Not quite life handing one lemons and making lemonade, but...

So, I had this bunch of bananas going steadily overripe in my fruit bowl on the kitchen counter.  Actually, it was parts of two separate bunches; the original bunch I'd bought which started getting riper than the ripeness level Kiddo will willingly consume (she eats a banana each morning as part of her breakfast), and a second bunch I'd bought when the first bunch started getting too ripe so there'd be bananas for Kiddo to consume, with the assumption that Hubby, who isn't nearly as persnickety about what constitutes a too-ripe banana, would eat the remainder of the first bunch (he takes a banana in his lunch on days that he brings lunch to work).  What wound up happening was that Hubby didn't eat enough of the first bunch and the second bunch ripened alarmingly quickly, being, as they were, in such close proximity to the first bunch, and before I knew it, I had half a dozen bananas that were all way too ripe for anyone in the house to want to eat.  And by "anyone" I mean "Hubby or Kiddo" because I do not eat bananas.  Not in their original form, anyhow.  I have a thing about bananas dating back to when I was a child, and try as I may as an adult, I cannot overcome it and eat them plain and unadulterated.

I will, however, gladly eat them in an adulterated form, like, say, as banana bread.  Of course, to eat them as banana bread requires making the banana bread, which is what I decided I'd do.  I decided this right around when the insane heat wave started, though, as the bananas all had the unfortunate timing to edge perilously close to rotten just when the thermometer started racing up (and up, and up.  Didn't the heat wave realize where it was?  This is upstate New York, for Pete's sake!  We prefer to buy plane tickets and make hotel reservations to experience those kind of temperatures.  When we choose to, on purpose, paying good money to do so.  We don't like to just be subjected all willy-nilly to upper 90s in our own hometown, sheesh!!)  Who in their right mind wants to turn on an oven and bake things for an hour when it is freakishly hot outside?  No one in their right mind, that's who, and not me, either.  So, the bananas sat, going browner and browner, first in the fruit bowl and then in the fridge, until today when the heat finally dropped back down below 80 and turning the oven on didn't seem quite so laughable a thought.

I rescued my beloved, cobalt blue Kitchenaid stand mixer from its sad, temporary home in the bottom of my pantry, vowing to it once again that the moment our kitchen renovation is complete (neglecting to mention that the renovation won't even begin for another few years unless we win the lottery sooner than that), I will move it to a permanent place of honor, out on the countertop, so it will no longer have to languish behind the bag of dry cat food, nor will it have to practically give me a hernia every time I haul it out and up into the daylight to use.  I dug out my go-to recipe for banana bread, took a deep breath, fired up the oven and got to mixin'.

Here's the thing about banana bread: it smells better than any other thing in the world when it is baking.  Seriously.  The smell wafts all throughout the house, permeating every nook and cranny with that delicious odor.  Longer lasting than chocolate chip cookies, more powerful than brownies, less "have to be in the mood for it or it is icky" than bacon, there's just something about banana bread that makes it the best thing you can possibly bake in terms of making your entire house smell edible.  Within 15 minutes of me popping the pans into the oven, Kiddo surfaced from the lanai, nose sniffing away.  Hubby, downstairs in the office, noticed the wondrous smell as well.  Both of them began asking me "When will it be ready?  Is it ready yet?"  By the time I pulled the loaves out, we were all salivating heavily.

I wish that there was a Scratch-n-Sniff plug-in for the internet, because that would make this:

so much better.  Sadly, you'll either have to take my word for it, or hop in your car (or on a plane, depending on where you're reading this right now) and stop over for a slice of banana bread heaven.  We've only got a loaf and a half left now, so you'd better stop by soon.  Or, for a last option, buy too many bananas, let them get too ripe, and bake up a batch yourself:

Best Banana Bread in the World Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together 2 sticks butter and 2.5 cups sugar.  Add 6 overripe bananas, blend well.  Add 4 well-beaten eggs, blend well again.  In a separate bowl while the previous mixture is blending (I set my Kitchenaid around a 4 for this - medium/medium-low), sift together 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3 teaspoons of baking soda.  Add dry ingredients and (once again) blend well.  Pour into two greased loaf pans (you know, the traditional size "loaf" pans, though I have several and no two are the exact, same size).  Bake for about an hour - until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly.  Depending on the oven I've been using, this can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes, so I generally start checking the loaves for doneness around the 45 minute mark, then every 5 minutes thereafter.  Enjoy!!

