I went on a baking experiment this afternoon, doing my own take on a banana nut muffin recipe I originally found at Simply Recipes:

Banana Nut Muffins

aka "Banana Nutella"

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 C melted butter

3/4 C sugar - 1/2 C sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 TBS espresso or strong coffee (optional)

1 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 C of flour

1 C chopped walnuts

My additions:

Nutella (for frosting)

Extra walnuts (chopped small)

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter. Mix in the sugar, egg, espresso and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Add the flour. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

 

Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Recipes makes 12 muffins.

I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. I also spread a thin layer of Nutella* on half the muffins as a frosting of sorts and then rolled them into more walnuts, which were chopped small. (See photo above). Pardon my digital close-up deficiencies...

Wonderful bit of dessert…

*About Nutella:

Re Wikipedia: Nutella is the brand name of a hazelnut-based sweet spread registered by the Italian company Ferrero at the end of 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero's spread released in 1949. Nutella is sold in over 75 countries.

Bring on the holidays!

Thanksgiving with Shenanchie: Seasonal tips, resources and recipes such as Coppa Canapes, Grilled Asparagus, Roast Turkey with Hazelnut Stuffing, Garbanzo Nut Loaf, Spiced Wine, Pumpkin Pecan Pie and more. Also includes turkey and ham cooking guides, suggestions for leftovers, and links of interest.

And lest we forget, it is also the season for pine nuts:

Pine Nuts: Learn about the history and harvesting of pine nuts, health benefits, links and resources and try several recipes using pine nuts such as Catfish with Pine Nuts, Green Beans with Pine Nuts, Pine Nut Pesto and Spaghetti Squash with Pine Nuts.

I'll be writing this month and next about my attempts to bake goodies as gifts rather than spending a fortune on nicely-wrapped department store offerings. Since I'm not much of a baker, the foray should prove to be interesting.

My favorite holiday of the year is fast approaching. As usual, I have my collection of Halloween Recipes and articles on hand for anyone who cares to have a look.

• Halloween Recipes

• Graveyard Grub

And here is anther excellent source for Halloween treats and crafts:

• Halloween from Delish

Aside from savory and baked goodies, one of the benefits of the Halloween season are the selection of good and not-so-good (but fun anyway) spooky movies on television and DVD.

Some of my creepy celluloid picks include Dolores Claiborne, Dreamscape, Firestarter, Frankenstein: The True Story, Frenzy, The Haunting, Phantasm, and The Shuttered Room among others.

For my complete flick list, click here.

This article caught my eye:

Where Does Your Garden Grow?

A handful of urban chefs are growing everything from exotic herbs to tomatoes and corn on the roof.

What a wonderful concept!

I tried this recipe at home, from Parade Magazine:

Quick Skillet Cake

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Heavily butter a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add the butter and whisk until satiny. Stir in the flour mixture; whisk until smooth. Spread batter in the skillet and top with walnuts. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

I cut the sugars in half but added more walnuts to form a top crust of sorts. A splash or two of vanilla also added to the flavor of the cake. Even better, it did not stick in my cast iron skillet after liberally coating the bottom with softened butter.

The skillet cake is wonderfully good stuff, and very easy to make.

Another fun foody game:

• Cooking Dash: Diner Town Studios

Although not as graphically rich as Go-Go Gourmet: Chef of the Year, Cooking Quest or Mystery Cookbook, Cooking Dash is a time management game where quickness is of the essence when serving customers their food orders. If you get slow, the patrons become visibly angry and you lose points.

It's a fun way to spend a few minutes.

Good recipes from McCormick Kitchens for pickling and preserving one's summer harvest:

• Zesty Corn & Bell Pepper Refrigerator Relish

• Refrigerator Dill Pickle Slices

• Dill & Garlic Pickled Green Beans

• Refrigerator Sweet Cucumber Chips

• Sweet Pepper Pickle Relish

My favorite canning bit of the season is usually Mustard Pickle, painstakingly assembled by my neighbor across the street.