Spicy cold kimchi noodles and smashed cucumbers

Spicy cold kimchi noodles with smashed cucumbers

     Here's another recipe that I discovered in the process of trying to clear out my pantry.  I figured something cold and refreshing would be really good on a hot summer night.

Spicy cold kimchi noodles

Spicy Cold Kimchi noodles (modified from https://mykoreankitchen.com/spicy-cold-kimchi-noodles/)

Ingredients:

1 package of bean thread noodles (8 ounces)

1/2 cup kimchi, pulsed in the food processor

1 English cucumber, chilled, rinsed, and cut into large matchstick size pieces

1 hard boiled egg, halved 

Bibim Sauce (Mix these in a bowl)

2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp cane sugar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Procedure: 

1) Boil water and cover the bean noodles.  Let soak for ten minutes.  Drain the noodles and cool down under cold running water for about 1 minute. Stir the noodles with some tongs or your hand while it’s under the water. Drain the noodles well.

2) Put together the noodles, cut up kimchi, and bibim sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix well.  Serve it in a bowl. Place the cucumber and egg halves on top of the noodles and enjoy!

     This was a lovely and relatively quick recipe.  It was nice and refreshing on a hot evening.

Smashed cucumbers

     I was thinking that some kind of Asian pickles would be good to have as a cool relief after the spicy kimchi noodles.  After looking at various sources (including a very frustrating look for an Asian Pickle cookbook that I just came across and subsequently lost again!), I came across this recipe for smashed cucumbers.  I had first seen it on an America's Test Kitchen YouTube video and had always been curious to try it.  So, tonight was the night.

Smashed cucumbers (modified from https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/smashed-cucumbers and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Oj4DagwRQI)

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic, minced to paste (I used 2 cloves of minced garlic)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Procedure:

1. Trim and discard ends from cucumbers. Cut each cucumber crosswise into three equal lengths. Place pieces in large zipper-lock bag and seal bag. Using a small skillet or a rolling pin, firmly but gently smash cucumbers until flattened and split lengthwise into 3 to 4 spears each. Tear spears into rough 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to colander set in large bowl. Toss cucumbers with salt and let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

2. While cucumbers sit, whisk vinegar and garlic together in small bowl; let stand for at least 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes.

3. Whisk soy sauce, oil, and sugar into vinegar mixture until sugar has dissolved. Transfer cucumbers to medium bowl and discard any extracted liquid. Add dressing and sesame seeds to cucumbers and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

     This was very fun to make and used a lot of the same ingredients as the kimchi noodles, so they complimented each other nicely.  I really liked the salty crisp garlicky taste of the cucumbers and kind of wish I had made more.  The original recipe calls for Chinese Black Vinegar, but since I didn't have any and was trying to use up what was in my pantry, I used rice vinegar instead.  Yum yum yum!

Miso marinated salmon, garlic noodles, and Instant Pot broccoli

Tonight's dinner: Miso-marinated salmon, garlic noodles, and broccoli cooked in the Instant Pot

     In the process of spring cleaning, and in the process of trying to clear out/consolidate my cabinets/fridge/freezer to clear up space for a new housemate, I've realized that I have far too much food in my pantry.  So I'm doing a self-imposed challenge to try to clear out my pantry.  It's taken longer than I would have thought (and unfortunately, my pantry isn't exactly Weight Watchers friendly), but I've been having fun challenging myself coming up with new recipes.  I have allowed myself to buy fresh produce/some other small groceries to go along with the meals (so I wouldn't be eating nothing but pasta or grains all month!), but we've still saved a lot on groceries.  Tonight's meal helped to clear out old miso we've had in our fridge, rice noodles in our pantry, a random lemon I had, about half of the salmon I had in the freezer, and some of the butter I have seemed to have stockpiled.  The broccoli was purchased specifically for this meal.

Miso-marinated salmon (modified from https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/miso-marinated-salmon)

How can you say no to such deliciousness?

Serves 4

Time  6 hours prep, 12 minutes cooking, 6 hours total

Notes: "Miso-glazed salmon promises firm, flavorful fish with a glazed, lacquer-like exterior but takes 3 days to prepare. We wanted to make a dish that pulled back on the traditional approach (and shortened the process) but still achieved the depth of sweet-savory flavor that this dish is known for. And instead of a firm, chewy interior, we wanted fish that was silky and moist, contrasting with the texture of the crust. By reducing the marinade time to between 6 and 24 hours, we found a window that allows you to achieve such a goal. A marinade composed of miso, sugar, mirin, and sake allows for flavor penetration, moisture retention, and better browning by drying the fish’s surface. Broiling the fish at a distance from the heating element allows for the fish to caramelize and cook evenly at the same time.

