Monday Musings--a compilation of home working

Monday started with Banana bread breakfast this morning.

 

I baked a DOUBLE recipe of Banana Bread Friday and here is how fast is flies.

Out of the oven

 

24 hours later

and 48 hours later...........it goes fast!  That's why I doubled the recipe. It is a simple one I found in a very vintage recipe book from 1979. The name of it is "Think Christmas" and was compiled and published by The Junior League of The City of Washington, Inc. I've had it for about 5 or 6 years now found in a junkin' store.

 

 I really needed a few more bananas but I made do with what I had.

 

The basic recipe is :    (remember to double if making it in a cake pan)

1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2 eggs, well-beaten
3 large bananas, mashed or 6 small ones
1 tsp of baking soda
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I used pecans)

If using for only this recipe and not doubled,

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Cream sugar and butter
Add eggs and bananas
Add sifted flour and soda
Add nuts and mix well
Pour in greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Now, when I doubled it, then I poured all this in a tube pan and baked at 300-325 instead for about 1 hour 10 minutes or so.

Makes great dessert, or a breakfast bread or a good midnight snack!!!! You can also freeze some of it.

On the stitching front, here is my progress on At Home with Jane Austen.............(designer, The Sampler Girl)

I finished the flower motifs and now on the last band of flowers at the end.

 

As for knitting, I have started and now have sections of a scarf I'm putting together with some serendipity.

 

I will combine all the sections. I found this wonderful FREE Chunky Lace Scarf pattern on You Tube over the weekend and it's a 6 row repeat.

 

Here is one section of the 6 rows. It makes a lovely scalloped pattern. I will do another row or two of this and decrease gradually to fit the gartered sections on each end.

 

 

I'm using straight needles for this because I don't have a 13 circular, I so wish I did!!!!!

I adjusted the pattern by decreasing by 10 cast on stitches and still this is a cramped fit on my 14 in straights.
I "unbunched" some stitches to show more of the lace pattern.

I would love to work this pattern on circulars in a shawl. This pattern practices ssk, ssk2p, YO, K, P.

You can find the pattern here  http://www.thecastingoncouch.com/ along with many others.
This is under freebies. It will also lead you to the You Tube tutorial. Please don't make the mistake of just Googling Cast on Couch as it also leads to some kind of porn videos.........wacko and not intended at all.

I like to follow her knitting as she knits like I do in English style.

Speaking of English style, there was a great replay of the last episode of Downton Abbey last night on PBS and another show for sneak season 4 previews. I LOVED IT. I didn't love watching the death of one of the main characters, Matthew, though. They said season 4 will start 6 months AFTER this happens, so next Sunday night we are glued to watch the new season start.

I hope by this time I am on to model stitching my Downton Abbey design. The colors I chose are so pretty. So, when I finish this band of flowers on At Home with Jane, I will be picking up my design of Downton Abbey pretty quickly. It's a large design. I plan to make some smaller designs from this series in between as well so stay tuned!

Keep calm and stitch on,
Jennifer

Good Eats and Treats

Hi Sweet readers!

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...... wait.......after lunch today some creatures were stirring.......

Miss Abbie got a new blanket for Christmas!

She even meditated on it today.

Before you get excited about the pattern.....I didn't knit it!  I found this blanket in ivory at a junkin store for 3 bucks. No stains or tears. It is perfect. I couldn't even buy the yarn for that so this is her present along with snackie treats this year.

On  Christmas Eve, she was rocking this for a few.......

She froze for about 15 minutes in one position so we took it off. :)

 

 

 

A big baked ham, cut in slices by the Mr. and I cut up some fresh sweet potatoes to make into a scrumptious sweet potato soufflé.

The recipe is simple but absolutely like dessert.

You bake it at 350.

While oven is preheating, cut up about 8 sweet potatoes after peeling them and washing. Slice and put in a pot on the stove top to boil for about 20 minutes. Drain them. Use enough sweet potatoes for 3 cups.
In a separate bowl put the well drained cooked sweet potatoes in, 2 tablespoons of vanilla flavoring, 2 eggs, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 stick of softened butter.
Use electric mixer and mix well.
Pour into a large casserole dish. I use a clear one.
Then in a smaller bowl make the topping.
Put in this bowl, 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, 1cup of brown sugar, 2 cups of chopped pecans and 1/2 stick of very soft butter. I use the mixer again to make a crumbly topping.
Then pour the sweet potato part in the casserole dish, take a large spoon and just pour the pecan topping  by big spoonfuls on the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
For the last 5 minutes remove and put small marshmellows on top then put back in oven for 5 minutes until light golden brown.

 

And watch it fly off the stove.

 

 

Acorn squash steamed. Of course you eat the inner part and it's sooooooooo good. The first time I ate these were when I met my hubbie.

 

 

I also cooked some seasoned green beans.

Tiny buttered Southern tea biscuits....this was what was left of 12.

 

And today putting away all the Christmas décor into closets and cleaning up the mess afterward of just taking it easy yesterday.

 

Gathering all the Christmas stuff from our tree was easy. I just had a 3 foot silver tree out.

Pick it up and into the closet!

 

 

Although the tree was small, we had many blessings to be thankful for.

 

I made some progress on my "girly" thick scarf.

 

I'm using number 13 glass straights.

 

 

A little sparkle to go into the Winter months. I don't know why I'm doing this scarf in sections but I have. I think these will be the middle and then the ends will be chuncky lace sections.

 

Tonight working on some cross stitch while watching The Waltons, and then another long Winter's nap.

 

I hope you had a cozy Christmas too,

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from Fox Mountain

 

We hope each and every one of you have a beautiful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014!

 

Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. It's quiet here and getting a bit chillier as the sun goes down.

 

Just a little  tiny stitch for you if you need a special gift tag or something for your tree at the last minute or want to use up some scrap linen and threads.

 

 

 

Monday Mini Sampler no. 4

Christ's Eve

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2013

 

A crown for our King's birth and the light to show the way.

 

I hope you are happy, healthy and content

 

And in that way you stay!

 

Curling up with a Christmas movie,

Jennifer