Going Away!

Hi! Tomorrow I am going to Jackson Hole,Wyoming with my family for a week. We are going horseback riding, swimming, and doing lots of other fun activities! We are going to eat great food too (of course)! If I don't write a blog for those couple of days it means that I am really busy having fun! To keep you busy I have posted 3 food related word jumbles for you to work on!



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Cashew Q&A

Did you ever wonder why you never see cashews sold in their shell? Well, recently, while I was reading one of my favorite trivia books, Amazing... But False!, by David Diefendorf, I learned why. Interestingly, cashews are the seeds that grow on the tip of the cashew apple which grows on trees in places like Brazil and India. The cashew seed is grown with a coating on the outside called cardol, which is an irritating and pungent oil. Because of this, humans can not remove the coating, so it has to be done by machines. After that, to be certain that there is no more cardol left, the cashews are roasted. If you would like to know more about cashews, check out this cool website, http://www.thenutfactory.com/kitchen/facts/facts-cashews.html.

Bananarama Bread Recipe

Here is a recipe for a sweet and decadent treat that includes bananas. Can you guess what it is? Yep. It's banana bread. I love this recipe because beginner chefs can make it mostly all by themselves. The only thing that requires help from a grown up is melting some butter and putting the bread in the oven (taking it out too). This recipe doesn't take a lot of time either. Actually, most recipes for "bread" use yeast but banana bread uses a different leavening agent. A leavening agent is a gas that causes dough to rise. Banana bread uses baking soda as its leavening agent. As a result, it is a quick bread and is baked as soon as the batter is mixed. By the way, national Banana Bread Day is February 23.


Bananarama Bread

3 bananas (ripe ones are the best)
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips ( don't overdo or it'll taste too sweet)
1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)


In addition to the ingredients listed above, here's what you will need to begin...

Measuring cups; 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1 teaspoon

Mixing bowls; 1 large bowl, 2 medium sized bowls, 1 small bowl

1 masher

1 loaf pan


Let's make it easy, directions:

1. Have an adult preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Butter a loaf pan.

2. Take one of your medium sized bowls and mash the bananas in it until the bananas are mushy.

3. Put your dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) into another one of the medium sized bowls and mix together.

4. In the small bowl, beat the egg with a fork.

5. In your large bowl, stir the melted butter, the sugar and the egg together.

6. Pour the mashed bananas, and the dry ingredients into the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Incorporate it all together. Be careful not to overmix.

7. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts.

8. Finally, pour your mixture into the buttered loaf pan. If the bowl is too heavy for you to lift then use a measuring cup to scoop the batter out and into the loaf pan.

9. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Stick a toothpick into the center of the bread and if it comes out clean (no batter sticking to it), then your banana bread is ready!

Voila! You have successfully made banana bread.