This moist, chocolate-studded banana bread is slowly becoming a staple at my house. My aunt passed along the recipe a few weeks ago, and three loaves have come and gone in my kitchen since then. The key: Ghirardelli chocolate. I'm a sucker for the milk chocolate, but the dark is equally good. Also, take the time to separate the ingredients as the recipe instructs. I've tried it both ways, and it makes all the difference. 

Jeanette's Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 large ripe bananas)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 9" by 5" metal loaf pan. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In small bowl, stir together bananas, milk, and vanilla until blended. 
In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, scraping bowl occasionally. 
Add chocolate chips. Stir a few times. 
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Key Lime Pie with Meringue
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice* 
6 eggs
1 can condensed milk
1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust
1 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Squeeze key limes until you get 1/2 cup of juice. Make sure to strain out any seeds. *If you can't find fresh key limes, then substitute with Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice.
Separate eggs and yolks; set aside egg whites for the meringue. 
Whip egg yolks together, then add condensed milk and key lime juice. Stir until smooth.
Put the pie crust in the oven for 5 minutes (just to brown). Raise oven temperature to 500° F.
Pour the key lime and condensed milk mixture into the pie crust.
In a new bowl, whip the egg whites until they start to form stiff peaks; slowly start adding the sugar. 
Scoop the meringue on top of the pie, using a fork to form swirls.
Put the pie in the oven just long enough to brown the meringue.
Let set in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Dig in!

I am becoming far too familiar with my cast-iron skillet. And, honestly, I'm really not mad about it. I'd like to think that layers of magic have been worked into the skillet over the years, making everything extra-yummy, seasoned just-so and perfectly crisp, when really it's probably just because I'm using gallons of vegetable oil. 

Last week, our neighbors graciously gifted us with a basket full of okra and banana peppers (have I mentioned how I'm not really all that great at gardening?), so we decided to deep fry those puppies. Fried banana pepper is surprisingly good. The recipe below is one I adapted from boyfriend's mom — she's a true Southern belle if I've ever met one — and I know we'll be using it again and again.

Easiest Fried Okra Ever
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup Alabama King cornmeal
1/2 tbs black pepper
1/2 tbs Adobo seasoning
1/2 tbs powdered garlic
1/2 tbs salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
5-7 okra
5-7 banana peppers
vegetable oil
cast-iron skillet

Instructions:
Slice the okra and banana pepper into thin rings.
Make an egg wash: Crack one egg into a medium-sized bowl, then pour the milk in. Whisk together until slightly fluffy.
Mix all of the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, pepper, Adobo, garlic, salt) in a second medium sized bowl. 
Working from one bowl to the other, dip the vegetables in the egg wash and then roll them in the breading mixture, placing the breaded pieces on a dry plate. 
Once finished, put the plate in the refrigerator to chill (it helps the breading stay on). Pour enough vegetable oil into your cast-iron skillet so it's 3/4 full. 
Once the oil is hot, fry the breaded okra and banana peppers until golden-brown. 
Take out and let rest on a paper towel. 
     

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups raw zucchini washed, peeled and grated
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups sugar
1 cup light olive oil or canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat 4 eggs and sugar until creamed.
Slowly add 1 cup oil, mix well.
Add vanilla, zucchini, walnuts and raisins, mix well.
Fold in dry ingredients, only a few turns, don't over mix.
Pour into greased muffin pan.
Bake in preheated 375 oven for 20 - 25 minutes.