Mini Banana Bread

The weather in Nashville this weekend was miserable - cold and rainy. Since I had no desire to venture out into the cold I stayed in and baked. I decided to whip up some banana bread because of the ridiculous amount of overripe bananas in my kitchen. Not just regular old banana bread, but mini banana bread with a cinnamon-sugar topping. Have you noticed that mini versions of food taste better? Maybe it's just me, but I have a thing for diminutive portions. This recipe also makes one regular loaf in case you don't have the same love for the mini loaf.


Banana Bread
makes 8 mini loaves or one regular loaf
adapted from Orangette

For the bread:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt OR 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup ripe banana, mashed (approx. 3 medium bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water


For the topping:
1 T granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T dark brown sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an eight-piece mini loaf pan with non-stick spray. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, mix together the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Tip - measure the honey after the oil using the same cup. The leftover oil will help the honey slide out more easily.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until the mixture just comes together.

Distribute the batter evenly between the loaf pans filling each one about three-quarters full. Top each loaf with the cinnamon-sugar topping.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (for a regular loaf bake for 1 hour). Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes (30 minutes for a full loaf) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap loaves in plastic wrap and enjoy within 2-3 days.

East Nashville Beer Festival

You do have your ticket to the East Nashville Beer Festival, right? No? Good news - it's not too late to purchase a ticket and have the opportunity for me to pour you a beer. That's right, I'm officially on the pouring team - yay!  Get all the event details here and, hopefully, I'll see you on April 9th. Cheers!

How to Cook - Dried Beans

It doesn't get much more basic than a pot of beans. Up until a few years ago I never bothered to cook dried beans. Man, did I miss out. Canned beans, while convenient, don't hold a candle to the flavor of dried. They're worth the small amount of extra effort, and, with a little planning, you can cook a batch and eat it throughout the week.

Don't forget to check out the selection at your local farmers' market and online purveyors, such as Rancho Gordo, for heirloom and specialty varieties not available at the supermarket.


I use the quick soak method because I'm perpetually running out of time. But if you have time you can just soak the beans for 8 hours (or overnight). Here's the lowdown:


Spread the beans in an even layer on a sheet pan and remove any damaged beans and debris (twigs, dirt, very small rocks, bread, apples, a duck!). Move the beans to a colander and rinse thoroughly. Transfer to a large pot and cover with about three times as much cold water. If using the quick soak method bring the water and beans to a boil, boil for 1 minute, remove the pot from the heat, and allow to sit, covered, for 1 hour.


After an hour (or 8 if you're not quick soaking), drain the beans and set aside - the beans will have doubled in size after their bath. In the same pot you used to soak the beans, saute a large diced onion in a little bit of bacon fat (you do have bacon fat, right?) or oil (for all the non-bacon fat folks) until translucent. Add the beans to the pot, cover with enough fresh, cold water to submerge the beans by about two inches, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. I generally stir the pot once every 20 minutes or so and start checking for doneness after an hour. The beans should be soft but not falling apart. Now is the time to add salt to taste. Serve immediately - alone or over rice.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for 4-5 days; cooked beans can be frozen for up to 3 months.


Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Cooking time will vary depending on the age of your beans (older beans take longer), the type of bean you're cooking (lima beans cook faster than black), and the hardness of your water (use filtered or bottled if your water tastes funky). Feel free to play around with the aromatics - add carrots, garlic, shallots, and/or bell peppers. Play up the spices by adding cumin, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, etc. And last but not least, a little bit of meat - particularly pork - goes a long way in the seasoning department. Fatback and ham hocks are my go-to meat seasonings and I typically just throw them in after I saute the aromatics.


Happy Cooking!