Market Finds

Sunny and 65* in Seattle demanded a trip to Pike Place Market. We relished the morning as we played tourist in our own city.

We each had our own mission. I was determined to pick up some vital ingredients to appease some pregnancy cravings – butter, goat cheese and chocolate cake. At DeLaurenti I found an incredible French butter. Salty with a sour tangy finish. A fresh Chevre with an herb coat was found at the Paris grocer and the chocolate cake is still out there.

The boys headed right towards the mini donuts – fresh from the fryer.

At my favorite produce stand I bought everything they fed me. Muscat grapes, the most perfect pears I’ve tasted and a melon sweeter than the candy I couldn’t pass up.

With the sun pouring through our windows upon our return I decided to have fun with my camera. A little impromptu photo shoot with my market models.

A perfect Spring family day.

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Flowers from my dear husband after his “fragile” wife was having a rather rough day.

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Some of the best dishes require no recipe. Such is the case for this perfectly ripe melon.

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A craving. They say if you crave sweets then it’s a girl – I like the sound of that!

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– Easter is quickly approaching. May I recommend this Easter Pie I made for Artazza?

– I’m so excited to be teaching about the ever intimidating meringue. In this course we will be creating perfectly light Pavlova with Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry Curd, classic French Macarons with Italian Meringue Buttercream and a Banana and Chocolate Souffle that will delight. Email classes@notwithoutsalt.com to sign up for this class. The cost is $35.

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Chocolate chip Banana Bread

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Grandma always goes overboard at Christmas. With 14 grandchildren and by now I’ve completely lost tract of the number of great-grandchildren – just this year there will be three new babies (ours included), yet she blesses us abundantly. But no Christmas bag is complete without a fresh baked loaf of Grandma’s banana bread.

This year I nearly shed tears as I tore through my bag and found no banana bread. Everyone else proudly held their loaves and some began to devour them, while I was left loaf-less. Quickly grandma realized the tragic mistake and performed  a Christmas miracle by uncovering the missing loaf and giving it to its rightful owner – me.

Grandma graciously shared her recipe with me. Our family has made a few adjustments – like the addition of dark chocolate chunks – however delightful the additions are they aren’t necessary. Grandma’s recipe has been providing Christmas cheer for many years and hopefully many more to come.

Many of the changes I make in recipe are out of laziness. This recipe makes two loaves but rather then searching through my messy baking pan cupboard I blindly reached in and grabbed one loaf pan and a cupcake pan. Laziness pays off sometimes as the banana bread cupcakes were a perfect snack size for my little munchers.

And for frosting? A large smear of butter is just what it wants.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

6 ripe bananas, mashed 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup canola oil (or coconut oil) 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs beaten 1 tsp salt 2 tsp baking soda 4 cups flour 1 bag dark chocolate chips (Ghiradelli 60% chips work nicely)   Mix in order. Fill two greased loaf pans 3/4 full. You can also bake these as cupcakes. Fill the pan 3/4 full and bake about 20 minutes in a pre-heated 350* oven.  The loaves generally take about an hour. For both the cupcakes and the loafs you want a knife or a toothpick to come out clean. Cool completely. Serve with plenty of butter.

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