Yes, it's another birthday... and another, and -- yes, another...
Today is my oldest daughter's birthday - 21 candles; so hard to believe because I can remember her playing with my toes while I made her supper (age one). She is an amazing artist and is in her third year of university (Fine Arts -- no surprise there!)... We went out to this great retro steak house tonight and now she is at the bar with her Dad (they share the same birthday!) having a birthday cocktail. My younger daughter is tending bar tonight!
Bananas...
Good thing we have these celebrations to ease our way through the winter blahs! I am definitely NOT a winter person lol :) I do love to look at the hoar frost and pristine white landscapes from inside my warm car or warm office etc. Also is nice to get home, put on my tank top and shorts and bake something comforting. here is my recipe for Banana Bread -- simple and so good; this is especially delicious right outta the oven with some dairy butter mmmm.... hope you will bake some and enjoy it this weekend xo.
Pam's Banana Bread
4 medium-size mashed ripe bananas
1 cup granulated white sugar (or 1/2 cup Splenda plus 1/2 cup honey)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter or canola oil
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 cups sifted flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix sugar, eggs and mashed bananas. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, salt, butter (or oil) and walnuts. Combine flour with soda and baking powder, stirring into wet mixture just to combine. Grease Pyrex loaf pan with softened butter and fold in batter.
Bake for 1 hour, testing at 50 minutes for doneness. If loaf is still moist in the middle at one hour, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 5-7 minutes at the reduced temperature. Remove loaf from oven and invert on wire rack to cool, removing from the loaf pan (loaf will pop right out easily).
Enjoy!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
February 8, 2010
Season of LOVE; muys caliente
We are enjoying an unusually mild winter -- today the skies were a brilliant robin's egg blue that is more typical in mid summer, certainly not in February! I am soaking up each golden ray like a lazy cat. Local papers quote Dr. Doug Barber's concerns about the polar ice caps' rapid melting -- it appears this is happening far quicker than even the worst case scenario predicted!
NO Fear!
Maybe I am naive, but I think that humanity has far less physical control/effect on the world climate than is calculated/hypothesized. Our Earth is a living, moving, morphing creation; always recreating itself -- I think the rapid speed of communication has just made us all more aware of one another and what is happening around the globe. Climate change is a given -- to exist in static mode would be to negate life as we know it.
Taking care each day
Don't get me wrong -- I do my part to take care of our world. An avid recycler and hater of over-packaging, litter, and commercial excess, I value a nature-based lifestyle. I also believe that all of the good little bits add up -- don't be freaked out that you can't move mountains, and that there is so much that needs to be done, just follow your instincts for wholeness and goodness and do what you can to make a positive difference each day.
A little love, from my kitchen
My little bit of relaxation this evening is making my Valentine cookie dough -- this recipe, which I will share with you, is wonderful and is from my Marvelous Mother Martha (MMM), baker/chef/parent extraordinaire! While my dough is chilling, I am writing to you. Hope you will try these and share a little love and goodness with those in your immediate circle -- I usually bake them one night and decorate the next to make it less arduous. I put in long days and I am up before the sun (which is still significant, even in winter months), so I try hard not to extend my waking hours too often.
MMM's Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1-3/4 cups granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. fine sea salt
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground coriander (my personal addition to this recipe - optional)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
5 cups flour (approximately)
Cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in spices, baking powder, salt, soda and cream of tartar. Gradually mix in the flour. Place the dough in container with a tight fitting lid and chill in fridge for 1-1/2 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4" thickness. Cut out cookies with heart-shaped cutter. Bake for 8-10 minutes -- should be light golden, but not browned so watch carefully the last few minutes.
Yield: about 8 dozen medium size cookies -- happy baking and Happy Valentines Day xo xo!
NOTE: I usually do a couple of dozen of these with red sugar sprinkles applied before baking -- a little plainer for those watching sugar intake. The remainder I frost with simple hard icing made from 2 cups icing sugar, a few teaspoons hot water, colouring and and flavoured extract -- such as lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, almond. I usually make 2 or 3 different icing types in assorted pastel colours to make a more exciting presentation.
We are enjoying an unusually mild winter -- today the skies were a brilliant robin's egg blue that is more typical in mid summer, certainly not in February! I am soaking up each golden ray like a lazy cat. Local papers quote Dr. Doug Barber's concerns about the polar ice caps' rapid melting -- it appears this is happening far quicker than even the worst case scenario predicted!
NO Fear!
Maybe I am naive, but I think that humanity has far less physical control/effect on the world climate than is calculated/hypothesized. Our Earth is a living, moving, morphing creation; always recreating itself -- I think the rapid speed of communication has just made us all more aware of one another and what is happening around the globe. Climate change is a given -- to exist in static mode would be to negate life as we know it.
Taking care each day
Don't get me wrong -- I do my part to take care of our world. An avid recycler and hater of over-packaging, litter, and commercial excess, I value a nature-based lifestyle. I also believe that all of the good little bits add up -- don't be freaked out that you can't move mountains, and that there is so much that needs to be done, just follow your instincts for wholeness and goodness and do what you can to make a positive difference each day.
A little love, from my kitchen
My little bit of relaxation this evening is making my Valentine cookie dough -- this recipe, which I will share with you, is wonderful and is from my Marvelous Mother Martha (MMM), baker/chef/parent extraordinaire! While my dough is chilling, I am writing to you. Hope you will try these and share a little love and goodness with those in your immediate circle -- I usually bake them one night and decorate the next to make it less arduous. I put in long days and I am up before the sun (which is still significant, even in winter months), so I try hard not to extend my waking hours too often.
MMM's Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1-3/4 cups granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. fine sea salt
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground coriander (my personal addition to this recipe - optional)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
5 cups flour (approximately)
Cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in spices, baking powder, salt, soda and cream of tartar. Gradually mix in the flour. Place the dough in container with a tight fitting lid and chill in fridge for 1-1/2 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4" thickness. Cut out cookies with heart-shaped cutter. Bake for 8-10 minutes -- should be light golden, but not browned so watch carefully the last few minutes.
Yield: about 8 dozen medium size cookies -- happy baking and Happy Valentines Day xo xo!
NOTE: I usually do a couple of dozen of these with red sugar sprinkles applied before baking -- a little plainer for those watching sugar intake. The remainder I frost with simple hard icing made from 2 cups icing sugar, a few teaspoons hot water, colouring and and flavoured extract -- such as lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, almond. I usually make 2 or 3 different icing types in assorted pastel colours to make a more exciting presentation.
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