There were old bananas sitting on the counter when I got home from work last night.  I was in a baking sort of mood, and everyone was asleep upstairs.  I was well on my way before I was inspired!  Fear not with some of the more bizarre ingredients, and trust me just long enough to mix and bake the batter.

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups lightly sweetened cereal (I went with Life and store-brand Honey Bunches of Oats)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup instant potato flakes
• 2(ish) overripe bananas
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 2 cups milk

Procedures:

• Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin tins.
• Pour cereal and milk into bowl to soak.  Set aside until mushy.
• Mash bananas and mix with butter.  Stir in cereal mixture.
• Add dry ingredients and mix until lumpy.  Do not overmix.
• Pour batter into muffin tins, and bake for 20(ish) minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

This recipe has been in the works for quite awhile.  I’m finally happy with it, so I’m ready to share.  I’ve found these to be a hit at parties, especially since they’re not “too” sweet, but still satisfy your sweet cravings.  I’ve also found them to be a hit for Nathan’s late night coding parties.  …and of course, nobody at breakfast this morning complained.

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten

Procedures:

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter.  Slowly fold in sour cream.  The dough might seem a bit dry, but keep working it.  Kneed on counter.  I like to mold into a circle about an inch thick, then I cut into wedges.  I’ve also used an ice cream scooper to make little round scones.  Brush with the egg, then bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

The first time we held one of these, my friend introduced it as a “depression era potluck dinner”. People bring a pot of soup or bread, we drink water, and we have an amazing time.

My contribution was a loaf of bread. When I got the Cooking Light for March, I was inspired by this recipe. Irish Soda Bread has always been a bit of a curiosity for me. I was interested to try it myself. It took a bit of hunting in the grocery store to find all of the ingredients, but the work was well worth it. Besides, it took me all of 5 minutes to actually mix the ingredients.

Three reasons you should make Irish Soda Bread:

1. It’s super easy
2. It’s super hearty
3. Perfect for soup (and pot roast, as we discovered last night )

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, beaten

Procedures:

Mix ingredients until combined.  Pour into greased loaf pan*.  Bake in preheated oven at 325 for approximately an hour, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  You should probably let it cool just a bit.  Good luck with that.

*Note: the first time I made this, it overflowed just a bit.  The second time, I made it in two loaf pans which I baked for only 50 minutes.