Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease 6 jumbo muffin tins. (or use paper cups)
Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, granulated sugar, brown sugar, beaten egg, and melted butter.
Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Do not over-mix.
Divide batter evenly into six jumbo muffin tins.
Streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Cut in with a pastry blender or with clean hands until the mixture is crumbly.
Add in walnuts and mix well to combine.
Sprinkle generously on top of the muffins.
Bake in 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Test with a toothpick or cake tester. It should come out clean when inserted in the center of the muffin.
Remove from muffin tins and cool on wire racks.
NOTES
Storage: Cool muffins and store them in a covered airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Alternatively, you can store cooled muffins in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Freezing: To freeze muffins for up to two months, place cooled muffins in a Ziplock bag or freezer-safe container.
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After you’ve had the hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, ribs, and anything else your family and friends crave, it’s time for dessert. There’s nothing like no-bake desserts to beat the heat. Here are two recipes to end your celebration on a sweet note.
Red, White, and Blue No-bake cheesecake and Black Bottom Chocolate Pie
No-bake red white and blue vanilla cheesecake Martha Stewart adapted by Chamein Canton
Easy
Prep time 25 minutes
Total 40 minutes
10 servings
Ingredient Checklist
15 graham crackers (8 ounces) (Gluten-free graham crackers)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (vegan butter, or margarine)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit sweetener granulated, coconut, raw cane, or turbinado sugar pulsed fine)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature (1 ½ package full-fat cream cheese plus ½ package of light cream cheese, not Neufchatel cheese) (vegan cream cheese)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute or organic confectioner’s sugar)
1 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat) (coconut yogurt, plain)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped (1 cup full-fat coconut milk or 2/3 cup almond milk with 1/3 cup melted unsalted vegan butter, cooled. With a stand or hand mixer, mix the butter into the almond milk, then add ½ teaspoon of agar-agar or cream of tartar to help the cream get whipped and stabilized.)
2 cups fresh berries
Directions
Instructions Checklist
Step 1
In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until finely ground (you should have about 2 cups). Add butter, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; pulse until combined. Press crumbs evenly onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Step 2
In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on high, beat cream cheese until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and a pinch of salt; beat until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in whipped cream. Pour cream cheese mixture into crust and smooth top. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours (or overnight).
Step 3
Combine berries and remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; let stand 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake; release sides to remove from pan. Top with berries and juices.
Cook’s Notes
When you’re pressing the crumbs into the pan for the crust, use a flat-bottomed measuring cup. It makes it easy to get an even thickness — and to get into the pan’s corners.
Chocolate Black Bottom Pie by Southern Living adapted by Chamein Canton
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (vegan unsalted butter)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit granulated sweetener, golden sugar, coconut, turbinado, or raw cane sugar pulsed finely)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks (1/4 cup soy lecithin or 1/3 cup Aquafaba)
2 cups milk (dairy: 2 cups whole milk, or 1 ½ cups 2% plus ½ cup half and half or light cream) (non-dairy: almond, soy, rice, or light coconut milk)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (2 cups full-fat coconut milk or 1 2/3 cup almond milk with 1/3 cup melted unsalted vegan butter, cooled. With a stand or hand mixer, mix the butter into the almond milk, then add 1 teaspoon of agar-agar or cream of tartar to help the cream get whipped and stabilized.)
1/4 cup sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit granulated sweetener, golden sugar, coconut, turbinado, or raw cane sugar pulsed finely)
Garnish: bittersweet chocolate shavings
Directions
Instructions Checklist
Step 1
Pulse chocolate wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together wafer crumbs and butter, and firmly press mixture on the bottom, up the side, and onto a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate. Freeze crust for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Whisk together 2/3 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp. cornstarch in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan.
Step 3
Whisk together egg yolks and milk in a small bowl; whisk yolk mixture into sugar mixture in pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture thickens. Cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Microwave chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk melted chocolate, rum, and vanilla into the thickened filling. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Place plastic wrap directly onto filling (to prevent a film from forming), and chill for 8 to 24 hours.
Step 5
Beat whipping cream and 1/4 cup sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream, and garnish, if desired.