 Note that the fish needs to marinate for at least 6 or up to 24 hours before cooking. Use center-cut salmon fillets of similar thickness. We find that the best way to ensure uniformity is to buy a large center-cut fillet (1 1/2 to 2 pounds if serving 4) and cut it into 4 equal pieces.Yellow, red, or brown miso paste can be used instead of white."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown miso paste

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons mirin

4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets

Lemon wedges

Procedure:

1) Whisk miso, sugar, and mirin together in medium bowl until sugar and miso are dissolved (mixture will be thick). Dip each fillet into miso mixture to evenly coat all flesh sides. Place fish skin side down in baking dish and pour any remaining miso mixture over fillets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

2) Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Using your fingers, scrape miso mixture from fillets (do not rinse) and place fish skin side down on foil, leaving 1 inch between fillets.

3) Broil salmon until deeply browned and centers of fillets register 125 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking and shielding edges of fillets with foil if necessary. Transfer to platter and serve with lemon wedges.

     As those of you who read my blog regularly know, I don't oftentimes cook slabs of meat.  So, I am especially proud to say that these came out deliciously!  A huge thank you to The Tech Interactive volunteer Penny for sharing the recipe with me originally.  Since this was a use up my pantry meal, I used twice the amount of mirin in the marinade than the original recipe called for as I didn't have 3 T of sake.  It worked like a charm!  I liked the umami taste of the miso combined with the slight acidity from the lemon.  The salmon were still moist, but cooked all the way through.  All in all, a very delicious dish and one I would make again.

Garlic noodles (based off of recipe from https://deliciouslyorganic.net/garlic-noodles/)

Not my best picture as I took it after I had already plated most of it for dinner, but you get the gist

Ingredients: 

Leftover rice noodles (I had about 2/3 of a package left)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon cane sugar 

1 tablespoon water

Procedure:

1) Bring water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Leave rice noodles in water for 10 minutes to soften.  Drain noodles and set aside.

2) In the same pot, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in fish sauce, soy sauce, cane sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add noodles and toss until coated. Serve immediately.

     Again in the interest of using up what was in my pantry, I used soy sauce in place of the tamari sauce that the recipe originally called for.  It also called to top with sesame seeds if desired, but I completely forgot about that part even though I have sesame seeds to use up (D'oh!).  The recipe came out well, but was a little different from what I was hoping for.  I think I would use something a little thicker like spaghetti or even udon noodles and maybe not use so much fish sauce.  Still, it went well with the salmon.

Instant Pot broccoli

Broccoli with our dinner

Ingredients: 

Broccoli (duh!)

Water, 1 cup

Procedure:

1) Cut broccoli florets into medium sized pieces.  Cut the tough outer skin from the broccoli stem and cut it into medium pieces (thanks, Linnea, for the tip about how to eat broccoli stem!).

2) Put a trivet in your Instant Pot and pour in the water.  Put the broccoli on top of the trivet.

3) Pressure cook for zero minutes and quick release.

     This has become our new favorite way to cook broccoli.  The broccoli is cooked, but not too cooked and is quite yummy to eat! 

      All in all, this was a yummy dinner and, other than having to first defrost the salmon overnight and then marinate it for most of the day, it was pretty easy to put together.  I love trying new meals and am always happy when they come out well!

Green chile and black bean soup with chicken

Green chile and black bean soup with chicken

  The nice thing about Weight Watchers is that you can eat whatever you want- nothing is off limits.  One of the ways that I will fit something naughty like homemade popcorn with lots of butter is by eating foods that are zero/low in Weight Watchers points.  This green chile black bean soup with chicken is one of those foods and is so delicious that we're going to add it to our regularly cooked repertoire.

