Bananas foster oatmeal [Wenatchee food photography]

A few weeks ago I found the most amazing sounding recipe combining my favorite dessert, Bananas foster, and one of my favorite breakfasts, oatmeal. Now, when I say oatmeal, I mean those instant packets you just add hot water too. I know, so gourmet. But, as I keep saying, I am not a cook. I don't cook, really. But, I do become enamored with certain recipes I find that sound delicious and I imagine will look beautiful when photographed. My real love is the picture of the food, the making it is just a necessary step and the eating a wonderful benefit. Back to this oatmeal. I have never had "old-fashioned" oatmeal. I had to make a special trip to the grocery store for steel-cut oats. I've never heard of steel-cut oats. It is always educational when I decide to make something, this being no exception. Did you know steel-cut oats are lower on the glycemic index than rolled oats, making them cause less of a spike to insulin levels when eaten? Now we do.

And I always seem to have bananas on hand that are past their peel-and-eat prime (at least according to my kids who think more than about three tiny brown spots means they're rotten.) This recipe is a delicious way to use them without having to make another loaf of banana bread (although I always welcome banana bread!) I made a small tweak to the original recipe to better suit the pan I had to caramelize the bananas in and I also switched from the original walnuts to pecans (pecans are my favorite and I think they're best with bananas. Plus, I'm allergic to walnuts.) Definitely check out both versions of the recipe and make the one that sounds best to you. You can't go wrong either way. Recipe below.

Bananas Foster Oatmeal
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 medium bananas, sliced and divided
1/2 cup water
1 cup + 1/2 cup milk, divided
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Banana-pecan Topping
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup rough chopped pecans (I like them larger)
remaining banana slices from above

Oatmeal directions

1. In a small pan, combine oats, 1/3 of the sliced bananas, water, 1 cup milk, salt, and cinnamon; cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it begins to bubble and thicken.
2. Turn heat down to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk and turn heat up to med-high until oatmeal is bubbling again.
4. Turn heat back to low and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Banana-pecan topping directions

1. Combine butter and brown sugar in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until butter and sugar are melted.
2. Add remaining banana slices in an single layer to caramel. Sprinkle pecans between banana slices. Once they start to brown and caramelize, flip the bananas over and cook until both sides are caramelized. Divide into two bowls and top with the bananas.

Chocolate sauce, choc-, choc-, chocolate sauce [Wenatchee food photography]

Chocolate sauce. That simplest of toppings that elevates milk to chocolate milk and ice cream to d-e-double-s-e-r-t. How do you remember the spelling difference between desert and dessert? Dessert has two s's because it's twice as good. Spelling lesson aside, finding yourself out of chocolate sauce is no concern. It's very easy to make. Takes like 6-7 minutes and when you're done there are 2 cool things: 1) it's already warm and 2) you get to eat it. This makes about 3/4 cup and you can store it in the refrigerator. I just use an 8 oz.-sized mason jar. Recipe below.

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt and water in small saucepan and stir. Then add butter and stir constantly as it melts and becomes smooth.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
3. Allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring.
4. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir.

Cinnamon rolls [Wenatchee food photography]

Yes, I made these. I know right? I've never made homemade cinnamon rolls before, so today I changed that. Well, last night I made the dough and this morning...I made the MAGIC. The frosting is the leftover caramel frosting from the "Bananutella shortbread cupcakes" a few days ago. These were accompanied with my husband's most awesome buttery, peppery scrambled eggs. You might have to pinch me, Sunday is looking so good. And now I need a glass of milk, a nap and about a 4 hour hike. (Recipe follows below image.)

The dough recipe I used is from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois by and was listed here. It makes a "master dough" that can be used in several recipes (and makes a lot, so you'll have many opportunities to try it out.)

