bit this week.