whole-wheat banana nut bread

My refrigerator is empty. That can mean only one of two things: either I have lost my interest in cooking, or I'm so wrapped up in other things that I haven't had a chance to do anything more in my kitchen than make a bowl of cereal or heat up a can of soup. I think we all know it isn't the former. However, since most of those other things that are keeping me busy are good things, I can't really complain. (Except about that soup, which was terrible.) I really thought about cooking something a little more ambitious this weekend, but life got in the way then, too. In fact, the only reason I was able to make banana bread today is because I bought the bananas -- lime green at the time -- over a week ago. They were starting to reach the use-'em-or-lose-'em stage, so I put down the stack of resumes I was pouring over and mashed up the bananas for my favorite quick bread.

scones, one hundred ways

I love to make things like muffins, quick breads, and scones because once you find a good basic recipe, you can endlessly modify it to make variations for every mood or season. Fresh blueberry muffins in July, apple cinnamon muffins in October -- same recipe, minor fruit and spice adjustment. The food services department at Notre Dame made great scones (don't laugh - their dining halls are regularly ranked among the best in the country), but I haven't made or purchased a decent one since I left. Tully's and Starbuck's were dry and tasteless. Even the one I bought from a boutique bakery at Pike Place was more puck-like than pleasing. (And if you're in need of stones for an upcoming landscaping project, this recipe should do the trick.)