Green chile and black bean soup with chicken (based upon https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/pulled-chicken-ancho-chili-and-black-bean-soup/5a7e4aa0983984243592cdaa)

We made a double batch

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped

2 green chiles, chopped

1½ tsp, kosher salt, divided

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 medium red pepper, diced

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

4 cups chicken stock, fat skimmed (I used turkey broth)

15 oz canned diced tomatoes

1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast

15 oz canned black beans

15 oz canned corn

For the top: 

Fresh lime juice

Fat free Greek yogurt

Chopped cilantro

Procedure: 

1) Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, green chiles and salt; cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, 7-10 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, both chili powders and cumin; cook, stirring a few times, 1 minute. Add broth and tomatoes; increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and bring to a simmer; add chicken to pot. Cover and simmer until cooked through, 7-10 minutes.

2) Add beans and corn to pot; cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Chop cooked chicken and add back to soup. 

3) In each individual bowl, add in lime juice to taste.  Top with yogurt and cilantro.

  This was a relatively easy soup to make.  The original message calls for you to remove the cooked chicken, shredding it with a fork, and then adding it back into the soup.  I skipped this step so ended up cutting up the chicken while it was still in the soup.  I think I would chop the chicken up ahead of time.  It also tells you to add in the lime juice to the whole pot, but I thought it would have more of a punch if you stir it into the individual bowls instead.  The yogurt and cilantro on top are delicious!  A very delicious and nutritious soup!

Homemade boba!!

  Looking back at my blogs for the last few years, I have now (actually, as of my last blog post) blogged more this year than I did in 2015, 2017, 2018, or 2019.  Plus, I've blogged more this month than I have in any other month since December of 2016.  I'm glad that the shelter-in-place orders have at least given me the opportunity to cook/bake more and to blog more. 
  Speaking of shelter-in-place, I have been having a major craving for boba for the past week or so.  I knew that I had purchased boba pearls in the past (having recently rediscovered them in my excavations through my pantry), and knew that you could make it in an Instant Pot, so I decided to give it a try.  After scanning the internet (and my e-mails), I came across a recipe for both boba and iced tea (after all, I needed something to put the boba in) and made it today.  Here are my results!

Homemade boba in milk tea

Instant Pot Iced Tea (from https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-iced-tea/)

Ingredients:

4 regular teabags (I used one large peach iced tea bag which I purchased at Trader Joe's)

6 cups Water

1/2 cup sugar

Procedure: 

1) Pour everything into your Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes.

2) Allow it to cool slightly and then serve over ice.

  A few years ago, I went through a phase where I made this recipe quite often.  It makes a nice (and easy to make!) iced tea.  I've never made it with this particular type of tea before.  I'm not sure my peach tea flavor came through, and I used cane sugar from Trader Joe's so it gave it a little bit of a different flavor.  It was still good, though.

The boba right after it finished cooking

Instant Pot Boba Tea (based upon https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-boba-tea/)

Ingredients: 

1 cup (152 g) large Boba or Tapioca Pearls

2 cups (375 g) Water

1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar Or Other Sweetener Equivalent

Instant Pot iced tea recipe (see above)

Milk (I used oat milk)

Ice

Procedure: 

1) Place the boba pearls, water and sugar in the inner liner of your Instant Pot. It is important to use sugar in this recipe, as the boba need to rest in a sugar syrup in order to stay chewy and pliable. 

2) Cook at high pressure for 2 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.

3) When you open the lid, you will see some mighty big boba floating around. These will settle down to a much more manageable size as they cool. Do not refrigerate the boba. Allow them to cool in the liner, or pour them out into a mason jar and let them cool, about 15-20 minutes.

The boba can be kept in the refrigerator in this sugar syrup for a few hours, but the really don't store very well. 

4) Put boba in empty glasses.  Top with iced tea, milk, and ice.  Don't forget your reusable boba/smoothie straw!  Enjoy!

  The results of these two recipes were pretty darn good.  As I said earlier, I think the cane sugar is giving it a slightly...different... taste (or maybe my cane sugar is just old?).  In the future, I think I will use regular sugar. I have some nice baking sugar that probably would have been perfect but I'm saving it for (duh) baking.  The boba came out just the consistency I like.  Chewy, but not too chewy and not soft (I hate soft boba!).  Generally, I like my boba a little sweeter than the way these came out, but they were still quite good. 
  Either way, these two recipes very definitely satisfied my boba cravings.  And, since I had to use the boba up right away, I simply had to have two glasses of boba.  Isn't life terrible sometimes?  Too bad my package of boba is already halfway gone...  I can hardly wait to play around with different kinds of iced tea flavors and play around with the boba sugar levels.  This was wayyy cheaper (and easier with the shelter-in-place orders) than ordering it from a boba place.  Plus, no single use plastic! Although, since I'm still trying to lose weight, maybe it is a bad thing that it's so easy!  But boba is life!

