When I stumbled across Joy the Baker's recipe for the Best Banana Bread You'll Ever Have on Cup of Jo, I felt we were meant to be soul mates. Taking banana bread to the next level, Joy adds bourbon and chocolate chips. This woman is genius. Pure genius!

It takes all of my self-control to not the devour the entire loaf when I bake it on Sunday afternoons. I may even just let bananas sit a little too long just so they are perfectly ripe for this bread. I recommend you do the same.

Bourbon, Chocolate Banana Bread 
Courtesy of Joy the Baker 

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 t. lemon juice
3 T. bourbon
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Grease and flour an 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add bananas, lemon juice, and bourbon. Beat until well incorporated.

5. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Add the walnuts and chocolate chunks and incorporate the last of the ingredients with a spatula.

6. The batter will be thick. Spoon the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (It takes my oven about 55 minutes.)

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Enjoy!

After flipping through the collection of cooking magazines that I had acquired, I was reminded of a few recipes I had forgotten about. One of those was Cooking Light's recipe for Breakfast "Cookies." This is  a recipe I was using almost weekly a few years back and then it just disappeared from the rotation - or maybe I over did it.

Remember Pop-Ice as a kid? I loved those things. However, my mom wasn't the biggest fan of them and wouldn't buy them regularly. Something about all the sugar.

When I came across these silicone molds at my favorite store, Hill's Kitchen, I was just full of ideas. (If you don't have a Hill's Kitchen, you can find the molds at Target and Amazon.)  And don't you know, those ideas included bourbon. Let's up the ante on a childhood favorite. I tried to balance the bourbon with fresh nectarines.  Combine all this with the heat wave DC is experiencing at the moment, and you have a wonderful idea.

Bourbon Nectarine Ice Pops

1/2 c. simple syrup
3 nectarines
3 T. bourbon

1. Make the simple syrup by combining 1/4 cup sugar with a 1/4 cup water. Heat the combination until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Allow this to cool to room temperature.

2. Pit and slice the nectarines. You can peal the nectarines if you want a smoother pop. I didn't peel, partly for the texture and partly because I'm lazy.

3. Place the nectarines, simple syrup and bourbon in a food processor. Pulse about 12 times until relatively smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a large measuring cup. This makes it easier to pour the nectarine/bourbon mixture into the molds.

5. Freeze for at least one hour. Don't forget the bourbon will keep it from freezing solid.

6. Enjoy!

As Keith and I were sitting on the back porch last week, we talked about memories and how certain items can trigger them. For Keith, it's usually a song that can take him back in time. For me, it's food.

With Memorial Day and the official start of summer here, I was taken back to grandma and grandpa's patio. I'm there with my cousins, brother and sister. Dixie, grandpa's basset hound, is there just as excited, hoping we'll spill something just for her. We're waiting for grandma to bring out the banana ice cream base for the freezer. For the first five minutes or so, my cousins are anxious to take their turn churning the cream and sugar. Soon it's just my sister, Dixie and me. We could never wait for it firm up in the freezer. Everyone eager with their bowl and spoon. That was life.

Call me sentimental, but as I've gotten older. I often find myself back wanting to bring back those memories. And how else was I to achieve that than to make some ice cream. Grandma would probably frown on the addition of bourbon, but I'm sure grandpa would just grin and wait to pour a bit in once grandma went back inside.

And with the first bite of of the cool, creamy banana I was taken back to my childhood and the long days of summer.

Banana Bourbon Ice Cream

2 ripe bananas, the more brown spots the better
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. whole milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla
3 T. bourbon

1. Mash the bananas until you have a rather smooth paste. Set aside.

2. Create and ice bath in a large mixing bowl. Place a smaller bowl in the bath. Whisk together the sugar and milk until the sugar has dissolved in the bowl over the ice bath. Add the cream, vanilla and bananas until well combined.

3. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions, adding the bourbon during the last five minutes of freezing.

4. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe storage dish with a lid to harden in freezer for several hours. Note: it will not become completely solid, as the bourbon will prevent that.

