Leftovers - desired or ?

I added a posting to the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog today to help close out our month's theme on food and learning asking for what leftovers you look forward to, or despise?

You have my permission to click on over to read and join the discussion!

Serve it hot

5 - Serve it hot
If the meal is multiple courses, this tends to make it a little easier. You’ll have some time between courses. If it is prepared to be ready all at once, there may be a logistical challenge in the kitchen around the stove, microwave, oven or grill, etc. Again, plan to succeed. Think about what needs to be ready when and plan accordingly.

This is part of my entry in the food and learning theme this month on the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog. Click on over to read all of the seven lessons from the kitchen

Banana Bread

As mentioned earlier in leftover creativity, Banana Bread is a good use of old bananas. The older the bananas, the easier they are to mash up and use in this recipe. One of my friends commented:

How can you make bread out of bananas?

Can't even imagine it.

Well Felix, this recipe is for you! This recipe has been kicking around the family for years. It is a clipping from some long forgotten newspaper. The newsprint is yellowing under the tape and plastic protecting it on the recipe index card.

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed (about 3 medium bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Processing:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream margarine and sugar together.
Add eggs, beat well.
Peel bananas, mash well in a bowl.

Sift dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt)
Add to egg mixture alternately with banana, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in nuts.

Scape batter into 9x5 inch loaf pan well-greased.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out of the center clean.

Remove to rack to cool.

Steve's modifications

For the flour, I substitute my "enriched" flour which in this case is a combination of 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached flour, 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1/4 cup corn meal.

For the nuts, I usually substitute chocolate chips. Yes, the same kind that is used for cookies. If you really like chocolate, you can be more generous than called for (1/2 cup).


Enjoy!

Cooking Lesson Learned

Regular readers may have noticed that I like to cook. One aspect of cooking that always is intriguing is being efficient and in particular using left overs creatively. A spiral ham for the holidays left a ham bone which became split green pea soup. This was one time when we did not have enough ham to also make a ham hash (maybe next time).

We had some egg nog left over and I have been trying to find a use for it. Other than served with a shot of brandy as a nice night cap, that is.

Since it is egg and milk, why not use it to make French toast?
No, not good. It soaked the bread too much and burned too quickly.

Why not use it in a pancake mix? After all you add egg and milk to make pancakes?
No, also not good. After multiple tries, the mix was either too thick or too thin. When too thick it did not cook well enough before burning. When too thin, it was messy and again tended to burn too quickly.

So for any knowledgeable cooks out there, what is it in egg nog that prevents it being used in these ways? Is there some way to compensate?

Or do we just drink it?

thanks for any assistance you may provide.