Simple Banana Bread

You know the holidays have come and gone when your pantry contains three bags of powdered sugar in various volumes and no chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are a staple in my kitchen, chocolate is like its own food group and one that has a high serving size recommendation. Growing up, my mom kept a jar of chocolate chips on the counter (and still does) because her grandmotherly neighbor in Hawaii also kept a jar of chocolate chips on the counter. And so, I have a jar containing my bags of chocolate chips in my pantry (I'm working up to the jar). Somehow, through all the baked goodies and snacking, I completely exhausted my stores of chocolate chips--because yes, there were several bags of varying types of chocolate. This made banana bread making a little boring and also a little more challenging.

There are bananas afoot!

Bananas are okay but banana bread is amazing. I think I subconsciously get tired of bananas just so I can let them go soft to force myself to make banana bread. Normally I make Joy the Baker's bourbon banana bread but I had no chocolate chips and was looking for a non-bourbon version. So I looked through some cookbooks and some websites and came across a very simple recipe for banana bread from Smitten Kitchen. I almost made them into muffins so I could more easily share with coworkers but alas, I ate all of the banana bread myself. Over the course of a week but nonetheless, all mine.

What I love about this recipe is it calls for melted butter so I don't have to try and pretend that my butter was room temperature by over-zapping it in the microwave. Melt away, my slippery friend, melt away. Also the spices used here (clove, nutmeg and cinnamon) are a favorite combination. I add these spice to just about anything fluffy and doughy like breads and pancakes for a subtle flavor enhancement. They're also very seasonally appropriate to me.

Ban and Ana

My dad has had this photograph of Ban and Ana for quite a long time and I always thought it was hilarious. Two bananas named Ban and Ana shedding their skins to spoon in bed? Hilarious. And I'm happy that it now hangs in my kitchen, I have many a Pinterest idea for what other food-related art could decorate the walls of my future dream kitchen. In this kitchen, there is also a bedazzled Kitchen Aid mixer and lots of storage space. This is my heaven.

As some of you  may know, I have a small obsession with all things British. Harry Potter, the Royals, Downton Abbey, they're all utterly fantastic to me! I justified the banana bread by making it with the express purpose of watching Downton again. I also justified buying new dessert plates by saying they were on sale and were all cities I'd visited before. I'm getting so fancy with my entertaining-ware, I have a ridiculous quantity of glasses right now.

Downton Abbey parody that I read in about 30 seconds

At any rate, when you run out of chocolate chips, quickly remedy the situation. And if that doesn't work, add some nutella. Nutella makes everything better, namely banana bread and life.

Om nom banana bread