To All the Moms - A Banana Baileys "Milkshake"

Mother's Day has always been a weird one for me. To say that my mom and I didn't get along well is an understatement.

If my mother had been a species of fish, she would have been the type that eats as many of its young as possible, as soon as they are born. It's good for those species in the evolutionary sense, since only the strong survive. The weaker fish, and the unlucky ones, help to nourish mom, I guess.

That comparison isn't much of an exaggeration. My twin, as well as my aborted twin brothers, two years older than I, were not survivors.

Meanwhile, my mother spent a lot of her pregnancy with me trying to deny she was pregnant. At first, I was menopause. The doctor was wrong, she said. She obviously couldn't be pregnant. Or could she?

When it became apparent that I was still hanging on, mom had dreams that my deceased grandmother was trying to hand me to her, but mom didn't want me. In the dreams, she tried to refuse to take me from grandmother, over and over again.

Even though mom tried to refuse to take me from my grandmother's arms, that wasn't enough to stop me from being born. And just like that ... I turned a woman into a mother.

That's not to say that my entire childhood was hell. Mom taught me lots of fun things, like how to play poker for money, how to bet on horses at the race track, and how to pick out the brand of whiskey she liked. I became a regular at the grocery store and drugstore, buying whiskey and cigarettes for mom, long before I was old enough to write my name in cursive.

She taught me many things unintentionally. I learned that fall-down-drunkenness was unattractive and disgusting. I learned that I never wanted to be so dependant on a substance that I would search through filthy ash trays to find a cigarette butt that was long enough to light.

I learned how to block out distractions because of her need to always have noise in the tiny apartment. I learned how to ignore the constant babble of TV and radio when reading or doing homework. I learned how to listen with half my attention while thinking about other things.

Now, I can actually watch television, listen to the dialog, and type completely different words at the same time. The downside to this talent is that sometimes I need the distraction of television when I need to do a lot of writing.

Mom, in her single days.

It could be worse.

I learned that when people tell you things, even if they earnestly believe them, these things are not always true. "They say that ..." is not proof that something is true, and "I don't believe in that!" is not a logical way to refute facts. I learned how to look things up and come to own conclusions.

These days, I spend a lot of time looking things up.

I learned that even if mom trusts someone, that person might not be trustworthy. Some people are pure evil in friendly-neighbor's clothing, and sometimes trusting your gut is best.

I learned that not all bad people go to jail or are even arrested or prosecuted.

Sometimes one has to hope that karma is enough.

I learned that the only person who can keep a secret is the person whose secret it is. Once the first person hears the secret, it is free to spread to neighbors, relatives, and even to the mom of your first-grade crush at a PTA meeting while your first-grade crush hides behind his mom's skirt. Literally.

I learned that liars are not as adept at lying as they think they are, and I learned to spot tells. Sneaky liars seldom get past me. Regular liars are totally transparent.

Speaking of lies, my dad had the good sense to never put me in a position where I would feel stuck between telling the lie my mother told me to tell, or being honest with him. If he knew my mom told me to lie and say we were at the grocery store instead of the bar, he wouldn't ask me.

Mom and Dad. Awwww ... newlyweds.

I learned that telling the truth was the easiest thing to do. Liars have to remember their lies, and which versions they told to which person. If you tell the truth, you only need to remember one thing.

I learned that a lot of people lie when they don't want to answer a question, and I figured out that I didn't have to answer every question asked of me. I didn't have to tell my secrets and let them into the world.

When confronted with questions I didn't want to answer, I grew confident enough to say, "Sorry, but that's private," or "I'm not really comfortable discussing that," or "Now is not a good time to talk about that."

Or, "If my husband didn't tell you, then I'll honor his decision not to reveal those things."

I learned not to rely on other people to make me happy. When, on the evening of my 16th birthday, my mother told me that I was too old for birthdays, I was devastated. I had hoped for a Sweet 16 surprise. Maybe a party. How about a cake after dinner, with candles? As the day wore on, my expectations grew lower. I would have settled for a card. But all I got was the announcement that I was too old for birthdays.

