Banana Bread Oatmeal

It's no secret that I love banana bread. In my house, there always seem to be a few bananas that just don't get eaten in time. While freezing bananas for a later date is always an option, sometimes there are already one too many bananas hiding in there. I don't like to waste food if I can help it so bananas are frequently on the menu.

With my deep love of all baked banana goods, having a quick and easy way to make a dish that tastes like banana bread without the mixing and the baking (and the waiting) was ideal.

I am a sucker for overripe bananas. I don't start eating them until they are covered in brown spots. As long as it they can still keep their shape, I'm in banana love. My father would disagree. He likes to eat them when they are still a bit green, without a brown spot in sight. I think they lack that vital banana flavor so soon after ripening, but he argues otherwise. We may disagree about the best time to eat bananas, but we've never disagreed over a nice loaf of banana bread. And that's the truth.

How do you like your bananas?

This banana bread oatmeal tastes just like the real deal. The oatmeal is littered with tiny pieces of banana and spiced with the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. This oatmeal is naturally sweetened with the addition of bananas so you will need very little, if any, sugar to sweeten it up. It's healthy, it's delicious, it's banana bread in a bowl. What's not to love?

Click to read more ...

Vanilla Pear Milk

Pears have always been one of my favorite fruits. Not only do they have an elegant shape, but they are juicy and charmingly sweet. Though, pears have a dark side. They can be temperamental, finicky, and are never perfectly ripe.

I would argue that pears are one of the most elegant and graceful fruits until you bite into them. Whenever I bite into a ripe pear, a small explosion occurs. Juice dribbles down my chin, sprays my clothing with a fine mist, and runs down my hands until I am sticky and dripping puddles on the floor. Maybe you have more grace when eating pears (and I commend you for it), but I certainly don't. Pears are only portable in theory. I can never eat a pear in public with good conscious (well, not unless I'm eating them with a knife and fork and who does that?).

Finding a ripe pear is virtually impossible. I believe Eddie Izzard, one of my favorite comedians, said it best.

Pears are like a rock, so you think, "I'll take them home and they'll ripen up," and you put them in a bowl, and they sit there going, "No! No! Don't ripen yet! Don't ripen yet! Wait till he goes out of the room! Ripen now! Now! Now!" And you come back in, and you go, "I'll just have one of these… Hey, these pears are dead!"

The pears are mush before you even saw it coming.

This vanilla pear milk is light and sweet. The texture falls somewhere between yogurt and a smoothie. The dash of cinnamon melds all of the flavors together in a way I didn't expect. Treat yourself to this healthy, delicious drink. You won't be disappointed.

Click to read more ...

Gingerbread Cheesecake

I never want to eat again.

I don't want to eat food, make food, or look at it. If I see one more dirty dish, I might just cry. This is a lie and I'm sure I will take it all back tomorrow (though I am very serious about the dishes bit). After spending most of a week feasting and spending endless hours in the kitchen, I'm exhausted. The holiday season has taken its toll on me, as evidenced by my sore feet and expanding waistline. There is no other time in the year where I would consider a bowl of puppy chow and a few sugar cookies a legitimate breakfast. And the season isn't even over yet.

I have more leftovers than I care to mention. Try as I might, I can't escape from the cookies, cakes, and sweets. They taunt me from the counter tops. They quietly hide in the refrigerator. They are even stacked up in the garage, becoming the first sight I see when I enter the house and the last before I leave. I have a massive sugar infestation.

... Help me!

Tomorrow I am going to eat a thoroughly healthy breakfast... and then I will break out the cookies and milk. Five more days before the new year (and before I have to feel guilty about it)!

I originally made this cheesecake in a 10-inch springform pan but, due to unforeseen and tragic circumstances, this is not what the fates had in mind. May it never be said that I cannot salvage a cheesecake. As it turns out, these gingerbread cheesecakes are delicious in bite-sized proportions. The gingerbread flavor is loud and proud, though the sour cream topping keeps it in check. It's dense, it's delicious. Do yourself a favor and make this before the holiday season officially ends.

Click to read more ...