Finding More Time (Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe)

Is there a way to find more hours in a day? Anyone? Anyone? I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just wondering if anyone else is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things to do in a day and how it affects creativity. I try to do everything I should do: get up, get dressed, cook, clean, homework with the kids, exercise, volunteer at the kids' school, smile and wave and say everything's fine and dandy, and even all that isn't easy to fit in a day's worth of hours... But when do I find the time to do what I want to do? Blogging, writing, photography, see friends, read a book... When do these things come into play? Seriously, how does everyone do it? Is it at all possible to get everything done? I'm not down in the dumps or anything, just in a rut I guess, just out of juice maybe, trying to get back in the swing of being creative without letting any of the other stuff get out of hand. Is it possible? Not sure yet...


Let's get started with these muffins. They're quick, they take care of those few overripe bananas on the counter and they're packed full of chocolate, not a bad combo if you ask me. And on a rainy day like today, I sure need a dose of quick, easy and chocolate! A cup of strong coffee doesn't hurt either. ;)


Chocolate Banana Muffins

1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, mix all the other ingredients; add dry ingredients to wet mixing just until blended. Fill muffin tins lined with jumbo paper liners. Bake in a 375°F preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 12 jumbo muffins (about 15 smaller ones).

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Most Ordinary/Extraordinary Banana Bread

Aaaaah! You guys! I miss my blog so much! I know by now I should be posting Holiday appropriate recipes and photos with backgrounds-full of lit-up Christmas trees and decorations but you know what? I'm not there yet. Soon, very soon, but for now, I will share with you my most ordinary/extraordinary recipe.

Ordinary because, really, does the internet need yet another banana bread recipe? No, probably not. But also extraordinary because it is the only one in my repertoire that I know by heart, that I go to almost every week and also, because we all love it, all 5 of us. So I thought it was time that it got the respect it deserves and a rightful place alongside the other banana bread recipes floating about the web.



Ordinary/Extraordinary Banana Bread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the egg, oil and granulated sugar. Mix the lemon juice with the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternately with the bananas, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Cake

Ever have one of those days when you just feel blue and don't feel like doing anything? I'm having one of those days. And it's raining. I usually love fall but gray and rainy days like today, they just get me down. If anyone knows a more perfect remedy to a gloomy day funk than baking a chocolate cake, please, let me know!

I'm well aware I already have a few chocolate cake recipes around here, but I firmly believe you can never have too many recipes for chocolate cake. Especially when said recipe yields a dark, dense and intensely chocolaty concoction. I think I'm feeling better already!

Dark Chocolate Cake adapted from Baker's Chocolate

4 oz dark chocolate (I use an 80% cocoa dark chocolate)
1/2 cup butter
1 to 2 tsp instant coffee powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
Icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside.

Melt chocolate with butter in a double boiler. Add instant coffee powder; cool. Add sugar, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine sour cream and baking soda; mix well. Alternately blend in sour cream and flour 1/3 at a time on low speed of mixer. Add boiling water; blend well. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire rack. Dust with icing sugar.