September Favorites: Banana bread skillet cake, Writing inspiration, Homemade peanut butter

I love lists and favorites, so I’m going to share a few which have caught my eye now in September. Are you a subscriber to my newsletter? There will be a few favorites in there which aren’t in this post, along with other content (and giveaways!), so sign up now! I’m also on Twitter @rosso. See past favorites.

I spent half of September outside of Italy, in San Diego (and on the Padres’ jumbotron), and in Spain (in a castle eating great things), and here’s what I’ve been obsessing about this month!

Favorite get in my mouth right now:

I always have bananas in the house. I love bananas, and I love them in smoothies and especially in banana bread. Especially. I think the Upside Down Caramelized Banana Bread Skillet Cake from How Sweet Eats sounds like a must-try, and I have a few substitutions already in mind about how I could lighten it up sugar-wise.

Favorite nostaglia/comfort food:

I agree with Alejandra about being a fan of the “blue box” – I even had people ship it out to me when I first moved to Italy. I like her simple stovetop macaroni & cheese version, or you can check out my 3-cheese macaroni recipe (Macaroni & Cheese & Cheese & Cheese) on this site!

Favorite Wish you were here:

Rio di Janiero – it’s been on my mind more with the World Cup coming up in 2014 and the Olympics soon, too. Hang-gliding in Rio? I’ll put that on my Life List. h/t Raanan.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/48378823 width=600]

Favorite need to investigate further:

I’m used to not having much freezer space living in Italy, but if I’m going to use it, I should use it well. Simple Organized Living has a series on Freezable foods and Freezer cooking FAQs which I think is worth reading.

Favorite Audio jam(s):

I’ve talked about how much I love The 99 Percent (now renamed 99U) website, but if you have enough to read, I bet you could still use some audio inspiration as well. Jocelyn Glei (the editor)’s mixes are always, always worth a download. Listen to the latest and check out their Music archive for other mixes, many of which are great for knuckling down and finishing projects.

Favorite DIY food:

I’ve made homemade almond butter, and a few weeks ago I shelled a couple pounds of peanuts so I can make homemade peanut butter, too. Here’s Avery Cooks’ version of homemade peanut butter.

Favorite writing inspiration:

Tons of writing inspiration this month – much more inspiration than actual time to write, but I plan on calling upon these articles on a rainy (read: writer’s block) day.

Some practical writing advice from Douglas Coupland
Colson Whitehead’s rules for writing on the NYT
How to Read like a Writer from Brain Pickings
Honorable mention also to Diana Baur’s The End of Resistance: On Becoming a Writer.

Favorite dessert reinvented:

I love my cast iron grill pan, and I’ve been eyeing a cast iron pan as well. I think these Cast Iron Skillet Brownies from Simply Food Love are going to speed up that purchase.

Favorite Italy moment:

Find out what happens when Italian-Canadian blogger Ivonne from Cream Puffs in Venice goes home to Italy for the summer.

Favorite Unfortunate Permalink (and Career Read):

Ok, being a little juvenile there, but file this under “override permalink default settings next time,” this article about how poor grammar could be a reason you don’t get a job is worth a read: HBR’s “I won’t hire people who use poor grammar.”