Notes: You can use a pre-made chocolate wafer pie crust to save time.
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I’ve been in the publishing industry as a literary agent and an author for a long time. Publishing has gone through changes over time. Some changes have been permanent, while others were essentially transient. It’s still centered around fiction and nonfiction with a host of genres and sub-genres. Both fiction and nonfiction books are reflective of the times, trends, and movements. Nonfiction books that focused on race and gender, now include titles that cover the Black Lives Matter Movement, transgender issues, and gender identity to name just a few. The same applies to fiction sub-genres in a multitude of categories, I am going to focus on women’s fiction.
Wikipedia defines women’s fiction as an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women’s life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels or women’s rights Books. It is distinct from Women’s writing, which refers to literature written by women. The Women’s Fiction Writers Association says women’s fiction may include romance, or it may not. It could be contemporary or historical and have magical, mystery, thriller, or other elements. What defines a novel as women’s fiction is that the driving force is the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.
The wonderful thing about fiction is it allows you to create a world from your mind’s eye. The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself, at least that’s the case when it’s just you and your laptop or notebook. If you are a female author who happens to be north of forty or fifty-plus, then you are in for a fight from the outside.
There is so much talk about age and how it’s just a number. The fact is that your grandparents’ fifty looks nothing like it does today. With good nutrition, skin care, and surgical intervention, in some cases, people are not only living longer, they are looking better than ever. Moreover, the sit in a rocking chair mentality has gone out of the window. You are more likely to find a grandmother in a spin class, and if she does like to knit, today’s north of fifty grandmothers are doing it in between yoga and Pilates. Life north of forty is viewed as an opportunity to make our second acts more exciting and fulfilling.
It’s the reason I am often puzzled by fiction categories for women over forty. First off, a lot of people think romance when you say you’re an author. There’s nothing wrong with being a romance author at all. It’s the most popular category in fiction. Romance novels focus on relationships and romantic love with an emotional and happy ending. When it comes to stories of love, everyone wants a happy and satisfying end. However, that view or path changes as we get older, and many female authors who are north of forty, fifty, and even sixty-plus reflect that in their writing.
Currently, romances for people over forty are called seasoned romances. Some hold to the happily ever after formula, only with older characters. Why it’s categorized differently when it’s still all about love, is beyond me. Then there are the seasoned romances where the path to true love isn’t easy. It’s fraught with many of the issues people over forty face when looking for love, or when they are trying to keep romance alive in a relationship. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream we’re watching the Athenians pursue love and all its follies, and find The Bard was quite correct to state that the course of true love never did run smooth. Romances with older characters develop the romance in a nuanced way that reflects their experience and the time in their lives. Situations when one was quick to get angry about and summarily dismiss at thirty-years-old, aren’t looked at in the same way at forty or fifty. In the end, north of forty and fifty characters are looking for love and find it, but the path to get there is different.
Then there is the relatively new genre of chick-lit. Viewed by some as a derogatory term, it’s loosely defined as literature that appeals mainly to women. (obviously, a man’s idea) The other definition for chick-lit is a genre fiction which “consists of heroine-centered narratives that focus on the trials and tribulations of their individual protagonists. What’s not said in this definition is what is usually found when you pitch it to editors. Chick-lit is about women in their twenties and thirties. Anything written with characters over forty is defined as either matron-lit or hen-lit, neither of which particularly flattering. Matron is a term associated with female prison guards or a verb that’s the kiss of death in fashion. Hen conjures up images of women sitting in a room laughing or talking while men refer to their chatter at clucking. Why can’t women over forty and fifty still be chicks? Writing about mature men isn’t called Prostate-lit or Dick-lit for men who use Viagra. No one would dare do such a thing even though publishing is overwhelmingly female, but it’s still mostly a boys club the further up the chain of command you go.