So, I decided that on my birthday from that year forward, I would buy something for myself, or do something for myself that was special. I continued that tradition well into adulthood. Most years, I got cards or presents from others. But I knew I didn't have to count on them to treat me well. I was allowed to do things for myself, because I deserved it.

I learned that I should not give someone money for safekeeping, or loan it to them, if it would bother me that I never saw the money again. Birthday money, spare change collected for carrying the neighbor's groceries, and nickels saved from redeeming soda bottles found on the street was said to be "safely put away" for me in mom's bank account. By now, it should be worth a tidy sum, right?

Because of my mom, I learned how to cook without recipes. When I was an adult and mom refused to give me the recipes I remembered from childhood, I figured them out based on my memory of the flavors. I became confident at creating my own recipes and replicating others that I tasted. I guess you might say that she's at least partly responsible for me becoming a food blogger.

Not quite the same smile after I came along.

I learned about marriage from mom's friends and relatives. Some were married and remarried with frightening regularity. They had ugly divorces in between, and bad relationships with many exes. I knew I didn't want that. Others stayed married even though their husbands were abusive. I knew I didn't want that, either.

I knew, without a doubt, that I didn't want to be like my mother. She was my role model of who not to be.

When mom broke her hip and decided not to do physical therapy or help herself get better, I watched her long decline. I took care of her, and I took care of her dwindling finances. For the first time, I wished that I had siblings to help bear the burden. And then she was gone.

I was sad, mostly for the fact that we never had the sort of relationship other people had with their mothers. She wasn't my friend, my mentor, or my idol. She was the woman who gave birth to me, and who consequently gave me enough care so I could grow up and move out.

This isn't a sad story. I have no regrets. My mom made me strong, inquisitive, skeptical, and independent. She made me a survivor.

But still, when Mother's Day rolls around and my friends talk about how wonderful their mothers are or how sad they are that their mothers are gone ... I feel a bit of loss. Not that she's gone, but that I never had the sort of mother that I would actually miss.

So if you had a mother who was your friend, inspiration, and confidante, be happy that you had her in your life. If your mom is still your best buddy or if she now needs your help and support, enjoy your time with her.

And if your mom was like mine, celebrate that you were one of the strong little fish that grew up to be the person you are today.

Thanks, mom. This one's for you.

Baileys Banana Milkshake
For the record, my mom would have hated this drink. This is all about the flavor. She preferred whiskey and water for maximum kick and minimum fuss.

1 ripe banana
1 generous cup ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces Baileys Irish Cream
2 ounces heavy cream (you could use milk, if you like)
Tiny pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in a blender (salt is optional, but it enhances the banana flavor), and blend until smooth. In a Vitamix (which is what I used) turn the knob to the frozen/ice cream setting and just let it do its thing.

Serve, slurp, enjoy.

You can make a non-alcoholic version by swapping the Baileys for milk or even water. You could simply eliminate it, but the extra liquid makes blending easier.

Frozen Banana Daiquiri (and a Mocktail!)

The original daiquiri cocktail was nothing more than rum, a little sugar, and lime juice. That's it. But cocktails evolve, and people fiddle.

I certainly like to fiddle with drinks. It's fun and it's usually tasty.

This banana daiquiri can be made with or without the rum - it tastes really good as a mocktail. Despite the banana, it doesn't taste like a smoothie - it's light and refreshing and fruity and thirst-quenching.

The key to getting the ice pulverized is to blend it first - without the banana or other ingredients. Depending on your blender, you might have more or less success getting the ice completely blitzed into snow, but for sure you'll have better success if you don't add anything until the ice is as small as you can get it.

If you make a lot of cocktails - or even a lot of ice tea or lemonade - making your own simple syrup is incredibly easy. Just combine equal volumes of sugar and water, bring it to a simmer - you can do this in a saucepan on the stove, or a microwave-safe container in the microwave. Stir as needed until the sugar has melted.

Let the simple syrup cool, then transfer to a bottle or jar.

Banana Daiquiri

1 ripe banana
1 ounce light rum (I used Captain Morgan White Rum)
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup

Blitz 1-2 cups of ice in your blender until you have a fine "snow." Add the banana and blend until smooth. Add the lime juice and simple syrup and blend until combined.

