Banana Bread (#10 TYSC)

The Only Banana Bread You'll Ever Need
#10 in the Treat Yo' Self Challenge
Counter Cakes chapter

Once a month or so we drive to Helena for a Costco run, among other errands. While I love this excursion, I do have to carefully plan my weekend baking around this. (For example, no sourdough on Costco days!)  Since today was our planned Costco/Helena day, I knew I had to get any breakfast baking done early. So last night I planned an easy one: banana bread. Not only is it one of my favorites, but it would also get rid of the overripe bananas on our counter.

I was a little apprehensive about this recipe because, as much as I love banana bread, I usually like it with some add-ins. Like banana chocolate chip bread. Or banana bread with cranberries and walnuts. But when you have a title like "the only banana bread you'll ever need" I figured I should follow the recipe exactly before modifying it.

I suppose you can see that didn't follow the recipe exactly. As I mentioned, this was our Costco run day. Since I slept in (until 6:30!) I had to use our mini loaf pans, else it never would have finished baking by the time we had to leave! Luckily the mini loaf pans generally get things done in about half the time, and we were all happy to eat our personal loaves in the car.

Verdict:  I usually differentiate easy cakes (like bundt pan varietals) from quick breads (like banana breads) because "breads" tend to be less sweet than "cakes," at least to me. I would have named this banana bread as banana cake instead, which now helps me understand why it was listed in the "counter cakes" chapter! We all enjoyed this, but it definitely felt decadent so early in the morning. If I make it again (which I probably will, because I really enjoyed the strong banana flavor), I'll probably leave off the crusty sugar layer on top and would also add some diced walnuts to give it a little protein-y staying power. Bottom line is that I liked it, any it's likely only one iteration away from truly being the only banana bread I'll ever need!

Buckeye Bars (#9 TYSC)

Buckeye Bars

#9 of the treat yo self challenge

Bars chapter

Is there any better dessert flavor combo than chocolate and peanut butter? (Spoiler alert! The answer is NO!) I adore Reese's peanut butter cups, especially the holiday editions (Christmas trees, Easter bunnies, etc) that don't have that icky ridge of chocolate around the circumference, and instead just have the perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter throughout. When I was in grad school I used to melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in the microwave and eat it with a spoon from a mug. I still have dreams about the "chocolate peanut butter revel" ice cream served by my college haunt, Hogan Bros in Northfield, MN. 

So, yeah. Chocolate and peanut butter is kind of my thing.

On this Friday night after a long week at work, I was craving some baking time to relax and transition to the weekend. It had to be an easy recipe, a quick in-and-out of the kitchen. I perused my book while Mike put the finishing touches on dinner....and then I saw it...JACKPOT.

There was no photo with this one, so I forgive you if you aren't already familiar with the wonder that is a Buckeye Ball. Or Buckeye Candy. Or just Buckeyes. Apparently names vary, but the deliciousness is constant.

Usually they are individually shaped, which I think makes them way too futzy for a Friday night. So the idea of a Buckeye BAR sounded perfect. And less than 20 min later, I was in heaven.

Verdict:  "Heaven...I'm in heaven..." https://youtu.be/WOYzFKizikU  I restrained myself and only ate one last night, but I don't see this little pan lasting long! It's like the best Reese's you could possibly imagine, no joke. YUM.

52 hike challenge (#4)

What a treat - I had company on my hike today!  I mean, more company than just Doug the dog, my standard hiking companion.  

Rose wanted to see if her friend in the neighborhood was interested in a play date, so she accompanied me on my hike. I like to go counter clockwise on my neighborhood loop, so she was a trooper and did about 3.75 miles (of 4.5). I dropped her off, and then did just that final part alone (with Doug).

Today was the first day above freezing in weeks, and the first day above zero in over a week. I had forgotten how "warm" 40 can feel! It was lovely. 

This is where the neighborhood T Rex lives

So many missing teeth! :)

52 hike challenge
1. 1/1/20 - 2 mi - out and back
2. 1/5/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
3. 1/11/20 - 2 mi - out and back
4. 1/19/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies
#8 of the treat yo' self challenge
Cookie Jar Contenders chapter

The instant Rose saw this photo of cookies with Reese's pieces in them, she was sold! There was no way she was requesting any other recipe in this book. And I have to admit they looked pretty good to me too - like a peanut butter cookie married an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and they threw Reese's pieces confetti at the wedding. What's not to love?