Worst. Christmas. Song. EVER, Chuck E. Cheese Time, Best Comfort Food Dinner Recipe Ever and other, actually more important child-related stuff too

I suppose I should start out with the more important stuff before I begin to ramble. First of all, Kiddo's new sensory diet aide started this morning. I really like her from what little time I've spent with her thus far, the principal reported she received nothing but the most glowing, superlative-laden references and I was impressed with her first interaction with Kiddo when they met this morning, too. I'm feeling quite optimistic about this and that everything works out so that Kiddo has one, good aide doing a good job for the rest of the year.

Secondly, thank you for all your thoughts, opinions and suggestions regarding the little boy who rides home from school completely unrestrained and in the front seat. I did call the police via their non-emergency number and spoke to an officer. I was told that they cannot do anything unless I am reporting this occurring as it is happening. She said I'd have to see it happen, call 911 and have them send an officer. I explained that if I did that, the family would be well inside their house before an officer would be able to arrive. Not to mention I'm not entirely comfortable with the whole prospect of reporting it via 911 like that. So, I went to plan B - I spoke with the principal at the elementary school today. She is going to speak with the school's social worker and said she will also send home with every student a reminder about car riding safety, especially now given the start of our bad, winter weather season. (Considering that I skidded a slight bit going about 3 miles an hour around the bend up the road from my house in the snow-on-ice conditions we have right now, she's not kidding about the "bad" weather!) So, hopefully this situation will be adequately addressed and the little boy's parents will take better precautions in buckling him in safely in the back seat from now on. If the principal or any other school personnel witness it, they'd have to report it to CPS. I hope it doesn't come to that, but that the child is kept safe. Isn't that one of the greatest parental responsibilities we have? To keep our children safe?

In other child-related news, tonight is the night of the big Chuck E Cheese birthday party. All the kids were bouncing around the classroom this morning and the room was buzzing with excitement about the upcoming event. I think I may take a nap beforehand, so I am fully charged up before we head over there... I'll let you know how it all goes either later tonight or tomorrow!

Now, on to the first part of the title of this post. The Worst. Christmas. Song. EVER. While there certainly are a number of worthy contenders for this most dubious honor, in my humble opinion the worst of the worst is The Christmas Shoes. According to Wikipedia,

"In Tom Reynolds 2006 book I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've Ever Heard, he names "The Christmas Shoes" as the most depressing song in modern recorded music history."

I can most certainly agree with that assessment! Seriously, have you ever actually listened to the lyrics of this song?

I want to buy these shoes
for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

Oh my goodness gracious. I mean, not every Christmas song needs to be an upbeat and festive ditty about hauling out the holly, sleigh riding with jingle bells through a winter wonderland and rocking around the Christmas tree, nor does it need to be solely religiously based, like the coming of either all ye faithful or Emmanuel upon a midnight clear to a little town of Bethlehem away in a manger on a silent and holy night. But really? A little boy wearing clothes that "were worn and old" who was "dirty from head to toe" and who was counting "out pennies for what seemed like years" only to not come up with enough to buy his dying mother a pair of fancy shoes on Christmas Eve? Shoot me now, that is just too, too depressing. Depressing, treacly and manipulative. It's such a downer and so over the top that by the time the children's choir chimes in towards the end, I am ready to simultaneously weep, retch and throw myself under a bus. Oy.