Serve.

A plain white or light rum works well, but I've also made this with Captain Morgan Pineapple rum and Captain Morgan Grapefruit rum. They add a little extra flavor without overwhelming the banana.

The Mocktail!

If you want a mocktail, it's simple - just don't add the rum. It's a lovely fruity drink for anyone. If the mocktail is for an adult who wants the flavor of the rum without the alcohol, you can add 1/8 teaspoon (or less) of rum flavoring - the stuff that's typically used for cakes and candies.

Choconanatini - a chocolate and banana rum cocktail

A while ago, my friends at Blue Chair Bay Rum sent me a recipe for a cocktail that sounded interesting. The more I thought about it, though, the more I wanted to change things.

The cocktail was created for National Peanut Butter Month and included banana rum, coconut rum, vanilla ice cream, and peanut butter.

Okay, so I'm not a huge coconut fan, so that went straight out the window. The more I thought about the vanilla ice cream, the more I thought that I wanted something a little lighter. And maybe not quite as cold. So, I didn't get rid of dairy entirely, but I changed the ice cream to milk.

So that left me with banana rum and peanut butter from the original recipe. Okay, we can agree that peanut butter and banana is a classic. But it's not my classic. It's ... okay ... but ... well ...

How about chocolate?

So I dumped the peanut butter and added chocolate. So much for peanut butter month.

On the other hand, this is a killer cocktail. If you want something richer, sure, go ahead and use vanilla ice cream or heavy cream or half-and-half. But if you don't want to get quite that full, you might want to use milk.

Choconanatini

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 ounce Blue Chair Bay banana rum
4 ounces milk

Combine all the ingredients. Stir and serve.

If you want a colder cocktail, you can pour this into a shaker with ice, then shake and serve.

Interested in the original cocktail? 
Here you go:

PB&B

1 1/2 oz. Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
1 oz. Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 tsp. peanut butter

Blend in a blender and serve in tall glass. Garnish with whipped cream and a cherry.

Blue Chair Bay Rum has provided me with rum in the past; they did not provide it for this post - I just thought it would be fun.

Going Bananas: Four recipes using banana rum

A while back, Blue Chair Bay Rum offered me some of their rum - a choice of white rum or coconut.

Well, coconut and I aren't really on speaking terms, so I opted for the white rum. And I made an infusion and a cocktail.

A couple week later, I saw that they had a banana rum, and I was stomping my little (ahem) feet and grumbling because I like banana-flavored cocktails.

Yeah, I can blend a banana, but then I have a smoothie. Banana rum sounded so ... tropical. And not coconutty. And then I forgot about it because I had other crazy things going on.

So when I got an email waving a bottle of banana rum at me, I said, sure, I'll sample it. And I freaking love it. (Oh, dang-nabbit. Another free product I'm going to end up buying when I run out...)

My first cocktail with the banana rum was pretty simple, mostly because I was in taste-test mode. But it was really good, and something I'll probably whip together often.

Orange-Nana
1 ounce Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
4 ounces banana-orange-pineapple juice
Orange slice

Put ice in a glass, along with banana-orange-pineapple juice and rum. Garnish with an orange slice and a paper umbrella.

Too simple? Perhaps. But it's really good. If it's too simple, you can squeeze your own oranges, bananas and pineapples to make the drink. And, seriously, it would also be good as a smoothie with a banana blended in.

But ... but ... I have other ideas! How about a BANANA RUM CAKE????

I love rum cakes, and I usually make one around Christmas, but I think banana rum - and maybe a banana in the cake - might take it to a whole other place.

What do you think?

And now, a few recipes provided by Blue Chair Bay Rum:

Banana Fizz

2 oz Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
1 oz pineapple juice
Top with club soda

Add all ingredient into a highball glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge


Island Mimosa

1 1/2 oz Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
2 oz. Sparkling wine
1 strawberry, chopped
1 lemon wedge

Muddle strawberry and lemon in a mixing glass. Add Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum and ice and shake well. Strain into champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a strawberry slice


Island Girl

1 1/2 ounces. Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
2 ounce lemon-lime soda

Add ingredients directly into a tall glass with ice. Stir and flirt. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Thanks to Blue Chair Bay Rum for supplying me with rum!

