Mascarpone Banana Nut Bread

Who doesn't love a warm slice of banana nut bread.....yummmmm!!!!

I didn't know the banana nut bread existed while I lived in India. Come to the US and Thanks to Starbucks, and there it is - the Banana Nut Bread. My husband never leaves Starbucks without a slice with his coffee. My 3-year old son has taken after and expects the same when we visit a Starbucks. Why spend $3 for a slice when you can make a loaf for probably lesser, says the Mallu me :)

I have always used the recipe from The Kitchn and it never failed me.

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-banana-bread-the-simplest-easiest-recipe-139900

Come Thanksgiving 2020 and I had bought mascarpone from Trader Joe's for the mashed potatoes (separate blog another day). With so much mascarpone remaining in the tub and reading and tasting it's sweet notes, I realized it could be added to a cake. 

Rotting bananas on the counter, mascarpone in the refrigerator and time on my hands, gave birth to my own recipe of the Mascarpone Banana Nut Bread. One slice down and Ajit goes looking for a domain for me on GoDaddy (how sweet :)). at this point I don't have a domain, but who knows, some day!!!!!

Changes I made to the recipe from The Kitchn

Ingredients Substituted:

1 cup white sugar       1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar

3 ripe bananas            4 ripe bananas

1 stick butter               Took away 2 Tbsp off the stick and added 2 Tbsp Mascarpone Cheese

I always add walnuts and chocolate chips (who doesn't love a lil chocolate?)

I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer and followed the recipe. About 30 mins in to the baking I pulled out the bread/cake and tented the mold with foil and pushed it back in for another 25mins.

Viola! I gave birth to the most amazing, yummy Mascarpone Banana Nut Bread (Haven't checked if this recipe exists anywhere on google, but today I invented it)

Not 'cos I made it but its a yummy, super soft, a lil heavier and richer version of the humble Banana Nut Bread. I am definitely a happier woman now than when I started the day.

Falafel

Falafel...….

After many, many years, here I am logged in to my blog. I have only used this blog to pen crazy feelings of happiness and sadness during my younger days. Not that I am old :) but I am a mom now and jobless at the moment, locked indoors due to the Covid pandemic, so what else other than cooking to fill the hours in a day. I am going to record my cooking experimentations to come in handy and record the recipe for later.

A weekly Friday outing to Shawarma King for some yummy shawarma was the only thing we looked forward to during the pandemic. I've eaten one too many falafels some greasy, some tasteless. I used the recipe from https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/falafel/. Not bragging but the falafel I made was one of the best I've eaten so far. My husband from who's mouth a praise for a new dish rarely appears said it was even better than what we get at Shawarma King. I'll take that :D

If you've made a parippu vada before, Falafel is no rocket science. Its the Mediterranean parippu vada. I substituted red chilly pwd instead of cayenne and besan for the chickpea powder from Tori's recipe. This recipe is definitely a keeper, might even make an appearance while hosting sometime in the future.Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, just like meee (shady dialogue!)

I have failed, I have failed

Even as all look up to me, silently I have failed

Love and life, not knowing the right

Jumped to decisions in the middle of the night

And now, I have failed

Crazy it may sound, scary it feels inside

I know my pain, my pain so deep down inside

I am scared, I am weak,

Scared at life, my future so bleak

Love trying to conquer, I try to run away

I know the reason,  I find it so hard to stay

Fear it is, Fear it is,

Not knowing what the future holds tight-fisted

Down my throat, they are forcing their way

I am saddened, I wanna go away

Some ties I love, but my ties do they love?

I am strangled, strangled waiting for a leap of fresh air

Bygone eras try to rule, rule for the heck of it

Spoiling my peace, snatching away my smile

What do you get, what do you gain?

Your Stupid fallacies causing me pain

A mistake or pride I donno how to regret

At my birth, they are causing my death

I don’t wanna go back, my loved,

I don’t wanna inflict anymore pain

 Let me live, let us live,

My blood I shall give, just let me live

What do you get, Oh! what do you gain?

Your stubbornness causing me pain

To Heaven or earth, where reach is beyond,

Take me away, far so far away,

What do you get, what do you gain?

Your stubbornness causing me pain

Lonely!

I had everything in life, I still do. One mistake of mine, is it really a mistake?? I wonder!. Life is so funny isn't it? Unkind at times. Finding one's happiness is such a crime in this society. Just because I was taken care of and well-fed does that mean I ask you permission even to be happy? Life is funny!

There were those days when I was going through life's worst, actually its not the worst, but to me it was. Abuse and no mental peace, frustration and solitude, where were you guys then? A seat away, I found some joy, some peace, some reason to smile. The reason that made me realize there's a new meaning to life, work and existence. Is it wrong that I smiled at you, my happy stranger or is it wrong I smiled at you without consent?

Which century are we still in? When are we all going to grow up? We still stick to some age-old beliefs, just to torment. Probably, you guys are right, its out of care and concern, I realize, but is this the means to express it?

No shoulder to cry on, no hand to hold, I am all alone in this world of mine. God, I ask of you, if you really cared, if you really loved, if you think this wasn't right, you wouldn't have let it happen.

Oh my loving God, please let me be, forever belong, to my happy stranger. I will survive !!

Fallen in love !

With joy in my eyes, I fell in love.

With hopes in my soul, I fell in love.

With sorrows behind and the whole world against,

I fell in the beauty of love.

 

With rolling years,

With stronger trusts,

With heavier hearts,

For lighter moments,

I stayed along, in the beauty of love.

 

Years passed by,

Happiness faded by,

Through sorrows we stood,

Through gaiety we cherished,

The togetherness more meaningful became,

In the bond, in the beauty of love

 

Oblivious I was,

Blind eyed I remained,

Was I a thorn, or was I surrounded by thorns?

Shattered I was, I lost my self,

In the myriad of words, of an intruder’s sorcery

Oh! Tower of trust, where art thou?

 

I wept and wept, To God I wept.

Why Me? I yelled,

And he replied,

U have FALLEN in the beauty of love!

Roses were Red

Roses were Red,

Violets were Blue,

All these in my life,

were said true,

Then came the storm, of Change , we say,

To relish in it later, I pray !

jlt !

Time keeps ticking by and by;

Three love letters I have Oh My!

My phone keeps ringin tring tring tring,

One lil heart in sadness weepin' !