To me, The Christmas Shoes goes far beyond the mere annoyance levels of songs like Feliz Navidad or novelty ditties which only are bearable when they are, in fact, "novel" (and the dictionary's definition of novelty is: "whose value is chiefly decorative, comic, or the like and whose appeal is often transitory"). So, yeah, I'll grant you that hearing Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer or the Chipmunks' Christmas Song too many times in a limited time frame can be too much, but The Christmas Shoes is just way too much. It is an immediate "turn the radio knob" thing for me, and I cringe if I'm somewhere where I don't have the power to block it out or switch it off, like a store or elevator (or is it the tenth circle of Hell?). When I hopped in the car at school this morning, I switched on the radio and heard just enough of that dreaded song to make me dig out my iPod posthaste for a little dreck-free holiday music instead. *shudder*

So what do you think, dear readers? Am I wrong? Does anyone care to defend the wretched Christmas Shoes? What is the worst Christmas song ever in your opinion? While we're at it, what's your favorite holiday song (or songs, if you can't narrow it down to just one)?

Speaking of you, dear blog readers o' mine, there's been a bit of discussion on the interwebz about comment etiquette. Preston and Andy have both touched on the topic recently on their respective blogs, and now I'm worrying that you all find me a rude blogger for not responding to you in my comments section... I know I don't always respond to every comment left on my blog via email either (though I try not to feel too bummed if the reason I can't respond is because the comment is left with a "noreply@blogger" instead of an actual email address), but please know that I'm not not responding because I don't love or appreciate your comments, I swear! I am a comment junkie up there with the best of them, and I do *heart* each and every one of you who responds to my posts!!

I am going to leave you with a recipe that I made last night. It is total comfort food and there's nothing better on a blustery, snowy night. This recipe is originally my mother's and I have been making it ever since I was old enough to have my own kitchen. I made it for my roommates in college - they loved it. I first made it for Hubby back when he was just Boyfriend and he loves it too. It is so yummy, although admittedly so not health food. (If you're one of those people who thinks healthy food, like celery sticks with a spritz of lemon juice, makes good comfort food, then just stop reading now. You won't like a thing to do with this recipe.)

Now, my mother's recipe is actually a variation on Shepherd's Pie. Growing up, we referred to this dish as Hamburger Pot Pie, and I've continued that tradition. Over the years, I've occasionally tried to "health" it up a bit, with various substitutions or even just to make it more "grown-up" than it is. It never comes out as good as the original recipe, so I've given up and now I make it just like my mom did thirty years ago. It is easy, not too time consuming, and a total one-dish meal. The leftovers (if there are any) honestly do taste even better the second night. (Holla, Kiki!) Here it is:

Hamburger Pot Pie

Ingredients:
ready-made pie crust
1 lb ground beef (I do buy the leanest ground beef I can find...)
1 can Campbell's condensed Vegetarian Vegetable Alphabet soup
instant mashed potatoes
your favorite cheese, grated
ketchup

Prepare pie shell according to package instructions (you know, poke full of holes with a fork and bake, let cool). Brown the ground beef and drain. (I toss a little garlic powder and some Italian herb seasoning in with it if I'm feeling really wild and crazy.) Add the can of soup, straight - DO NOT add any water to it - to the ground beef, then add a few generous squirts of ketchup (maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons - I just give the bottle two or three generous squiiiiiiiiirts) and mix. Cover skillet and let stand while you mix up the instant mashed potatoes (I usually make up the largest amount - the one that calls for two cups of water and two cups of potato flakes). Pour the hamburger mixture into the pie shell. Cover with the mashed potatoes. Generously sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the mashed potatoes and stick pie in the oven until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!!!

Now, if you are the kind of person who doesn't normally have instant mashed potatoes in your pantry because you only mash your own from organic sweet potatoes with perhaps a dash of ginger, this is not your kind of recipe. If your thoughts when I said "favorite kind of cheese" ran more to Gruyere or Jarlsburg or perhaps Vacherin Fribourgeois than to Cheddar or American, this is probably not your kind of recipe either. (My mom used to make this with extra-sharp Cheddar taken from a brick of cheese and sliced or grated by hand, I am a far lazier chef and buy the pre-shredded bags of cheese, and tend to use the Cheddar-Monterey Jack blend myself.) If you don't eat ground beef, do not, I repeat DO NOT attempt this recipe with any sort of substitution. It does not taste the same with ground turkey or any vegetarian meat substitute, sorry. Like I said, I've tried making a more adult version of this - substituting the ABC soup and ketchup for tomato paste, mixed veggies and orzo and swapping the cheddar cheese blend for mozzarella, but it just isn't as good. Nope, this is a tried-and-true, classic comfort food kind of a meal. Also exactly what I'll be having for dinner in leftover form tonight. Mmmmmm. (Have to have the leftovers tonight as I bought a pot roast at the butcher shop yesterday and I want to make that tomorrow.)

