Partners in Crime - Flour's Famous Banana Bread

I married a big kid. Or perhaps we are all just kids at heart. G loves all things that are playful and fun. Before we had Poet and Flower, he would climb the kids' play structure and wave from the top. For one of his birthdays, he jumped all day in a bounce house. He was always the oldest one on the playground and one of the happiest.

I would stand on the sidelines, waving and thinking I wish he has some partners in crime. I would look on with a little sadness that it was just him. There were so many dads with their kids playing together. We wished for Poet and Flower for a long time and now they are at an age that they can happily join him. They are his perfect little foils. They all jump in the bounce house to their hearts' content.

As an artist, he loves making and creating many different kinds of art. It's often big, bold, and colorful. Perhaps that is why he stumbled into artist-designed mini-golf. It's a nice balance of play, whimsy, and art. And so, most recently, he built a mini-golf hole celebrating all that is mid-century modern, complete with Eames chairs and birds. Eight other artists and designers designed the first nine holes at the Elmhurst Museum of Art in Chicago. Poet and Flower love telling friends and family about dada's mini-golf, and it does not disappoint. Play is not just for the playground, but can infuse so many aspects of our life.

This week I made Joanne Chang's banana bread. It was one of the first recipes I made when I met G. Little did I know that he is not a fan of banana bread. But if you are, this is the best. In another lifetime, I trained in ob/gyn at Boston Medical Center. The original Flour Bakery was just a few blocks away and was a wonderful respite from my long hours. This banana bread is moist, has plenty of bananas, and not too sweet. The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I substituted almonds. It's a great way to use up those extra ripe bananas you don't quite get to. It's perfect with a little butter or whipped cream.

As the kids play mini-golf and run around the holes, G happily chases them. A big kid no longer alone, but with two partners in crime.

Flour's Famous Banana Bread

This is my favorite banana bread. It is moist, full of bananas and perfectly decadent.

Recipe from Joanne Chang's Flour bakery in Boston.

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil
• 3 1/2 very ripe bananas (peeled and mashed about 1.5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cups walnuts or other nuts like almonds (chopped)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly oil a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. About 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with an electric mixer.
4. Gently stir in the oil.
5. Add the bananas, sour cream, vanilla and nuts and mix just until combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the 9x5  loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. A cake tester should come out clean and the top will be golden brown.