WONDERFUL compliment

   As he was eating his dinner last evening, Brian looked over at me and said, "the stuffing is r-e-a-l-l-y good this time. You did a great job on it!"

   I must have been wearing a puzzled expression, because he went on with, "I thought you were over reacting more than a little bit on Thanksgiving, when you insisted that the stuffing had been bad enough, we should just dump all of the leftovers. I had thought it was "okay" and ate all I had taken. But now, after again eating this batch that you made Sunday, I get the difference. You nailed it this time! :-D"



   THANKS Brian!!! I love that you showed en-thus-si-ou-si-ous-si-asm! O;->

'Yum-A-Setta' posting ranked first place ;->

   Back on November 5th, Susan, from 'Permanent Posies - Creative Chaos', left this comment on our posting about 'Yum-A'Setta'.
   "Well...I was checking all my links to see who had the most hits and yours did. After reading it and rereading it, I see why. So, you don't mix your noodles into the meat....but just put them on top? I guess the soup keeps them from drying out? Don't you love to have an easy go to recipe to take to people? Can't wait to try it. I will feature you this week. Thanks for participating".
    I had linked that recipe up to her blog party titled "Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits". So many people clicked on my link-up to that party, that we not only scored in the top four of the group that had people click on their link, but we came in top place - #1!  WOW!!!
    As promised, Susan then high lighted us the next week, in THIS posting. Cool!
    Seeings how I had not been able to keep up that week and link that recipe to the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday blog parties like I had 'planned' to, I think I shall try to this week. It's such a simple but wonderful recipe, and it's not like I can personally make and take it to everybody out in blog land... o;-p
    We'd like to thank all of the people who helped us hit first place in Susan's party that week. We hope you have both tried the recipe for Yum-A-Setta, and that you have been glad you did!
                                                   

'Aunt' Billie's Banana Bread Recipe

    alternative title for this posting could be: "Cooking with Gaa_ _ ma" :-D !!!

   We had a whole slew of bananas in varying stages of what most people would dub as *'decay', so I decided to make Banana Bread. Analyse loves bananas, so I hoped she would also like banana bread. Oh my goodness did she!!! :-> To the point that one time when she had again asked for some after it was all gone, she walked over, held out her hand and said "take my hand Gaa_ _ ma. We cook more nanna bread!"  ;-p

   About the * by the word 'decay' above. When baking, the blacker the skins on your bananas have turned, the moister and more banana flavor filled, your end product will be. Honest!!! Yes, the inner part of the banana turns all mushy. And "yuckie" looking, as Analyse vividly pointed out (;-p!!). The yuckier the fruit is, the better your baked product will taste! (<-- Bonus Tip there ;->)

    I got this recipe for Banana Bread from my 'Aunt' Billie. I like it so much, that I refuse to try any other recipes for banana bread! I like it so much, that when I'm someplace else and I eat someone else's banana bread which doesn't measure up to hers, I'm tempted to offer them her recipe o;->.

   First step - add your sugar to your mixing bowl. (remember to use toothpicks to aid you in keeping track).

   Second - add your butter. Personally, I lay the sticks of butter on top of the sugar and microwave the bowl till the butter is melted.

    Third - add the eggs.

     "Just one more" - From adding eggs to a recipe, to watching episodes of one of her shows, Analyse's favorite/constant  line/request is,  "just one more".  o;-p

    Fourth - Smash the bananas. (Pastry blenders work great for this!)

   (No Cheerios(R) were allowed to stay in the batter o;-p)

    Fifth - mix the vinegar and milk together and let it stand for a bit.

    Sixth - Add the vanilla.

    Seventh - Add the flour, baking soda and salt. (No, I do not take the step to combine them first in a different bowl. Add half the flour. Dump the other two on top of it, mix them lightly together before mixing all of it in to the rest of the batter.)

    Eighth - Add the mashed bananas to the bowl.

   Ninth - Add the milk/vinegar mixture.

   Tenth - All ready to be put into the baking pans. :-D

   For the record, this size batch made nine (9) loafs.

   The bread is 'suppose' to bake at 350o for one (1) hour.
   
   IF your nose starts telling you that the bread smells done much earlier than that, do not argue with yourself over the matter. Go check!! Tis possible, that "somebody" turned the ovens temperature knob up "a bit" (100o) and your bread really is done ahead of schedule!

