Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall's Banana Bread

Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall was the feature in the latest KANSAS! magazine Taste article (2024/vol 80/  issue 1). “Food like poetry can summon people. Comparing the two, she says, “Both can be a window and a mirror.” Her article, "Poems & Banana Bread," explores her interest in food insecurity across the state and also explores how she incorporates food and culinary topics with her son and students at Kansas State University. 

ABOUT TRACI'S RECIPE — Food is capable of capturing a moment in time and this recipe transports Traci back to her very first baking experience. She says, “One of the things I like about it is that it never fails. It's always delicious. Oh! And I always freeze my bananas as they brown and then thaw those frozen ones for baking. It makes the banana bread very moist and makes mixing the ingredients go more easily as well.”  

Winter Holiday Suggestion: Bake in disposable pans for gift giving. 

 

MOM’S BANANA BREAD   Yield: 3 mini (3¼  x 5 ¾ x 2-inch) loaf pans

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed (over) ripe bananas (approximately 3-4)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1 small package (4 ounces or 1/4 cup) walnuts or pecans. optional

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Stir together flour, salt, and soda. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine bananas and sugar. Stir well. Add egg and butter. 
3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until moistened.
4. Pour into 3 mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with pan release. Fill each pan about two-thirds full. 
5. Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F. oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool on a rack before slicing.

Alternative for steps 4 & t5: Pour the batter into a prepared standard (8½ x 4½ x 2⅝-inch) loaf pan; increase baking time to about 55-60 minutes.Quick breads, including this banana bread, should register an internal temperature of 200 to 205 degrees F.Note: Using an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of quick breads is the best and most accurate way to ensure they are perfectly cooked through but not overdone.

The magazine is full of interesting stories including another non-food article I wrote: "Crispin's Mseum of the Wonder Drugs of Yesteryear." Located in a historic building in Lincoln, Kansas, the museum in full of wonders including the owner and retired pharmacist Jack Crispin. This free museum in definitely a must see. 

Crispin's Drug Store Museum is located at 161 E. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln, KS
Phone: 785-524-5383
Website: crispinsdrugmtoremuseum.com or on Facebook

Virginia Hoffman’s Favorite Banana Bread

Virginia describes this recipe as a favorite. I’ve actually had this recipe since 2008 but I just made it recently after Virginia mentioned it again. It’s a favorite she says because it is so simple and always turns out just right. Truthfully, I have (make that had) a fear of banana bread! Past experiences tended to yield unevenly baked loaves with sunken centers . . . for some unidentifiable reason! Taking Virginia at her word, I made her recipe and now I can say that I’ve mastered banana bread. The recipe is truly easy and delicious, too. 

Loaf is almost ready to deliver to Virginia. Her hand written recipe is in the forefront. 

Virginia Hoffman’s Favorite Banana Bread     Makes one 8” x 4” loaf .

3 ripe bananas (or 4 if small)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (or 1/2 stick) melted margarine/butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl and then add remaining ingredients and mix.  

   

   I mixed the quick bread by hand in a mixing bowl.

3. Pour into a greased 8” x 4” loaf pan. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: In order to be sure the center is done—insert an instant read thermometer into the center of the loaf; it should register an internal temperature between 200 to 205° F. 

   

   I did line the loaf pan with sprayed parchment paper that I cut to overhang the pan . . . for easy removal of the loaf. 
   
   

   Also check out Virginia's Cheese Pie recipe on the post celebrating her 101st birthday!

Recipe without photos . . . Virginia Hoffman’s Favorite Banana Bread     Makes one 8” x 4” loaf .

3 ripe bananas (or 4 if small)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (or 1/2 stick) melted margarine/butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl and then add remaining ingredients and mix.  
3. Pour into a greased 8” x 4” loaf pan. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: In order to be sure the center is done—insert an instant read thermometer into the center of the loaf; it should register an internal temperature between 200 to 205° F. 

