Best Banana Bread

My family adores banana bread.  I've tried a billion different recipes, but Pioneer Woman's is by far my favorite. First of all it does not include nuts- I don't like nutty or seedy bread.  Secondly, it makes a ton, & I mean a ton, of bread.  Which in my family means it will last two days instead of one.  I know I've directed you towards this recipe before, but I wanted to get it on the Mixing Bowl page so I thought I better post it.  The only thing that I add to this recipe is 2 teaspoons of vanilla, just 'cuz.  My extra drop of wisdom for this bread is this: use very, very brown bananas.  Wait till those babies look super dark & mushy, then they will make the perfect banana bread.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
2 sticks soften butter
1 1/2 + 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
4 1/8 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease & flour a bunt pan or two large loaf pans.
Cream butter & sugar.  Add vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time beating in between.  Mix in mashed bananas.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients & sour cream alternately, mixing in between.  Beat well until all ingredients are well combined, batter will be very thick.
Pour into pan & bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
Turn upside down on a cooling rack & allow bread to cool a bit before serving.  Enjoy!

Finally, Someone Gets It

I was grabbing a few things at the store the other day when I spotted this beautiful creation.  I swear, when I saw it angels began signing from heaven... or maybe that was me...that would be really embarrassing.  Anyway, kudos to the Tillamook cheese company for creating this beautiful blend of cheeses that sole purpose is to make one of the most amazing foods ever- mac & cheese.

I've not tried to make said dish yet, but I can't wait.  This combo of cheeses would make a mac & cheese that falls right in the middle of adult & child taste preferences.  Genius.  Thank you Tillamook for understanding me & creating this wonderful product.  (I'm pretty sure I'm the one they were thinking of when they formed this brain child, right?)

I Heart Craigslist

Since moving in I've been filtering through our stuff.  I had already gone through it when we packed it, but somehow I had not purged enough stuff then.  Now that we are settling in & are planning on being in this house for a long time I am getting rid of what we do not need.  Which happens to be a lot of stuff... notice how many times I said stuff in the last few sentences, yeesh, I'm so sick of stuff.  We had a garage sale & got rid of a few things, but not enough.  That's when I started using Craigslist for the first time.  It's so easy & I've made a good chunk of change in the last 3 weeks.  So far I've sold

 a chandelier

 a twin bed

 a vanity sink

 a computer hutch & chair

 a lightweight stoller

 a double stroller (Don't worry, we haven't decided if we're done having kids.  but I figure if I ever need a double stroller again then a stroller will be the least of my worries.)

 an end table

a trike.  And I'm still going strong.  I love getting rid of stuff.  I love it more when people come to my house & take it away.  I love it best when those people give me money for the stuff.  I heart Craigslist.

Mama's Mac & Cheese

Let me be clear on the title of this recipe.  I do not call this Mama's Mac & Cheese because my Mother made it.  It is not titled after a person who created it, but rather the person I make it for... ME!  Generally when I make mac & cheese in my home I cater it to my youngin's.  Which means it is mild, good old fashion made with American cheese mac & cheese.  While I love typical mac & cheese, it is after all one of the matriarchs of comfort food, sometimes I want something a little richer.  I want a mac & cheese with more flavors & flare.  Enter Mama's Mac & Cheese.  I make this purely for me.  I love the richness of this dish.  I love how the flavors compliment each other.  I love that I have to go out & buy special cheese to make this scrumptious meal.  Join my on the adult mac & cheese revolution & try whipping this up.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
4 cups Macaroni
12 Tablespoons Butter (Salted Butter)
1 whole medium onion diced
4 slices bacon diced
1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
1/2 cups Half-and-half
Salt to taste
1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
3/4 cups Grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Goat Cheese
1/3 cups panko crumbs (Japenses style bread crumbs)
1/8 cups chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni to al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Fry bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel & set aside.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and then sauté onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown & edges re a little black. Set aside.
Warm milk in microwave for a few minutes.  In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute until foamy & turns light brown.  Make sure to do this step to the fullest as to cook out all the flour taste. Slowly pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low.
Add cheeses reserving ¼ cup of the parmesan and stir until melted. Add salt to taste.  Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.  Stir in panko crumbs, remaining parmesan, parsley, onion and bacon.
Pour cheesy noodles into a baking dish and top with the panko crumb & bacon mixture.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

