Hey there, I know it's been a while since we talked but I'm about to bore you with feelings so I thought I'd bring you some banana bread to make up for it, cool? Cool.
So how were your winter holidays? Good? Good. New year is here and it's blowing my mind! Some big things just happened to me, I just turned a year older ( 26! What?!) and I attended my very last class of culinary school! WHAT?! WUUT?! Yeah it totally doesn't feel official yet since my graduation ceremony isn't until May (booooo! hisssssss!) but yeah. Totally sprung. Wait, I meant like sprung from jail... not... like, the other one... Anyway soooooo, after spending what felt like forever in school, and here now creeping up on 9ish months working in the field, I sort of discovered I don't want to do kitchen work. Like as my passionate lovey dovey job. Which... I guess I kind of knew, but didn't know officially, going into culinary school. I knew I needed to try for some reason, because it felt at the time like something I would regret forever if I never did it. Kind of "I coulda been a contenduh!" type moments later in life. So yay on that front, crossed something off my bucket list, but all the same I find myself standing here a quarter life, a time I assumed in my youth that I'd have at least some things figured out, basically staring at a whirlwind of chaos and options.
Being a meticulous planner this is sort of ruffling my feathers. The upside here is that I've come to this realization without (m)any scars or any school debt (thank god for that!) But starting over again and spreading the news isn't exactly an appealing prospect. I know you can't live your life for other people, or in fear of what they will think, but it is however an awkward thing to announce to people that your life plans have changed after you've crowed (maybe too loudly) for a year or two about something you thought was set in stone. Kind of like attempting to tactfully announce the end of a relationship in the facebook age. You know nobody really cares, but at the same time they kind of do, because otherwise facebook wouldn't exist, right? But what's the alternative? Pretend forever? Um. No.
So what's my next move? Well as of right now, I'm indulging myself in what I like to call "mourning the loss of familiarity" it's a bit like a post breakup funk, there's a lot of sleeping, consumption of carbs such as banana bread and cookies, and there's a lot of binge watching of BBC Sherlock going on ( in times of trouble, turn to bromance). Long term? I'm toying with the idea of a return to school, this time for photography, something I've loved long and hard since my teen years but deemed too impractical to pursue outside of hobby status. As for what the future holds for this space? I've been looking into that too, it's suffered from a bit of neglect since my entrance into culinary school and needs a bit of an refocus and adjustment too, but all in good time.
This has been a (not that helpful) Magar update. Recipe follows.
Bromance Banana bread
Adapted from Frame by Frame Baking-Christine Last
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup ap flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
*optional, 2/3 cup shredded coconut, or chopped dark chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a 8x4x2 inch loaf pan(or whatever, my pans are like 8x10) with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl add the mashed banana, sugars, eggs, salt, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Whisk in the sour cream, then the oil, then add the baking powder and the flour mixing until all the flour is moistened. Add mix-ins if using, and spoon into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until risen firm and golden brown. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack and cool completely.
