By Columbus Day and a long weekend and we took the kids to Castle Island -- the first time since before the pandemic that we've done the full Castle Island walk with hot dogs and the harbor and the fort. Liam remembered it from before, which surprised me. He was two and a half when we last went. He said "the hot dog place" as we came up the path and pointed, correctly. He has a specific memory for food locations. This is hereditary.
Nora at eighteen and a half months walked the whole path. The whole path, without the stroller, holding one of our hands and then no hands and then one of our hands again. By the end she was tired and demanded to be carried and she was carried with the dignity of a person who has completed a significant athletic effort and earned the transport. The hot dog at the end was consumed with the full focus of someone who has walked a mile and a half and is ready.
The house market has a new listing in Quincy -- closer to North Quincy, different neighborhood than we'd been looking. The realtor sent it Friday evening and Sean looked at it for twenty minutes and said "interesting." When Sean says "interesting" about a house it means he wants to look. We're looking on Thursday.
Apple cider donuts again this weekend because October demands them and I have not found a recipe better than the one I adapted from my aunt Peggy three years ago. Liam ate four. Nora ate two and deposited the remainder of a third on my sweater. October continues.
The apple cider donuts were already gone by Sunday afternoon — Liam saw to that — and Nora had made her feelings about the third one very clear via my sweater. But the oven was warm and the weekend still had momentum, and banana chip muffins are the thing I keep coming back to when I want something the kids will actually eat and I don’t want to think too hard about it. They’re fast, they travel well, and they have the same energy as the whole weekend: uncomplicated and exactly right.
Favorite Banana Chip Muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well with butter or nonstick spray.
- Mash and mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Stir in the melted butter, then mix in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the banana mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and fold in gently until just incorporated — do not overmix.
- Fold in the chips. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, reserving a small handful for the tops if desired.
- Fill and top. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Scatter a few extra chocolate chips over the tops of each muffin.
- Bake. Bake for 18—22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden. Start checking at 18 minutes.
- Cool. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 35g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 145mg