Jacked Up Banana Bread

I’ve had a few firsts in the last week:  poaching eggs, joining Pinterest, cooking with leeks (ok, it was my second time after a long absence but I’m really coming around to them!), carpooling to work, making Vegetable Chow Mein for dinner, watching Mad Men while I spin (Oh Draper...), and last but far from the least, having an “unplanned” Saturday.  Perhaps this last item is most pertinent to today’s post.  What else do you do with your first unplanned, non-working Saturday in weeks but take stock of your freezer, realize you’ve got 15 (count ‘em, fifteen) frozen bananas, and turn them into five (count ‘em, five) loaves of banana bread, varying them with or without dark chocolate chips and walnuts.  But of course you do!!

Mr. Jack

So, the following happened on this unplanned day of days:  I didn’t put on make-up, turned up the tunes, donned my apron, and baked.  I know I sound like a real life homebody, but I have to say that I could not have asked for a better day.  The hubby was working in his shop/"creative space”, so I worked in mine.  We make a great team. :)

FIVE! Notice chocolate on some, walnuts on others.

Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

I have a hard time dirtying up my pretty aprons!

Brother from another mother.

 This is my favorite banana bread recipe thus far, and there are many, many out there.  It uses booze and I like that. ;)  Thank you, Smitten Kitchen, for this version of a classic!  You may add fill-ins such as chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, walnuts, pecans, etc, or add cream cheese frosting to dress it up as a dessert.  I highly recommend freezing the bread in greater quantities, like I did.  Let the loaves cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap followed by foil.  Label with a date and stick them in the freezer, especially before the hubby comes home!