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Banana Nut Bread Two Ways — Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:00:22 -0700

Growing up, dessert nut breads were family favorites, and at a young age I discovered that these loaves make great gifts for many occasions. With the first recipe below, you don't have to worry about spending hours in the kitchen to make a delicious, pretty treat for yourself or someone else. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous (and patient), you can opt for a recipe that starts from scratch. To see both,

Happy Banana Split Day!

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:30:07 -0700

Today is National Banana Split Day, and naturally, to celebrate, I've out together an exam. You may know what ingredients make up a banana split, but do you know anything else about this tasty sundae? Test your banana split knowledge now by taking my fun quiz!

Source

Happy Hour: Monkey's Lunch

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:00:17 -0700

I know what you're thinking: Why on earth is Yum drinking a banana-flavored cocktail with a ridiculous name? Well, sometimes a girl needs a silly, sugary drink — and sometimes a girl has a bunch of creme de banana left over from a bananas foster recipe. In search of a use for this odd liqueur, I headed to the Internet and found the Monkey's Lunch.

Though it may sound a bit off-putting, this drink was yummy enough that I drank the whole thing and would happily drink another. The banana flavor is very subtle, like a tropical twist on a White Russian. If it sounds a-peel-ing (sorry, couldn't resist), get the recipe when you

Come Party With Me: Moroccan Dinner — Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:00:17 -0700

Couscous is a staple common to North African cuisine. Instead of serving it as a savory part of my dinner menu, I decided to use it to make a sweet dessert. Most people have had rice or bread pudding, but the majority of my guests have yet to experience couscous pudding.

This variation is made with fluffy whipped cream, sautéed bananas, and fresh pineapple. This type of dessert is ideal for a dinner party because it can be made well in advance. To take a look at the recipe,

What Kind of Bananas Do You Prefer?

partysugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:58 -0700

What Kind of Bananas Do You Prefer?

I like hard, green bananas.

I prefer yellow, ripe bananas.

I love overly ripe, dark brown bananas.

I don't eat bananas.

Other — I'll tell you what kind of bananas I prefer below.

Sophisticated Bite-Sized Banana Bread

partysugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:13:31 -0700

Normally when I watch Top Chef, I imagine eating the dishes, but never think about making them. Maybe it's because I consider myself more of a Padma than a top chef, or maybe it's because the dishes always seem so complicated. Either way, it came as a surprise last week when — for the first time — I thought, OMG I have to make that.

The dish that I'm dying to make is Stephanie's banana bread. She said it was her mom's recipe, but she must have jazzed it up for the competition. I love how the bite-sized treat is garnished with a pretty banana slice. I'm planning on experimenting with the recipe — wouldn't these be amazing served at a brunch? — and thought maybe some of you would be interested in checking it out as well. Get the recipe, just

Yummy Link: Frozen Rhubarb and Banana Charlottes

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:21:11 -0700

I must confess, I've never been a huge fan of rhubarb. I suppose I just don't understand it. However these frozen rhubarb and banana charlottes are so beautiful and delicate looking that I'm starting to think twice about my rhubarb ban. — Tartelette

Come Party With Me: Chinese New Year — Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:13:31 -0800

Instead of baking the Chinese New Year Cake — Nian Gao — for your Chinese New Year dinner, why not modernize the tradition and serve a sweet version of spring rolls? Fill spring roll wrappers with a luscious mixture of bananas, brown sugar, ginger, and mangoes. Paired with a caramel rum dipping sauce, this is a truly decadent dessert.

Guests will have fun with this finger-licking-good treat, so get the recipe and

Bake It: Whole Wheat Banana Bread

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:08:55 -0800

Bake It: Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Rotten bananas plus rainy (or snowy depending on your location) weather equals baking. This whole wheat banana bread is tasty and the streusel type topping makes it slightly fancy.

Kitchen Experiments: "Heavenly" Banana Bread Pudding

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:57:10 -0800

Although my 52 Weeks of Baking series is officially over, that doesn't mean I won't be in the kitchen all the time. This year, in addition to trying new recipes, I have vowed to share my kitchen experiments with you guys. As much as I love recipes, I also just enjoy throwing things together and seeing what I get. I'll warn you now, these don't always work like I planned, but sometimes I get lucky.

