It should come as no surprise that I relate to the world through food. Sure, I’m fairly well adjusted, I can carry on a warm conversation and function in life, but in the secret world that is my brain, I’m always trying to understand the world around me by relating it to something I’ve eaten.
Crazy? Maybe. Confusing? Let me explain.
Say I walk into my parents’ house and am greeted with a hug and kiss from my father. That’s just like eating a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream smothered with warm dulce de leche sauce. The hug from my dad and the ice cream create the same feeling in my brain. Get it?
The smell of fresh rain on concrete is just like eating a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
Having a heart to heart with my mom is just like sipping Earl Grey tea with extra sugar and milk.
Getting a paper cut is just like taking a shot of cheap tequila with salt and dry limes.
Falling absolutely, head over heals, silly in love with someone is just like smooth bourbon and cigarettes at midnight.
Sitting next to Grandmother at the dinner table and feeling her almost thoughtlessly stroke my hand as if it were her own… that’s just like this perfectly spiced Banana Cranberry Bread. Yes, there’s that much comfort in the bread. It’s the real deal.
Is this making any sense? My head has been in the clouds lately. Chalk it up to lots of bourbon and cigarettes at midnight.
Wherever my head is these days, I do know amazing banana bread when it crosses my path- thank goodness for that.
Banana Cranberry Bread
thank you to SmittenKitchen who thanks SimplyRecipes
3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4-1 cup light brown sugar, depending on the level of sweetness you prefer
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup fresh cranberries
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix. Add the cranberries, and stir until just incorporated. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Karen F
Great recipe. I prefer to leave the cranberries whole and add walnuts or pecans.
KimiW
Heyyyy, thank YOU! :)))
After a winter injury, my dominant hand is not as functional as it always was. Sooo, baking had to take a back seat for the last year or so, until I found this 1-bowl/wooden-spoon-cranberry-banana-loaf!!! It’s terrific in that it’s a short stint in the kitchen, very few dishes – okay>>>giving credit where it’s due>>>almost none! yay.
There’s no lugging out the appliances and extra bowls and such, and there’s no sacrificing flavour and eye-appeal. Yes, big hugs and ummm, did I say thank YOU?! :)))