Dear Reader,
Because of the COVID-19 virus, one of the things I wanted to stock up on at the grocery store was flour, because baking is a relaxing thing for me to do. And I must not be the only one whose baking is therapeutic, because the first grocery store I visited--the flour "cupboard" was bare. The next market I went to, there were only five bags of flour on the shelf. (I didn't take five, I left four so other crazy bakers like me could fill their emergency prescriptions.)
It would be impossible for my husband and me to eat all of the baked goods I make, but our next door neighbor frequently reminds me that he's always willing to help. When he was out walking his dog yesterday and he saw me, he must have talked for five minutes about how great my recent Chocolate Banana Nut cake was. 'Keep me on the list for that cake, Suzanne!'
Book club readers agree with my neighbor...
"Suzanne, thank you for the recent Chocolate Banana Nut cake recipe. My husband and I are enjoying the cake. We are all transitioning from working from home, but sitting eight hours online gets exhausting in a whole new way. Librarians are never used to just sitting at their desks all day. I know that I am teaching, talking to students at random times of the day, working with my colleagues away from the desk. I was hitting a wall yesterday, and then I remembered your recipe. So, I took my mental break and made the cake. It was so wonderful to smell the cake baking as I continued through the work day. Then my husband came home (he is still in his office), and it just put such a happy smile on his face to smell the cake, too. And of course, it was delicious. Thank you," -- Eileen W.
"Hello Suzanne, see the photo of your chocolate banana nut cake (it's included in a link at the end of this column). I just made it and it is yum. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I chuckled when I read that the cake will 'giggle' in the middle when you sprinkle walnuts. Since I love quotes here are a couple: Audrey Hepburn: 'Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.' and Julia Child: 'A party without cake is just a meeting.' Take care, be safe hugs," -- Farida S.
To see Farida's Chocolate Banana Nut Cake, get my recipe so you can make one of your own, and to see who inspired me to become a baker years ago, click here.
Keep singing "Happy Birthday" to yourself, wash, wash, wash your hands--and then eat cake!
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
This month's Penguin Classics book is The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.
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