Easter dinner 2020

     I just had fun looking back at my previous Easter dinner post from 9 years ago (https://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-dinner.html).  Amazing how many things have changed and how many have stayed the same.  Speaking of things staying the same, I find it funny that we had pretty much the same dinner 9 years ago even though I hadn't planned it that way at all.  Guess I haven't really changed much?
  In the true spirit of sheltering in place, tonight's dinner was made all from things I had at home, most of which were on the older side.  Staying in one place has given me a really good opportunity to clear out my pantry!  I had some old lamb steaks that were in my freezer which were purchased last year, maybe even for Easter last year.  Initially, I was thinking I would do some kind of pot pie with them, but I then realized they were whole steaks and not stew meat and decided I would research some kind of Instant Pot lamb recipe (I'm still a little leery to cook lamb directly on the stove top, since I don't cook whole pieces of meat that often).  I came across an Instant Pot Braised Lamb recipe with white beans and spinach and thought I could modify it based upon what I had around the house.

Instant Pot Braised Lamb

Instant Pot Braised Lamb (modified from https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/instant-pot-braised-lamb-with-white-beans-and-spinach?fbclid=IwAR1kmQAzgQdF0dW9ZlYJlyphk5E2cfvZnOZK19v2QsNdr9_tAaiXKLAO42E)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 boneless lamb leg steaks

freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt, divided

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

1/4 cup red wine

fresh oregano (or, in my case, frozen oregano)

bag of frozen peas

Procedure:

1) Pour 2 Tbsp. oil into Instant Pot and heat on Sauté setting on high until shimmering. Season lamb  on all sides with pepper and salt. Working in two batches, cook lamb in Instant Pot until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2) Add onion and garlic to hot oil in pot and cook, still on high Sauté setting and stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. 

3) Pour in wine and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until wine is slightly reduced and steam no longer smells boozy, 2–3 minutes. Pour in 2 cups hot water. 

4) Nestle lamb and oregano into pot, arranging in an even layer. Turn off Sauté setting. 

5) Lock on lid and cook at high pressure 20 minutes, then release pressure naturally. Remove lamb from Instant Pot and put on two plates. 

6) Add frozen peas until cooked through.

7) Serve lamb with frozen peas on the side and the cooking juice on top.

  It was pretty easy, and turned out deliciously!  I served it with a Trader Joe's orzo rice pilaf that I had sitting around in my pantry (which I can definitely recommend).  The lamb came out cooked through all the way (Scott and I both like our meat well cooked) but was still tender (enoughish) and flavorful!  We served it with a cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread (recipe below) and later searched for Easter eggs in our room filled with older candy from the pantry.  It's nice to find ways to use up the food we have!

Cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread

     Not surprisingly, I watch a lot of food videos, mostly on YouTube and Facebook.  I came across this recipe on the Tasty Facebook (or YouTube?) page and thought it looked delicious and very similar to a jalapeño cheese bread which we purchase from Beckmann's bakery at the farmer's market.  I knew that I had to try it!  Believe it or not, this is the first time I've actually made a Tasty recipe (surprising since I watch them pretty much every day).  Since we're trying to use up what's in our pantry/use up old food, I used green chilies as a substitute for jalapeños except on the outside of the bread, where I used sliced jalapeño for the visual appeal.  It takes a bit to find the recipe written down (usually Tasty recipes are just a video), but here you go!

Cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread (based upon this Tasty recipe: https://tasty.co/recipe/dutch-oven-jalapeno-cheddar-bread?fbclid=IwAR1kKM91ecqDQcBUgtn7s29TasqmnAmyT0ySEIko-JTbXpeIYkCLOMxOBgA)

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting (since I had only AP flour at home, I used 3 ½ cups AP flour with 5 ¼ teaspoons of flour taken out and substitute with 5 ¼ teaspoons of vital wheat gluten)

2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

3 green chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, sliced into rings, divided

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 cups warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

1) In a standing mixer bowl, combine the flour, 2 cups (200 g) of cheddar cheese, the chopped green chilies, and salt. Stir well using the paddle attachment.

