Banana Bread Recipe 2---Southern Living Magazine January 2005

Cream Cheese-Banana-Nut Bread/ Southern Living

From "Southern Living" magazine January 2005

Makes 2 loaves
Bake 1 hour, cool 40 minutes
Warm bread is YUMMY but to get perfect slices, let bread cool 30 minutes, and cut with a serrated knife.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups mashed bananas ---about 4-5 medium bananas
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4 inch loafpans.Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing. May optionally bake muffins instead---spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degree for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes.

Another option---BESTPrepare bread batter as above and spoon into desired pans. Stir together 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp melted butter, and 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Bake and cool as directed.

Banana Bread Recipe

I thought I would share the Banana Bread recipe I used this past week. Actually, I have a couple I like and this one in particular comes from a recipe book I've had a long time, A Taste of Georgia. It's the simple, straight-forward one. To me, the very best is from The Southern Living Magazine and I couldn't locate it this week, so I resorted to the simple one here below.

Banana Bread

Oven---300 degrees for 1 hour

Yield---1 large loaf or 2 small loaves


1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups flour--all purpose
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of nuts, pecan or walnuts ( I prefer pecan, and for us Southern girls we say PEE'can, not PaCON' ~~~~~~~ LOL---just had to add that as my hubbie is from Chicago and we say that differently)

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well after each. Add mashed bananas, flour, soda, vanilla, and nuts Grease and flour 1 large or 2 small loaf pans. Pour dough into pan. Bake for 1 hour or until brown at 300.

I actually tripled (x3) the entire recipe and it made exactly the 6 loaves as in the pic. I used the one time use metal pans.

I really like the Southern Living Magazine recipe better. I'm going to try to find again and will post because it has a really yummy topping added to it and also has sour cream in it which gives it better flavor to me.
So, that's it! Pretty simple recipe but it is so good with coffee in the morning.
Another thought too is that I have made the smaller loaves (like muffin size but rectangular) and freeze them individually. They just don't last long even in the freezer here though!

Dreaming About Snow

I'm so excited looking at the weather channel now. Looks like we are going to get alot of snow!
There just is something about snow that seems to completely stop time here in Georgia. Everything looks clean, beautiful, pure, calm, peaceful, and brings out the child in me. I'm charging my camera to get ready for some good pics. My dream is to get Raven, Ruby and Tom together for a picture.......and of course someone would hold Ren for a fast pic. He even has a fleece-lined cord jacket with a hood; however, on second thought it might not fit the little feller any more because he has been eating too much table food lately!
I will be too excited to sleep tonight! I think we may get 3-6 inches. We'll see.
Meghan, I"m hoping you get snow too!!!! Reminds me of when we first moved here, I mean about 1 month later we had a 6 inch snow in about 2 hours. That was January 2002.

The Arthritis Daily Indicator

Ok, just looked at the weather on North Georgia Access website and it's so cool! (no pun intended). This explains my aching joints today. It's true I can tell the change of weather by changes in joint pain. I bet though if I wake up Sunday morning to complete ,white ,beautiful winter snow, that joint pain will get better right away! We usually only see snow like this about once a year if lucky so it's a BIG DEAL when it happens. I already have my thermals and boots ready to go out and play in it. .........of course, after taking my arthritis medication!

Not that anyone with arthritis would need to check a daily meter, but it's a cool thing to find on there. There is also a mosquito daily indicator. I guess having alot of mosquitos and arthritis on the same day could be pretty bad or I guess, if you think about it, swatting at mosquitos will give you plenty of exercise in those old joints.

I guess it's good for folks to have an arthritis indicator because if you live with someone that has it, then you can be on guard for some moodiness...........not that EVER happens to me LOL HEHEHEHE

Well, anyway, speaking of moodiness, we watched a good movie today from the library called Love Comes Softly. It has the girl.......in Grey's Anatomy, can't think of her name now.....anyway as the main character and the setting is sort of like Little House on the Prairie. Very good family movie. Life was hard back then but oh, so much more simpler. No one is text messaging and watching TV ........just simple hard work and life.

