When stay-at-home orders were put in place last spring because of the worsening coronavirus pandemic, many people turned to cooking for themselves out of entertainment or necessity or both. Home cooking is now hotter than a cookie fresh out of the oven. Quarantine Kitchen features some of our favorite recipes from members of the St. Joe’s community, who used their home confinement to nurture their sourdough starters, or perfect Teta’s stuffed grape leaves or make the bread (so much bread) or contribute to feta shortages (thanks a lot, TikTok). Got a quarantine recipe you’d like to share? Email us at [[email protected]]

This recipe was first sent to me in the heart of quarantine back in April 2020. My bread-fiend-friend Zoe and I were having an ongoing bread bake-off where we collaborated and challenged each other with different recipes. We worked together to flesh out my dad’s sourdough recipe, and I tried my hand at her family’s focaccia recipe. One day a letter arrived on my doorstep that contained this recipe. With this blessing, Zoe permanently placed me in her debt. 

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup (2/3 stick) melted butter

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats (or a packet of instant oatmeal)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup chocolate chips

A dash of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch-by-5-inch nonstick loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mash together the ripe bananas, and mix in the brown sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth. 

In the same bowl, fold in the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 50–55 minutes. 

Test the readiness of the batter with a toothpick. Poke the bread with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is ready.