Banana Bread Brownies

Banana Bread Brownie

I know the idea sounds weird, but think about it.  Bananas, chocolate, walnuts all mixed together, sounds pretty awesome, similar to Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream.  This recipe is from the fantastic Fat Witch Bakery in New York.  They make some pretty damn good brownies and every recipe I have made at home is a hit.  I decided to make these because I had some bananas that were perfect for baking.  I mashed a few bananas and mixed them with vanilla, sugar, eggs and flour.  Then, I melted some chocolate with butter and let that cool.  I poured the batter into a 9×9 and marbled the chocolate into it.  The brownies baked for 35 minutes at 350 and then we had to sample them.  The brownies were perfect and full of flavor.  So next time you have some bananas laying around, this may be a quick and yummy alternative to banana bread.  Happy Baking!

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

This morning was sort of perfect.  The sun was shining, a hint of spring was in the air with the birds singing songs, and the Kentucky Derby is on later tonight.  I am making Hot Browns and Derby Pie for later, but since it’s hot out now,  sorbet sounds fitting.  I don’t know about you but I am a huge fan of ice cream and sorbet.  I recently picked up the ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid and I love it.  I have had great results so far and everything just tastes better when it’s made at home with really fresh ingredients.  Last weekend I made a bunch of Strawberry Creme Fraiche Ice Cream and it was heavenly.  I wanted to use up some cranberries I had in the freezer so I tracked down a recipe by David Lebovitz for Cranberry Orange Sorbet.  I really love the flavor combination of cranberries and oranges.  The sorbet is stupid easy to make… heat some water, sugar, orange zest and cranberries for a minute and then let them steep in a covered pot.  Juice a few oranges and then mix everything together, blah, blah, blah.  I let the base cool in fridge for a bit and then mixed it in the ice cream bowl.  Twenty minutes later, wow… this is a new item that will be stocked in my freezer.  Pretty and pink, this sorbet is tart, refreshing and is a perfect way to end a warm evening (or a good treat after a long run in the heat).  I also imagine this could be a really great addition to the Thanksgiving menu.