Little Banana Cakes

Are you a fan of Cake Boss? Do you like baking?

On Saturday, September 28, the Michaels stores will be unveiling a whole line of Cake Boss products with some fun events.

More on that in a moment.

To help with the launch, I received some Cake Boss products to try, AND I have the same products to give away to one lucky winner here on Cookistry.

The first item is this sweet cakelette pan that makes cute little flower-shaped mini cakes:

The second item is a 24-piece decorating tip set:

More on how to win AFTER the recipe.

Because you know you want a recipe, yes? I used the cakelette pan, which I have to say was nicely nonstick. I still always use baking spray for insurance, but even so, I've had cakes stick.

These little cakelettes came out with no problem at all.

These sweet little cakes would have been fine with a dusting of powdered sugar, but since I had the decorating tips, I had to play.

And play, I did. Every little cakelette was different because I kept switching out the tips and making different designs.

I have to say that I'm not the most accomplished cake decorator, but I had a blast with these. I'm looking forward to using them more.

As far as the cake, I was really happy with these. If you like banana - and if you have some spare overripe bananas hanging around - give this a try.

Little Banana Cakes
with cream cheese frosting

For the cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 very ripe banana, mashed

For the frosting:
1/2 stick butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups powdered sugar (to your preferred sweetness)

To make the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray the mini cake pan wells with baking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside until needed.

Add the vanilla to the milk and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar (if the butter is a bit cold, beat the butter first, then add the sugar) until light.

Add the egg and beat well. Add the bananas and beat well.

Add the flour mixture to the butter in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, beating well after each addition.

Fill each cake well about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees until the tops of the cakes spring back when touched in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool completely on a rack before frosting.

To make the frosting:
Beat the butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined, smooth, and light. Add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time until the frosting is your desired sweetness.

Frost the cooled cupcakes or refrigerate until needed.

Cake Boss Event at Michaels!

The Cake Boss event will be Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to noon at all Michaels stores in the US.

• Shoppers will be encouraged to discover their reason to bake (and learn more about Cake Boss products) by spinning an oversized "I Love to Bake" Cake Roulette. 
• Each spin corresponds to a particular new Cake Boss product that will be displayed and presented at the event. 
• Each shopper who plays the game receives a complimentary recipe card associated with product presented. 
• Shoppers will also be able to view online videos, available to view at Michaels.com, featuring Buddy Valastro and his Cake Boss products.

For more info on Michaels, check out their website and Facebook page. You can also follow them on Twitter at @MichaelsStores.

GIVEAWAY!

Let's make this simple, shall we?

For your entry, leave me a comment telling me what flavor cake you would bake if you won the pan and baking tips.

That's it! Easy peasy. If you want to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you can consider it good karma, but it won't get you any extra entries.

Contest starts when this posts and ends on Wednesday, October 2 at midnight, Mountain time. US entries only. All usual contest rules apply.

Cake Boss products were sent to me for my use, and the giveaway products will be sent to the winner directly from the company.

Straw-nana Smoothie

Here's a quick smoothie for you - taking advantage of some strawberry yogurt.

I love bananas, and they're a perfect smoothie ingredient since they thicken the smoothie so well. And, if you've got a banana that's a little beyond perfectly ripe, it's perfect for smoothies.

Straw-nana Smoothie

1 cup strawberry yogurt
1 cup milk
1 banana
Pinch salt
Splash vanilla extract

Add al the ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.

Chocolate naner smoothie

You might notice that I don't use sugar or any other extra sweeteners in most of my smoothies ... but I do sometimes add a pinch of salt.

It's not that I want a salty smoothie, but salt counteracts bitterness. You might say that your food isn't bitter, but there are hints of bitterness is a lot of foods, and by adding that teeny pinch of salt, the bitterness disappears and the drink seems sweeter. Magically. Without added sugar.

And, of course, salt enhances flavor. So if you're using the right amount of salt, your food should taste more like itself. But it shouldn't taste like salt.

I don't add salt to every smoothie I make. Some of them don't need it. Others do.

