When Bananas Turn Black

Black bananas. 

Many people see them as gross, inedible, slimy... No, no, no, no, no. Black bananas are a blessing. A fantastic treat waiting to happen. Because without black bananas, there would be no banana nut bread. Okay, there might be, but it wouldn't be the same with those hard chunks of ripe banana.

I turned in my tenth book on Friday, which means I've been feeling that deadline crunch for the past two weeks (maybe more like a month), so most other things in life have found themselves relegated to the back burner. Until now. And since hubby didn't eat his bananas, we all get to indulge in this delicious banana nut bread. And you can, too.

Here's what you'll need:

•  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• a generous 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cups chopped pecans

Butter standard size loaf pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder) and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended. 

Peel and place bananas in a small bowl and mash with spoon just until lumpy.

With your mixer on low, if using an electric or stand mixer, blend in your mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla until barely combined. 

Add dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated, then do the same with the pecans.

Spoon into buttered baking pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven 50-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Allow to cool before serving.

I love biting into those chunks of banana, paired with the crunch of the pecans. This banana nut bread is a palate pleasing treat.

So the boys are back. 

 Studying each other.

 Circling each other.

Most mornings and late afternoons, this is what things look like behind our house.

But having the bucks in the mix is the exception, not the norm. Usually, we have anywhere from one to twelve does and fawns, but they usually run off when the bucks come around, so this was nice to see. Everyone getting along, simply hanging out for a little bite to eat. 

And next week is Thanksgiving. Time has suddenly gotten away from me. Now I need to rein everything in and start planning. It's a busy month ahead. All the food, festivities and fun of the holiday season will soon be in full swing and I can't wait.

What about you? Are you ready for the holidays or are you dreading them? If you're dreading, perhaps it's time to refocus. Christmas is the biggest birthday celebration of the year. However, some of the best parties are quiet and subdued, keeping the focus on the One who's being celebrated. Think of all Jesus has done for you. Where would you be without Him? Now that, my friend, is worth celebrating. 

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Simple Pleasures of Life: Dessert with My Son

Missy Tippens

I'm not a huge dessert eater. I do adore brownies, and will usually eat some when my daughter makes them. And I sometimes give in to temptation at cover-dish dinners at church, and occasionally at a Wednesday night supper.

But I almost never order dessert at restaurants. I'm usually too full (especially if we ordered chips and salsa for an appetizer!).

But recently, while my husband was out of town, my son and I went out to one of my favorite restaurants, Marlow's Tavern.  We had a lovely, relaxing dinner on the patio.

But it was a bittersweet time. He was waiting to hear back about a job he'd interviewed for, was waiting on the official offer. So I knew our dinners together might be limited soon.

So...to prolong the evening, I suggested we order and share dessert.

We ordered an amazing fried banana dessert. I can't find it listed on the menu, but they have a photo on their website, so it must be a regular. I think it had "banana split" in the name. :) And of course, I took a photo of it. I think my kids are so used to this that they don't even get embarrassed any more. :)

The banana was split in half lengthwise. Then it was breaded lightly and probably sautéed in a little butter in a pan. I think graham cracker crumbs would be good. Or possibly a light coating of panko crumbs. I think I remember a little sprinkling of cinnamon or spices of some sort.

Then top the warm banana with whipped cream (the real thing!) and vanilla ice cream. Then drizzle with strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce, and caramel.

The crisp in the whipped cream tasted like delicate layered puff pastry.

The dessert as well as the company made for an amazing evening. Soon after, while we were up in Tennessee looking at apartments, my son got the official offer. We moved him up there on Monday of this week.

It's hard to let them grow up. I'm so sad and miss him terribly right now. My daughter called it Empty Nest 2.0. Like going through freshman year of college all over again. LOL

But he's doing great. And is doing what he feels called to do. He'll be working as a health physicist at a consulting firm starting next week.

Meanwhile, I'll keep texting him each day to check in. I like to think he still needs his mom. :)

www.missytippens.com

Banana Rum Shuttles

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and this is a repeat post. This cold has really kicked me to the curb. Everything has been on hold for a few weeks but I finally gave in and now I've got some powerful antibiotics on board. Here's to recovering quickly and SPEEDBO! 

So, this is a repeat of something  I first learned how to cook a few weeks before my 15th birthday (just a baby!) in France. La voila, Banana Rum Shuttles! Of course, over there they called them "tartes bananes" and they didn't have the little arrow-head end that looks like a loom shuttle. But the recipe I found that was the closest was this "shuttle" version and I thought it was really pretty so... I guess my tartes bananes sont "shuttles" now!

 So, you'll need:
3 bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs rum (or more, depending on what kind of day you've had)
puff pastry, frozen or home made (I've tried to make it many times... I just can't. So, I resolved to stop wasting time on the impossible and buy the frozen stuff.)
1 egg white for glaze

 Cut the bananas length-wise. No reason for this except it's easier to dip them in the rum.

 You can't see the rum, but it's there. Really.

 Mix the sugar, cloves, cinnamon. Roll the rum bananas in the sugar. Lick fingers after ever piece.

 You should end up with bananas coated with sugar and spices and rum. Taste test a few to make sure everything is going well at this point.