5. Enjoy!

P.S. You might also want to try my recipe for Bourbon Peach Ice Cream.

After the long week at work, I wanted nothing more than a lazy weekend. Initially, we had planned to head back to Union Market, but overcast skies and chilly weather kept us even closer to home. So close to home in fact that I never left our apartment on Sunday. 

When I came across roasted almonds on the blog, Shutterbean, I new it would be the perfect accompaniment to the bourbon fudge. I mean it would be rude not to provide a balanced gift of sweet and salty.

Keith really knows how to make me happy. For my birthday last month, he gave me the most amazing chocolate truffles that were made with bourbon. We're talking little bites of heaven. I tried to pace myself and make them last as long as possible, but well, you see where this is going. Don't worry he's ordered more, but those little bites of heaven inspired the gift giving for this year.

Even our bourbon is festive this time of year!

1. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with wax paper.

I love pie. There's something so very comforting about it. I'm sure this is attributed to my grandpa baking a different pie whenever I'd come home from college. This continued even after I moved out to Washington, DC. Grandpa would bake apple, chocolate cream, blueberry and every once in a while butterscotch. We'd sit, eat pie, and catch up on life. 

Remember how Keith and I had big plans to get all healthy? Well, I think it's more like we're maintaining. For example, after returning home from the gym last night, I was planning a dinner of baked salmon, brown rice, and steamed broccoli. Instead, Keith cooked, i.e. he ordered pizza. Granted, it was really good pizza. And after that, why not just enjoy a cocktail too, right?

I present to you a perfect chilled seasonal cocktail...the Fall Sipper.

Fall Sipper

2 parts bourbon (I used Maker's 46.)
2 parts apple cider
2 parts ginger ale

1. Fill your glass with ice.

2. Add bourbon, apple cider, and ginger ale.

3. Give it a quick stir.

4. Garnish with an apple slice.

5. Enjoy!

We have been counting down until the return of the NLF since February 6, 2012. And long as last, the wait is over. Keith and I agree that Sundays during football season on meant to be spent lounging around the house eating junk food and watching every play. Keith also monitors his three fantasy teams, which I've finally made peace with. I'll spare you my fantasy football rant for another time.

I don't know about you, but I never thought today was going to arrive. This week has been nonstop at the office and for every item I've crossed something off the to-do list, another one is there to quickly take its place.

Having never ending task lists at the office leave me all the more appreciative of the weekend. I'm hoping to spend some quality time with the latest book I've started and a little bourbon in hand. Perhaps, there will be another one of these guys in order.

While in Charlottesville last weekend, we had dinner at the Whiskey Jar. Occasionally, I'll enjoy my bourbon on the rocks. However, that's usually a sign of a really bad day. For the most part, I prefer it in a well made cocktail. And the Whiskey Jar had a Bourbon Sour that fit the bill. It was quite simple and like food when you have quality ingredients simple is the way to proceed.

This is inspired by their bourbon sour, although it doesn't quite compare to theirs.

When I found myself with a pint of blueberries and no desire to make muffins, I started thinking about alternatives. Even more importantly, those options needed to be simple. That's when I started wondering would I could infuse with blueberries. I considered vodka, but then I started to think about bourbon. And figured what the heck...blueberries good, bourbon good, so blueberries and bourbon great.

Let me tell you this plan was genius. It's not something I enjoy on it's own, but when I started playing with cocktail ideas I hit the jackpot. Meet the Blue Door.  There's a side story as to the name, which I'll get to  a bit later.

Blue Door Recipe

2 oz blueberry infused bourbon
2 dashes orange bitters
ginger ale

1. Pour the bourbon, bitters, and ginger ale in a glass over ice.

2. Garnish with orange peel.

3. Enjoy!

Blueberry Infused Bourbon

1.5 c. smashed blueberries (about a pint)
1.5 c. bourbon

1. Combine the blueberries and bourbon in a nonreactive container.

2. Shake everyday for five days.

3. On the fifth day, taste to see if it has enough blueberriness for you. I went with only five days.

4. Strain into storage bottle.  Out of direct sunlight, it should last about six months.

5. Enjoy!


Am I bit crazy for missing the door? Have you ever grown a bit attached to something about your home?