Of course, if you're watching your salt intake, maybe you don't want that teeny pinch of salt. It's totally up to you. My theory is that since I use so few processed foods in my cooking, we're way ahead of the game in terms of regulating salt.

I saw a chart once that showed that for most Americans, the salt they add to food, either in cooking or at the table, is about 20 percent of their intake. The other 80 percent is from dining out (with fast food being a huge culprit) and processed foods. That's something to think about.

This chocolate banana smoothie benefited from that little pinch of salt in two ways. First, chocolate is inherently bitter, so the salt smoothed that out a bit, which made the drink seem a little sweeter. And second, it brought the chocolate flavor alive a little more. I tasted this without the salt first, then added it and felt that the difference was impressive enough to suggest using it in the recipe.

The cocoa I used was from Ingredient-Supply.com, and I used their Bergenfield Rosewood cocoa. You'll be hearing more about their cocoas in future posts.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 tablespoon cocoa
Teeny pinch of salt
1 cup Greek-Style yogurt
1 cup milk

Blend until smooth and a little frothy.

Slurp.

This would also be good as an evening indulgence with a bit of coffee or chocolate liqueur. Or both.

Mango-Matcha Smoothie

A while back, I mentioned that I'll be working with The Republic of Tea for the next few months. I just got a whole boatload of Matcha tea along with a bowl and crazy little whisk.

I'll be honest here and say that I've never actually tried matcha tea, so this was a completely new experience for me. I've tried a lot of other teas before, and I'd heard of matcha. And I knew a lot of people used it in cooking and baking.

Matcha is actually very finely ground green tea (which is supposed to be really good for you, right?) and it's the tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies, according to info I got from The Republic of Tea.

Here are the descriptions of the teas I got (quoted from The Republic of Tea):

• Our premium U-Matcha Natural tea contains tender, shade-grown leaves that have been ground to a fine powder creating a rich balance of flavors. This matcha tea is ideal for blending with water for sipping or for cooking. 
• Our premium U-Matcha Yuzu tea blends fine matcha powder with yuzu for a citrus flavor. This matcha tea makes a bright addition to mixed drinks, spice rubs and sweet desserts. 
• Our premium U-Matcha Ginger tea blends fine matcha powder with ginger. This matcha tea boasts a spicy kick and wakes up the flavors of miso soups, stir-fry and other savory dishes. 
• Our premium U-Matcha Roasted Rice tea blends fine matcha powder with roasted rice to create a nutty finish of flavor. This matcha tea provides warm nuances for sweet baked goods, savory dishes, shakes and lattes. 

So there we go.  Now you probably know more about matcha than I do. What I thought was interesting was the brewing method. For a hot tea, you're supposed to whisk it for a minute or two until the tea is frothy. I's way different from my usual brewing method. For cold tea, you can just mix it in, without all the whisking.

And of course, you can cook with it. They sent me a whole bunch of recipes and there were also recipes inside the can the tea came in. And it wasn't just drinks - there's soup, salad dressing, dessert ... lots of stuff.

The U-Matcha Ginger was my first taste on an evening when I thought the ginger would be good for a slightly unsettled tummy. Then I decided to make a chilly fruity drink. I've got to say that this stuff really makes things green. I'm looking forward to adding it to foods that I want to color naturally.

Mango-Matcha Smoothie
Recipe © by www.cookistry.com. Do not republish without permission.
1 mango
2 bananas
1 teaspoon matcha ginger
1 cup milk (plus more as needed)
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Peel the mango, remove the pit, chunk it, and toss it in a blender. Peel the bananas, chunk them, and add them to the blender.

Add the matcha powder, milk, salt, and honey (if you're using it.). Blend until smooth.

This is pretty thick as-is. If you want something a little thinner, add more milk and blend again. If you want it sweeter, add a bit more honey - the sweetness depends a bit on how sweet your fruit is, so make it to your taste.

I received product from The Republic of Tea as part of the TEAm blogger program.

As a special bonus for my readers, you can get a free electric matcha frother with any order of U-Matcha Tea from The Republic of Tea when you use the promo code #MATCHA4.from March 22, 2013 through March 29. Cheers!