   Thankfully, the burned parts did not ruin the flavor of the whole loafs!!! (Thank-you Lord!!!). Removed the loafs from the pans, with-in three minutes of pulling them from the oven. Immediately cut off the burned parts, and then let cool.

    This process only took us three (3) hours. Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle. We were making the bread only a couple of days after both kids started living here... It took this grandma awhile to get use to again handling both an infant and a two year old. Mercy!!! Get this far, then Elliot wanted fed. Good, he's down for a nap. Back to the kitchen. Brain reminder - 'you MUST keep track of what Analyse is doing EVERY minute!'  Hear Elliot - "what's up with only taking a twenty minute nap little guy?"  Bring his bouncie seat into the kitchen and return to the task at hand. "Oh, you woke up so you could fill your britches, huh?" . . . I do believe that the process of taking three hours did help me enjoy the bread that much more! o;-p

    Here's a picture of (ADORABLE!) Mr. Elliot, being held by his tired daddy ;->

   BONUS TIP here --> Ms. Analyse thourally enjoyed thick sliced banana bread with peanut butter sandwiches, for lunch a couple of different days.

  And now for the actual recipe -
     Banana Bread
        the recipe comes from "Aunt" Billie D.

  (makes 2 loafs)

   1 cup Sugar
   1/2 cup Margarine
   2 Eggs
   1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
   3 Smashed Bananas
   2 cups Flour
   1 teaspoon Baking Soda
   1 teaspoon Salt
   1 Tablespoon Vinegar added to enough Milk to equal 1/2 cup
   1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

    Cream together sugar, margarine and eggs. Add vanilla then smashed bananas. Add flour, baking soda, salt and soured milk. Mix thourally.
    Bake in greased loaf pans at 350o for 1 hour.
    [ 10 to 12 minutes for muffins]
  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

  ~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven'  (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)'  (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
  ~  "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes'  (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).
 ~ "Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits", hosted by Susan, at 'Permanent Posies / Creative Chaos' (http://permanentposies.com/)
 ~ "Totally Tasty Tuesdays", are hosted by Mandy, at 'Mandy's Recipe Box' (http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace'  (http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/).
   ~ "Foodie Wednesday('s)", are hosted by Bibi, at 'Daily Organized Chaos' (http://www.dailyorganizedchaos.com/). 
   ~ "These Chicks Cooked Link Party", hosted by Katie L, at 'This Chick Cooks' (http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com)
 ~ "Full Plate Thursday('s)", are hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/).  
~ "Foodie Friday('s)" (shall we say # 1?), are hosted by "Gollum" (aka: Michael), at 'Designs by Gollum'  (http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/)  

I got chuckles and love from a friend ;-D

   Recently, my friend 'Jewels' stopped by, returning our cooler and pans.  Her mom had died within days of when Brian's mom had. We knew their pain, and had expressed our care.
   Surprisingly, when she'd gotten here, BOTH of the grand kids were asleep taking naps. That didn't always happen the way this grandma hoped. In-fact, after we had talked for maybe twenty minutes, Jewels left and I turned from the door to return to my lunch. But alas, I heard Mr. Elliot making noise. Guess he didn't want me to be lonely. ;-p
   A couple of hours later, I got around to opening the cooler, so that I could put away the pans and racks I knew would be inside. What I found on top of them made me laugh so-o hard!!!

             (Reminder - you can click on the picture to see it larger. When done, click the 'go back button' at the left hand top of your screen)

   Later, when I showed it to family members, some would chuckle, but others would just raise their eyebrows, questioningly like. Maybe it's not a 'guy thing'. Or maybe, they just don't relate to things the way that Jewels and I do. Because for me, her note and gift not only made me laugh, it gave me wonderful warm "fuzzes"!!!
    I had set both the note and the gift on the end of the dining room table. That way, every single time I passed by (which I have to to get from the living room to the kitchen and or bathroom), I saw them and smiled. And felt her love for me. Bliss!
    Part way through the next day, Ms. Analyse spotted them. She was as thrilled as I had been! She liked playing with Ga_ _ ma's bunny and it's "bed". She was enjoying it so much and being so-o darn cute about it, I let her play away. For several days. Smiling most the while. (Me, that is, smiling at her antics. Then again, she was smiling too, while playing with them. Double win! ;->)

    "The boys" still aren't so sure about my pink kitchen linens, and I'm o-Kay with that!!! o:-]

    THANKS Jewels!!!!!  You rock!