On New Year's Day, I woke up to a dirty kitchen — we had a small shindig the night before — two rotting bananas and half of an angel food cake. I was also crazy hungry. So I combined my random leftovers with my appetite for breakfast and threw it all together. The result was a simple bread pudding made with angel food cake as the base. To see what I created,

52 Weeks of Baking: Week 52 — Gooey Banana Cupcakes

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:01:38 -0800

This year I decided that I would have a New Year's resolution that I could stick to. I thought about it for a while and eventually landed on baking. So with my trusty mixer and collection of pans, I set off on a 52 week baking adventure. It's been a fun journey and there have been some ups and downs, but we've finally arrived at week 52.

This week I had a bunch of bananas slowly rotting on my counter. Normally, I would turn this sort of thing into a loaf or two of banana bread. However, I wanted to end this series on a more spectacular note, and plain old banana bread just wouldn't cut it. So I brainstormed and came up with Banana Cupcakes with a Dulce de Leche filling and Chocolate Buttercream frosting. They came together quickly, and were a real treat to my sweet tooth. To get the recipe,

Delicious Last-Minute Dessert

partysugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:18:39 -0800

I eat a banana for breakfast every morning, so I almost always have them on hand. They're my secret weapon for an easy, fast dessert: chocolate-banana bread pudding. I've made this dessert tons of times and it's a real crowd pleaser. The bananas are lightly caramelized before they're added and the puddings are cooked in a muffin tin making for fun, individual portions. The final dessert is comforting and each bite melts in your mouth. For the delightful recipe,

Yummy Link: Banana Oatmeal Waffles

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:01:33 -0800

A fixed oven means these delectable banana oatmeal waffles will stay warm while you finish cooking up the batch. Personally, I don't think I'd have to use the oven. The batch would be devoured before the plate hit the table! — Jumbo Empanadas

Banana Slicer: Love It or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:18:55 -0700

I think bananas are the most relaxing of fruits and I like to eat one everyday of every season. As much as I love bananas, I don't understand the point of this banana slicer. Unless one plans on making a massive amount of banana splits, why on earth would you need a banana slicer? I see the benefits of using it to add banana to your morning bowl of cereal, but is the amount of time saved really more than the amount of time it will take to wash the slicer by hand? I doubt it. What do you think?

Banana Slicer: Love It or Hate It?

Love it

Hate it

Undecided

Forget Yum-O: These Cookies Are Rum-O!

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:57:11 -0700

The other day I posted a recipe for Banana Peanut Butter Cookies and noticed that there was just a bit of rum in that recipe. Rum and bananas pair really well together, so I wondered what other rum/banana creations I could find. I then came across these Banana Rum Coconut Cookies that are a little bit hearty and a lot tasty. To get the recipe,

Puzzled About Potassium?

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:20:01 -0700

Puzzled About Potassium? Take This Quiz I don't know about you, but when I think of potassium, I think of bananas. That's all that really comes to mind. How much do you know about this vital nutrient and your recommended intake? Take this quiz to find out.

Peanut Butter + Banana = Delicious Cookies

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:15:01 -0700

There's no doubt about it, peanut butter and bananas just go well together — and if you don't agree, just play along. When I saw this recipe for peanut butter and banana cookies, I couldn't believe that I'd never heard of it before. It seemed like such a no brainer, that I knew I'd have to highlight as part of our National Cookie Month coverage. If the idea of a bit of banana filling sandwiched between two delectable peanut butter cookies has you drooling, then get the recipe, just

Summer of Sandwiches: Strawberry & Banana Ice Cream and Nilla Wafers

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:01:31 -0700

When I was a kid, one of my favorite desserts was banana pudding with Nilla Wafers. My mom used to make it often, and my siblings and I would chow down on it like there was no tomorrow. I haven't had it in years, but recently someone mentioned Nilla Wafers to me, and they've been on my brain ever since.

So naturally, when it came time to make this week's ice cream sandwiches, Nilla wafers were my first choice. Originally I wanted to make my own banana ice cream, however my ice cream maker wasn't ready. So I picked up a pint of the next best thing — Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey — and headed over to my sister's house.