Oh, and speaking of the pot roast, I need to pick up some red wine for the recipe, so I thought I'd be all efficient and swing by the liquor store on my way home from Kiddo's school this morning, as there is a liquor store between there and here. Turns out that liquor stores aren't open before nine in the morning - who knew? Not me! Clearly I don't drink nearly enough to have this information! We only buy wine if we are having company over and/or if someone gives us a bottle, so whenever I have a recipe that requires wine (usually either pot roast or chicken French), I have to hit a liquor store for one of those teeny-tiny bottles that are only good if you're cooking or the sort of person who drinks in public out of a brown paper bag. So anyhow, now I have to head back out in the increasingly nasty weather on the increasingly slippery, messy roads and get my tiny paper bag of wine. Woot. Hopefully the store isn't playing The Christmas Shoes or I may be inspired to switch from Category A of tiny wine bottle purchaser to Category B!

More Monday Musings, including Giveaway Goodness

Hey y'all, doing my best to type here with my grievously injured finger. "What?!" you say? "Grievously injured?! Oh no!!"

Indeed, grievously injured. Sliced from the tip of my finger right down to the first joint. Sliced on the corner of a packing tape dispenser's cutting thingamabob, so it was nicely serrated and sharp. Yee-OUCH! (Which was decidedly not the word that came out of my mouth at the moment it happened. I was listening to Christmas music at the time and I think I made the reindeer blush brighter than Rudolph's nose with the bomb I dropped in that initial blaze of pain.) It cut deeply, too. Deeply enough that it began bleeding like the proverbial stuck pig and would. not. STOP. I wrapped it in a bandage wound tighter than a tourniquet and tried to get on with my day. Danged if it doesn't turn out that this finger is rather essential to my daily functioning.... I mean, it's on my dominant hand, but still, it isn't like my thumb or index finger. Nope, 'tis my middle finger. So not good. It does come in handy with the whole "enabling me to flip Hubby the bird whilst innocently pointing out my injury" though... When bandage number one fell off as I was shampooing Kiddo's hair, I noticed that it began bleeding again. Dagnabit. I was tempted to treat it with some Krazy Glue (in lieu of that actual liquid bandage stuff, of which we have a bottle but I couldn't find it anywhere) but refrained and re-dressed it with a Cinderella, waterproof bandage instead.

That was just the crowning glory of my later afternoon, mind you. I also had cat hairball barfings, grumpy and overtired Kiddo meltdowns and dirty kitty litter boxes to contend with. So not the way I'd envisioned my day going, I can assure you. Humph.

Annnnnyhoo, I had a craving for some chicken pot pie, so I whipped up a batch for dinner. I have a crazy easy recipe which I feel I must share because it is soooo delicious. Yes, even with my injured, essential-to-maintaining-a-decent-typing-speed finger, I will give you the recipe. THAT is how good this is! Here 'tis:

2 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 can cream o' chicken soup (I use the reduced fat kind that is 98% fat free)
1 small bag of frozen mixed veggies (I mean, you could use fresh veggies, but I'm giving you the EASY-n-LAZY way to do this)
1 box of cornbread mix (I usually use the Jiffy brand, but you know, any brand will do - cheap is good)

Okay, here's how you do it:

Saute the chicken pieces until cooked. (I do this with a little garlic and onion powder and a dash or two of pepper, plus a tbs or two of olive oil. However you want to season/cook your chicken boobs, go for it.) Nuke the veggies per cooking instructions, if they are slightly underdone that is fine. Heck, I've even done it with them still frozen.

