Make Something from Nothing

[RIHans]

As all cooks know, you gotta use the scraps, ends, and seconds.
Banana bread with walnuts and craisins...for example.

[roseyscot]

nice work Hans. I'm a fan of the banana bread with chocolate chips. so is the rest of my house. somehow those completely unappealing brown bananas taste a heck of a lot better mixed into a banana bread.

[maunahaole]

Hans effing rules. I can cook, a little. I can bake not at all.

[Too Tall]

Nice dewd, really nice.

Last eve. came home, had two clients...starved and nothing and I mean nothing in the house. But wait, a cook always has emergency protein and starch right?
Bag of frozen shrimp
Jar of decent Marinara
Garlic
Oregano
Frozen spinach
1/2 a box of bowtie pasta
1/2 a box of trenne pasta
A small fist of very old Parm Reggiano (we had a small fight over the microplane for that)
He!!, I didn't even have a leaf of lettuce. This worked out. Happy wife & no carry out.

[alexstar]

nice work Hans. I'm a fan of the banana bread with chocolate chips. so is the rest of my house. somehow those completely unappealing brown bananas taste a heck of a lot better mixed into a banana bread.

As a heavy consumer of bananas, bread and smoothies are the two best ways to get rid of old nanners. The riper, the better (higher sugar content and easier to mash/blend).

[summilux]

Bananas freeze really well. That way you can accumulate them. Chuck 'em in the freezer peel and all. Thaw in a bowl because they leak.

If you want to try something different, try grating a whole over-ripe cucumber into your next banana bread mix. I'm not sure this will work if you like chocolate chips in the banana bread, but cucumber banana mix with walnuts and raisins tastes really yummy. It has a sweet wheat grass vibe. It's a variation of a South Asian dessert called mandas.