So, you have rip bananas. If this happens a lot you may be struggling to find something to do with them. Me? The other day I intended on making a banana bread with chocolate chips. I noticed as I made the batter that for some reason, it looked like cookie batter. I googled “banana cookies” and took a browse at some recipes and realized that I was right - the proportions that I made for my “bread” were nearly identical to the cookie recipes.

I would love to share the recipe with you. Unfortunately, I didn’t measure and the experience of making them (even though they were delicious) was rather chaotic. Instead, I am going to share with you one of the recipes I found .

Go ahead and try that recipe. Or if you want to make something that is closer to what I did, make the following changes:

• Instead of 2 c. all purpose flour, add 1 c. whole wheat flour and 1 c. all purpose
• Omit the spices and the nuts
• Use 1 c. of chocolate chips
• Add an extra T. of butter

That will get you pretty close. And let me warn you - the chocolate makes them even better and more addicting. There is something about the banana and chocolate combination that is tantalizing!

With it being Valentine’s Day I thought I’d make a molten chocolate cake for dessert. My husband and I are both fans of this cake, especially when it’s made well. Besides the overall flavor of the cake, the most important part of it is the center. It needs to ooze out onto the plate and form a warm pool of chocolate. But it can’t ooze too dramatically. It needs to ooze slowly.

It’s really hard to get it just right. I made one version which involved a low flour cake mix that comprised of sugar, egg white, flour, and melted chocolate. I filled a ramekin with batter and dropped in a ball of frozen ganache. It was okay but not the best. The two best versions that we’ve had have been at The Chart House and Morton’s respectively.

Aside from trying yet another recipe, I could always try a mix like the one pictured here from Shop.com for $7.99. As you can see from the picture, the cake is photographed doing exactly what it should - oozing it’s chocolate onto the plate. A mix is a real asset because when done from scratch, the cake can be incredibly time consuming. If you don’t want to do mail order, I notice that Dr Oetker has a mix - I find it in supermarkets in the states sometimes even though it’s a German company.

If you do want to make hot chocolate cake from scratch how do you go about doing it? First, when looking for recipes understand that there are two different kinds. One includes only one batter, the other includes batter plus ganache. The one batter version is simpler but may not ooze as much. If you can find the Morton’s Cookbook , I’d start by trying that recipe since the cake is very good. My own version didn’t come out nearly as good as the one in that cookbook.

One of my favorite things to do when we go on vacation in Europe is to find a place that serves crepes with Nutella. I have some leftover crepes in my fridge from the other night and I looked everywhere for my Nutella. I can’t find it! That’s only making things worse.

Anyway, I thought I’d share my crepes with nutella recipe. I make the crepes different each time, but this is the basic recipe.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour (white flour)

Pinch of salt of baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Instructions:

Whisk together eggs and milk. Add flour, salt or baking powder, and sugar (optional). Whisk until smooth. Heat griddle or crepe pan. Add a small pat of butter or 1/2 teaspoon oil and let heat for a few seconds. Put 1/4 cup of batter in pan and swirl around until spread out. Make sure the burner is on medium and cook until the top of the crepe is dry and starting to bubble (about 3-5 minutes). Flip and cook on the other side for thirty seconds. Repeat until all the batter is gone.  Add nutella to crepe, fold in half or in thirds, and enjoy!

I’ve recently discovered that bread pudding is an excellent way to use bread that has gone stale. I found a half a loaf of bread that was beyond stale - it was just a step below “hard as a rock”. I felt saddened by this - it’s upsetting when food goes to waste. So, I consulted my favorite cookbook, How to Cook Everything, and found a nice recipe for bread pudding.

In painstakingly measuring the ingredients I realized something. Bread pudding doesn’t need to be a painstaking process. So I thought I’d share with you my notes and impressions, and offer you a way to make it without measuring.

Ingredients:

Bread - torn or cut into small pieces

Milk - roughly the same amount as you have with bread. So, if you have three cups of bread, you’ll want three cups of milk. You can also use soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc

Some sugar - a little goes in the milk, and some gets sprinkled on the top - If you want to go low sugar, you don’t actually need to put the sugar in the milk. You can just sprinkle it on the top and save calories.

Cinnamon- You put a little in the milk and sprinkle some on top.

Vanilla - not in the original recipe, but I ended up putting some in the milk. If you use the beans, put it in from the beginning. If you use the extract, stir it in after you warm the milk.

Butter - all you need is just a little, or none at all. It’s up to you.

Extras - these are all optional but they’re fun. I added cut apples and raisins to the batch I made the other day but you can also add chocolate chips, caramels, white chocolate, etc.

