Banana Bread

I bought a big bag of bananas from Costco, and for some reason they got ripe really quick. Tracy, our primary banana eater, likes her bananas on the green side. I don't mind a yellow banana, but I don't eat a lot of bananas, and certainly couldn't put down 7 extra bananas, especially when they start getting those brown spots. So when you're in such a situation where you've got more bananas than you can eat, try making some banana bread. Its an easy and delicious way to put them to use.

I used a modified version of Aunt Holly's Banana Bread from Epicurious. A relatively simple recipe that uses minimal ingredients.

• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Chocolate chips (as many as you want!)
• Mixed Raw Nuts**

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.

* I used self-rising flour in lieu of regular flour and baking soda. My baking soda has been in my fridge absorbing odors for the last several months, so i thought it unwise to use it. And my alternatives were in the freezer and shoe closet doing the same.

** Walnuts would probably be recommended for a more traditional banana bread, but given what I had available in my pantry, mixed raw nuts is what I used. I think some crushed or sliced almonds would be great, as would a handful of any trail mix.

Special Report - Twin Egg Phenomenon

After my wife told me that a few of the eggs she was going to eat had double yolks, she refused to eat the remaining eggs. So I took it upon myself to really test these eggs, plus we had purchased two-dozen of these Kimbo Grade A Jumbo eggs from the 99 Ranch Market. I believe Kimbo is 99 Ranch's house brand. Which is starting to explain a lot. Check out this video to see my test of cracking open 10 eggs open.

Special Report: Twin Eggs from Ray Huang on Vimeo.

I did some further research on the phenomenon of twin eggs, and it turns out that it is quite common in jumbo-sized eggs. By the sorting process, the eggs are sorted by size, and all the jumbo ones are put into jumbo carton, the similarity in size keeps the eggs from getting crushed in the carton by more evenly distributing the weight. But you don't car about the carton, you care about the yolk.

According to a website called www.countryhen.com, "Hens begin their laying process with small eggs, then medium, and eventually over the course of time are laying large, then extra large and finally jumbo eggs before they stop laying altogether. It is the jumbo eggs that have double and sometimes even triple yolks. The number of yolks reflect only on the age of the hen, not on the feed they eat or any other factor. The egg with a double yolk is still fresh and Grade A."

I consulted another website called PoultryHelp.com which stated, "Double yolks are a 'mistake' in the chicken's reproductive system that sometimes happens when a hen just starts laying eggs and her system is still trying to figure out how to do it correctly." The site goes on to say, "Double Yolkers appear when ovulation occurs too rapidly, or when one yolk somehow gets "lost" and is joined by the next yolk. Double yolkers may be by a pullet whose productive cycle is not yet well synchronized. They're occasionally laid by a heavy-breed hen, often as an inherited trait." PoultryHelp.com has an illustrative list of other egg oddities that is worth a read.

So after throwing ten eggs down the drain, it would seem that this string of twins is not too abnormal, but I still cringe a bit when you consider what hormones may or may not be pumped into the hens to make them crank out eggs faster. Much like women who go through fertility treatments are more prone to having multiples after getting pumped full of who knows what, that may be what is happening to these hens. So I'm still weary of eating these, and I think I'll stick with medium or large eggs purchased from more reputable markets.

I Pity The Hens.

Beware of Falling Objects

I almost lost my toe the other day. I was taking out a pair of kitchen shears to cut up some ham to put in my omelette. I fumbled it and it fell. I did one of those cat-like instinctive jump and spread my feet as far away from the landing zone as possible.

The shears landed pointy-side down and stabbed into the floor and stuck the landing. At first I was amazed that it stuck like that, considering I dropped it from only about 2.5 feet up, but then I though how much that would've hurt if that had landed on my toe. Yes, I cook barefooted, which I might think twice about.

Brown Sugar Gingersnap Ice Cream from Ici

After a long and uphill bike ride up to Tilden Park in Berkeley, I rewarded myself with a scenic and fast ride down the hill that made me feel like I was on my motorcycle again. I stopped by to watch a little Cal football practice at the stadium, rode through campus, and rewarded myself with a hotlink from Top Dog on Durant, and then this wonderful Brown Sugar and Gingersnap ice cream from Ici on College Avenue.

This delectable delight hit the spot, with just the right creaminess and sweetness and the gingersnap cookies provided a nice chunky surprise and burst of flavor. The cone is unique too. Its not a waffle cone, so much as a crepe-cone.

Ici Ice Cream
2948 College Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
http://www.ici-icecream.com/