Banana/Chocolate Chip/Peanut Butter Bread

So back when I lived in Northern Spain my good friend Meghann cooked lots of yummy things. Probably my favorite was her Banana/Chocolate Chip/Peanut Butter Bread. Yum.

I made it this week and lots of people wanted the recipe (and I can never seem to find where I've put it when I want to make it) so I figured I would stash it here on the blog. It's got whole wheat flour and unsweetened PB in it, but I typically don't have those on hand and just use whatever I have (because Meghann said that was ok!) (but crunchy PB is def better than smooth for this) (and basically any kind of oil works, too).

It's perfect for those overripe bananas stashed in the freezer. The yogurt makes it really moist, with two bananas in it, it has to count as healthy (right?), and, let me tell ya, with a smear of Nutella on top--you'll be happier than a bird with a french fry.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar or raw sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1/4  teaspoon salt
2 medium bananas, mashed (very ripe)
1/3  cup unsweetened crunchy peanut butter
1/4  cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4  cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat standard loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
4. Whisk together mashed bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg, and oil.
5. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined.
6. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Scrape batter into loaf pan.
8. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs.
9. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes.
10. Unmold then cool completely before slicing.

Austin, Etc.

Well, I am not doing well at my attempts to be productive today. I'm sorting through boxes to get ready to move and I keep running into files full of memories. I've been cringing (oh middle school), laughing (my freshman year in the dorms was possibly the funniest year of my life), and just generally being thankful for all the wonderful people and countless memorable experiences I have had over the years.

Speaking of memorable experiences, while I'm not being productive I thought I'd share some of what I've been up to--namely my trip down to central Texas!

I went down to Austin last weekend A) to see my brother Casey, B) to hear Buena Vista Social Club, and C) to get out of town!

I had a fantastic time. I toured a friend's coffee roasting facility, ate meal after meal of good food, heard five live bands/artists, made my best flan yet for the boys, sweated it out at Batfest (without seeing the bats...which was ok by me!), had brunch with an old friend and then poked around in small towns on my way back home.

I was too busy in Austin to take many pictures, but here's a few from the weekend: (you'll also notice from a few of the pictures that I was finally forced to break down and upgrade my 1998 version phone for an iphone!)

Touring Kohana Coffee's roasting facilities and getting the inside scoop on the entire process from the impossibly friendly owner!

Coffee beans from all over the world! She even had beans from Boquete, Panama! Piper was also kind enough to let me take some of the empty coffee bags with me--I ruffled through and found some good looking ones to go on my new walls. 

(I of course chose one from Boquete!)

I mentioned to one of Casey's roommates that I was on a flan making kick...and then of course I had to make it. I ran to the store and threw one together--surprisingly I think it was my best flan yet!

Buena Vista Social Club put on an amazing show! And let me tell you, 80 year old Omara Portuondo was the life of the party! Grandma can still get down!

On the way home I decided to humor my curiosity and poke around in some of the small towns I passed through on my way back to Fort Worth. When I saw the signs for Lorena, Texas I had to stop.

(I peaked into the windows of this old building to find a bank counter that looked straight out of It's A Wonderful Life!)

Then I made a stop in Waco for gas and drove around a bit: 

A shot from the Dr. Pepper museum!

Then, it was time for the best part of the drive: West, Texas! (Emphasis on the comma!) I stopped quickly in West on the way down to grab a kolache for Casey and me, but I did not hit the right bakery. This time I got it right, and, with time to be nosey, found some great old buildings and colorful locals. 

West was settled by Czech immigrants and still has a lot of Czech flavor...specifically in their bakeries! 

Yum!

You can also pick up some pickled pigs feet if that's more your style

My treasures--apricot and cream cheese kolaches, with cherry and cream cheese kolaches underneath them. I brought enough home to share with my family...but when Brian wasn't home, curiosity got the best of me and I ate his too! : )

Then I had a look around town: 

(An old theatre!)

Overall, a fantastic Texas weekend!

Week In Review: Stateside!

