Regular banana bread is good, sure, but don’t you want to spice it up sometimes? Give it a twist? Embellish it for the holidays without a lot of fuss? Then I have an easy solution for you. With the addition of cardamom, and the swapping of walnuts for toasted hazelnuts, you have a different—fancier—version of the favorite stand-by. Moist and heady with taste, this bread is perfect for holiday breakfasts or homemade gift baskets. Best of all, it will literally only take you three minutes longer to prepare. You can’t go wrong.

If you have a favorite banana bread recipe, try substituting (or adding) the spice and nuts it includes for cardamom and hazelnuts. Otherwise try the basic recipe below, which I’ve adapted from The Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups unbleached white flour
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cardamom
5 ½ tbsp. butter + a sliver for greasing the loaf pan
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 large bananas, overly ripe to the point of blackened
½ cup hazelnuts

Let the butter stand at room temperature until softened. Remove the eggs from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before you begin.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter a glass loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground cardamom.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the two eggs and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until well blended.

Squeeze the bananas out of their peels directly into the batter. Squish into the mixture with the back of a fork, leaving small chunks of banana.

Spread the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and put them in the oven for 2-3 minutes, until just warm and aromatic. Chop and add to mixture, folding until just combined.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remember, the key to moist bread is to not let it dry out in the oven!

The best part about fall in the Pacific Northwest is the proliferation of mushrooms. Among the many species that grow in these damp woods is the chanterelle, which is by far my favorite mushroom. Its smell is rich and fruity. Its taste is graceful yet substantive, buttery and peppery. To wander through the forest and harvest chanterelles on an autumn day when the rain is light or the sun is shining–knowing it may well be the last outdoor outing of the year– is bittersweet. It’s a privilege to find these uncultivable mushrooms, and yet they are reminders that it’s that time of year, that once again you will have to endure six months of gray skies and rain before the sun returns. I take what I can get.

If you’re unfamiliar with mushroom species, I suggest taking a guide with you on your hunt. There are several mushrooms that resemble chanterelles but aren’t. It’s important to know what you’re picking and eating, as mushrooms can be poisonous! Also, check to see if you need a permit to harvest mushrooms in the area you plan on searching.

Chanterelles are especially delicious in egg dishes. Their flavor compliments the egg, and more importantly, holds up to it. For a quick breakfast, slice the chanterelles, cook them in a dab of olive oil or butter, and add to scrambled eggs. If you’re looking for something fancier, for brunch for example, try this frittata. It’s easy, takes about twenty minutes to prepare, and looks and tastes gorgeous.