Method:

Tear or cut bread. Measure it and set aside. Add same amount of milk as bread to the saucepan. Add butter (optional), sugar (optional), and cinnamon and heat on low until butter melts and sugar dissolves. If not using butter or sugar, just warm over low heat.  Butter or spray cooking spray on a baking dish. I used a glass pie plate. Arrange bread and any extras (raisins, apples, chocolate chips, nuts, etc)  into dish. Pour milk mixture over and make sure all the bread pieces are submerged. If they aren’t, poke them down or add more warmed milk. Let soak for five minutes. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. (You want the top to be browned. I actually like a nice dark brown crust.) Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if you like.

To make this extra healthy, use whole grain bread.

If you choose to make the healthy version of this recipe, it can help you go a long way to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way. Add extra cinnamon and apples to make it even healthier.

So, Christmas is almost here and there are still people you haven’t found gifts for. Have you ever thought of making homemade chocolate? You may have the idea that making your own chocolates are time consuming. And you’re right - some are. Like truffles. But I love making chocolate candies with nuts stirred in. They look beautiful and people are always impressed. It will be our secret that it takes ten minutes - tops - to make.

The method is simple. Melt chocolate. Stir in something fun, like candy cane pieces, dried fruit, or nuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Drop the chocolate in teaspoonful amounts on the cookie sheet. Find a place for the candy in the fridge or let harden on the counter or outside. Put in a pretty bag or box and you’re ready to give it as a gift!

Are you the type that likes to see a recipe all written out? Well, try this.

Ingredients:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup “something fun” (see below)

Fun mix-ins:

Dried fruit

Puffed rice cereal

Pretzel pieces

Nuts (unsalted)

Shaved coconut

Crushed cookies

Instructions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
2. Melt chocolate over a double burner or in the microwave until smooth. Microwave in twenty second intervals so the chocolate doesn’t burn. (I personally do it in a double burner - I’ve burnt chocolate in the microwave before and it’s frustrating.)
3.  If using a double burner, shut off the heat and remove the bowl. Stir in “fun mix in” and drop in teaspoonful amounts on the baking sheet. Let cool and harden completely before packaging (it takes about 24 hours).
4. You can speed the cool-off period if you put the chocolates in the refrigerator or outside.

My favorite chocolate combinations

White chocolate and crushed peppermint candies

Dark chocolate and dried cranberries

Dark chocolate with peanuts or almonds

Dark chocolate with almonds and coconut

Milk chocolate with coconut

Milk chocolate with crushed oreo cookies.

I thought these looked so interesting, I had to share with you - Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookes .  Before you judge them - hear me out. I just found this recipe on a blog called “Ooh, You Tasty Little Things.” Intriguing name, I know. The post talks about how “everything is better with bacon”. Yes, bacon really does improve things. But the blogger was unprepared for how tasty the cookies really were.

Nevertheless, I can’t wait to try them. Have you ever had the urge to eat some potato chips after eating chocolate? For some reason, chocolaty things make me crave salty foods. So why not put the salt right in the cookie? The blogger said that her husband was skeptical and thought it sounded odd. But right away, I knew the cookies were going to be good.

When I first started making chocolate chip cookies from scratch, I did what most people do. I followed the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that can be found on the Nestle bag. All that changed when I completely messed up. Halfway through following the instructions, I started following the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe that was also on the bag. I noticed after a few steps, said “Oops” and resumed following the chocolate chip cookies.

My husband declared that they were the best chocolate chip cookies he’s ever had. They had a crispy outside and soft, gooey inside. Since that time, I’ve improved on the cookies even more.

My challenge to you is to find your own “special” chocolate chip cookie recipe. Take the recipe you always use, and make some changes to it. Here’s what I did to modify the recipe. You can borrow my ideas.

•  add extra granulated sugar
• add more brown sugar
• use large, not extra large eggs
• add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee grinds to the batter
• add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to the batter
• line the baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper before dropping the cookies down
• let them cool on a cooling rack instead of in the pan

If you decide to make any changes and they come out great, let me know!

As a kid, my parents would take us out for ice cream sundaes once in a while. My favorite was the simple sundae because I always got to choose the sauce and the ice cream flavor. This sundae takes me back to that time. Plus, there’s something about a warm sauce that makes the dessert feel extra special. Finish it off with candied ginger pieces for an unconventional twist.

2 medium scoops ice cream of choice (try vanilla or chocolate, or use your imagination)

3 tablespoons strawberry sauce , warm

1 tablespoon candied ginger, chopped (optional)

Scoop ice cream into a pretty dessert dish. Top with strawberry sauce and sprinkle with candied ginger. If you don’t like candied ginger you can also try candied orange peels or dark chocolate pieces.