No new techniques or anything fancy, just a new combination of ingredients in slightly different ratios that most of the cookie recipes I used.

Verdict:  Pretty good! Next time I would refrigerate the dough longer before baking, and also shape the dough prior to refrigerating. Also, the cookbook author stressed that the cookies should definitely NOT be baked any longer than 12 minutes...but mine must have been bigger than hers (I ended up with 4 dozen, rather than the 5 dozen she predicted) because my first tray was clearly underdone and subsequent trays took more like 15-17 minutes. But with those tweaks, I would definitely make this recipe again! And I'm sure Rose will be asking for it again soon :)

Scone-top Blueberry Muffins

Scone-top Blueberry Muffins
#7 of the treat yo' self challenge
pastry chapter (?)

Rose's school switched to a four-day week this year, so she and Mike get to hang out together every Friday (not that I'm jealous or anything!). When I left for work yesterday, I asked them to pick out a recipe or two to try this weekend and let me know if there were any special ingredients I needed to pick up before leaving town. A few hours and a handful of texts later, we had a plan!

This is Mike's selection. (Rose's selection will be coming later this weekend!) He loves blueberry muffins and he loves scones, so I should have known he would choose this one! We already had a bag of blueberries in the freezer, as well as some leftover buttermilk in the fridge, so the only other non-standard ingredient we needed was the zest of a lemon. (Side note: Did you know you can freeze lemon zest? I'm going to have start doing that when I juice a lemon, so I'll always have zest on hand in the freezer!)

This was another recipe where I was introduced to a new technique. Usually I use my KitchenAid for EVERYTHING that I don't do by hand, but this one called for the use of a food processor to completely obliterate the butter into the dry ingredients. Since I couldn't do that by hand or in my trusty stand mixer, I had to pull out ye ol' Cuisinart from the back pantry.  I know some people love their food processors, but for some reason I've always avoided them. I was probably afraid of the sharp blades as a kid, and that fear just lingered irrationally into adulthood. So I'm not sure if the Cuisinart was completely necessary this time, but I did follow the recipe's technique to a T, just to be on the safe side!

Verdict:  The three of us all had different responses to this one. Rose happened to get one absolutely loaded with blueberries, so she said it was great except "too blueberry-y." I thought it tasted pretty good for a blueberry muffin, but blueberry muffins just aren't what I'd pick from a muffin line-up. (Give me banana with chocolate chips any day!) Mike, on the other hand, said "Wow! This one is definitely a keeper!" So I guess if you like blueberry muffins then you'll love this recipe :)

Cherry Shortcake Squares

Cherry Shortcake Squares

#6 of the treat yo' self challenge

counter cakes chapter

After the disappointment of yesterday's Donut Loaf, I wanted to try something that at least looked highly appealing. This one was definitely a feast for my eyes as I paged through the book. Little mini squares of cake with hearts of cherry? Yes, please! And the simplicity of the recipe was just a bonus for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I used a new baking pan for this recipe - cooking on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, rather than in sort of traditional baking pan (like an 8x8 or 9x13 classic). The batter seemed so thin as I spread it across the pan, but I decided to trust the author. (Plus, there was no way I could have easily scraped all that batter back out and into a smaller tin!) Then I also learned a new technique: scoring the batter with a toothpick in order to better judge the placement of the cherries on each of the 24 future pieces. It certainly looked promising as it went into the oven...and looked tasty when it came out a little bit later!

Verdict: Yum! Next time I think I would increase the lemon juice to balance the sweetness a bit more, and I would also put less of the cherry "juice" on each piece to make it more visually appealing. But those are pretty picky changes, and overall this was a winner! Hopefully my coworkers appreciate the treat tomorrow.

52 hike challenge (#3)

And for today's most boring blog post on the planet, here is my record of having done a brief hike today. About 2 miles on my standard out-and-back path. But since my phone was low on batteries, I have no proof of my accomplishment. So, instead, here are Mike and Rose working on this awesome KiwiCo crate that she got in the mail last week - we have no idea who sent this to her, so if it was you please let us know so we can thank you for the wonderful gift!