Experimental Banana Bread

Three loaves of banana bread baking in the oven... I'm nervous and excited. I think it might be really amazing. Or sort-of-okay or just plain gross. Sometimes I crave a dense, chewy loaf, but this morning I want something light and sweet. We had TONS of organic bananas that went from green-to-spotty in 2 days and buttermilk to use up from scones last Sunday. I based this batch on the Better Homes and Garden recipe, but made a few substitutions. I'm still trying to wrap my head around which substitutions really work and which change the flavor and texture too much. Here's what I did:
- unbleached multigrain flour instead of all-purpose white
-1 c oat bran for 1 of 4 cups of flour
-1 c splenda + 1 c sugar instead of 2 c sugar
-1/2 buttermilk + 1/2 oil instead of 1 cup oil

And here's the doubled recipe (which made 3 loaves):
3 c flour
1 c oat bran
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

12!! bananas (we had so many!)/ 3 cups when smashed
4 eggs
1 c Splenda
1 c sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c buttermilk

Photos and samples for everyone if it's delicious!

Vermintine day?

Last Sunday (Valentine's Day!) Dylan and I were invited to attend a worm-composting workshop co-hosted by our good friend Britany. In the spirit of the themed celebration, Britany provided nostalgic "dirt dessert". I thought we needed a savory worm food, so made worm-shaped soft pretzels. I used Alton Brown's recipe but made a few changes; half of my flour was whole wheat, I split the dough into 16 parts instead of 8, and I added wormy segments by scoring them with a knife. The end was result was delicious. I'll definitely use Alton's recipe again.

Pictured above: boiling worm, boiled worms waiting to bake, and the finished product.