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Monday, July 6, 2015

Banana boats



Do you remember these? Maybe from a Girl Scout camping trip, or at home sitting around a backyard campfire?

We made banana boats a lot when I was growing up. It was a reasonably "healthy" dessert, for this sweets-lover.

Banana, marshmallow and chocolate. There was always more banana than anything else. But that was a good thing. Cooking the banana brought out its sweetness.

Last week, my son brought several bananas home from work (they provide snacks at his office -- I mentioned this on my facebook page). Anyway, I baked banana bread, we made banana splits, and then on Thursday, I made banana boats for the family. This is one of those banana items that does well with older bananas.

I just used half a banana, each. I slit the halves and stuffed with a marshmallow (cut in half), and a chocolate candy (cut into bits).  Then baked these in the toaster oven, just after while we ate dinner. My mom used to wrap these in foil and cook over a campfire, in the coals.

My son tells me that a new batch of bananas will be brought in early this week . . .which means, those older bananas will be given away, again. Don't know if we'll be the lucky recipients, but more banana boats would be fun!

10 comments:

  1. I've never had a banana boat. Sounds yummy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      My son may be bringing more bananas home this week. If so, I think we'll do a repeat of these!

      Delete
  2. Lili--

    OOOOOOO, looks delicious, though I'd have to replace the chocolate with peanut butter.

    In related news... The extra bananas I had that I cut up and froze have been making delicious shakes! No ice cream needed-- just milk and/or coconut milk, a little sugar or honey, and a touch of vanilla if you like. Yummmmy! I've also been putting in a little ground chia meal, which boosts the nutrition quite a bit.

    I didn't even treat the bananas. Just sliced them, and quickly popped them into the freezer on parchment-papered cookie sheets until they were hard, and then dumped them into ziplocks. Couldn't have taken five minutes to do the whole bunch. :)

    Have a great day, and stay cool! Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sara,
      Peanut butter makes a goo substitute for the chocolate in s'mores, as well, I think!

      Your shakes sound delicious! And what a great way to use up leftover bananas! I did a half banana, some oj and ice with lunch today, whirred in the blender. Not think like a shake, but very good.

      You're right, it only takes a few minutes to get bananas into the freezer!

      Delete
    2. Lili--

      This summer one of our sons and I made smores at the campfire out of marshmallows, peanut butter, and home-made gluten-free cheddar crackers. That was SUPER-yummy, too!

      I love cool shakes or smoothies at home, but when I was a kid, we did them with ice, and I never liked the consistency made with ice (and they melt sort of soggy.) Years ago it occurred to me that frozen fruit gives you the iciness without the ice, no matter what else you add for liquid, and also gives a strong flavor and a lot of sweetness, so they don't need much added.

      Coconut milk isn't cheap (though Vitacost has good sales, which is how we get ours); but it's great for shakes/smoothies in place of milk/yogurt, both because of the flavor and richness it adds, and because the colder it is, the thicker it is! The ground chia also plumps up and thickens a shake (kind of like tapioca). And I really like a THICK shake or smoothie! :)

      Sara

      Delete
    3. Hi Sara,
      oh yum! I bet those s'mores were delicious!

      Thanks for the tips on making shakes and smoothies. I'll look into chia seeds.

      Delete
  3. I go in phases with bananas. Sometimes I have one every day, and sometimes I don't want one at all. I've found them on sale the last couple of weeks, so we may have some extras soon. I don't think banana boats would be for me, but my husband would probably enjoy one. Before I make them into banana bread, I'll ask him if he'd like one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      I know what you mean. I'm not always in the mood for a fresh, whole banana. I think I add them to smoothies more than I eat them whole. Enjoy your banana bread!

      Delete
  4. Never heard of this before, any idea to its origin?

    I copied your instructions, saved and filed it under GRANDKIDS, lol

    They're going to love making and eating these!!

    YHF

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi YHF,
      Maybe these were a regional thing? We made these when camping in Camp Fire Girls, and later in Girl Scouts. The traditional way to make these, is to slit a banana, still in the peel, lengthwise, and scoop out a bit of banana (to snack on right then, of course), then pile in the chocolate chips or pieces and some mini-marshmallows. Wrap the whole thing in foil, and toss into the hot coals of a dying fire. After about 15-20 minutes, take the packet out, and unfold the foil edges. Eat right out of the foil, with a spoon. We thought this was so fun, as kids.

      Delete

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