In a glass baking dish (I use the 8x8 square, or double the recipe and do it in a lasagna pan), combine cooked chicken, can of soup and veggies, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, make the cornbread batter, adding a little extra milk (the recipe on the Jiffy box calls for 1/3 cup, I usually add closer to 2/3 cup) so the batter is slightly runnier than usual.

Pour the cornbread batter over the chicken/veggie mixture and bake at 400 deg (or whatever temp the cornbread box calls for) for 20ish minutes - you want the cornbread to be golden brown on the top and cooked all the way through.

Serve it up and it is a one dish meal of deliciousness! You can see where substitutions can be made to the basic recipe, it is quite forgiving that way.

During dinner, we listened to my copy of the giveaway prize for my big giveaway tomorrow. More about that at midnight! Yes, it is a musical prize, and it earned major thumbs up from Kiddo and parents alike!

So, after the delicious dinner, I gently carried my injured finger upstairs to finish up my SITSmas card for tomorrow's big event. I popped over to SITS to see what was up and lo and behold, I found out that the grand prize for tomorrow's big SITSmas event is

a $200 Target gift card!!!

WOO!

Now, I had the giveaway mojo going on strong for a while there, earlier this summer. That's what won me that adorable camera (love it!) and a Target gift card in back-to-back weeks. Then, I lost my mojo. Yes, I offered to pass it on to many of my less-winning SITStas, but when SITS did a big Blogathon back in October, I tried my hardest to conjure up my mojo again so I could win the grand prize that day. You know the prize.... a certain autographed photo of a certain George Clooney..... Yeah, that would be the prize I did NOT win. (sob sob) However, my mojo seems to've returned to me, as I eventually did win George when the Blogathon winner gave the picture away a couple weeks ago. So, now that George is safely home with me, I am hoping to crank up my mojo and win that gift card! I've spent every last penny already in my mind... So, if you haven't joined SITS already, hustle yourself over there and join up so you can participate in the SITSmas event with giveaways every hour tomorrow, all day long! Just don't win the Target card, 'cause that is mine, mmmkay?

Anyhow, I've finished up my SITSmas card and my giveaway post, so they'll be going live at midnight. Now I'm off to nurse my injured birdman with a bowl of ice cream. At least it'll numb my pain... See you in a few hours!

Heaven on a plate

This? Is heaven on a plate: the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich on a fresh bakery roll. (That'd be turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, all warmed, then topped off with some cranberry sauce.) Finish off the meal with a slice of whipped-cream topped, chocolate pecan pie and the perfection is complete. It is somewhat messy perfection (a spoon was ultimately required as I overloaded my roll and had what Hubby called "Lunch Fail" as I lifted the deliciousness to my mouth for the first bite) but perfection nonetheless!

In other news, I ordered our holiday cards and they'll be ready to pick up in a couple of hours, so this year I am determined to have them all mailed by December 1st. (This is my usual goal, but that modifies into "before my birthday" which then further is revised into "before Christmas" as things get increasingly hectic.) I'm going to be on top of things this year, oh yes indeed! (Oh, if anyone out there in the blogosphere is dying to receive a Smith family holiday card, email me your address and I'll add ya to the list! True, it's no autographed George Clooney picture, but it is Kiddo in her Christmas dress posing with the Jolly, Old Man in Red...) There are some things that I can't do way ahead of time, like all the baking and candy-making Kiddo and I do for presents each year, but other than that, I will not be a Last Minute Annie (as my mother nicknamed me when I was a kid) who is panicking and overwhelmed by the to-do list come December 21st or 22nd... Nope, I'm going to be on top of things and have a relaxed, un-panicky Advent season. *deep breath* Here I go!

Thanksgiving Day recipes from the Smith Kitchen

So, Tattooed Minivan Mom is hosting a big linkfest over at her blog to share Thanksgiving recipes. I wanna play, so here are some of our family's tried-and-true recipes that get made during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season. (Oh, and PS if you scroll to the very bottom of TMM's post, you can hear Adam Sadler's Thanksgiving song, which is a classic, no?)

(Note: I didn't *create* or *invent* these recipes, I've gathered them from here, there and everywhere over the years. If I know my source, I'll give credit, but please know I am not some genius chef who whips these up out of my head! Some other geniuses created these; I just make them!)