1 3/4 C. lukewarm water

1 1/2 TBL. instant yeast

1 1/2 tsp. table salt

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 C. honey

1/2 C. unsalted butter, melted

7 C. all-purpose flour

I used my KitchenAid and mixed all the ingredients, except flour, until mixed. Switched to the dough hook and added half the flour and started to mix. Add remaning flour a cup at a time, mixing all the while. When all flour has been added and dough is completely mixed (with no dry flour anywhere), cover bowl (not airtight) and place in refrigerater from overnight to up to 4 days later. In the morning, pull off about 1/3-1/2 the dough and cloak. Roll out on a floured surface until a large rectangle, about 1/4" high is reached. Mix up the following for the cinnamon filling (this was what I put together, but there are a lot of recipes that all look good if you search "cinnamon roll filling"):

1/2 C. butter (1 stick), softened

1/4 C. white sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar

2 TBL. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface, leaving about 1" along a long side uncovered. Roll up the dough along a long edge (not the uncovered one) to form a long log. Use the uncovered edge to stick to the dough to help it stay closed. Using a length of dental floss, slide the floss under the log to the center and bring both ends up and around, pulling to slice through. Cut each of these halfs into 1 1/2" slices until you have 8-12 rolls (depends on how much dough you started with and how thick you sliced them.) Place in appropriately sized pan (I used a 9x13, but a 9x9 might be better if you got less rolls) and let rise on the counter for 1 hour. Then bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. You can frost with a regular white frosting, but I think the best is the caramel frosting from here or a cream cheese frosting.

"Bananutella" shortbread cupcake with caramel frosting [Wenatchee food photography]

You could call it a Frankenstein cupcake, because I kind of pieced it together with whatever sounded good at the time. I started with a white cake base, added bananas that needed to be used (didn't feel like making banana bread), Nutella (that I needed to use because I fell for the hype and bought a Costco sized bottle and hated it. Well, hated it on toast. It's basically chocolate frosting, so why would that be good anywhere except where frosting should go? Like the center of a cupcake.) A Lorna Doone shortbread cookie as a "crust"/base for the cake. I put one in the bottom of the liner before adding the Nutella then cake batter. Then I made a most delicious caramel frosting and topped it with a sidecar of its own little mini cupcake and a salty roasted almond. All that to say I had no idea if they would be good, but, man, was it GOOD. The frosting alone is insanely delicious. Kind of a salty-sweet bananas foster kind of vibe with a hit of smooth chocolate and sweet crunchy bite at the finish. The milk was an absolute must after one of these monster cakes.

"Bananutella" shortbread cupcake with caramel frosting

To your standard white cake batter (you can use either a mix or make from scratch), add 3 mashed, ripe bananas. Blend until mixed. In bottom of cupcake liner, place one Lorna Doone shortbread cookie. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon Nutella onto cookie. Fill liner with cake batter and bake as directed. Frost with caramel frosting and top with a roasted almond or other salty nut.

Caramel frosting

Melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add 1 packed cup of brown sugar, stirring constantly until reaches boil. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup cream (whole milk will do too). Stir for 2 minutes, return to heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm temperature, about 30 minutes. Add 2 cups powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments while mixing. If frosting gets too thick, add cream/milk 1 teaspoon at a time until right consistency.

Soup and bread. It's what's for dinner [wenatchee food photography]

Hubby made a delicious chunky yukon gold potato soup with (you had me at) bacon. Hands down the smoothest, creamiest, best tasting potato soup ever. It was so good, in fact, it deserved it's own loaf of crusty, dense, slathered-with-butter, warm from the oven beer bread. So I made that to go along and for two nights now, we have eaten like kings. Simple, satisfied, well-fed kings. Recipe below image.

Yukon Gold Potato Soup

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
32 oz. chicken stock
1 tablespoon bacon grease
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 pinch thyme
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 tablespoons butter
16 oz. half and half
2-1/2 tablespoons flour
4-5 slices cooked, crisp bacon

1. Dice potatoes into bite-sized pieces, put into stock/soup pot and add chicken stock. Add enough water to cover potatoes (you can add some chicken bouillon if you had to add a lot of water.)
2. Bring to boil then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In medium saute pan, add bacon grease, diced onions, diced celery, thyme, black pepper, sea salt and bacon.
4. Saute onion mixture until onions are soft, then add to pot with potatoes and broth.
5. Add butter and flour to empty saute pan on medium heat and make roux. Slowly add half and half, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
6. Once roux has thickened, add to potato mixture and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes.