A busy day but I still had time to cook!

Today, I escorted Alex and eight of his friends on a trip the Hershey Theatre to see Spring Awakening. I knew it would be a long day and I might not have time to cook, so I kind of cheated and prepared banana bread last night, which we ate for breakfast today. I'm really picky about bananas and only like to eat them when they are perfectly ripe so I always end up with overripe bananas, which I freeze to use for baking. I used a recipe from a book that has always proved reliable for baking recipes, the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.

Banana Bread
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (4-5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Combine eggs, sugar and oil in a separate bowl and then add to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Bake at 350 for ~1 hour until knife inserted in center comes out clean.










The bread turned out great and made a wonderful breakfast.

It was a long day driving to and from Hershey (2 hours each way) and watching the show (which was really amazing). Alex's friend Sarah's mom rented a 12 passenger van so we could all travel together. The kids sang songs from Glee and Spring Awakening and kept us entertained on the long trip. When we got home around 6:45 I was planning not to cook, but I got inspired to make something simple, black bean croquettes, which are essentially Mexican-style falafel.

Black Bean Croquettes
1 can black beans, drained
1 small onion, minced
2-4 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp cumin
hot sauce to taste
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Mash beans (I used food processor) and combine with other ingredients. Form small 2-3 inch patties and fry in oil until browned evenly (~7-8 minutes), rotating patties halfway through.

I served these with some cheese quesadillas, fresh guacamole, sour cream and the leftover enchilada sauce from last weekend. They turned out well and I was proud that I got cooking done even after such a long day!