I started referring to my writing as Still A Chick Lit as I went through my forties to being in my fifties. Life and love are essentially the same, but there’s much change as you age. If you’re single/divorced, the dating pool is considerably smaller and you don’t have the time to take long applications. Everything has to be put on the table rather quickly so you can make the decision if you want to pursue a relationship or not. It comes down to the devil you know or the devil you don’t know. The number of people who get back together after divorce or long-term dating/cohabitating is quite large. I used to wonder about that when I was in my thirties. I couldn’t fathom doing such a thing. If you got rid of a man, you did it for a good reason. He should stay gone, right? Well no. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of being mature, scared, or just tired of the gerbil wheel of dating. Things change and there’s a level of acceptance and communication that you are a little more willing to do to make love work.
The bottom line is grey hair in a book doesn’t mean the story is old. As a matter of fact, you can find a plethora of characters that are made more charming and interesting with age. One of the biggest announcements at the end of 2020 was a Sex and the City re-boot with three of our favorite ladies in New York navigating their lives as women in their fifties with husbands, children, careers, and friendships. What made the series and subsequent movies successful was going on the journey with Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. Age didn’t make them any less interesting. In fact, they became more inspiring as women over forty and fifty began to think about their lives in different ways. Why that won’t happen with books is beyond me, but it’s something that I hope to change.
I hope that you will come with on this journey as an author of Still A Chick-lit and nonfiction passion projects to go on this journey with me
Still A Chick Lit and Cookbook projects
Grandma’s Chocolate Kisses Cake Perfect for Valentine’s Day
Classic Chocolate Cake recipe from Add A Pinch and adapted by me
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1 to 1 gluten-free baking blend, sweet rice, or sorghum flour)
2 cups sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, golden sugar, coconut or turbinado sugar, pulsed finely)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process cocoa or regular unsweetened cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup buttermilk (non-dairy: 1 cup almond, soy, rice, or light coconut milk plus 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
1/2 cup vegetable oil canola oil, or melted coconut oil
2 large eggs (1/2 cup Aquafaba, ½ cup silken tofu plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 flaxseed or chia seed eggs, or egg replacer)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
For the chocolate cake:
Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.
Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
Notes
The cake batter will be very thin after adding the boiling water.
Freezer Friendly
Let the baked cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight with wrapping intact. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting by Add a Pinch adapted by me
½ cup milk (dairy: whole milk, 2%) (non-dairy: almond, soy, rice, or light coconut milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon espresso powder or 1 tablespoon brewed coffee
Instructions
Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups almond milk (soy, rice, or light coconut milk) (dairy: whole milk, 2 %, non-fat milk)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup white sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, golden sugar, coconut, or raw cane sugar, finely pulsed)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or regular unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
Step 1
In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to form a paste.
Step 2
In large saucepan over medium heat, stir together soy milk, vanilla, sugar, cocoa and cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. Allow to cool five minutes, then chill in refrigerator until completely cool.
In a clean glass or metal bowl, add the heavy cream and cream of tartar.
On medium-high speed whip the cream and slowly sprinkle the sugar in. Continue whipping until soft peaks begin to form. When you run a spoon through the bowl, it should leave a path.
To make the chocolate mousse filling, fold in ½ the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate pudding. Fold until you don’t see any white streaks. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream. You can put it in the fridge for up to 1 day in advance, otherwise, fill the cake right away. Let the filled cake set in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Vegan Whipped cream recipe from Minimalist Baker
1 14-ounce can coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk (do not use cream of coconut, it’s too sweet and won’t work, It’s great for a pina colada) (I like Whole Foods 365 brand of coconut milk)
Chill your coconut cream or coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight (see notes for top brands!), being sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid. See notes for more insight / troubleshooting.
The next day, chill a large mixing bowl 10 minutes before whipping.
Remove the coconut cream or milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (reserve for use in smoothies).
Note: if your coconut milk didn’t harden, you probably just got a dud can without the right fat content. In that case, you can try to salvage it with a bit of tapioca flour – 1 to 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)- during the whipping process. That has worked for me several times.
Place hardened cream in your chilled mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer until creamy. Then add vanilla (optional) and powdered sugar (or stevia) and mix until creamy and smooth – about 1 minute. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
Use immediately or refrigerate – it will harden and set in the fridge the longer it’s chilled. Will keep for up to 1 – 2 weeks!
