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.

Pumpkin Bread and Preparing for the Holidays

Like it or not, the holidays are just around the corner. No joke. My asparagus fern is already getting into the holiday spirit.

And before long you'll be contemplating teacher gifts, a little something for coworkers or maybe you just want to let someone know how much you appreciate them. Those types of gifts don't have to cost a lot to be special. Especially when they're made with love.

I've been making this pumpkin bread since my kids were little. It's a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas gift for anyone you appreciate. The best part is that you don't have to try to cram baking it into your busy holiday schedule. Instead, you can make it now. Matter of fact, it will be better if you make it now, because it's always better after it's been frozen.

This makes a very large batch, one that typically yields me 17-18 small loaves, but you can cut the recipe in half should you so desire. Of course, you can also make larger loaves. 

So here we go. You're gonna need A REALLY BIG BOWL. I have a commercial size one I use almost exclusively for this recipe. You can mix by hand or use an electric mixer. I usually start off using an electric hand mixer, then switch to a large spoon or spatula when I start adding the flour.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 1/4 cups (that's 4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon molasses
• 6 cups sugar
• 12 eggs 
• 2 cups orange juice 
• 6 cups pumpkin puree (2 - 29 oz. cans)
• 10 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 3  cups raisins (regular or golden)

Cream butter, molasses, and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Beat in eggs, one at a time until well blended.

Add orange juice and pumpkin and mix well.

Whisk dry ingredients together into a large bowl and add to pumpkin mixture a little at a time, stirring well to thoroughly combine all elements. (I use my mixer as long as I can, but switch to a spoon as it thickens and, frankly, is too deep for the mixer to properly blend)

Now stir in your raisins.

Spoon into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour for large pans, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For the smaller pans, check them after 35-40 minutes.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Then turn out onto racks to cool. 

Once the loaves have cooled, I wrap them in plastic wrap, then foil and store them in the freezer. They keep for months. Then, when it's time for gift giving, simply place the unwrapped bread (sometimes I leave the clear plastic wrap on) into a cellophane bag and tie with some burlap or a pretty ribbon.

Now who wouldn't want to receive this? (barring any food allergies, of course)

You can see the bits of golden raisins I used in this batch. Coupled with the cinnamon and cloves, this bread is a feast for the taste buds. And a tasty treat friends and family look forward to every year.

So, I have to ask, have you started your holiday shopping yet? I prefer to start early so I can space things out, but there are those who like to wait until the week before Christmas and others who will take a single day and knock everything out at once. Which category do you fall into? And do you give any gifts from your kitchen?

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.

Baked feta repost and wishing for spring!

Helloooooo, everybody! Mary Jane here. We've had the wettest, rainiest spring in nearly 20 years. Great for farms. Not so great for flooding. We live a few hundred feet from the Walla Walla River and it's getting high... but so far, hasn't crested the bank. So I'm in a SPRING DREAMING MOOD!
I'm reposting my baked feta recipe in hopes all the spring pictures will come true!



 Spring has sprung here in Oregon. And do you know how Richard Armitage (bless his gorgeous self) is related to spring??

 

Well, I'll get to that in a minute. But first a peek at my backyard...

Everything is in bloom. The bees are out (must buy sandals, note to self!), the frogs are croaking, and the tulips, iris, and lilacs are bursting with flowers!

Little boys with butterfly nets are scouring the garden (in snow boots) for prey.

The turtles cavorted in the tall grass as we cleaned their tank. Don't blink. You might miss them. They can actually get quite far away when you're watching for butterflies.

We tried to hem them in with bodies, but the little guys kept moving away and creating a gap for escaping into the far reaches of the lawn.
                                         
Here's a little guy very pleased with his flower, carefully placed in an antique egg cup. I didn't realize he could reach that shelf. He got the egg cup, filled it with water, and picked his own flower. Cute! And now I'll go move those breakables just a bit higher...

Our yellow climbing roses are blooming. They're in the hedgerow. You have to look hard. (Ooooh, I can hear him now!!)

 

*sigh* Isn't he wonderful? here's the full clip here, if you want to watch it. I'll wait... The relevant moment is 3:44. :)

 Ok, now that we've had our Richard Armitage fix for the day, let's see what there is to cook. I'm not feeling the need for anything super difficult. Hmmmmm. Edna reminds me there's some stinky cheese in the fridge and some large sourdough boules. 

 

An older kid is on hand to help with preparations so I'll man the camera while she works. Cutting the top off the sourdough bread is the first step.

Getting the feta cheese, parsley flakes, tomatoes and garlic out is the second step. I have an odd jar of olive and red pepper tapenade so I think I'll make one with that, too.

Hollow out the bread and place it in a bowl, crumbling slightly. This will help hold all the feta and tomatoes together.

Yummy. Give me a fork.

Add garlic, parsley flakes and mix well. Put it back in the boule... HEY. Someone has taken a bite.

And I found him over near the other one. Shoo, shoo!!

*sigh* It seems everything must be taste-tested for freshness before we cook it.

Wrap the boule in foil and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

This is the olive tapenade and feta version. The red peppers gave it quite a kick! Mmmm. Even the next day, it was good, heated a little in the microwave. This dish is definitely not a 'date night' dish, unless you don't mind feta breath. 

And to round off the spring-y post, here's an old table I picked up for super cheap. It was a wreck. But something about those lines... Edna whispered the legs were mighty fine, quite shapely. I agreed. 

Some scraping and painting (some by small children, don't flip it over since they got to paint the underside) turns into this. And in that stack is- you guessed it! North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. have I mentioned that she's a hero of mine? She wrote her books at her kitchen table, with five kids, a minister husband who gave lessons to the poor in their living room. And she wrote romances that changed LIVES. Just love her! 

  I think she was also a lovely friend. She and Charlotte Bronte were pals but one time visitors came knocking while Charlotte visiting. Being afflicted with crippling shyness, Charlotte was in tears, until Mrs. Gaskell told her to hide in the curtains. So she did. And Mrs. Gaskell entertained them, never letting on that one of the most famous authors of the day was hiding just a few feet away! What a woman. What a hostess!

 Anyway, go out and enjoy the sunshine! If there's no sun, watch North and South. A little Armitage makes everything better.

 Until next time!

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