the hungry expats

Temporarily separated by one thousand kilometers, my partner and I decided yesterday to Skype each other and bake banana nut bread simultaneously. Like two modern Julia Childs, we set our webcams in the kitchen, and proceeded to describe what we were doing with the ingredients. We used differents recipes, and while Mark claims that his banana nut bread would easily "bring all the boys to the yard" (if you don't get it, look up Kelis' Milkshake), I was extremely pleased with mine and thought I would share the recipe here. BANANA NUT BREAD Yields one 10-inch loaf 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk) 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 or 3 bananas) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped Preheat oven at 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch loaf pan (I used p...

Unfortunately, this is another Mardi Gras season I will spend away from New Orleans. All I can do to cheer myself up is look at my boxes of beads collected over the years and bake king cakes, which I enjoy very much with coffee and chicory. KING CAKE (Adapted from "Jambalaya, 15th Anniversary Edition, A Collection of Cajun & Creole Favorites from The Junior League of New Orleans)  Yields 2 cakes CAKE 1 stick (110 g.) plus 1 tablespoon butter, divided 2/3 cup evaporated or skim milk 1/2 cup sugar, divided 2 teaspoons salt 2 packages dry yeast 1/3 cup warm water 4 eggs 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon orange zest 6 cups all-purpose flour FILLING 1 stick (110 g.) butter, melted 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon TOPPING 1 egg, beaten 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, divided 6 tablespoons milk food coloring (yellow, green and purple) 2 (3/4-inch) plastic babies, or 2 beans Melt 1 stick butter i...