Mocha-Nana-Smoothie - it's lighter than you think #lighticedcoffee

This drink reminds me of a lovely cocktail served onboard a cruise ship ... ah, I can remember the tropical breezes. And the sunburn. Ouch.

That on-board cocktail was only served poolside, because that's where the ice cream drinks were made. Yup, it was almost a milkshake. Thick, rich ... and it required quite a few laps around the deck to work off.

This one is much lighter since it's not made with ice cream, and the light iced coffee has fewer calories than the original version. Good deal, right?

If you wanted to, you could make this a more adult beverage with the addition of some coffee or chocolate liqueur, and maybe even serve it in pretty cocktail glasses for an after-dinner treat. But as it is, it's a great morning smoothie or an afternoon refresher.

Have you ever made a smoothie and wondered why you end up with chunks of ice, no matter how long you blend it? The trick to getting a smooth smoothie using ice cubes is to blend the ice cubes first, all alone - then add the liquid and other ingredients. If the ice comes to the party last, you're more likely to end up with bits and chunks of ice, rather than a smooth, thick drink.

I thought this was perfect with the mocha-flavored iced coffee, but the vanilla would be just as nice.

Mocha-Nana Smoothie

1 cup ice
1 cup International Delights Mocha Light Iced Coffee
1 banana, peeled and cut in chunks

Place the ice cubes in your blender and blend until you have "snow."

Add the banana and International Delights Iced Coffee and blend until the banana is obliterated and the mixture is smooth and frothy.

Serve immediately. A straw would be appropriate. Little paper umbrella isn't required.

With fewer calories and less sugar, International Delight Light Iced Coffee lets you enjoy MORE of what you love! For more fun ways to break up your day, visit ID's new online games today for a chance to win sweet prizes and coupons to use on your next purchase.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Banana Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

This is a slightly healthier version of a previous pumpkin/banana cookie recipe. Oatmeal adds good fiber, and while the nuts add some fat, they also add protein to these cookies.

When you're making cookies, a small disher (like a mini ice cream scoop) is perfect for portioning and shaping cookies with a lot less fuss. A larger disher is great for portioning batter for muffins and cupcakes.

Parchment paper is a baker’s best friend. Cookies won’t stick, you won’t ever need to grease your cookie sheets, and cleanup is a lot easier.

Freshly ground nutmeg is much stronger than pre-ground nutmeg that you buy at the grocery store, and the whole nutmegs stay fresh practically forever. You can buy a nutmeg grater or just use a fine Microplane grater to grate the nutmeg. If you use pre-ground nutmeg, you can use up to 1/4 teaspoon. If you're using fresh ground, then just a few swipes on the Microplane grater is plenty.

Banana Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick)  butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 overripe mashed banana
canned pumpkin added to banana to make 1 cup
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cups chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, banana, pumpkin, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oats. Stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet, and mix well. Add the walnuts and stir to distribute.

While you can bake these cookies the same day, it’s better after being refrigerated overnight, which hydrates the oats.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Use a small disher or two teaspoons to drop the dough onto cookie greased or parchment-lines cookie sheets.

Leave plenty of room between them for them to spread.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. Move cookies to a rack to cool.

This recipe also appeared in the Cayenne Kitchen email newsletter.

Banana Cinnamon Bread

It happens to everyone. You buy a bunch of bananas, and inevitably a few of them get a little too brown. Banana bread is the easy answer, but sometimes the response is, "Banana bread again?" You could make banana muffins, but who are we fooling? That's just banana bread in a different form.

You could make banana cake, but that's a different column.

Instead, you can bake those bananas into a yeast bread, roll it up with some sugar to sweeten it and some cinnamon to give it a little kick, and you've got a completely different kind of banana bread. Perfect for breakfast or brunch. Or a snack.

If you don't have Greek-style yogurt, you could use regular yogurt. But since regular yogurt has more moisture you might need to add a bit more flour to compensate. The dough should be soft and supple, but not sticky when you're done kneading.

The scent when this bread is baking is amazing, with the banana and the cinnamon mingling with the sweet yeastiness. The only thing better is eating it.

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