Table Fixin's

A few nights ago I hosted my first dinner party in our new home.  Of course the guests had to sit next to a pile of pictures I've yet to hang.  And if they used the main floor bathroom they had to come into the kitchen to wash their hands.  But nonetheless, we gathered, we conversed, & we ate... fried chicken, tons & tons of chicken that I fried in my new pan.  It's a good thing that the dinner only encompassed my immediate family & only two new people were exposed to our half finished house.  We were celebrating my little brothers engagement & I loved using my kitchen & having plenty of room for everyone to hang out in.  Naturally my table needed a little embellishing to make it dinner party worthy.  I usually leave it bare like this because my kiddos will quickly destroy any decoration I may leave on there for an extended period of time.

This is what I came up with.  My twins needed something to do, so I sent them out in the yard with a bucket & told them to collect pretty Fall leaves & pine cones to decorate the table with.  They liked being part of the project & told all the guests how they helped.  Best part about this decor is that it's mostly free.  I already had the decorative balls, candle holders & antique insulators.  We just laid it all out in a line & it looked lovely.  It even was aesthetically pleasing when the leaves started to dry up the next day, a perfect Fall table.

I used electric candles instead of the real deal.  It's just safer with my brood that way.  My friend Jami had given me the idea of putting an electric candle under antique insulators a while back.  I had been dying to try it & I think it looks great.  I have a ton of these insulators & never quite know how  to use them, this was a perfect solution.  The table looked great & it was so easy, plus its laid back enough that little ones can help.  If you have any good Fall table decorating ideas let me know!

Comfort Food: Meatloaf

There's nothing better that a good hearty dinner of meatloaf & mash potatoes.  It's filling, holds the title of comfort food (in my book anyway) & is yummy.  And since I make it, you can be assured that it's easy to prepare.  Many times I'll make a double batch & freeze one uncooked loaf.  Then when I have an evening when I can't cook I just thaw it out & pop it in the oven (I also do this with hamburgers).  The key to meatloaf is two fold: 1) keep it simple & basic, don't try to fancy it up 2) bake it on a broiler pan so that liquid can drain & you get that nice crispy outer layer.  So, whip up a batch of meatloaf.  Accompany it with some mashed potatoes, a veggie, & dinner rolls & no one will walk away disappointed.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
1/2 pound sausage
1 pound ground beef/elk/deer
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 slices bread
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 medium onion, diced
Ketchup Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
Mix well all ingredients together.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place bread in a bowl & pour milk over the top, set aside.  In large bowl mix remaining ingredients using your hands.  Once bread has soaked up all the milk add to the meat mixture & mix well.  Lightly spray broiler pan.  Form meat mixture into a ball inside the bowl.  Transfer to the broiler pan & form into a loaf shape.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Coat with ketchup sauce & continue to bake for another 30-45 minutes.  Slice up & serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Favorite Spot (today anyway)

I'm in the midst of unpacking & decorating our new house& often find myself frustrated.  I'll get an area picked up & looking good only to have it drowned by a pile of boxes & bubble wrap thirty minutes later.  I'll dig through & deplete one pile only to find another pile around the corner waiting to be unpacked.  Needless to say not one part of my house is completely finished... close, but not completely.
That's why I love this spot.  It's a small spot in front of a set of sliders that act as our front door, because our front door is in a really weird spot.  Since it's in front of a door no piles can accumulate there.  This is the only place in my house that always looks nice.  It's got minimal furnishings, so it's hard to trash.  The sun shines through the windows most of the day.  The big Oregon grape bushes right outside are covered in berries & look delightful.  I love how the rug & curtains compliment each other.  I dig how the chair I found at a garage sale years ago contrast with the curtains.  This spot is right by my desk & kitchen so I look at it often.  Many times during the day it is the constant that keeps me sane.  Thank you little spot for always looking so lovely.