Yes - we've got some Banana Bread

I love bananas - but the moment that they get that very first brown spot - I can't eat them,  I freeze them for another day.   Lately I have been using them to make gluten free muffins for a friend, but you can only make so many muffins , so after a brief discussion with Mr. Skip , I made banana bread.  Apparently Mr. Skip loves banana bread , his mother use to make it for him - so no pressure at all.

Over the years I have collected numerous banana bread recipes always falling back on good old Fannie Farmer it has always been good , but I wanted something else, so I took several others and came up with some pretty seriously good bread.  The top was crunchy and little sugary , the inside was moist,  filled with toasted slightly salty walnuts and a touch of cinnamon.  It was good and Skip loved it so much that he ate one of the three mini loaves that I made.


Mr.Skip's Banana Bread


4 ripe bananas
1/3 c melted brown butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 T maple syrup
1 egg
1 T Jamesons Whiskey (thanks smitten kitten)
pinch salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 1/2 c unbleached flour
2 c toasted and salted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*  Grease 3 mini loaf pans.
Brown butter , while butter is browning mash bananas with sugar, syrup, salt , cinnamon . Add brown butter , egg and Jamesons. Mix in remaining ingredients and divide among 3 loaf pans.

Bake aprox 40 -45 mins.

a girl and no internet - yikes!

I was a  girl without internet access or phone for several days - I will admit to sheer panic when the customer service rep said " we will have to send a tech out -  we have a slot open Thursday" - Thursday - how?, what? - Yikes!  What am I going to do?  So, after taking several deep breaths and realizing that I would survive - I relaxed, enjoyed some good wine,  took in several sunsets from my deck and enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing as my fat cat  Gordo rolled around the floor teasing his sister Lucy.

I thought I would miss the internet more than I actually did - it was nice to go back to the way it "use " to be , even just for a few days....think I m going to be going with out a little more often. 

ps.  that is the view from living room, dinning room and kitchen  - lucky girl - I know!!

While the husband is away...

Don't get me wrong , I love my husband.  I waited a long time to find him - but I will admit then when he goes on his business trips - I do get to play so to speak.  My darling husband Skip, is from New York, Italian and very old school when it comes to food.  He likes what he likes and is not too willing to try anything new very often, so while he is away I get to eat all the things I really love.  Before I left for the bakery this am I marinated some chicken in a yogurt tandoori marinade and will have that tonight with a cucumber raitia, mango salad and fresh onion naan.  I can't wait !  I will tell you how it comes out tomorrow !

ps.  The flowers were a going away gift from Mr. Skip.

Tandori Marinade

8oz plain yogurt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam marsala
1 tsp paprika
2 cloves crushed garlic

Mix all ingredients together , marinade meat choice for at least an hour. Grill and then eat!

Happy Halloween

It's been quite a while since I have written , so long in fact that I have changed the name of my blog! da*lish girl feels so right to me - so here we go again.

This journey is truly inspired by my favorite cookbook author - Dorie Greenspan.   She is truly remarkable - I have all of her books and was beyond thrilled to discover that she is doing French Fridays with Dorie!   I just received my copy of her new book - Around my French Table and I am in love.  I was heartbroken when I could not get into Tuesdays with Dorie, so now I have my chance and this adventure will be a true adventure of sweet*savory*yum.