Hello from Fort Worth! Like I said in the last post--I'm back! This last week has been a bit much for the ole noggin to process. I started the week in Seville, bid my sabbatical goodbye in Barcelona and then airport hopped my way home to Texas. Some observations from the week:

• My accent is back! After countless people telling me that "Your English is really good!" (Um? I'm a native speaker!) and a Canadian telling me she thought I was Norwegian, I was worried that I had done irreparable damage to my American accent (with even less hope for my Southern accent). I heard myself ask for a kn-ah-f (knife) last night, and thought, everything is going to be ok. 
• You know what is the best for this summer heat? Melon (cantaloupe) flavored agua frescas. Go to your nearest mexican restaurant and ask if they have them. 
• Everyone's kids got huge while I was gone!
• Apparently there are a lot of people reading the blog that I didn't know about. Some random people. But I love it! Don't feel shy people--feel free to leave comments, etc. even if I don't know you! 
• (Hi Pete! Hi Pete's dad!)
• In my mind summer food comes off the grill. This week I had bbq Spanish style (sardines), TexMex style (fajitas), Texas style (brisket), and Danny style (smoked chicken and ribs). 
• Opening a closet full of clothes after living out of a backpack for so long is a bit like Christmas. After being home for a few days though...I find myself reaching back into my pile of trip clothes (which is surprising). Slipping my Chacos back on after a few days felt oh-so-good. 
• Reentry is hard on the system. America, as much as I love it, is stressful. 
• I specifically chose some of the regions I traveled in because I could travel through them on public transportation--buses, trains and boats. And then there was the portion of my trip where I hiked 500 miles. After all that, I forgot how much I love driving! 
• After 8 months, I also forgot how much I do not like carrying a cell phone. If you call/text and I don't answer it's probably because the ringer is off and I forget that I have one. Eventually I'll get back to you. 
• I've been home 5 days. That's the max I've been in one place since January. I'm ready to head out...
• I'm going to Abilene tomorrow. I'm excited to see good friends, old roommates and some of my favorite people. I'm excited to eat La Popular burritos. I'm excited to see some horizon. But also, I'm just excited to be going somewhere. 
• You have some good reentry tips? Send them my way!
• I started looking at job postings this week. Anyone out there want to hire me? I swear I've got lots of marketable skills, like...talking to random strangers who end up being excons, walking long distances, wearing scarves...
• Oh, I'm also really good at eating flan. My next project is to dominate flan making. 

OK, that's about it. It's been great seeing so many of you this week!  Pictures below: 

Melon agua fresca--go get yourself one!

Picasso isn't Spain's only artist: Maica went all out on my last lunch in Seville

Although I have learned to love to eat it, I don't think I will ever get over the fact that Spanish ham comes with the hoof still attached

Maica and I performed a rescue operation on an abandoned ficus one afternoon. It was not too unlike problem-solving-taping up my ankle on the Camino: 

Sardines grilled up by Juanma. I used to be scared of these, but after they patiently explained to me how to eat them I found them to be pretty tasty!

My last meal in Barcelona: A goodbye Spain supper of calamaris and tinto de verano...

And of course flan

The Swiss Alps

I'm Back!

I've been a little MIA lately, but there has been a reason! The reason is that...I have been busy! I have been busy:

Sleeping. 
It took me a whopping 25 hours to get from Barcelona to Dallas/Fort Worth. The largely sleepless night in Barcelona, the long day on planes and wandering (sometimes running) through airports and the jet lag have hit me pretty hard. On top of that my allergies that were steadily getting worse starting in Greece (those pines kill me!) have exploded now that I am home. I've been waking up with my head spinning each morning. And then I go back to sleep.

Sweating. 

It's definitely warm here. It's the second hottest summer on record in Texas history. After Greece and Sevilla I don't think it's that bad, but 110 (43C) in the shade is pretty hot.

Eating. 

I've been hitting up the big Texas favorites: BBQ, TexMex and MexMex (as in Mexican Mexican food).

Drinking filter coffee. 
I have to admit that fresh out of Spain I was appalled at the coffee American Airlines served me on my flight home. Thankfully my dad has a stash of about 16 different kinds of coffee at our house and they have all been much, much better. My favorite thing about filter coffee is that you can sip giant cups of it without damaging your heart. I just finished a black iced coffee that had to be at least 1/2 a liter.

Reunion-ing. 
My parents came to meet me at the airport. My brother Brian lives in Fort Worth now and my brother Casey drove up from Austin to see me. I got to see my "nephew" and my cousin Michael. Today I got to have lunch with my best friend.

