Week 10, 2-28-16

Best-laid plans - you know the rest.  I did accomplish a bit of Tidying, but at Brother Sonny's house.  My Thinning turned into a pound gained.  Oops!  

I used to read some books that featured a Mexican detective who always said, "Oh, well. Tomorrow is also a day."  That's my motto right now and will continue to be for one more week.  Then just watch my steam.  Wish I could remember that author.  Loved those books.

Thrifting:  Remember the outfit from last week with the parrot shirt?  I found the perfect bag for it at Goodwill - $3.  The colors don't match in the photo, but in reality, they're perfect.

Tales:  I finished the second Covington series book and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The next book is ready for pickup at the local library and it came from Tulsa, OK.  We're blessed with a consortium (is that the right word?) called Mobius which brings me books from all over. 

This is the second book.  Coming up - The Heart of Covington.

In the meantime, I'm reading a book recommended by one of the ladies from Five on Friday called Moonlight Over Paris.  I think I should have read the other two books by the same author first, but too late.  When I saw "Paris" in the title, I said, "Gotta read that."  And if you haven't yet discovered Five on Friday at www.lovemademyhome.blogspot.com,  you should take a look.  Bloggers from all around the globe share five things from their prior week. You'll see the names to click on at the end of Amy's Five on Friday post.  A wonderful way to get a peek at how others live.

Time for others:  My neighbor and friend, Steg, clears my driveway of snow, and I make banana bread and almond soup for him as often as I can.  This week it was banana bread, and I thought you might like the recipe.  It's a wonderful way to use those overripe bananas.

BANANA BREAD

3 small very ripe bananas

1/2 cup shortening or oil

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Heat the oven to 350°.

Blend together the bananas, shortening or oil, and eggs.

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and then gently fold them into the banana mixture. 

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake 40-45 minutes.  Cool before cutting.

The original recipe says to bake in a 9 x 9 square pan sprayed with non-stick spray and then cut into squares.  Adjust baking time.

Steg comes up with something he's eaten and then my job is to duplicate the recipe.  I found this on the internet, and then discovered that I've been making it for years, but with 1/4 cup less flour and calling it Banana Snack Cake.

Friend Joey told me about another recipe for using overripe bananas. It's Banana Coffee Cake.

I'm going to adapt this recipe to my taste, and if I like the result, I'll post it.

Tasting:  We celebrated friend Joey's birthday with lunch at Nearly Famous.  They have wonderful food, friendly and efficient staff, and allow us to bring in a birthday cake.  We actually had a pre-birthday cake, because her real cake comes when they have the Cousins Birthday Celebration.  Joey and her sister Kathy, plus their cousins Billie and Larry plus all the spouses (eight in all) go out to dinner, then to the home of one of the cousins for birthday cake and coffee.  They take turns, so each cousin couple hosts twice in a year. The cousin couple makes the birthday cake.   

Here's the pre-birthday cake:

I just wish I could find a serving plate to fit a 13 X 9 baking dish cake.  I try a different pattern each time.  Sometimes I also use pecans.

And here's the recipe:

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

                This recipe is a collaboration between Betty Crocker, Brother Dan, and Moi

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs butter

1 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 20 oz can sliced pineapple in heavy syrup

1 jar small whole red maraschino cherries

1 small pkg pecan halves (optional)

1 Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme Cake mix

1 cup Dole (not from concentrate) pineapple juice

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

Place the 1/4 cup butter in a 13 x 9 glass baking dish.  Melt in oven while preheating to 350°.

When butter has melted, sprinkle brown sugar over evenly and using a fork, smooth so entire bottom of pan is covered.  When pan has cooled, spread the remaining 2 Tbs butter over the sides of the pan.  If you get a few sugar crumbs on the sides, no problem.

Put the pineapple, cherries and pecans (if using) decoratively on top of the brown sugar.  The cake will be flipped, so be sure to put the side you want showing next to the sugar.

Put cake mix, juice, oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer on low, blend together; then beat on medium for two minutes.  Pour over pineapple and smooth evenly.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.  Get your serving dish ready.

Remove from oven and immediately place serving dish over top of cake and flip.  Leave the baking pan over the cake for 5 minutes to allow glaze to disperse.

Trying My Gadgets:  As we're into gadgets right now, when I bought myself a new one, I got one for friend Joey also. One step forward (Nu Wave oven) and one step back.  Doesn't it look like fun?  Maybe we'll find time to try them this week.  