While there I decided that her strawberry ice cream looked great too, and that a slice of banana would be a nice touch — cut yours thinner than mine so the sandwiches stay bite-sized. The Nilla Wafers were smaller than I remembered them, so I ended up using a melon baller to scoop the ice cream out. I then created a little assembly line — wafer, ice cream dollop, banana, ice cream scoop, wafer — in order to make a bunch to enjoy at once. I then stuck them in the freezer and counted down until dessert time. They made perfect appetizer sized sandwiches, and would make great desserts for a party.

Name That Dish!

partysugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:03:18 -0700

Ever since National Banana Lover's Day I can't stop thinking about tasty banana desserts. Can you name the classic Southern dessert pictured below?

Banana Cream Pie Two Ways - Beginner & Expert

partysugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:48:31 -0700

Last week YumSugar asked what kind of pie you preferred. While the majority opted for the classic apple or holiday pumpkin, there were quite a few, myself included, who declared banana cream pie as their fave. With its delicious vanilla custard and peaks of billowing whipped cream, BCP is a dessert that can be enjoyed any time of year. I like BCP because it's not as common as peach, cherry or pecan pies, so when you do stumble upon a slice it's that much more of a sweet treat.

But why wait when you can make and enjoy BCP in your kitchen today?? I've got two recipes, one easy and one a little more challenging, so take a look and make it tonight! Check out the recipes,

Banana Split = Heaven

partysugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:43:31 -0700

Ever since I found out that today is Banana Lover's Day, I haven't been able to stop thinking about one thing: a banana split. I can't remember the last time I had one, but I'm definitely getting the fixings to make this treat later tonight. As much as I would love to make my own ice cream, sauces, and caramelized nuts, I'm going to use store bought stuff and jazz it up with homemade whipped cream. I always have heavy whipping cream on hand and it only takes a few minutes to make. To meet me in banana split heaven,

Happy Hour: Bananarama

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:18:39 -0700

When I found out that today was National Banana Lover's Day, my brain immediately jumped to the word Bananarama. And when I say Bananarama, I'm not talking about the rumor hearing girl group of the 80s, but a flirty drink instead. The cocktail, which is a creamy concoction consisting of vodka, orange liqueur and creme de banana, is perfect for banana lovers or anyone who's looking to bid farewell to a "cruel summer" — sorry, I couldn't resist another Bananarama reference...

To get the recipe,

Let's Go Bananas!!!

partysugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 01:03:31 -0700

I love bananas so much that I have one every work day at 11:30am. If you love bananas as much as I do, then you'll be excited to know that today is National Banana Lover's Day! To celebrate, I've put together a few fun facts about bananas:

The banana plant is not a tree. It's actually the world's largest herb!
A banana plant may grow up to 30 feet in length with stems weighing up to 100 pounds.
Bananas are native to Malaysia, and have been in existence for over 1 million years.
Bananas were once considered a very exotic, hard to find fruit.
Bananas were first sold in the United States in 1876 at the 100th anniversary party of the Declaration of Independence in Pennsylvania. They were wrapped in foil and cost only 10 cents.
Today bananas are grown in 132 countries across the globe.
The average person eats 33 pounds of bananas a year!

Got a banana fun fact to share with us?? Tell us below and share your love for bananas!

Image Source

Campfire Dessert: Baked Banana Boats

partysugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:11:37 -0700

As much as I love s'mores, it's nice to have variety in a weekend getaway menu. When planning a classic camping trip, pack the fixing for s'mores and the fixings for these delicious baked banana boats. Kids and grownups will both have fun selecting the fillings and stuffing the bananas. Tightly wrapped in foil, these bananas are cooked over an open fire. It's quick, hassle free, and you won't have to hunt for sticks in the dark! To see how to make this sweet treat,

You Say Banana, I Say Apple

YumSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:01:31 -0700

I'm taking a Chinese class right now, and one of the phrases that came up in a book was "xiangjiao pingguo" (translation: banana apple). Whenever anyone says the phrase - which has become the class's go-to noun - we all wonder, what on earth is a banana apple? Well, today we found out. One of the folks in my class stumbled across Manzano Bananas and since manzano means apple tree in Spanish, we knew we'd found our fruit.