Winning tan contests. 

Before coming home my bff and old roommate Lindsay joked that I was probably tanner than she was. I laughed it off as impossible. I thought I was just tan for me. But after having lunch with her today and comparing--it turns out I am normal people tan, too (a first for me).

Doing laundry. 
With a machine! I felt a bit guilty, but I even dried it all in the dryer!

Listening to Flamenco and Andalusian Funk. 
Thanks Victor! When I close my eyes, it helps me forget that I am back in America.

Breaking out of the backpacker mold. 

I fixed my hair for the first time in 5 months. I wore perfume and actual shoes. I dressed in something other than the 3 outfits I've been rotating for months.

So there. You can see that I have been busy. I do have a bit of good news for you all too--even though I won't really be traveling much for the next little bit, travels on the blog will continue. Those of you who followed my actual itinerary noticed that I never got around to blogging a lot of places, and I'm still hopelessly behind on my Camino posts. So, for those of you who need a little bit of vicarious traveling, don't worry--I'll keep the stories and pictures coming! I'll see if I can't get a Trip In Review up soon, too. 

Week In Review Sabbatical Style: T-2 days!

It's the last week in review from the road--can you believe it? I start my (many) flights home tomorrow. This week I left Thessaloniki for Milan and then made my way to Seville where I spent the majority of the week. I've taken a pretty relaxed approach this week and have just been enjoying catching up with good friends and enjoying the good life while I can. Some more tidbits from the week:

• I just finished doing what I hope is the LAST batch of laundry I do by hand in a long, long time. After doing laundry every single day on the Camino and about every third day for the rest of the last eight months, it is something that I definitely will not miss about traveling. 
• I am also pretty sick of wearing the same 3 things over and over again. 
• Within minutes of arrival in the bus station in Seville I already had a plate of tortilla Espanol, a cafe con leche and a person calling me guapa. I love this country. 
• Along with tortilla and cafe con leche I have been doing a great job of checking off the traditional Spanish dishes I try to eat while I am here (and also some of the ones I never got around to trying before). I've had gazpacho, flan, tinto de verano, paella, sardinas, rabo de toro (bull's tail), jamon, typical Sevillan fresh water fish, my favorite candies and all kinds of other goodies. 
• Food in Milan did not disappoint either!
• It has been so good to see friends this week--both from home and from the Camino. One of the bonuses is getting to walk around cities without having to read a map (a big plus for a directionally challenged person like myself!). 
• I've totally adopted the Spanish schedule this week--late lunch, siesta (it's seriously too hot to do anything else), and then dinner sometimes at midnight or later. It seems absurd until you are here. 
• Juanma and Maica's son Victor took me around Seville one evening, and I swear, he knows every single corner of Seville. We poked our noses in hidden patios, made laps around the giralda, took in some of the local scene, talked a bit of politics and had some good food. 
• What do Camino friends do when they get together? Go for a walk of course! Yesterday was the stuff Saturdays are made of. We woke up early for a walk up a neighboring hill for views of Sevilla, stopped on the way back for a breakfast of chocolate con churros, went to the spa (!), read and relaxed a while before having a bbq, took naps, saw outdoor theatre in the courtyard of an old Sevillan building and then closed the evening with a bit of flamenco. Now that is a Saturday!
• Today we drove for a while outside of the city to take in the Gruta de Las Maravillas in Aracena. They are Spain's largest caves and were full of huge and beautiful cave formations. Bellisima. 
• When I was in Milan David asked me if I liked cemeteries. Maybe it's weird--but I do. Milan's was fascinating! 
• After successfully ordering coffee all over the Balkans...I did myself in while in Italy. I ordered a latte, the waiter asked me some question, I made some answer and figured I would drink the coffee however it came. Except when it came...there was no coffee in it. Yep, I ordered myself a glass of milk. 
• I drank the milk like it was what I wanted. 

A lot more fun things happened this week, but seeing as it's the last day of my trip I think I'm going to go swim in Juanma and Maica's pool instead of writing anymore. Luckily though, I think I am finally ready to come home. My last two stops have definitely been softening the blow and reminding me how good it is to see familiar faces. So get ready people, my flights home (all 5 of them) start tomorrow! I'll land in DFW late on the 2nd! Hasta ahora! 