As part of his efforts to woo me, Keith took me to Hermosa Beach in California for our first Valentine's Day together. While out there we visited one of his college buddies, who told us how he and his wife received an ice cream maker for a wedding gift. They envisioned making ice cream with their family and building all these wonderful memories, when in fact they've made ice cream once and stashed the ice cream maker away in the back cupboard. 

There's a little neighborhood deli near my office, where I often pick up breakfast on those hurried mornings. This place is organized chaos and not sure how long the process would take, I'd only order a small coffee and a blueberry muffin. Don't worry, I've since branched out. However, the sweet woman who runs the register and gets my coffee insists that I have a muffin too. It's just within the last week that she's given up on the muffin.

Oh, Monday. Never mind. I’m not ready for you. Can we try again tomorrow?

I found the weekend relaxing and refreshing. Keith on the other hand would describe his as fun, but exhausting. He made it back from Florida without any serious trouble.

Don’t know if you’ve checked out the Weather Channel or listed to ol’ Al Roker recently, but we’re getting fall-like weather here in DC. We were greeted by a chilling 48 degrees and a drizzle this morning. Bleh! Deciding what to wear was a little more challenging than I like on a Monday morning. Regardless, it was nice to know breakfast would be worth it once I got around.

Since we usually order Chinese takeout on Sundays, I don’t have to worry about dinner. Instead, I get a jump-start on the week ahead. Last night I was making a small batch of granola. I find it to be my breakfast staple and who knew it’s actually really easy to make? I use to buy it regularly out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but then I wanted to control what was going into or was not going into it.

Here’s my super simple approach to granola. (Details with quantities below.) I start with some thick cut oats, sliced almonds, agave nectar, coconut oil, and cinnamon. I’ve learned Bob’s Red Mill oats are the best for this. You could also substitute maple syrup or honey. Lastly, feel free to play around with the cinnamon. I’ve also played around with cinnamon and ground ginger with a pinch of nutmeg. Just find what works for you.

Dump your dry ingredients into the bowl and toss together. On the stove, melt the coconut oil and agave nectar together until it’s smooth. Pour this on the dry stuff and toss. You’ll then pour that out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. And seriously, don’t skip the parchment. I’ve learned the hard way. Then bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You can toss every 5 minutes or so, but if you want those delicious clusters don’t touch it. Pull it out just when it starts to look golden. It will bake a tad more once you pull it out of the oven. Once cool dump into an airtight container.


I’ve found this recipe to be pretty flexible. Some mornings, I eat it like cereal topped with fresh berries and skim milk. Other days, I sprinkle it over Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries, which was this morning. Or you can enjoy it plain right out of the storage container for an on the go breakfast. I’m telling you it’s awesome! Not to mention, you can mix in dry fruit if you want like cranberries, currants, or raisins. You also have the option of topping it with fresh fruit, which is what I’ve been enjoying a lot lately.

Super Simple Granola

1 c. thick cut oats
1/2 c. sliced almonds (You could use pecans, walnuts, etc.)
1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil (When it melts it gives you more.)
1 T. agave nectar (You can use more to taste. You could also swap for honey, maple syrup, etc.)
1/2 t. cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, cinnamon and salt. Toss to combine.

3. Combine the coconut oil and agave nectar in a small saucepan and heat until melted. Continuously stir to combine.

4. Remove the oil mixture and carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly to ensure all of the oats and nuts are evenly coated.

5. Spread the sticky oat mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure to pat it down and keep it rather close together.

6. Place into your preheated oven and back for 15 to 20 minutes. You can stir every 5-7 minutes or leave it alone to get the clusters. If you leave it be, start checking on it at the 15 minute mark to see if it’s ready.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, pour into an airtight container or large sealable plastic bag. If you want, you can now mix in dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, currents, apricots, etc.

8. Enjoy!