blue artichoke

Despite the sweltering heat, the Snackdown continues, though at a much slower pace. I made two loaves of banana bread last week. I think we're starting to get tired of banana bread because after we try it fresh from the oven and again cooled, the rest of the loaf languishes in the fridge for many days. I'm going to attempt to make banana bread French toast this weekend. Anyway, here are the reviews:

Banana Bread #18, Orange-Spice Banana Bread
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which is usually really good. This one, however, stinks. The article it came from states the problem as "too many banana bread recipes turn out bland, flat, heavy, dry and/or gritty loaves." That's true. But this loaf didn't correct those problems. It was bland, with not enough banana or orange flavor to stand out and be recognized. The texture was okay, not too flat, heavy, dry or gritty, but had a pocket of teeth-shattering hardness from I don't even know what. This was a most unpleasant loaf of banana bread. To the trash bin!

Banana Bread #19, Bisquick Banana Nut Bread
I don't know where the recipe came from. I make my own Bisquick mix using flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and vegetable shortening (no trans-fat Crisco). I almost always have these ingredients on hand and I've never had a problem with the homemade mix. I was a bit worried this time, though, because the batter was super liquidy and really lumpy (even though I omitted the nuts). But it baked up just fine. This was a good-lookin' bread: pale yellow in the center with a thick brown crust and a satisfying crack down the top of the loaf. The texture was moist, light and springy and the flavor was banana-y with a light bright sweetness. This was a darn good loaf and might just squeak into the second round.

Almost 2/3 done with the qualifying round!

Dinner last night: edamame dumplings (homemade), leftover chicken rice pilaf, asparagus