A few pictures below: 

My cup of steamed milk (...Well done, Lauren!)

Milan's cathedral. Very impressive. 

Milan's cemetery--go big or go home! (...or somewhere else?)

Maica, Juanma and our pile of fried fish goodness in Seville

Seville in the background as seen from a seminary just on the other side of the river

A bit of Aracena where we saw the caves today. 

Go Ahead, Make My Day

My dad always went around telling me, Nothing in life is free. Which, ok, I kind of get. There's often a catch in those sounds-too-good-to-be-true offers. The thing is though, sometimes, you do get things for free.

And I love to get things for free.

It's not even the money I save when I get things for free (although that's nice). I just get some kind of thrill out of it. The system glitches, you find a loop hole, or most often, someone is generous--it feels like such a win.

And yesterday was a big win as far as scoring free things goes. I got to go into a ton of beautiful archeological sites and churches for free. It was already something like 95 degrees before the morning got started so I stopped at a fruit stand to buy an orange. I chose carefully and brought the orange to the guy in charge. He then told me, you picked a bad one! (Which I'm sure was true--I am, for the most part, horrible at picking fruit.) He went and picked me out the best one, gave me a bit of a sad face and then told me that these oranges were for juice not for eating.

Oh. (Again, I'm pretty useless with knowing these things.)

I thought maybe I should get a different fruit, but he told me don't worry, it will be ok, just take it. That's right, just take it--he wouldn't let me pay.


I walked along the streets tossing it into the air feeling oh-so-proud of my free orange.

And, the orange turned out to be delicious.

Next stop: Lunch

I had a really late lunch and by the time I found a nice little restaurant I was starving. The waitstaff sent over an older Greek waiter who turned out to be their go-to English speaker. He was super friendly and chatty and I had a nice meal all around. I'm horrible at getting waiters' attention to ask for the bill and so sat eating bread and tzatziki until I could catch him.

And for some reason, somewhere between me asking for the bill and it actually coming the owner-lady came out and brought me a giant beer. I tried telling her I didn't order one, that I was actually just waiting on my bill, until she had my waiter come over and he explained that it was for me, on the house.

Um...thank you?

I don't even like beer and here was this giant one. But hey, it was free!

Then came free watermelon! Ripe, heart of the melon, served with ice watermelon. Oh man. Some of the best watermelon ever.

And then when I ate everything (again) and asked for my check (again) the waiter looked a bit sad and asked if I would like a coffee--on the house. You know if I had the time. And if I didn't want to walk around in the heat. (Which I did, and didn't.)

All right, bring on the free coffee! He got excited and then asked how I wanted it.

Finally I pulled myself out of there, so full that I could barely walk back to the hostel, but smiling the whole way back.

Nice people are so lovely.

(Also, all these free things put me in an even more than usually generous mood, which led to a quite interesting story. But more on that later!)

An Update From...THE PRESENT!

Hello from the present! Are we enjoying all these Camino posts? I hope so. But if not, well, I don't really care because I am actually loving organizing my Camino pictures/memories. Anyway, I thought I would give the Camino a break and pop in from the present.

Yes, I am still traveling for those asking. As of today I am in Montenegro! I really had no mental picture of Montenegro, but if I'd had one...boy, this sure wouldn't have been it. It's absolutely gorgeous here--dramatically so. I'm in Kotor--There are huge mountains surrounding the bay creating an imposing fjord which cradles a walled Venetian town. Spectacular.

But while the view from here is fantastic...you know what I've been thinking about all day?

Biscuits.

Yep. I've come to the part of my travels where I am missing and craving all kinds of American food. Not only biscuits, but breakfast burritos, ranch dressing, brisket...Any kind of Mexican food.  Cheddar cheese. Filter coffee. Sweet tea. A melon agua fresca. Yellow squash.

Mmm.

Maybe it's because I've been sick off (presumably) something I ate the last few days and just have been craving something "normal."

To remedy this, I broke one of my travel rules and had a hamburger tonight. Why do I have a travel rule about eating hamburgers? Well, because outside of the US they always involve some kind of SPAM type substance.

And, that is precisely what I ended up with for dinner. A SPAM burger with cucumbers on top. Boo.

I guess I'll just have to settle for the splendid views.