Farina Hot Cereal – Grain, Nuts & Berries

Hot cereal has a long history as a wholesome food that helps break the fast. Back in 1869 the Hoffman Grist Mill provided the residents of Enterprise, Kansas, and surrounding areas with several forms of milled wheat, including farina. Reestablished in 2016, the Hoffman Grist Mill again offers milled grains in cloth sacks, just like in the “good old days.”

So exactly what is farina and how does it compare to Cream of Wheat? Both are porridge-style hot cereals but differ slightly in contents. Farina is a milled cereal grain which is typically made from wheat germ and the inner parts of wheat kernels (also known as endosperm). Cream of Wheat is also made with wheat germ except it's finely ground, making it smoother in texture and lighter in color.

Farina Hot Cereal     1 serving

1 cup water

Pinch of salt
1/4 cup farina

For serving: brown sugar, pinch of cinnamon, milk, nuts and fresh berries

1. Bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a near boil.
2. Remove from heat and slowly add ¼ cup farina, stirring constantly.
   
3. Return to burner and bring back to a boil, then lower heat and cook approximately 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
4. Spoon into bowl and top with brown sugar, pinch of cinnamon, milk, nuts and fresh berries. Or, top with maple syrup and sliced bananas.

   

   Farina Hot Cereal topped with milk, brown sugar, a pinch a common,
    toasted sliced almonds and blueberries.

Recipe without photos . . .

Farina Hot Cereal     1 serving

1 cup water

Pinch of salt
1/4 cup farina

For serving: brown sugar, pinch of cinnamon, milk, nuts and fresh berries

1. Bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a near boil.
2. Remove from heat and slowly add ¼ cup farina, stirring constantly.
3. Return to burner and bring back to a boil, then lower heat and cook approximately 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
4. Spoon into bowl and top with brown sugar, pinch of cinnamon, milk, nuts and fresh berries. Or, top with maple syrup and sliced bananas.

Winter Fruit Salad

So simple and a great way to add fruit to your winter diet. Here's what we used, but add oranges, grapefruit, etc or whatever you have on hand.



Winter Fruit Salad for 4
2  kiwi, diced
About 3/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
About 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
1 apple, diced (we used Fuji)
1 small banana, diced
Celery Seed Dressing

1. Chop fruit right before you plan to serve salad. Or, if you want a head start, chop the kiwi, half grapes and add to pomegranate seeds; refrigerate and add diced apples and bananas right before serving.
   
2. Drizzle with Celery Seed Dressing and lightly toss to lightly coat fruit.
   

Granola Pancakes with fruit topping

Barry added granola to our homemade pancake mix this morning.  We topped the cakes with a dollop of vanilla yogurt, chopped bananas, a little more granola for added crunch and maple syrup. YUM!
Recipes follow for either 6 or 18 pancakes . . .

Granola Pancakes with fruit topping 

6 cakes                                   

1 cup Baking Mix                                                

1/4 cup milk                                                            

1 egg

1/4 cup granola (homemade or store-bought)       

18 cakes

3 cups Baking Mix 

2/3 cup milk

1 egg
1/2 cup granola (homemade or store-bought)

Toppings
Vanilla yogurt
Chopped bananas, or fresh fruit or choice
Additional granola (homemade or store-bought)
Maple syrup

                                                           

1.  Stir the milk and egg into the Mix until blended; stir in granola.

2.  Bake on hot griddle or in waffle iron.

3.  Top with vanilla yogurt, chopped bananas, a little more granola for added crunch and maple syrup.

Recipe without photos . . .

Granola Pancakes with fruit topping 

6 cakes                                   

1 cup Baking Mix                                                

1/4 cup milk                                                            

1 egg
1/4 cup granola (homemade or store-bought)        

   

18 cakes

3 cups Baking Mix 

2/3 cup milk

1 egg
1/2 cup granola (homemade or store-bought)

Toppings
Vanilla yogurt
Chopped bananas, or fresh fruit or choice
Additional granola (homemade or store-bought)
Maple syrup

                                                           

1.  Stir the milk and egg into the Mix until blended; stir in granola.

2.  Bake on hot griddle or in waffle iron.
3.  Top with vanilla yogurt, chopped bananas, a little more granola for added crunch and maple syrup.

