I love crepes, and yet I have two major problems with them:

1. They are too expensive for something that essentially consists of flour and water;

2. They are never big enough.

Alright, this combo - discovered at an ice cream truck in San Francisco with Morgan - is really good.

And when you serve it to guests they will give you strange looks - ice cream with salt, maybe, but ice cream with salt and olive oil? Weird - and then they will eat it all, because it is amazing.

One caveat: while I'm usually in favor of corner-cutting in terms of ingredient fanciness, this is not the place to break out the bargain-bin ice cream or Costco olive oil. Go for the good stuff (including excellent-quality, large-flake sea salt); it's worth it.

My mother's banana bread is my default Thing To Make whenever I throw a party or find myself in need of a hostess gift. It's quick, it's easy, and - best part - it can be personalized with the addition of things like nuts and Nutella. My mom has had this recipe for years - decades, I think; it's written down on a little index card in a box that she's had since high school - and it's never failed me (other than once, when I accidentally undercooked it and ended up with banana bread on the outside and banana soup on the inside; don't do that).

What you need:

1/2 cup softened butter