Adagietto and Banana Bread

Among other things, right now, I'm listening to this beautiful movement from Mahler's 5th symphony, the adagietto. I can't quite get over just how haunting it is. It's quite something to listen to it as played by a symphony, but equally enchanting, somehow, played by a four-piece band consisting of a cello, violin, upright bass, and accordion. I promise. If you don't believe me, listen to it here as played by Amarcord Wien, or here as played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Along a similar vein, have you seen Jane Eyre? Okay. You have to. Because it's amazing. It sticks perfectly to the book, and the costuming is awesome and the music is to die for...it's by the composer who wrote for the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, Dario Marionelli. My gods...just go watch it. Ian and I saw it, on essentially our first date-style date. I took him, of course. He really liked it. Then again, this man also read Pride and Prejudice with glee, so, I think he's a special case.

I'm considering making banana bread, something I should have all the right ingredients for, but I don't seem to, according to all the recipes I find. Should I try something random, at the risk of doing something awful? Or should I keep looking, on the off chance that what I do find will work? I need to bake something. Whatever I do bake. There's a rhythm that I seem to be missing in life right now, like I don't have anything just to do, like sitting in a garden, or reading a book. So I guess I'm going to try baking something. See what happens. Hm.

--bakes banana bread--

Okay, these are AMAZING. Holy CRAP. I didn't expect that.

Banana Biscotti

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine in a bowl, in this order, using a whisk that looks like a Medieval torture implement (this part is important and I'll leave it up to your discretion to find one):
2 bananas, one frozen and awful looking, the other temptingly ripe
4 or 5 T butter, meltishly soft.
Maybe 1/4 c. soy creamer, though I'm sure regular cream would work
1/2 t cinnamon
1 large egg
Maybe 2/3 c. light brown sugar
Maybe 1 c. whole wheat flour, maybe a little more, I'm not sure.
1 T baking powder (though it could have taken more, methinks)

3. Pour into greased glass baking dish

4. Bake for 1:15 minutes, though I think it could have taken a bit more time.

5. Slice, and then bake the slices at 350 for another 15 minutes or so.

Tada! Banana biscotti! Very, very tasty.

Kate