oh spring... you make my heart sing

He usually doesn't talk to me.  All he does is smile very briefly and walks away.  But today, my neighbor of 3 years said:

 Such a beautiful day isn't it?

I paused.  I looked around me to check whether he was indeed talking to me.  But yeah I was the only one around... my heart skipped.  This was one of the rare occasions I have heard him speak... ahh the magic of spring!

There's so many things to love about spring. Shimmering hues of yellow, radiant red and royal lavender petals blanket the yards and the rows of flower beds surrounding my neighborhood.  The subtleness of the rays of the sun giving you that warm feeling and making you glow signals only one thing - Spring is here!  And oh how it makes my heart sing!

And so today, even if I was out the whole day, running errands and driving around for my son, I came home still so giddy and happy, singing like the bird chirping outside my window. As I saw the over-riped bananas on my kitchen counter looking sad and limp, I instantly got my mixing bowl and mashed the bananas, quickly turning them into a quick bread recipe: banana nut bread with nutella ganache. My son and I immediately enjoyed this bread for our mid afternoon snacks.


Banana Nut Mini with Nutella Ganache 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
1tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
3 large bananas
1 cup milk
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Directions:

Pre-heat oven at 350 F.

Grease pan with butter.

In a mixing bowl,  mix together flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Add in salt and sugar.

In another bowl, mash the bananas.  Pour in the milk and beat the eggs.  Add the flour mixture little by little.  Add vinegar and mix thoroughly.

Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes. Let it cool.

For the Ganache:

2/3 c nutella hazelnut spread
2 tbsp butter
In a  pan melt the butter.  Stir in the nutella.  Add a pinch of salt (this is optional)

Pour it over the minis and sprinkle crushed roasted nuts over it.  Enjoy!