Back in Action

Hello-

I thought I'd take advantage of the last (and second) post of August to apologize for the lull in posting activity on the site and say that I am, dutifully, even if it takes me writing about sauteed zucchini and almonds, back on board.

I have to say, though, there was a reason (aside from being busy with school and work) that I didn't post much this last month. The impossible occurred- I became uninspired by food. At the end of the flurries that were my summer days, I ate the most simple concoctions, followed by a beer. Sometimes, I even skipped the concoctions. Heh.

So now I'm armed with a new kitchen and a new desire to get back into the wonders and creativity of the cooking process. Yet, to overcome this slump that I've fallen quite unexpectedly into, I'm going to need to take baby steps... starting with breakfast.

So today, instead of eating a couple bites of yogurt, then a few walnuts, followed by a piece of fruit, I tried to put the facets of my morning routine together, with a little cinnamon on top. The result was more inspiring than I expected. Along with a cup of green tea, I got a taste of the bliss that I used to come across everyday when I ate. Here's to a good start.

The Breakfast Club

There was once a time when I woke up solely for the purpose of opening a door.

Well, it wasn't just any old door- it was the door to 2809 Frederick, my freshman dorm room. My amazing roommate Irine and I would awake from our respective slumbers, stumble out of our beds, and get ready for class. I'd blast some random music from my computer, which, I admit, had a known history of getting stuck in our heads throughout the rest of the day (there was an unfortunate incident when Bob Marley ran continuously through Irine's amply knowledgeable mind on a day in which she had three exams...my fault!). When we were completely ready, Irine and I would open our door- and that's how the day began.

You see, waiting for us outside the door (maybe leaning against the hallway walls, or sitting on the 70's style carpet) was a group of pretty wonderful people (of which Ana was a member I might add!) Our very good friends happened to also be our neighbors- I don't know a time when that will ever occur again in my life. And for a brief moment, I believe, we'd all rub our sleepy eyes and realize that we were all so lucky to be together. It was with this group of people that I witnessed my first snowfall, laughed my way through an "honors" classics class, saw "Dirty Dancing" for the first time, played on a broomball team, and stole cafeteria trays to slide down snow-covered hills.

After reuniting in the hallway, we'd begin our routine. Our pathway never changed- down the stairs, through the commons, past the small newspaper stand (two of us would grab a paper), and across the way to the dorm across the street. The mornings were silent, so we entertained ourselves with squabbles, jokes, and the occasional question about the upcoming class that we shared together.

By the end of the first semester, we began calling ourselves the Breakfast Club. We were quite the raconteurs in the somnolent scene of the cafeteria. We'd sit next to tall basketball players and crew team members, and as they chugged down their protein filled breakfasts, we'd snap at each other about politics or laugh about the most random things.

There was another reason I got up though- breakfast itself. If you can't tell already, I live to eat... so one of my favorite things about the cafeteria that we frequented was the fact that it had a decent collection of fruit. Quite often, we'd see melons, grapes, pineapple, and, if we were lucky, bananas.

Bananas were not an everyday occurrence, but when they did make an appearance, they were of the perfect ripeness. It seemed like on days when they didn't serve bananas, slices of banana bread would appear next to the fruit. Perhaps, this was some kind gesture to save us from eating overripe bananas. The banana bread was quite the saccharine concoction- but it provided enough of a sugar rush to take on our first class in one fell swoop.

Breakfast has a fond place in my heart for many reasons, but one of which is definitely the Breakfast Club. Whenever I come across banana bread, I think about the days when I ate in a dorm cafeteria and lived with 1200 other people (or something)... and although I don't think I could live like that again, I remember liking those days. a lot.

Now that I'm home, I once again see bananas on a daily basis... and about once every couple of weeks three of them get a little too ripe. So I make banana bread. I've experimented a lot with recipes, and taking health into concern I've discovered a wonderful one that doesn't require any butter. It's quite famous as it has been debuted here and remastered here.

So here is my version! It has walnuts instead of chocolate chips, and a bit less sugar.

A Slightly Healthy Banana Bread
Only very slightly adapted from the two versions above

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 very ripe bananas (preferrably medium to large sized), mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8" x 5" pan (or whatever you'd like!) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet in a smaller one. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Pour mixture into the pan and set in the oven. Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I added granola to the top of this one for fun.

Enjoy!