About Banana Bread

I know quite a few of you already have my super easy and super delicious recipe for banana bread, so for those of you who don't, SUCKS TO BE YOU, SUCKERS.

Just kidding.

Here you go, suckers.

• 3-4 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 c melted butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 c flour

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Mash up the bananas in a large bowl with a fork.



(When I was in Belize I rode a horse named Banana. This was Banana:



Clearly not the same thing.)

Stir in the melted butter.



Stir in the sugar.



Stir in the egg, lightly beaten.



Stir in the vanilla.



Stir in the baking soda (and fine, the pinch of salt, too).



Stir in the flour...



...Until just combined.



Pour into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.



And bake for one to one-and-a-half hours, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Let it cool for a while on a wire rack and then slice into perfectly even slices.



Or just cram it into your gaping maw by the fistful. Whatever floats your boat, suckers.

About Mint Juleps

Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooooooo.

I mean,



(Dude, my boyfriend has lost a lot of weight since last year. Go him.)

Happy Derby Day! Last year we celebrated the Preakness with a mighty tasty Black-Eyed Susan, so this year I thought it might be nice to introduce you to the classic mint julep. But, as with everything on this here website, please take this recipe with the following caveat (emptor; hi, Scott!): this is not the "traditional" way to prepare a mint julep. No, like most things Southern-with-a-capital-S, the traditional mint julep is prepared with a level of pomp and circumstance reserved for weddings and funerals (four and a, if you're counting). And since I lack the proper silverware, you'll just have to roll with me on this one.

LET'S GET DRINKING. For each cocktail you'll need:

• 2-3 oz. of the Bourbon of your choice
• 1-2 teaspoons of simple syrup (I err on the side of less sweet)
• 8-10 mint leaves (I grow my own, of course)
• Ice, preferably crushed

So, gather your ingredients and glassware.



(My boyfriend and I have slightly different tastes in both, apparently).

Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to your glass.



Now, muddle the mint with a muddler until the leaves are bruised, but not falling apart into pieces (that will later get stuck in your teeth like the obnoxious leaves that they are).



Now add the bourbon.



Now add a little ice, and vigorously stir that all up until it's nice and chilled.



Now fill up your glass with some more ice until you're pretty much full.



And now it's time to make your bets! (I put five bucks on the filly. GIRL POWER!)

Cheers!

About Simple Syrup

This syrup is simple. And really handy to have around whenever you want to sweeten up a cold drink, because you know how when you add sugar to your iced coffee it doesn't really dissolve and so your last sip is, like, disgustingly sweet and gritty and you can just feel the cavities forming right then and there? Yeah, bet you wish you had some simple syrup on hand. And now you can!

Simple syrup is nothing more than a supersaturated solution of sugar and water. Do what now? Well, the ability of one compound (in this case sugar) to dissolve into another compound (in this case water) is called solubility. Thanks to entropy, only a certain amount of sugar will actually dissolve into water; adding more sugar beyond that point will just leave you with a last sip of, like, disgustingly sweet and gritty sugar. But thanks to the magic of SCIENCE!, we can raise the solubility of water using the magic of HEAT! So, gather these ingredients, and let the magic begin!

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar

Put both ingredients in a saucepan.



Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until all of the sugar is dissolved.



Then allow your supersaturated sugar solution to cool, pour it into an air-tight container, and store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. For a mint julep, perhaps? (Yes, please.)