Let's talk turkey for a moment! I know there are lots of different methods people use from deep frying to old-fashioned basting-n-baking. Well, Hubby and I are big fans of Alton Brown, and we have been faithful followers of his turkey method since we first saw it on Good Eats. I'm not going to repeat the whole thing here, but rather give you the link for the Good Eats Roast Turkey. Allow me to mention two things about this method/recipe that has never, ever, ever failed us: (1) the brining is key and (2) you have to do the Turkey tent. Following Alton's instructions will mean you will never wind up with a dry or tasteless turkey, I promise.

Okay, now that the bird is out of the way, let's get on to the side dishes, shall we?

Two recipes I've made every year to much acclaim involve the delightful cranberry. They're both easy-peasy and a change from the "jellied or whole berry" canned cranberry sauces.

Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce (I think this might have been a Good Housekeeping recipe from years ago)

Ingredients:
from 1 large orange: 1 tsp of zest from peel and 1/2 cup juice squeezed
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 container (10 ounces) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed (reserve syrup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs Grand Marnier (orange flavor) liqueur

In large saucepan (careful - this can spatter when the berries are popping), heat all ingredients (including raspberry syrup) except liqueur to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until most of the cranberries pop and mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in liqueur. Spoon into serving bowl; cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

Holiday Cranberry Applesauce (orig found in a USA Weekend magazine supplement)

Ingredients:
3 lbs cooking apples (I like Jonagolds, myself), cored and sliced but NOT peeled
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
2/3 cup red hot cinnamon candies (available in cake-decorating aisle)

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Lower heat; simmer until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor with the knife blade; process until smooth. Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.

Now, for the veggie portion of the meal. This recipe is one my family has made for every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner since I was a baby. It is one that even kids who don't like veggies will eat (if my own veggie-hating - as kids - sisters are any evidence)!

Corn Casserole

Ingredients:
24 oz. frozen corn
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar (sometimes I use a bit less, more like 1/3 cup)
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in flour and sugar, mixing well so there are no lumps. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk and eggs. Stir in baking powder. Mix very, very well. Fold in corn (still frozen). Pour into buttered (I use the butter flavored cooking spray myself) 2 quart casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes to an hour. You will know it is done when it is golden brown and "solid" on the top, like a souffle.

Salad time! I first came across this recipe in one of those fundraiser cookbooks that charities sell (think it was from the agency I worked for at the time, actually) and have amended it slightly over the years. This one is one where there are NEVER any leftovers for the next night's meal.

Spinach Salad

2 bags of baby spinach leaves (variations suggest romaine lettuce or cabbage instead)
1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 packages of Ramen noodles (I use the chicken flavor but I don't think it matters which kind really)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 stick (8 tbs) butter

For the dressing, combine:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup sugar (I actually use a little less, maybe 1/3 cup)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce (original recipe calls for one, I tend to use closer to two)

Crumble the Ramen noodles (no seasoning packet, just the noodles) and saute them along with the almonds and sunflower seed kernels in the butter until lightly browned. Cool and drain/pat off excess butter with paper towels. Add to spinach and toss with dressing. Once thoroughly tossed, sprinkle oranges and craisins on top. Enjoy!

Okay, how about some bread? Of all the banana bread recipes I've tried over the years, this one seems to be the most unfailingly simple and delicious:

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
6 crushed, very ripe bananas
4 well beaten eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar and butter. Add bananas and eggs. (My Kitchenaid stand mixer is delightful for this recipe.) Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into 2 well-greased pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (until toothpick in center comes out clean).

Still hungry? How about some dessert?

