Post #175: TWD Cocoa-Nana Bread and My Baking Soundtrack

From TWD cocoa-nanabread

I know many of you have iPods or radios on when you are shaking and baking in the kitchen. When I strut my stuff in there however, I have iKids. Yes, this soundtrack includes many of the oldies but goodies, such as "Mom!". It also contains such new hits like, "Mom, doesn't the ball have to pass inside the orange things (pylons) before it is a touchdown?" Since the playroom is right next to the kitchen, I get all kinds of treble and bass. Then, there are the groupies of the band. In this case, the baby. She is all over the place screaming and squealing at the heroics or silliness of her big bros. They will parade into the kitchen with their noisemakers. She will make time for me too. Often this includes, clocking me in the legs while I am baking, whining for me to pick her up, or she passes by me to let me know that she has made me a special present and that she waited right until this particular moment when I am in the middle of things or almost finished to give it to me! Yes, I can not describe how calming it is to hear my other name, MOM!, called out so many times or those of my children, James!, Justin!, Savannah!, Gabby!, Simon! Alvin, Theodore! (okay added the last three to make my point). Yes, all of our names end with exclamation points.

Lucky me, I dealt with all this merry making and more while baking this week's TWD challenge! It is a familiar soundtrack filled with chaos and sometimes just down right mayhem, but it is mine and theirs. It is home.

From TWD cocoa-nanabread

This morning we had kid coffee (half milk/ half coffee/half sugar) with this bread and bacon (the teachers will love me). Quite the treat. The banana taste was very subtle almost lost, which surprised me because I used three of the ugliest bananas I had in the freezer! I mean they were reject city. Perfect for baking. Not perfect for a midday treat. I thought the over-ripeness would add a burst of flavor. Not. It still was subtle (a complaint I had read about when reviewing this recipe). Next time, I will tone down the cocoa (even though I am a chocoholic) and add some banana extract. I may even add peanut butter chips! Although the boys were okay with the flavor. What do they know? They are just kids who make a noisy soundtrack and still ask their momma for the rules on football!

From TWD cocoa-nanabread

Thanks to Steph of Obsessed with Baking for hosting this week's TWD. It really is a good moist bread with a special flavoring. The only substitutions I made were semi-sweet chips for bittersweet (wish I had them on hand, love them!) and regular milk with some cream for body to replace the buttermilk I did not have!

Have a good rest of the week all!