hello, fall!

It’s fall – and it feels like it.  Sunday was pleasant and warm, getting hot in the sun waiting for brunch (at the Screen Door), but by Tuesday I was wearing tights and extra layers and bringing a jacket to work.  I even got caught in a sudden downpour on my two block walk from work to my car, sopping wet in spite of my (very un-Oregonian) umbrella – I’ve got to keep all those books dry, and a raincoat only keeps me dry.

Today the sun is out, but it’s chilly enough for knee socks and banana bread and an extra round of coffee to celebrate my half-day of work.  Oh, who am I kidding – I’d be baking banana bread even without the cool weather!  I came across a recipe this morning, following I don’t know how many random links to find this blog that shares a recipe from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life for Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger.  I really enjoyed A Homemade Life when I read it back in July, but hot days in July are not ideal for banana bread.  So I was quite pleased to come across it this morning, when I had a few overripe bananas and some free time on my hands.

The bread is still in the oven, but I’m pretty sure it will be delicious – I licked the bowl clean (almost).  Follow the link above and try for yourself – I only had two bananas, so I added about an extra half cup of yogurt, since that perfectly polished off a carton of plain, cream-top that I’d been ignoring in favor of Greek style yogurt.  Oh, and I threw in some nutmeg and cinnamon because quick breads don’t seem quite right without them.

Fifteen more minutes!  In the meantime, coffee and a gothic novel – Michelle Zink’s Prophecy of the Sisters.