We had three beyond-ripe bananas I needed to use up before a house showing tonight (they were stinking up the place), and I remembered how much my best friend Lindsey loves our Peanut Butter + Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Expect, I also know that she loves all things Nutella even more. So, you know -- I made this recipe specifically for her.
Except I'm not so sure it'll last until the next time we're together.
Could you resist this?
// NUTELLA BANANA BREAD
I used Aldi's hazelnut-chocolate spread -- and it's magical!
What you'll need . . .
3 medium bananas (riper is better)
2 tablespoons flax meal
3/4 cup warm almond milk (unsweetened, preferably)
1/2 cup Nutella (or off-brand)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method . . .
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a glass loaf pan and set aside.
Mash the bananas until they are goopy. Set aside. Also mix together the flax meal with 3/4 cup of WARM almond milk. Then set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the Nutella, olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Then add in the flax meal mixture and bananas.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet using a spatula and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Fold in chocolate chips and let rest for five minutes (to let the baking powder react). Then pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour.
After the time is up, take loaf out and poke with a knife or bamboo skewer (something to get in there deep!). If it doesn't come out clean, cover with some tin foil and return to oven for up to 15 minutes, checking periodically for done-ness.
Let cool before tipping out of loaf pan and slicing.
Our lives are crazy right now. I don't even know where to start. But the most stressful part is definitely selling our place. This weekend, we were driving to visit our best friends Lindsey and John (and baby Gavin, who you met here) . . . and -- while en route -- got a call that someone wanted to see our house that afternoon.
Great! Wait!!! AWFUL!
We typically request 24-hours notice before a viewing. This person was only in town for the day. So, we had to turn around the car and clean our place for an hour or so. Annoying? Yes. Educational? Also yes. You see: We must live entirely like we are guests in our own home. I hate every minute of it, and I can't wait till someone offers. Please, universe, have someone offer soon!
But we finally got to see Lindsey, John, and Gavin. It had been WAY too long, and we're looking forward to nicer weather so we can see them more often! Of course, no trip would be complete without a photo-shoot:
Such a gorgeous family!
Other weekend highlights: A 10K run in the sun on Saturday morning (despite the temps being around 15 degrees F -- ick!); more crepe-cake making; Indian food takeout; Sister Wives -- more episodes than I'd like to admit; omelet night with my brother; a clean house (as mentioned above -- the crunch may have been a blessing in disguise).
Yesterday, I ran 10 miles on our treadmill . . .
. . . which gave me enough time to squeeze in multiple episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I'm seriously obsessed -- likely because I didn't have enough drama in my own life as a teenager.
Congrats goes out to Cassie, who writes: "Please dress me up. I'm in need of a cute dress for summer weddings!" But don't worry if you didn't win. You can still enjoy 10% off all items!
Forget pumpkin garlic knots. Well . . . not entirely. The minute I got home Friday night, I made some pumpkin pizza dough.
After two long hours or rising, we whipped up a basic cheese pizza. But on Saturday, instead of making the usual garlic knots -- we dumped a huge helping (1/4 cup) of pesto into a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of extra olive oil.
Really. That's all you need to do.
Pesto knots will rock your world. I promise. Make them tonight. If you haven't noticed: We're on a pesto kick lately (Basil Pesto French Toast and Pesto Quiche, anyone?).
BEST FRIENDS PLUS ONE
Our best friends Lindsey and John welcomed their little guy (baby Gavin) into the world last week. Naturally, we went to visit them ASAP. And I had some fun with my new 50 mm lens.
What a gorgeous family:
Even Stephen got in on the baby-holding action. I couldn't resist snapping this shot:
I think the little guy got a bit irked with me toward the end. I mean. I did shove a huge camera in his face for the better part of his afternoon meal time. But we love him lots.
Congrats to Lindsey and John!
FUN LUNCH TRICK
I'm notoriously bad at packing my lunch for work. Recently, I picked up some frozen entrees (not a ton, just a couple for those especially rushed mornings). I usually don't like to eat these meals because they have high sodium content and -- though they're getting way better -- don't always the best nutritional profile.
Yeah. I could have picked something with veggies. But -- confession time -- one of my all-time favorites is the mac 'n cheese. Smart girl that I am, I thought of a way to up the nutrition a bit.
So, I grabbed a sweet potato on my way out the door.
Then at lunch time, I poked the tines of a fork into it a few times and microwaved on high for around 5 minutes.
Then, I scooped out the soft potato, mashed it, and mixed it in with my Lean Cuisine (after it was warmed).
Served with some fruit and carrots (other fast-to-items), I was set. Have you made over a pre-packaged meal? If so, what'd you do? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.
