For the Monkeys In My Life

Do you like to eat bananas?  I don't.  I don't like the way they feel in my mouth when you chew them up.  I feel the same way about cottage cheese.  GROSS!  Strangely enough though, I do like banana bread and banana flavored candy.  Just one more of my little oddities.  I bought bananas last week and put them in a paper bag to ripen.  They didn't ripen fast enough so I put the apples I was going to use in hubby's apple pie in with the bananas to help ripen them faster.  Did you know that apples release a gas that ripen bananas quickly?  So next time you put fresh fruit in a bowl, don't put the apples next to the bananas.  However, if you forget, you can always make banana bread.

Banana Bread

3 bananas, mashed

1 cup of sugar

½ cup shortening

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups of self rising flour

½ cup chopped pecans

Mix bananas, sugar, and shortening until creamy.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add flour and pecans.  Spray a loaf pan with Baker’s Joy.  Pour mixture into a loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Happy Birthday Pie?

Today is my husband's birthday.  He had a big birthday breakfast, a not so impressive birthday lunch, but we are going out for a birthday dinner.  He just hasn't told me where yet.  In our house, you get to choose what kind cake you want.  Normally, hubby chooses pineapple upside down cake.  This year was different.  He chose an apple pie.  I was thrilled!  Pineapple upside down cake is O.K., but I really like apple pie.  I have the best recipe for apple pie thanks to my friend Becky.  Years ago, she made an apple pie and brought it to work to share.  It was delicious and she gave me the recipe.  I made a couple of small changes.  She used 4 red apples instead of 3 red apples and 1 Granny Smith and since I really like cinnamon, I added more cinnamon than what she did.  It's cooking right now and it smells goooooooood!!!!!!

Apple Pie

1 deep dish pie crust

3 red apples

1 Granny Smith apple

½ cup of sugar

1 ½ tsp. of cinnamon

Peel and dice the apples into bite sized chunks.  Place in crust.  Top with the sugar,   and cinnamon.

Topping

½ cup of sugar

¾ cup of self-rising flour

1 stick of butter
1 drop cinnamon essential oil

Cinnamon to taste

Melt butter and mix in sugar. cinnamon oil, and flour.  Spread over the top of the pie.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the topping.  Make at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

 I wish this was a scratch and sniff picture so you could enjoy the aroma too!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Thank you to all those who have served in a branch of the military in order that we may be free!  YOU are AWESOME!!!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

We were invited to a cook out at our new neighbor's house.  I gave them a choice of desserts I could bring.  Either coconut cake or chocolate eclair dessert.  They chose chocolate eclair dessert.  All the food was absolutely delicious and we had a delightful time.  It was a perfect way to celebrate the 4th.  We have the nicest neighbors!

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

1 box of graham crackers

2 small boxes of instant vanilla pudding

3 cups milk

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 tub of chocolate frosting

Spread a layer of graham crackers in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan.  Add milk to pudding and let set.  Add Cool Whip to the pudding.  Spread ½ of the pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers.  Lay another layer of graham cracker and spread the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers.  Top with another layer of graham crackers.  Open the frosting and put it in the microwave for 1 minute.  Pour over the graham crackers and chill.

To cut back on the calories, I use sugar free pudding, skim milk, and fat free Cool Whip.