Bake Me a Cake

I will save you brown bananas!

I will save you brown bananas!

BR is a finicky eater. For a week straight, he will want a particular kind of breakfast and then get frustrated if we run out of the item. My wife in her desire to keep him happy and bulk up our too thin son will instruct me to buy extra of said item while food shopping. Well, BR’s fancy will pass and the item is left to be eaten by my wife or I or thrown out. One of his passing fancies is bananas, and they come in and out of vogue with no apparent rhyme or reason.

Due to BR’s latest passing fancy, there are five bananas that are turning browner and softer with each passing moment. The bananas are slipping away and will soon enter the realm of inedible.

Did  you know that according to an article in OnEarth Magazine, <http://www.onearth.org/article/how-to-wage-war-on-food-waste) “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that Americans waste 30 percent of all edible food produced, bought, and sold in this country.”  This may be on the low side as “The National Institutes of Health (NIH), published estimates of 40 percent or more. Add up all the losses that occur throughout the food chain, the NIH researchers say, and Americans, on average, waste 1,400 calories a day per person, or about two full meals.”

Am I the only one who is thinking about a mother wagging a finger in a child’s face telling them to finish their food because there are poor kids starving in Africa?

My mother takes great pride in getting every ounce of every jar of food. To this day when my mother visits, she insists that I pass her the jar before it hits the recycling container. While scooping it out with incredible patience, she tells of my grandmother who apparently was even more gifted in the use of every ounce of food society. Due to this insistence to use every drop of food, the numbers noted above must sicken my mother. Please don’t tell her – I want my mom to stay healthy.

So what can I do to make sure that the bananas don’t become part of the 30 or even 40% of food that is wasted in America? In memory of grandmother and in honor of my mother, I can not let that happen. I must save the bananas. Move over Superman.

What to do? What to do? Hmm. I could push them on SJ who loves bananas. No, six is too much even for him.

I could make multiple peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Even I, who has eaten peanut butter nearly every day for lunch for twenty years, think that is crazy. Besides, the bananas would go brown and the sandwiches would not taste fresh.

I could drive over to grocery store and stand outside the door and sell the bananas at a reduced rate. Nah –not enough money. It is also a little too kooky for me.

I could freeze them. Or maybe I couldn’t. I don’t even know.

I know what I should do. I should make a Banana Cake. Me, the man who is a disinterested, impatient, and unskilled baker (and cook) should somehow make a cake. We have the ingredients, milk, eggs, sugar and of course bananas.

Yes, I will save the bananas and satisfy my sweet tooth. Unless – one of you could use some bananas? Let me know right away otherwise you will have to settle for a piece of cake whether it’s good or not.

P.S. I was recently interviewed by guys over at the Life of Dad blog as part of their 30 Dads, 30 Days series. Here is the link for those wanting to hear about some of my fatherhood thoughts and experiences: http://www.lifeofdad.com/blog_post.php?pid=11276

25 thoughts on “Bake Me a Cake

  1. It always make me upset when we let the fridge get too full, which ultimately leads to food that goes bad before we can eat it. :-/ We definitely could stand to be less wasteful in our home. How was the cake? I love homemade banana bread. My mother-in-law has a really great recipe. Way to go, Superdad!

    • It seems like even after I go food shopping the fridge is not full.
      Superdad – I like that title. Maybe, you could remind my wife of that title next time she is not happy with me. I know – I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t be either.

    • I am a big believer in the freezer too.
      I never understood – what is the difference between banana cake and banana bread?

        • I’m too lazy to google, but cake has icing on it – and bread doesn’t. Down here, banana bread is super popular!

          • No need to google it. An answer is not necessary. I did not put icing on it. So, I may have made Banana Bread. It’s popular all over.

  2. Banana cake is one of my specialties…not too hard to make, but usually only need 2-3 bananas. You can also make banana muffins, banana smoothies and lots of other things. There are tons of recipes on-line. Also, you can freeze bananas. They turn black on the outside but once you defrost them they are perfect for baking!!

    • Aren’t you a wealth of ideas? You know where we live cous. I would have been happy to let you in and handle it. You are the baker – that’s for sure!

  3. What I normally do with ripe bananas is of course bake a cake but there are days I’m just too lazy to bake one. So, what I normally do is make banana smoothie. Bananas, orange juice, frozen berries, yogurt + bananas (of course) and just blend it. Yummy! My daughters love it!

  4. I hate throwing away food and it always seems to be produce that we neglect until it is simply too late.

    As for your bananas, I have a wonderful banana bread recipe that I make all the time. Carter, who is five, will actually beg me to buy bananas at the store and then refuse to eat them, knowing I will be forced into making banana bread so they don’t go bad. A smart, yet deviant child. The recipe is not actually mine – you can find it here. http://www.food.com/recipe/best-banana-bread-2886

    • I am a little like Carter. To be honest, I am the biggest fan of Banana Cake. Sometimes, I hope that the boys wont eat the bananas a nd my wife will conclude she should make a banana cake. We have been married 11.5 years and I do not recall her ever making such a cake.

  5. Did I just read in the comments that you MADE banana bread? And why haven’t you sent any my way? You know how I struggle in the kitchen, homemade ANYTHING is happy day in our house.

    • You read right miss. Are you proud of me?
      ANyway, I think I would have to get a second job to pay for the shipping. It’s a bit dense – being generous here. However, it can be eaten and that’s what matters!

  6. Banana cake! yummy! yummy! 🙂 I wish you could’ve sent a piece of cake over here! ha!ha! 🙂 I’m sure it was very good; you should’ve posted a picture!
    Hubby’s grandma & mother are like your grandma and mom; they don’t like to waste any food! 🙂

  7. I love Banana cupcakes. LOL
    But cake… hmmmm…. need to try!
    This is a great post, Larry – and I did read your interview and left a comment there as well!!

    • Banana cupcakes – maybe next time.
      Thanks for reading the interview. I will have to go back and look at it myself.

  8. I hate wasting food which can sometimes make for strange meals or sandwiches, but it is good to get into a habbit of making things with leftovers or food that would otherwise be thrown out. Leftover potatoe sandwich anyone?

    • Potato sandwich – hmmm? When I was single, I used to make these weird concoctions and just through it all into a pot. Truth be told, I hate wasting too.

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