After a bit of research I discovered that these bananas are often known as "apple bananas" and are grown in South America, Mexico, The Caribbean, Asia and Africa. So what makes an apple banana an apple banana? Well first of all it's smaller than normal bananas and drier too. The fruit is sweeter and the odor and flavor have a scent of apple and a hint of strawberry. I'm not sure I would have made the apple connection on my own, but it was definitely a tasty treat. If you have the opportunity to try one, I highly recommend it.

Have you ever had an apple banana? If so, what did you think of it?

Source: Hormel

52 Weeks of Baking: Ghetto Bread Pudding

YumSugar — Fri, 25 May 2007 11:01:18 -0700

I almost broke my 52 weeks of baking resolution this week, but a random office concoction saved me. I was internally debating on what I should do when I remembered that there was a toaster oven in the office kitchen, as well as a bunch of random ingredients. So in a last ditch effort to save my resolution, I threw everything together and created what I've dubbed "ghetto bread pudding." I call it this for three reasons: (1) it looks pretty ghetto, (2) there's no pudding in this bread pudding and (3) it seems like something you'd eat in college and everyone knows, you eat some pretty ghetto stuff in college.

However, no matter how bad it looks, this mixture of chocolate, peanut butter, bread and bananas tasted pretty great. If your office has those four ingredients and a toaster oven, then do yourself a favor and whip up an incredibly simple indulgent snack. To see what I came up with,

Yummy Link: Bananas Foster Tartelette

YumSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 14:03:18 -0700

Sometimes a decadent dessert doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. Take for examples these lovely bananas fosters tartelettes. Oh so yummy. - Tartelette

Go Bananas For Dessert Tonight

partysugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:58:41 -0700

I hate to admit it, because it's hardly exciting, but bananas are my favorite fruit. I have at least one a day and have for as long as I can remember. Bananas are like Starbucks, there is something extremely comforting in their consistency: you can find bananas at almost any location practically everyday of the year. Unlike other fruits, a banana's stage of ripeness is simple to follow along: green = unripe, yellow = ripe, and brown = too ripe. Different from a melon or a peach where the taste is left unknown until the first bite, a peeled banana will meet your mouth with the same sweet taste. I've found a way to take my beloved fruit to the next level by easily jazzing them up for a delicious, caramelized, banana-y dessert. For the recipe,

Secret Ingredient Recap: Bananas

YumSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:45:12 -0800

This week the secret ingredient was bananas and I really enjoyed the recipes you guys came up with. We had delicious crispy Fried Bananas, indulgent Frozen Banana Mousse on top of brownie torte, and frozen Chocobananas. However the one that really caused me to start drooling was the Banoffee Pie (banana + toffee = banoffee) submitted by TeamSugar member SaraSmile. Her mother made a version with rich gourmet caramel sauce, but her recipe has us creating our own toffee. It sounds delicious and highly sinful (shhh... dont' tell FitSugar). To check it out

Secret Ingredient Reminder: Bananas

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:56:12 -0800

Don't forget! Get your banana sporting recipes submitted to the Secret Ingredient Group. I'll look through all the posts and pick my favorite one to share with everyone. You've got until this Thursday afternoon, so get started!

To learn how to post to the Secret Ingredient Group,

Secret Ingredient: Green Onion Recap + Bananas are Next!

YumSugar — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 03:57:11 -0800

The next secret ingredient is bananas. I want to see savory recipes, sweet recipes, drink recipes, any kind of recipes. You can use fresh bananas, dried bananas, banana flavoring, banana liqueur, banana candy, anything! Put your most creative recipe into the Secret Ingredient Group.

This week's winning recipe comes from reader calibabi. Last week's task was to find great green onion recipes and she has succeeded with a quick and easy Almond Crusted Chicken with Scallion Beurre Blanc. The scallion beurre blanc sounds fantastic and would pair well on a bunch of other meats too. Thanks for posting calibabi!

Next week it could be one of your recipes here!

To learn how to post to the Secret Ingredient Group,