Yep...Banana Bread

I had stopped making banana bread for sheesh, a long time, I guess I was just tired of it. But last Christmas my neighbor brought over some banana bread and I was like "oh how sweet, here kids, want some"? (cause I didn't) anyway they all raved about it so I tried some and.....loved it. There was something so smooth and simple about the taste and texture. I was hooked. Besides I liked making it in cans. Ok, so here it is.

Cream together: 3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

Add 2 - 3 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well and add

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (the secret ingredient)

Pour into 5 vegetable or soup cans. Now this next part is very important. Make sure that you forget to spray the cans with Pam so that you have to um.....

scoop out all the mixture and wash out the cans so then you can go back and spray them. It just makes for a more meaningful experience.

Okay, so you have now sprayed your cans and divided the ingredients into the cans. Now you just bake for 45-50 minutes on 350 degrees F.

Let them sit in the cans for about 10 minutes and then turn them over and give em a little pat on the backside and they should pop right out.

P.S. Keep your cans for the next time.

Twisted Garlic Bread Sticks

Twisted Garlic Bread Sticks-These are sooo dang good!!! Just beware they have the piranha effect on men and small children, I set them out and in no time they were ALL gone. :)

2 1/3 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
6 cups bread flour (give or take)
2 tablespoons melted butter+ extra Parmesan and Italian Seasoning

1-Mix all ingredients but the flour and butter, and let the yeast dissolve. Slowly add the flour about a cup at a time and knead it. If you have a kitchen aid or bread maker- use it. Let the dough rise for about 20-30 mins then roll out on a lightly floured surface. Brush melted butter all over the top and sprinkle on extra Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.






2-Use a pizza cutter to make even strips.













3-Twist your strips and place them on a lightly olive oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for about 15 min (maybe it was 20) and enjoy. I always put mine back in the oven on broil right before I serve them- this makes them more golden as in the picture and warm for the meal.








I just had to show you all this owl, he just sat there about 15 feet away and looked me right in the eyes. He was so beautiful, I could not help but take a picture.

Banana Bread

I've tried lots of different versions of banana bread.  But I have yet to find a recipe that tops the one that mom always made while we were growing up.  Anaheim Relief Society Banana Bread.  It's always moist, even if you leave it in the oven too long.  In fact, good things happen if you do leave it in a bit longer.  The sugars start to caramelize in the crust which brings out a really nice flavor.   I leave my bread in the oven up to 20 minutes longer than the recipe's recommended 60 minutes.  I'm sure we all have this recipe, but here it is again.  I forgot to take a photo of the finished loaves before we packed them up in our camper and headed to Florida.  I'm just lucky that I got the bread baked before we had to leave.

  Original recipe time is 1 hour.  Add up to 20 minutes for a darker crust.

To make your bread easy-peasy to take out of the pans line each one with parchment paper or wax paper.

Mix sugars and butter or shortening first, add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients and then fold in bananas and milk.








Remember that song that the muppets sing, called "Mahna-mahna"?  It's fun to sing when you eat your banana bread.  Just change up the lyrics a bit and sing "Banana bread, do-dooo-do-do do, banana bread, do-do-do-dooooo".

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Bakes in less than 5 minutes--Oh, yeah!

In a large mixing bowl, stir together:
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/2 Cup Warm Water

Let stand till it bubbles--about 5 minutes.
In another bowl, mix together:
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups White Flour

Whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour mixture into the bubbly yeast mixture until well blended.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise.... 

Until double in bulk--about 45 minutes.

Next add to the risen dough:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Warm Water
2 1/2 Cups of the Flour Mixture

Mix in Kitchen Aid or bread maker, or knead by hand, adding flour as needed...

Until the dough doesn't stick to the sides. 
Knead for about 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. 

Form into a ball and add oil to coat bowl and dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise.... 

Until double in bulk, about an hour. 

Punch down and place on floured surface. 

Divide into 8 sections... 

And roll each piece into about a 6 1/2 inch circle, or as close to it as you can.

I sprinkled corn meal on 2 sheets of parchment and placed 4 rounds on each. 
Cover with a dish towel for 30 minutes. 

When oven is at correct temperature, place each round onto baking stone, or directly on the oven rack is OK.

Bake for 2 minutes, then flip with tongs,  spatula, or a pizza peal,
And bake for 2 more minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on rack--repeat for the last 4 rounds.

Eight lovely Pitas--definitely worth the trouble!

Cut in 1/2, or for a deeper pocket, just cut a tip off...

And open up to fill with your favorite ingredients.

BREAD

Give us this day our daily bread....By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread....Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you....And thou shalt set upon the table bread before me alway....
Let's make some bread this week!

Etched Glasses and a Stow and Go Raceway

I made a couple of things for birthday gifts this week.  They both, in some way, have green elements to them, but not really.  It's probably a bit of a stretch.


Personalized etched pint glasses

Just about anything in your kitchen that's made of glass can be etched.  

Ashley from Make it and Love it made a great tutorial for the process.   

Stow and Go Raceway

The raceway is open and ready for hot-wheels action

rolled up with cars safely tucked inside

These are a few of my favorite "green" things!

Cabbage Salad:

1/2 head of cabbage

green onions sliced

1 pkg. ramen noodles

sesame seeds toasted

slivered almonds

Dressing:

1/4 olive oil

1/2 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

seasoning from noodle packet

pepper

My Green Tupperware Bowls

I really love these bowls. The big one there at the bottom is 42 cups. The smaller ones are great for just putting whatever in the fridge, and I didn't realize how much I needed these big ones until I canned tomatoes. And I also use them for tossing salads and then I transfer the salad to a smaller serving bowl. Anyway...love 'em.

Green Oobleck

Daniel's class made some green oobleck in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday this week. He's been having a lot of fun with it. It actually bounces!

Sorry, I don't have the recipe, but if your up for a good read, the book is called "Bartholomew and the Oobleck".

One last thing - Andrew and I have a favorite song, it's "21 guns" by Green Day. We like to crank it while were driving.

Chlorophyll Cocktail

Yes, even the banana is a little green, so let it ripen and use a frozen one!

My favorite ingredient for this drink is alfalfa, but spinach works just as well. (Oh, but I do miss my alfalfa patch!)


 Ingredients:


A big handful of alfalfa or spinach....

A smaller bunch of parsley...

Pineapple juice to cover the spinach and parsley...

Juice of one lime...

One banana....

And plenty of ice--blend until smooth.

Taste it. If it's not sweet enough, add some agave...














Or a little more pineapple juice. Even though this is a healthy drink, nothing's healthy if it doesn't get consumed!
Healthy food is allowed to taste good!

Enjoy this wonderful drink. If you have left-overs, it keeps just fine in the refrigerator for a couple of days in a covered jar--just shake it up and drink it down!