 Defrosted pastry. Looks bad. Will taste good.

 Put the banana mix on the puff pastry. Sample a few more pieces that fall off the side. Lick fingers again.

 Seal the sides with the fork, cut the ends at an angle and seal.

 Slice the top for vents. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take them out, brsh with egg whites, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
                                      

 I served these on plates I picked up in Poland when I attended the Warsaw School of Economics after I graduated from college. It was a little odd to serve something from my years in France on plates I bought ten years later during a sojourn in a completely different country. Then my five year old picked one up and proclaimed it "delicioso" and just like his abuelita's empanadas.  I had to smile at the intersection (collision?) of all these cultures in a small Oregon town.

Wishing you joy in the journey, wherever you are and wherever you're going! Until next time!

Deadlines, Revisits and The End

I don't know about y'all but I'm loving these revisits. Not because they're easy, but because it's like a Best-of. The Who's Who of some of our favorite recipes. So while Jan and I succumb to deadline mania, you get to reap the rewards.

What do you do when your bananas look like this? 

Well, in my house, it calls for a batch of banana nut bread. Over the years I've tried lots of different recipes. Some good, some not so good. The recipe I'm going to share with you today is one of the best I've tried. Of course, it's courtesy of Martha Stewart, so what would you expect.

You're going to need:

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour (Martha says unbleached all-purpose; I used the better-for-bread variety)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or four smaller pans (I opted for the smaller pans).

With an electric mixer (perhaps one named Edna), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and beat well.

Sift the dry ingredients together and combine with the butter mixture.

Blend well. Add the bananas, sour cream (the ingredient I think makes this recipe stand out), and vanilla. Stir well. (I used my electric mixer on the lowest speed)

Stir in the nuts.

Pour into prepared pan(s).

For one large pan, the instructions are to back for one hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. For my four small loaves, I found 40 minutes to be just right.

Turn baked loaves onto rack to cool.

I love keeping these little guys in the freezer so they're ready whenever I need them. Sometimes, I'll put them in a cellophane bag with a pretty ribbon and give them as gifts.

Of course, they also go perfect with cup of tea. I'm having a little one-on-one with some Cream Earl Green. He's so smooth, you know.



Tea's on, gang. Who's ready to join me?

Okay, even deadlines can't keep me from my tea. It's the fuel I need to keep my brain cells firing.
So I've got a Nov. 1st deadline. Yesterday I typed THE END on my rough draft. 
Okay, so my rough isn't that rough. Now it's on to the polishing. A little spit, some elbow grease and, Lord willing, that puppy will come out shining like a diamond. Or at least a CZ. 
And while THE END isn't really the end, there's something about getting the story out of your head and onto the page. Wouldn't you agree?
Now I can fix whatever's wrong. But the story is complete.
Of course, it's just a matter of time before the next characters come knocking.
And so goes the life of a writer.

Party treats: chocolate covered frozen bananas

Hellooooo everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I've got a quick, simple, and tasty treat!

  We're almost birthday'd out here. From April through September, we have a birthday every month. Sometimes twice a month! Then there's Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. THEN we have a birthday in January, one in February... then we start ALL OVER!!! Big families rock the birthdays. Especially the way we stretched them out for birthday weeks.

 

 

This last week was a 12 year old's birthday, including the water park and a BBQ.

You see that major hunk out of the cake? This is what happens when I start cutting and then realize we'd bought special sparkler candles!!! Stop the CUTTING! Take that cake out of your mouth! We must SING!

 Small boys getting a treat at the snack bar. Love those tube rings. They look like ballerinas.

Here's another birthday child. I haven't seen his face since he got this snorkel for his 8th birthday. (Yes, that was this year. But it was about a week ago. I'm getting used to hearing his voice through a tube.)

 I went to my first book club meeting for Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits. What an incredible group of readers! We had such a good time! And of course, the meal was ALL SOUTHERN.

They even had sweet tea to go with the red velvet cake! I had a blast... and ate everything in sight.

And then I stopped by a yard sale and picked up this SWEET hobnail milk glass tea cup set. It was perfect for my mint chocolate chip ice cream. And of course I can have all the ice cream I want because we're in BIRTHDAY MODE!

Ok, so we've had a lot of fun guests lately but after a while, cake gets old and the kids want something different. We found a fun recipe on the internet. Here we go:

You'll need bananas, peanut butter, and some good chocolate.

 

 Employ hungry children to slice bananas. Wait, not the hungry ones. They eat too much. Only the ones who can keep from putting the nanners in their mouths.

 Add a think layer of peanut butter between two banana slices.

 MMMMMMMMMMM. That is all.

 Cover the bananas and you can decorate the tops with tiny chocolate chips or sprinkles.

 Freeze. Yes, we live in a warm climate but it's not humid. This may not work where you live. But my freezer did okay!

 Pop off the sheet and put them on the cake platter!

 YUM. We must taste test before the guests.

Um, yeah. Not sure who this weirdo is. He sort of looks like me, but I'm not owning him!

 

And finally, a photo of 'Big Bob'. This is our foot-wide sunflower. Isn't he beautiful???? He's taken over the kitchen.

Ok, hope everyone is having a wonderful week and I'll see you all next Wednesday! Edna says hellloooooooooo!