This recipe was given to me at one of my bridal showers. My colleagues threw the most lovely, thoughtful, kitchen-themed shower for me (on August 17, 1994 according to the note on the back of this recipe) and I still have and use the recipes they gave me then. (Each person contributed one recipe along with an ingredient/cooking tool to go with the recipe.) This apple pie recipe came from my coworker Debbie, and I've been making it since Thanksgiving 1994! (And a special shout-out while I'm feeling all nostalgic here - Kathryn, thank you again for all your work in planning the shower. I do remember it fondly to this day, Short Drink! xoxo)

Apple Pie

Crust:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening (I use the butter flavored Crisco sticks)
4-5 tbs VERY cold water

Sift flour and salt into medium sized bowl; cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle water over, a tbs at a time; mix lightly with a fork just until pastry holds together and leaves sides of bowl clean. Roll out, fill and bake following instructions for filling. Makes enough crust for a 9" lattice top or double crust pie.

Filling:
6-7 medium apples (again, Jonagolds are my favorite), washed, peeled, cored and sliced

In a separate bowl, combine the following:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg (I am a fresh-grater, but that isn't necessary)
2 tbs flour
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 stick (4 tbs) butter, cut into pats

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour sugar mixture onto sliced apples and coat them well. Pour apples into shell and dot with pats of butter. Put on top crust, using knife to cut slits/vents into crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes with foil around edge of crust. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and remove foil from edges. Continue to bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

And last but not least, some candy! My hubby is a big pecan fan, and while he has complained about my pecan pie in the past (seriously, he said it was "too pecan-y" if you can believe that), he never complains about these pralines. He can't - his mouth is too full from wolfing them down! When this recipe says "easy" it means it, too. Easy as pie. Actually, much, much easier than pie, especially with the whole "crust from scratch" bit.

Easy Microwave Pralines

Ingredients:
1 lb light brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbs light corn syrup
1 tbs butter
2 cups chopped toasted pecans

In a deep, microwave-safe bowl, mix together sugar, cream and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 13 minutes.

Mix in butter until well blended, then stir (and stir and stir) until mixture begins to cool and get creamy. At this point, stir in the chopped pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper and cool.

Now, be sure to work off all the calories consumed on Thanksgiving by hitting the stores on Black Friday, okay?

Appleriffic

We just got back from our first apple-picking trip of the fall. (Well, okay, technically it is still summer for another week, and it is crazy hot outside today - shades of our trip to Florida last month in terms of temp and humidity - but still, once school is in session and apples are ripe, it's fall in my book!) Now I have a crisper drawer chock-full of apples and a sudden urge to fire up my beloved Kitchenaid and get cooking. I'm not quite ready for apple pie (though I do make a mean apple pie, if I say so myself) but definitely ready for some apple-y goodness.

Two apple recipes I tried for the first time last year that I'll definitely be doing again, likely sometime this week, are for Crock Pot Apple Cobbler and Apple Bread. Recipes below - I didn't invent either of these, so credit due to whomever did, they're both easy and deeeelicious!

Crock Pot Apple Cobbler

4 cups peeled, sliced apples (I like to use more tart apples myself - Jonagolds are my absolute favorite, but they're not ready yet, being an October apple)
4 cups granola cereal (usually one entire, small box)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons melted butter

Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Combine apples, granola and cinnamon in crock pot and mix well. Stir together honey and butter and drizzle over apple mixture. Mix gently. Cover crock pot and cook at least 4 hours until apples are tender.

(I have done the cobbler before without peeling the apples, and it is just as tasty! In case you're feeling lazy like I was...)

Apple Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups apples - peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup broken walnuts

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix. Divide mixture between two greased 8-in. x 4-in. bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

Now the second recipe is made for a stand mixer - your arm will collapse into a boneless puddle of goo if you try to mix it by hand, be warned. (Um, not that I'm saying this from experience or anything.... *innocent whistling*) It is a rather dry, very thick batter, so don't think you've done something wrong. It is so tasty! I like to add some pecans to mine, because who doesn't love pecans? (Though I suppose walnuts would be equally tasty... and if you have nut allergies, then forget about either!)

We also picked a pound or so of raspberries, which reminds me that I had a second crop of raspberries out in my little berry patch in the back yard. I wonder if the birds have beaten me to those - I ought to get out there and check!

If anyone else has any tasty apple recipes, we'll be up to our eyeballs in apples here at the Smith house for the next few months, so please, please, please share! I'll post my apple pie recipe later this fall, too, I promise!