Cooking with Kids: Chocolate Smoothies

I recently was a workshop presenter for Wellness Day at a local grade school. The topic was "Nutritious After School Snacks." With the help of eager fifth grade students, this is one of two recipes we made in a 25 minute span of time.

5th-graders take a healthy snack break—sampling Chocolate Smoothies

To read about the Wellness Day event, including student comments and  

reactions, go to the Abilene App blog: Garfield Wellness Day - "Kids Cooking" Healthy Snacks

Chocolate Smoothie    2 servings

Prep: 10 min. or less

Tools/Equipment: Blender or NutriBullet, set of dry measuring spoons & cups, measuring cup for liquids

Ingredients

   3 to 4 tablespoons quick-cook or old-fashioned oats (not cooked)

   2 cups+ milk (almond or soy milk can also be used)

   About ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

   1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)

   About ¼ cup sweetened yogurt

   1 banana

   A heaping handful of ice

   Honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Add the oats to the bottom of a blender or NutriBullet. Pour in enough milk to cover and let oats soak as you assemble the rest of the smoothie. (If you don’t have a blender that will grind and pulverize, you may need to let the oats soak a little longer.)

   

   This 5th-grader is adding milk to the oat mixture.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the sweetner, and then add the remaining milk (add to the Max line on the NutriBullet).

   

   A 5th grader adds smoothie ingredients to the blender.

3. Taste and add honey, agave or sugar if needed. Note – as bananas age (and develop black spots) they become sweeter . . . so less sweetener is needed with older bananas.

   

   Mixing up another batch of smoothies for sampling.

In addition to Chocolate Smoothies, we also made Fast & Easy English Muffin Pizzas.

Recipe without photos . . .

Chocolate Smoothie    2 servings

Prep: 10 min. or less

Tools/Equipment: Blender or NutriBullet, set of dry measuring spoons & cups, measuring cup for liquids

Ingredients

   3 to 4 tablespoons quick-cook or old-fashioned oats (not cooked)

   2 cups+ milk (almond or soy milk can also be used)

   About ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

   1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)

   About ¼ cup sweetened yogurt

   1 banana

   A heaping handful of ice 

   Honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Add the oats to the bottom of a blender or NutriBullet. Pour in enough milk to cover and let oats soak as you assemble the rest of the smoothie. (If you don’t have a blender that will grind and pulverize, you may need to let the oats soak a little longer.)
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the sweetner, and then add the remaining milk (add to the Max line on the NutriBullet).
3. Taste and add honey, agave or sugar if needed. Note – as bananas age (and develop black spots) they become sweeter . . . so less sweetener is needed with older bananas.

Kids in the Kitchen -- Fruit Palm Tree & Yummy Yogurt Dip

Today was the Kids in the Kitchen summer cooking class set up through Abilene Parks and Recreation. In addition to a variety of tortilla based dishes, the kids also played with their fruit -- their variation of the fruit palm tree is on the right. The original guide (that I found on Facebook)  is also posted below, along with a few other pics from the day.

Fruit Palm Tree

2 to 3 Kiwi, peeled & cut into sections

2 Bananas, cut into chunks & dipped in some type of citrus juice (orange, lemon, etc.)

1 to 2 Oranges or Tangerines, peeled & divided into chunks

1. Wash and prepare fruit as specified above; to keep bananas from turning brown after cutting, dip cut pieces in lemon or orange juice, or brush pieces with juice.
2. Arrange fruit as shown in picture.

Original that I found posted on FB.

Yummy Yogurt Dip

1 cup vanilla or plain flavored yogurt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir or whisk. 
2. Taste and add more brown sugar (might need it if using plain yogurt) if needed.