Growing up, dessert nut breads were family favorites, and at a young age I discovered that these loaves make great gifts for many occasions. With the first recipe below, you don't have to worry about spending hours in the kitchen to make a delicious, pretty treat for yourself or someone else. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous (and patient), you can opt for a recipe that starts from scratch.
Today is National Banana Split Day, and naturally, to celebrate, I've out together an exam. You may know what ingredients make up a banana split, but do you know anything else about this tasty sundae? Test your banana split knowledge now by taking my fun quiz!
Have you ever noticed that sometimes organic bananas are wrapped in plastic bags, while the conventional ones aren't? I always thought this was a method of bug protection, but it is something entirely different.
Organic bananas are wrapped in plastic because it helps speed up the ripening process.
I know what you're thinking: Why on earth is Yum drinking a banana-flavored cocktail with a ridiculous name? Well, sometimes a girl needs a silly, sugary drink — and sometimes a girl has a bunch of creme de banana left over from a
bananas foster recipe. In search of a use for this odd liqueur, I headed to the Internet and found the Monkey's Lunch.
Deciding whether to buy organic or conventional bananas is a toughie. Organic ones are more expensive (usually at least 30 cents more per pound), and I've noticed that they seem to bruise more easily – anyone else notice that, too? The major difference between the two are that conventional bananas are grown with synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides to protect the crops from mold, bugs, and disease.
Couscous is a staple common to North African cuisine. Instead of serving it as a savory part of my
dinner menu, I decided to use it to make a sweet dessert. Most people have had rice or bread pudding, but the majority of my guests have yet to experience couscous pudding.
Normally when I watch
Top Chef, I imagine eating the dishes, but never think about making them. Maybe it's because I consider myself more of a
Padma than a top chef, or maybe it's because the dishes always seem so complicated. Either way, it came as a surprise last week when — for the first time — I thought, OMG I have to make that.
I must confess, I've never been a huge fan of rhubarb. I suppose I just don't understand it. However these
frozen rhubarb and banana charlottes are so beautiful and delicate looking that I'm starting to think twice about my rhubarb ban.
Instead of baking the
Chinese New Year Cake — Nian Gao — for your
Chinese New Year dinner, why not modernize the tradition and serve a sweet version of spring rolls? Fill spring roll wrappers with a luscious mixture of bananas, brown sugar, ginger, and mangoes. Paired with a caramel rum dipping sauce, this is a truly decadent dessert.
