Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I wake up in the morning and there’s nothing pressing. After getting out of bed, I head into the kitchen and notice my bananas are getting brown. It’s said the more bruised the banana, the better the bread. I set to work. 30 minutes later, the breads in the oven.

You don’t want to read every one of my posts. I don’t blame you. Somehow, I’ve compiled quite a few, despite my long absences. So let me just sum it up quickly: I was married for 23 years which ended bitterly, but produced two beautiful children; I had a lovely seven year relationship with a terrific woman which fell victim to my blunders; and over the last couple of years, I’ve explored online dating. During those two years, there have been several significant relationships. One seemed to be heading towards ltr (long term relationship) status. Almost every profile I read in these dating sites claims to be seeking “ltr”. Out of the blue, she broke up with me. Probably the most important relationship, certainly the longest out of this social exploration, has been with a woman I met within the first week or two of going on a dating site. The relationship continues to this day. It has been platonic and sexual, soothing and enraging, baffling and certain, lasting and always ending. Someday, I’ll get back to those stories, but really I’m not ready yet.

I don’t mean this as a boast and probably a good percentage of men find this to be true, but two months ago, I could’ve pulled up my online dating site and with several swipes, taps, and messages, I could have had a date set up. When I first started, I sort of fell into that trap, but I stopped fairly quickly. It really wasn’t very satisfying and, frankly, it was very expensive (In my experience, women expect the traditional roles be followed on dates). I became more discerning, less desperate. Like I said, finding dates was not the problem. Making it permanent was. And then Covid-19 hit. I discovered it was a terrible time to not have someone.

I’ll tell you, being single and mostly alone during a global pandemic is no fun. I’d like to maintain my social distance holding hands with a beautiful woman. Wear a mask for everyone else but her. Quarantine in place with the one I love. I’d wash the dishes, while she dried; mow the lawn, as she swept the walk. We could watch movies all day long, because there was nothing else to do. Take an hour-long walk through the neighborhood, basking in a new love and the warm sun.

The timer is going off and the bread is done. It’s warm and smells delicious. I wish I had someone here to enjoy a nice, fat slice with me. And a cup of hot tea.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread*

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tablespoon milk

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, preferably glass.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir bananas, milk, and cinnamon in another bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a third bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir banana mixture into butter mixture. Stir in dry mixture until blended. Fold in chocolate chips until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

*recipe found on AllRecipes @iggytakahashi

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