Yes. For the first time EVER, I successfully made peanut butter this weekend. Well -- actually, it was this morning, truth be told. But we'll get back to this topic in a moment. This weekend was great. It began with a dinner out Friday night (we usually cook at home on Fridays because we like what we make better than most restaurants around here). Our favorite place in town has expanded its menu to include a variety of new dishes, appetizers, and drinks!
We spent the rest of the night watching TV in bed (I have like 3,000 pillows and 10,000 blankets). Because we had nothing better to do. And it was glorious.
Saturday, we each began the day with a large serving of the banana-stuffed faux crepes. Yum! Then, a run! I did an easy 5.5 miles and Stephen completed a 4 mile pace workout. I'm still not feeling like I want to run. But I'm also getting excited for the race. It's only two weeks away! After that, we met up again with our friends Lindsey and John.
Lindsey and I went shopping -- she got some awesome maternity clothes she needed . . . and I got a ton of stuff I probably DON'T need, but still enjoy. I'm curious -- because I bought for colors of the same shirt, and I am thinking about going back for more. Does anyone else have this habit? I tend to find a cut/style I like, and I stick with it. I just end up with different colors of the same thing. If it works, it works. At least that's how I feel!
John and Stephen stayed back at the house and brewed another batch of beer. This time, they mixed up a kit for Hopnog. And though I can't yet attest to the nogginess, the hops are DEFINITELY there. They also experimented with a new method that might help save water and more effectively cool the batch faster for the future.
Sunday, though we're in our taper, is still long run day. We each had 12 miles ahead of us. I planned to run part of my 20-miler route -- out and back -- but I couldn't because there were several road closures. Thankfully these closures were THIS week and not last. It's difficult to change up your route when you're 5 miles from home and have 15 to go. With only another 7, it was no big deal. I finished my run in 1:45:00 -- 8:45 pace. Basically, this is my "ultimate goal" marathon pace, so we'll see if I can maintain it at the race (would mean a finish around 3:49:30). If not, that's OK, too!
Stephen ran a half marathon distance, finishing in 1:26:00 -- or 6:28 pace. (Sick, right?) We're both feeling confident and ready to hit the pavement. But I think we're both nervous about the weather. October is a tricky month up in the Northeast. It could be cold and cloudy . . . or it could be hot and sunny. There's really no telling -- and the temperature, etc., certainly impacts performance. For example, yesterday was much warmer than it first seemed . . . and I ended up getting pretty dehydrated by the end of the run.
I'm also happy to report that we've added a new appliance to our kitchen family. Yup -- I caved and bought a new food processor last night. It's awesome. Specifically, it's the Cuisinart 11-cup Pro Custom model. I'm not entirely sure if it's the same one that Ashley has, but I think it's the same one that Julie just picked up last weekend.
Let's just say . . . I don't feel like I'm just playing around anymore. This baby has POWER. And I'm starting to understand that all my failed attempts at making peanut butter weren't failed because I'm deficient in some way. No. I just didn't have the right tools . . .
Major difference, correct? The new processor has no trouble at all transforming peanuts into peanut butter (we used Ashley's recipe). It's as easy as . . .
1.)
2.)
3.)
More about the food processor (and peanut butter) another day, though. I still need to play around with it more. It even came with a DVD and special slicing plates for fancier cuts, like julienne!
Seen any good movies lately?Why, yes. Yes, we have! This sort of gets us back on our music discussion from the other day (with our video post). Stephen and I both love this band called Joy Division. You may or may not have heard of them. They're late 1970s post-punk out of England. Anyway, there's a movie that was produced about the lead singer, Ian Curtis, that came out in 2008. It's one of those movies we meant to see when it was released, and then forgot about.
Then we FINALLY remembered. It's called Control. I highly recommend it.
After watching it, we spent Saturday and Sunday listening to Joy Division and a band that grew out of them, New Order. We also found some cool covers that we like almost as much as the originals!
So, that's pretty much everything. What did YOU do this weekend? Craft any new recipes? See any good films? Rock out any workouts? Let us know -- just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.
Today I'm posting another Lindsey Special -- just like the Nutella Ice Cream and Nutella Brownies. On New Year's Eve, Lindsey brought over gingerbread cookie dough she had made the night before. It was perfectly chilled and ready to be made into what you see above. She also brought her ice cream maker . . . and THIS TIME the barrel was sufficiently frozen.
It didn't take long for us to get to work . . .
Even if you don't have an ice cream maker -- the gingerbread cookies are worth a bake -- just make sure you read the directions first, as they call for you to chill the dough for 4 hours or overnight (just FYI -- I usually skip this step, but thought I'd include it for any purists out there). They're tiny and crispy. Perfect for a nice, but small dessert . . . if you're trying to watch your sugar these days. (Which it seems most people are.)