Things That Grow:  Due to time constraints, cold weather, and blustery winds, I didn't accomplish one thing in my yard or gardens this week.  I did, however, go to the Lawn and Garden Show with Brother Bill.  I thought you might like to see a few of the photos.

Chosen Brother Peter from the Botanical Center was creating and donating a painting.

The flowers

The butterfly house

The fun

The things I want

The hydroponics garden system would work in my garage (if I had room for it), but it's rather expensive ($800+) plus electricity for the light source.  On the upside, your produce is strictly organic and no dirt to wash off as the plants grow in only water to which you add nutrients (about $50 per year).  And the birds couldn't get to your strawberries.

I used to have a cookbook program called Around the World. They didn't upgrade for Windows 7, so I bought new cookbook software for my recipes.  New software comes with all kinds of bells and whistles I don't want, so I finally started just saving my recipes in a Word file.  If you'd like to try my method, here's a little -

Teaching:  You might want to highlight and print the instructions first so you aren't switching back and forth between windows.  My instructions are for Windows 7, but if you've upgraded, hopefully the method will be the same or similar.

We'll use the two recipes from this blog for examples.  First, go to the recipe for banana bread and holding the left click side of the mouse down, highlight the entire recipe (and photo, if you desire) from the top to the bottom.

Right click the highlighted area and a menu will open.  Left click "Copy".  

Open your Word program and on a new document, right click and a menu will open.  Left click on "Paste" - enter.

You should have a new Word document with the banana bread recipe.

Now left click the 4-color butterfly up in the top left corner.

Left click "Save as".  A new window will open.

Left click "My Documents", if you're not already there.

Left click on "New Folder" on the light blue bar toward the top.

A new folder icon will appear with the words "New folder" inside a white box.

Key in "My Recipes" - enter.

Double left click "My Recipes".

A new window will open.

Left click "New Folder" again.

Key in "Breads, Quick" - enter.

Double left click "Breads, Quick" and another window will open.

Look toward the bottom at the file name "Road to Hana Banana Bread".  If you like this name, just left click "Save" at the bottom.  Otherwise, you an put your cursor on the name and change it to whatever you wish.

Now left click the top left corner butterfly and left click "Close".

Now left click the butterfly again and choose "Open".

Scroll to "My Recipes" and left click.

Now left double click "Breads, Quick" and there's your recipe.

Close Word and let's do another.

Highlight the recipe for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Right click and "Copy".

Open Word.

Right click and "Paste".

Left click the butterfly for the drop-down menu.

Left click "Save as".

Double left click "My Recipes".

Left click "New Folder"

Key in "Cakes" - enter

Double left click "Cakes".

Change file name by adding -DOWN CAKE.

Left click "Save" at the bottom.

Left click the butterfly.

Go down and left click "Close".

Left click the butterfly and choose "Open".

You should see at the top:
My Documents - My Recipes - Cakes - and down below Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Think of it this way:
     File Cabinet = My Documents
     File Divider = My Recipes
     File Folder = Cakes
     Recipe in the file folder = Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Now left click "My Recipes" and there are your new file folders:  Breads, Quick and Cakes.
If you open a folder, there will be your recipe.

Let's try another.  Highlight the Cherry Chocolate Cake recipe.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 eggs, beaten

1 box devil’s food cake mix

1 can cherry pie filling

1 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan, or two 8” or 9” round cake pans.

Mix all ingredients well, using electric mixer.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes.

When cool, frost with Pudding Frosting using chocolate pudding and a little maraschino cherry juice, or cover with Chocolate Ganache.  You can also make a torte with white chocolate pudding frosting and some of the cherries from an additional can of cherry pie filling.  (Joey’s idea and a good one).  If you make the torte, put frosting on first layer, then pie filling, then more frosting before adding second layer.  This will make cutting easier.

Right click to "Copy".

Open Word.

On a new document, right click and "Paste" - enter.

Left click the butterfly for the drop-down menu.

Left click "Save as".

Open "My Recipes".

Open "Cakes".

"Save" the recipe.

Left click the butterfly and "Close".

Next week I'll show you how to print the recipe.  You can get it all messy and throw it away, because you can always print another. 

I'll also show you how to send the recipe to a friend.

So for now, try to do better than I've been doing with our health goals.  If you've forgotten them, check the posting from last week.

We scattered Brother Sonny's ashes over his beloved "Sonnyville" on Friday.  Now we just cherish the memories.

Bob is adjusting to his new family.  Such a good boy.  He doesn't jump on you, lick your face, or bark.  

SPRING IS COMING - LET'S PLANT THINGS!!!