I'm so close to finishing the Dutch Alphabet Sampler that I can't stand it. I guess it's like running the last lap before the finish line. I have been measuring what size frame I will need and for the space and the size is odd~~ May have to get someone to frame this little pretty.

TGIF--Hoping for Snow on Sunday in the North Georgia Mountains

An hour of stitching in the left upper corner. It's really hard to get a picture its so small. The pattern said 30 count but it feels like 40 to me. The floss is silk.

Isn't it good to be Friday?~~

I can't believe March is just 2 days away. I've settled in after work and actually fixed breakfast for supper. We like to do that from time to time and it just tastes so good to me, especially grits. I LOVE GRITS! Its my comfort food. If there was only one food left in the world, let it be grits.

I'm listening to the Nancy Grace show tonight and the caveats in the case of Caley Anthony. This case just intrigues me to no end. I think there is so much circumstantial evidence and Casey Anthony, the mother, just keeps the circus going, lying to police and making up stories. I hope this ends at some point and justice is served. I hope this is not another cold case.

I think there is something that just doesn't add up with the brother Lee Anthony. My hubbie, the Body Guard, has said that from day one. Interesting.

Anyway, I hear there may be snow on Sunday. What a change in weather here!. It rained all day long. Now it looks quite foggy here in the mountains. I'm ready for that 4 inch snow on Sunday and Monday the weather man predicts. BRING IT ON! My pantry is full. My stitching basket is full. Oops, gotta get some more firewood this weekend.......then I'll be ready for a 3 day snow in. I want to get a picture of snow around a bunch of daffodils that just bloomed in my yard. That would be awesome.

I have to get to laundry and it will take all weekend. I put laundry off until I have completely run out of clothes, just about because I just do not like the chore of laundry. I'm sorting them out in the hall and my blind Ren will just love to bury himself in them. I have to shake them good so I don't mistakenly put him in the washer too.

And dusting......like where does all that stuff come from???? Looks like snow on the inside now! lol

As far as stitching, I started another project ~~~ yes, I have so many now, I just rotate them. Anway, I left my current one in the car and it was about 12 midnight and I couldn't sleep, so I popped out one from The Scarlett letter, a miniature sampler that I had for a long time but had not started. I didn't realize it was a one over one pattern and even if I didn't want to do one over one, I had to in order to use the linen and scant amount of floss they kitted together. I literally had a headache and could not count my stitches because the count of the material is so small and the floss color was so close to the linen color. I will stop this one and sell on ebay. Cross stitching is a hobby and a relaxing one at that. When a design is so hard that I am that frustrated, its time to move on to another one. This is my 2nd experience with The Scarlett Letter samplers where kitted floss is too short, another frustration. That's ok, I have enough projects to last me until the nursing home!!!! LOL

Off to searching recipes for Corned Beef and Cabbage. I have never cooked this before but like the taste and I got the ingredients and plan to cook tomorrow, probably finishing it with the slow cooker.

Jennifer

Found a good website today

I found a good blog/website for support and information/education regarding violence against women. Why did I look at this today??? No particular reason, except that I am a survivor of several violent crimes in the distant past and from time to time look for support resources and education sites. With the stress in our society, I think violence against women is rising. Of course, the media makes it more reportable now and there is more awareness. There are long term effects from violence including PTSD which sometimes excludes oneself different from the world. This site looks pretty good at giving good information on triggers and grounders.

http://www.freewebs.com/healingminds/kindsofabuse.htm

Please browse through it and make yourself aware. Women's health has been my career for about 20 years now and so my interests are more from not only personal experience with domestic violence in the distant past but also observing the effects from hundreds of women as they face each day trying to escape the aftereffects. I believe that this has a profound effect on women's physical health and more ways to intervene should be explored.

If anybody else has good websites they know of, please share!!!

