Banana Bread Recipe with Pumpkin Pie Spice Balsamic Vinegar and Maple Syrup

While shopping for olive oil in the Scarborough Fare Olive Oil & Vinegar Tap Room on Main Street, this Pumpkin Pie Spice infused balsamic vinegar caught my eye. Pumpkin Pie Spice anything would be great, and the cashier told me of how she'd been baking with it, and to her surprise, repeatedly goes bottles rather quickly. I'd been wanting to make a banana bread, so bought a bottle of it, plus a bottle of the Tuscan Blend extra virgin olive oil, and marched straight home to modify my regular recipe for banana bread!

Get ready to make some of the best banana bread ever,
and without white sugar.

With a banana bread, I start with the basic recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, but the 1968 edition. Any edition from the 60s would be fine because it was before the recipes were edited to include fat-free versions with margarine, aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. Our recipe does not have white sugar, but instead uses maple syrup. The consistency of the bread is unaffected, and in fact, with the additional liquid, is deliciously moist and sweet.

A LITTLE BEACON BLOG'S RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soft butter

5 tablespoons 100% maple syrup

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar from Scarborough Fare

1 teaspoon olive oil (Tuscan Blend from Scarborough Fare is a good match)

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon for salt lovers)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (or 1 yellow banana, and 1.5 brown mushy bananas)

plenty of butter for spreading on slices of cooked banana bread

Enjoy watching the thick Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar
pour into your teaspoon.

Directions:

• Cream together butter and maple syrup. 
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Sift together dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition.
• Pour into a well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done. 
• Remove banana bread from pan and cool on rack. 
• Slice one piece and eat immediately with butter to enjoy the warm butter on the fresh bread. 
• Wrap or place into plastic bag whatever you don't eat and store in refrigerator for a longer keep. Store at room temperature if you are finishing within the next three days. Only wrap when the bread is completely cool.

Take a picture right away of your masterpiece,
as you will eat it faster than you think!

Martin Luther King Day March from Springfield Baptist Church

 

Today Beacon recognizes Martin Luther King Day with participation of hundreds of Beaconites marching in a parade organized by the Springfield Baptist Church on Mattie Cooper Square, among other events happening in Beacon. Marchers walked the icy streets on a slightly warmer winter day, singing in a quiet chorus to help create the feeling of peace and unity.

Rev. Mattie Ophelia Cooper in the
pulpit of the Springfield Baptist
Church in Beacon, NY circa 1970s
from the UUPATT website.

In addition to celebrating Martin Luther King, this is a great moment to also recognize the Rev. Mattie Ophelia Cooper (pastor and organizer of the Springfield Missionary Baptist Church in Beacon, NY), who was one of many community game changers for Beacon, in part by starting the Mattie Cooper Scholarship Fund, an annual award given to a Beacon High School student at graduation. According to the scholarship's webpage at UUPATT, this scholarship was initiated "in or around June of 1962, because of her desire to see children of color receive an award during graduation, something that rarely happened back when she first started going to the graduation programs at Beacon High School."

See a snippet of the march here:

Beacon's Shoe Cobbler - John's Shoe Repair - Can Fix Your Leather Boots and Bags

Diesel black slouchy boots with buckle.
John's Shoe Repair replaced the soft sole.

Boots are special. Boots are in your closet for a long time. They develop personality. And when boots develop holes in the soles, you get sad. You need a shoe cobbler, but shoe cobblers are a dying breed. Except in 2009 when the Wall Street Journal did a story on how shoe cobblers were on the rise because people were getting their shoes resoled during the Recession instead of buying new shoes. This resurgence of the shoe cobbler may not have been long-lasting, but the spotlight on a trade like shoe cobblering was appreciated. Then in 2010, the same Wall Street Journal reporter did an article on online shoe cobblers. She shipped worn out shoes to four different shoe repair shops, and got resoled shoes back in the mail.

Well folks, we have a local shoe cobbler right here in Beacon on Main Street - John's Shoe Repair. John's Shoe Repair will certainly bring your shoe back to life. And they may even secure your denim or leather bag straps, if your own sewing machine cannot handle such heavy fabric. You have probably seen the shoe cobbler on Main Street. They are right next to Zora Dora's or the winter pop-up shop version, Cherry Bomb. I have had several shoes and a bag fixed by them, and have been pleased each time. In fact, if I wasn't pleased, I feel certain that I could bring the item back for repair. Even though boots are very important to me, what is more important at times is a secure purse. I bought a designer denim purse that actually slipped out of its buckle every time I carried it, causing it to slip off my shoulder. Solution? Shoe Cobbler John stitched the straps permanently in place, and it currently serves as my gym bag.

A little tip when using John's Shoe Cobbler: be very precise with what you want. If you want stitching done on a purse strap, for instance, and you know that a certain color thread would look best, then tell them to use that color thread. If you need an elastic loop replaced on a shoe to secure a button, request a color that was the previous color or close to it. Seems obvious, but sometimes repair shops are focused on fixes, not fashion. :)

Imitation Frye Boots. Got 'em at DSW in NYC years ago.
Beacon's Shoe Cobbler has replaced the soles and fixed.

Denim slouchy bag. Beacon Shoe Cobbler stitched the purse
strap and handles in place.

John's Shoe Repair is at 209 Main Street, Beacon.

Christmas Tree Removal

Happy New Year! It’s that time of year for resolutions and clean slates. We make big plans to clean out closets and clear our minds in the process. For many of us it all begins with finally removing the big twinkly Christmas tree in the corner. 

The Highway Department is in charge of collecting trees after the holidays. According to Highway Superintendent Anthony “Zep” Thomaselli, curbside tree removal is currently in progress. Tree collection with occur during January, weather permitting. If you are a bit of a procrastinator or if you feel your tree has been overlooked, just give the Highway Department a call at (845) 831-0932 with your address and they will haul your tree away.