Banana Black Walnut Cake: Part One

Banana black walnut cake with chocolate glaze and garnished with black walnuts.

I was in Shelby recently and shopping at Ingles grocery where I bought some black walnuts.  I hadn't seen them for sale before.  The common English walnut is available everywhere.  I should explain the difference between the two walnuts.

Hammons Black Walnuts.

"So what kind of walnuts do we eat? Well, the Black Walnut was in fact part of many native American diets but most of the walnuts we eat today are actually English walnuts, which have a milder taste and broader appeal. They also have thinner, easier-to-crack shells. Black Walnuts on the other hand have a bolder, earthier flavor. Their shells are thick, tough to crack, and will likely stain your hands.
Black walnut trees are not really cultivated on the same scale of English walnuts. They mostly grow wild across central and eastern parts of the country. Hammons is a company that's dedicated to preserving the legacy and availability of the Black Walnut." (Serious Eats)

Black walnuts in husks.

Black walnuts are encased in a fleshy outer husk that can be used as a brown dye.  When shelling black walnuts this "dye" will stain your fingers.  Once you remove the outer fleshy husk it is difficult to crack the extremely hard shell of the black walnut.

Fleshy meats inside hard outer shell.

Then it is tedious to pick out the meats of the nut.

The Louisburg College Campus where I taught.

The black walnut tree is native to North Carolina, and the campus where I taught for many years had a big black walnut tree just in back of my office.  Occasionally I would gather some and harvest the fleshy meats, but usually it just wasn't worth the effort.  Black walnuts have a stronger, smokier flavor than the common English walnut.  I don't find them tasty except when used in baking cookies, bread, cakes or in ice cream. 

Black walnuts make a nice natural brown dye.  Check out this website for instructions.
Black Walnut Dye.

Yarn dyed with black walnut dye.

You can even use black walnuts as a  Natural Brown Hair Dye.

Hair dyed with black walnut dye.

Okay, I have digressed, and I know you are eager to see the recipe for the Banana Black Walnut Cake.  Stay tuned.  It is in Banana Black Walnut Cake Part Two. 

Happy Anniversary to Bea and Wayne

Commerative wedding plate made by Westmoore Pottery as our gift to Bea and Wayne.

Bea and Wayne Kearney are celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary today.  Happy Anniversary you two. Bea has been our long-time friend and housekeeper for many years. I first met Bea when she kept the offices (including my office),  classrooms, and laboratories in the Franklin Science Building at Louisburg College in ship-shape condition.  And for many years we have depended on her to keep our house in order.  I don't know what I would do without our weekly visits from Bea.

In 2003 Bea married Wayne in a beautiful ceremony in Louisburg.  Dan and I are as fond of Wayne as we are of Bea.  They are a great couple.  Here are some photos from their wedding.

Beautiful Bea.

 I've always told Bea that she looks like Queen Nefertiti.  Look at those beautiful high cheek bones.

Wayne and Bea, the happy couple.

The Wedding Party.

Arriving at Reception.

Mr. and Mrs. Kearney at the head table at the reception.

Happy Anniversary to you and may you have many more happy years together.

The Original Davis Street House

The little rock house at the top of our street is the first house built in this part of Raleigh, supposedly in 1930, when this was a farm and not part of the city of Raleigh.  A Mr. Davis built the house and farmed the area back in the 30s and 40s, and now the street is named for him.  When we first moved to Davis Street back in the 70s, I fell in love with that house.

Several years ago the house was for sale, and I feared that it would be torn down and new houses built on the lot. (Notice I said houses, plural. It's a big lot.) But Diane, the new owner, renovated it, and now it is being leased by a young woman who was a student at Louisburg College back in the late 70s when I was on the faculty there.  I didn't teach Sandra, but one of her best friends, Teresa,  was one of my biology students. (In fact, Sandra remembers visiting me here once with her friend Teresa when they were students.)  It is great to have Sandra as a neighbor---we can reminisce about the College back in the day.

Sandra has decorated with style and pizazz.  I visited the other day and took some photos to share on my blog.  I love what she's done with the house. I especially like all the bright art work throughout the house.

Bright and cheery artwork.

The living room.

The original fireplace houses an insert, and I bet this would keep the whole house warm in winter.  The original chimney adds character to the exterior.

The original fireplace with a wood-burning insert.

The original chimney of the house.

The bedroom is large and airy, and I especially like the painting of Chapel Hill's Franklin Street over the bed.  (Sandra is a UNC graduate.)

Large and airy bedroom.

I was struck by the bright Orange Crush clock in the kitchen.  It adds pop to the white cabinets of the kitchen.

Orange Crush clock.

As I said, Mr. Davis personally built this house, and the rock is very unusual.  I'll have to get Dan to have a look and tell me what kind it is.

Very unusual rock.

A pretty hanging basket of petunias adorns the front porch, and the landscaping includes rock pathways and walls to match the house itself. The big back yard provides a place for Diane, who renovated the house, to park her vintage 1960 Airstream.

Petunias on the porch.

Back patio.

Diane's vintage 1960 Airstream.

Sandra spends most of the winter at her house in Denver, where she enjoys winter sports.  But it's great to have her as a neighbor during the rest of the year.  And I love, love, love what she's done with the little rock house.