2) In a separate large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Add to the flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together.

3) Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 60 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

4) Using the dough hook, mix for a bit longer. Cover with the towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

5) While the dough is rising a second time, add a Dutch oven and lid to the oven, and preheat to 450˚F (230˚C) for 30 minutes.

6) Lightly flour a clean work surface and your hands. Carefully peel the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface. Flip over and carefully brush away excess flour. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center 8 times, then flip over the dough and transfer to a piece of parchment paper.

7) Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil, so the cheese will stick. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup (50 g) of cheese on top. Use a sharp knife to score the bread with an “X”, which will allow steam to escape. Arrange the jalapeño rings on top of the cheese.

8) Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and use the parchment to lift the bread into the pot. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes, until the bread is golden brown.

9) Carefully slide the bread out of the pot and onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and let the bread cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

10) Slice the bread and serve as desired.

  Although this bread didn't rise as much as expected (maybe I over-mixed the dough since I used a stand mixer instead of mixing it by hand with a spatula as the original recipe stated), it still came out amazing!!!  Seriously, I think this might be the best bread I've ever eaten (and even better than the farmer's market bread, which is saying a lot).  Although it was very very difficult not to eat it when it was fresh from the oven, I let it cool for probably a couple of hours to make sure the bread was the very best it could be.  It's deliciously cheesy and crunchy on the outside, with a chewy cheesy delicious center.  I am definitely definitely going to make this again!!

Baked eggs in acorn squash

     I joined Weight Watchers earlier this year and have had good success with it so far.  It's been difficult being at home and having access to my kitchen 24/7 and not baking/eating all of the fattening foods that's at my fingertips.  In light of this, I have been looking for healthier recipes and so made a modified version of Weight Watchers' Baked eggs in acorn squash with roasted peppers & dill based upon what I had in my house.

Baked eggs in acorn squash (modified from https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/baked-eggs-in-acorn-squash-with-roasted-peppers-and-dill/5bbe3f7c87c9820047f4c0d4)

Ingredients:

Two small acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
Cooking spray
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Everything but the bagel seasoning
4 eggs
Shredded mozzarella cheese, enough to cover the top of each acorn squash half

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Cut a thin slice off bottom of each squash half so it sits flat. Place squash halves, cut side up, on prepared pan and coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and everything but the bagel seasoning. Roast until squash are just tender and a paring knife can pierce flesh without much resistance, about 25 minutes.
3) Crack an egg into each baked acorn squash half. 
4) Return squash to oven; bake until eggs are set to your liking, about 15 minutes for a still-runny yolk and up to 20 for a set yolk. Sprinkle each with mozzarella and serve immediately.


  This was an easy, quick, nutritious lunch.  I liked the salty addition of the Everything but the Bagel seasoning.  A quick note (and one that may not be obvious if you're not used to eating squashes): the outside skin is not really edible but is quite easy to peel off.  I am finding that I like squashes more than I realized; I will definitely have to continue to play around with squash recipes!

Banana nut bread

Banana nut bread

  Spending all of this time at home during the pandemic has really made me itch to bake.  It took a few days to find all of the ingredients (flour and eggs are in high demand right now), but I thought it would be lovely to make some banana bread using some bananas that my housemate was going to toss out.

Banana Nut Bread (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, plus some for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup grated dried unsweetened coconut

Procedure:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2) Mix together the dry ingredients.  Cream the butter and beat in the eggs and bananas.  Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients; do not mix more than necessary.  Gently stir in the vanilla, nuts, and coconut.
3) Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned.  A toothpick inserted in to the center of the bread will come out fairly clean when it is done, but because of the bananas this bread will remain moister than most.  Do not overcook.  Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.  To store, wrap in waxed paper.

My banana nut bread.  You can see the coconut and the
pecans inside every loaf. Mmmm...

  This banana nut bread was extremely addicting and amazingly delicious (especially when served warm and fresh)!  Oh my goodness, I could not stop eating it!!!  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the middle top part to cook all the way through but didn't want to overcook it, so the middle slices were a little under-cooked toward the top.  I didn't care and scarfed it all down anyways.  I'm not usually a fan of bananas (although I knew that I liked banana nut bread), but even I was surprised at how much I savored this dish.  You've been warned!