What you'll need . . . (for the cookie dough, recipe originally from Pardon My Crumbs)
In a large bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
In another large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer (or just use your stand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add molasses and egg to wet ingredients; beat well.
Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat sheet.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (Christie from Pardon My Crumbs found it was easiest to cut the gingerbread dough into 1" strips, then into 1" squares and then roll them between her hands -- we used the same method.)
Once they resemble 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown.
Remove to wire racks; cool completely. AND MAKE THE ICE CREAM (below...)
What you'll need for the vanilla ice cream . . .
Ice cream maker
2 cups heavy cream (chilled)
1 c whole milk (chilled -- we actually used soy milk because that's all I had)
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(Silk makes a great vegan soy heavy cream that would work wonderfully in this recipe. Try it out if you're vegan!)
Method . . .
Place ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine until well blended.
Prepare according to machine's instructions (Lindsey's calls for mixing between 20 and 25 minutes).
Rock out with your best friend while you wait . . .
ASSEMBLE YOUR SANDWICHES: Take one cooled gingerbread cookie and top with a heaping tablespoon of vanilla ice cream. Top that with another gingerbread cookie. I found it was a quick process . . . and not necessarily because it was easy. No, it was, instead, a necessity -- the ice cream melts relatively quickly. That's why you'll want to chill these guys a bit before eating. (Of course, you can have some right away -- but to let everything firm up, I recommend putting them in the freezer for an hour or so.)
Thanks, Lindsey! If you haven't yet, check out the Something for Nothing Giveaway. You still have until 9:00PM tomorrow (EST -- Thursday) to enter!
Neverhomemakers: meet my BF Lindsey. One of the many interests she and I share is our love of Nutella. To celebrate this love, we decided to get together yesterday and make Nutella ice cream and brownies. Yeah, that's right -- ice cream AND brownies. Yum! I'm posting the ice cream recipe/adventure first because . . . well, it seemed to be a complete fail when she left our house last night (hence the frown faces in the photo above).
But would you call THIS a disaster? I don't think so . . .
I'm happy to report I was able to salvage the at-first sloppy Nutella mix and enjoy it frozen style after letting it sit a night in the freezer. I haven't yet spoken with Lindsey, but I'm hoping her half turned out just as well. So what's this disaster? What exactly happened? Here's the short of it: Lindsey brought over her spanking-new ice cream maker and we immediately we got to work mixing ingredients together . . .
What we neglected, however, was the very most important part of the ice cream making process: Ensuring the ice cream maker's canister is absolutely frozen. It had been in Lindsey's car for a few hours . . . felt cold enough . . . but definitely wasn't frozen. But another thing Lindsey and I share is a touch of impatience, especially when a delish spread of chocolate and hazelnuts is involved.
But you can learn from our mistake. When I say "follow your ice cream maker directions" -- follow 'em -- no exceptions. AND FREEZE YOUR CANISTER FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS (or until you can't hear the coolant shaking around in there). If you don't, you'll turn out with a cool-ish Nutella soup.
Like this . . .
We got this recipe from awesome food blogger Katy over at Sugarlaws (it's fast becoming my favorite blog ever). Go check it out! As well, keep in mind that this recipe can easily be HEALTHY (or at least a little healthier). We made it with soy milk. The only reason we used real heavy cream is because there wasn't any Silk cream left at the store (and, being the weekend before x-mas, we didn't feel like hunting around). I also think coconut milk (full fat -- for consistency reasons)might be an interesting twist. And if you're vegan and you'd like a Nutella-ish ice cream experience, maybe try this recipe with Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams.
What you'll need to make four cups of ice cream . . .
2/3 cup Nutella
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream (or soy heavy cream -- Silk makes a great one)
2 cups milk (or soy milk, vanilla or regular)
Method . . .
Before you start, make sure your ice cream canister is completely frozen. (When you shake it, you shouldn't hear anything sloshing around.)
Whisk together all ingredients until well incorporated.
Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions (ours had us churn it for 20 minutes).
Freeze for four hours before serving (I think this part is optional).
Suggestion: We also had planned to add some dark chocolate chunks and crushed hazelnuts. So, if you follow these directions and notice the mixture thickening (like it should) -- you can add 1/3 to 2/3 cups of each of these ingredients in the last five minutes of churning.
And seriously -- disaster or not, this ice cream taste incredible. Enjoy alone or with some tasty Nutella brownies (recipe coming soon!!!). And also stay tuned because Lindsey and I plan to join forces again and make ice cream the "right" way -- hopefully as soon as New Year's eve!
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Hello + welcome // I'm Ashley -- work-at-home mama to three lovely girls, Ada + Eloise + Eden. In this space, you'll find thoughts on family life, frugal vegetarian + vegan recipes, and ideas for how to create a natural, healthy home. READ MORE!