Tuesday Feb 24, 2009

No sleep again last night. Our Labs have decided to have a Bark Fest 2009 now....of course only when it's dark outside. I took the banana bread to work and had WAY too much coffee with it this morning. I mean after clicking my pen over and over, walking the hallways chronically and typing a mile a minute, I figured....wow, I need to drink more DECAF! LOL

I'm waiting for the Obama speech tonight. I just simply don't agree with his ideas. I don't agree that America has gotten into the economy fix we are in because of banks or mortgages. I think our society is just plain greedy now-a-days. No, not everybody is that way but alot of folks are just plain greedy. I mean, if you can't afford a 350, 000 dollar home, don't borrow money for that. Find something that fits your means. I"m trying not to get on a sermon here but from what I have observed and experienced the new generation X or so to speak has no concept of that principle. Remember the days of "lay-a-way"? I remember the days when you progressively obtained things as you earned them not the other way around. The principle theme now is "Oh, I will just borrow thousands of dollars, oh no, hundreds of thousands, and then I will figure out how to pay for it later..." Well, think that way if you want to but guess what? It's painful to pay back. Even if we have better ethics, we are all paying for this attitude.
I read on the Internet as one of the headlines today that the average out of pocket medical expense per American next year will be $8,000 per person per year. Oh, but if we follow Obamas plan we will all be encouraged to just get unemployment and Medicaid will pay better. I heard today his new reformed mortgage solution is that if people don't pay x 3 months on their mortages then the banks will have to make a plan for repayment and then after the 3 months will give 1000 dollars a month towards the new mortgage. Excuse me but I think we will all be just foreclosing if this happens because it is enabling Americans to just keep not acknowledging that you have to live within your means. More money for unemployment and Welfare is again rewarding negative. Now, don't get me wrong, federal programs are good if used appropriately for a short time to assist but not a lifetime career for Goodness sakes. I see it all the time. Folks don't know what their means are. Now, you have to fit a certain model to fit in, to have friends, to be American. Oh this really is so not American anymore.
Ok, I see the President has arrived and now we must listen to an hour of........"where's the bottom line??" and one more thought on this............Michelle Obama, PUULLEAZE get some lipstick!!!! LOL

The Nanner Bread is Done

Progress this week so far on the Dutch Alphabet

My banana bread turned out Yummy! I always try to freeze some; however, most of the time we eat it or take it to work within a week or two..........guess what's for breakfast with hot coffee in the morning???

Monday Musings

My stitching and TV chair is calling me.............

New Country Sampler magazine....lots of ideas in those!!!
My new (or really old) quilted bunny pillow I got Saturday at a thrift store. Spring come on!

Got some bananas for a deep discount tonight while at the store. I am going to make banana bread and freeze it/ take some to work tomorrow. They keep asking me there "when are you going to make us some more banana bread?" Well, here it comes! I guess you could say that's job security!!! LOL just joking..... which is really not anything to joke about but you know what I mean!!!

Ren with his order of fahitas, of course, loaded with onions and bell peppers......OMG, we will be taking him out alot tonight.

Awake at 5am this morning~~~~~ I don't know exactly why that happened but anyway, dozed another hour before the alarm went off and up and Adam with the typical routine of Monday. Work has been exceptionally slow, so the day was long. After work I had some leftover steak from yesterday, so we fixed steak fahitas and Ren enjoyed his fahita as well.

Well, off to make some NANNER BREAD!

Life's Lessons Poem

Life's Lessons

I learn, as the years roll onward
And leave the past behind,
That much I had counted sorrow
But proves that God is kind;
That many a flower I had longed for
Had hidden a thorn of pain,
And many a rugged bypath
Led to fields of ripened grain.

The clouds that cover the sunshine
They can not banish the sun;
And the earth shines out the brighter
When the weary rain is done.
We must stand in the deepest shadow
To see the clearest light;

And often through wrong's own darkness
Comes the very strength of light.
The sweetest rest is at even,
After a wearisome day,
When the heavy burden of labor
Has borne from our hearts away;

And those who have never known sorrow
Can not know the infinite peace
That falls on the troubled spirit
When it sees at least release.
We must live through the dreary winter
If we would value the spring;
And the woods must be cold and silent
Before the robins sing.

The flowers must be buried in darkness
Before they can bud and bloom,
And the sweetest, warmest sunshine
Comes after the storm and gloom.

Unknown Author

This poem is a favorite of mine. Someone handwrote this and gave it to me at my son Aaron's funeral in 1985. They only wrote the 1st stanza of it and I didn't know until about 10 years ago when I was reading a poetry book at Barnes and Noble that there was lots more to the poem.