Month: April 2018

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One Banana, Two Banana

Hi everyone! I think I have collected some good tidbits for you this week and I am anxious to share them.

It inevitably happens that I buy a bunch of bananas and eat at least one a day and one or two get too ripe before I can get to them. Does anyone else have this issue?

You can make a multitude of things from overripe bananas. The most common is, I believe, banana bread (which I adore!). You can also make pancakes, muffins, smoothies, ice cream, french toast, waffles…………well, you get the idea. Some of the more unusual that I have seen include banana upside down cake, chocolate baked banana which you top with ice cream and who wouldn’t love that?!

The one I am going to share with you today is banana cookies. They came out perfectly. My grand daughter and daughter loved them! Sorry to my daughter’s fiancee who was supposed to get some but they were eaten before he got home from work!

Soft Banana Cookies

(www.lovefoodies.com)

1  1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup banana mashed

2 eggs beaten

2  1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon combined

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well to combine. Stir in the bananas. Slowly mix in dry ingredients and put in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After dough has chilled using a small scoop or a teaspoon drop dough on a prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle cookies with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet and then on a cookie rack.

*I used Chinese Five Spice instead of cinnamon in the cookies and for the topping. It was delicious. Chinese Five Spice is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and various combinations of the five spice have other things such as fennel or licorice. I used parchment paper to prepare the cookie sheets. I set my timer for 6 minutes and checked the cookies and they were done already.

Tips

1. Warmer weather is coming and for me that brings on iced tea and iced coffee. This year I bought a cold brew coffee pot. It works well and I like the set up of it. There is just one thing – it is rather on the small side and I’m a thirsty girl! If you would like to make your own without a special pot here is the recipe.

Cold Brew Coffee

Steep 1 1/2 cups of coarsely ground coffee beans in 6 cups of water at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Pour the steeped coffee through a fine strainer lined with a coffee filter and then chill.

  

2. Have you ever wanted gardening advice. Master Gardeners is there to help. You can visit the American Horticultural Society website.  ahsgardening.org. Once there click on the heading at the top that says “Gardening Resources”. After that you click on the Master Gardeners’ link on the left. You then select your state. Click on the link to your state’s Master Gardeners website. For me it is Cornell Cooperative Extension.  There is a wealth of information and resources there for you to use. It is like having a master gardener friend.

3. My Mom always used leftover coffee to add an extra layer of flavor to gravy and it also gave it a richer darker flavor. I use that trick all the time. Recently, I saw an idea to  save your leftover coffee in ice cube trays for use with iced coffee or to add to recipes. I am definitely doing this!

4. I stumbled upon a great resource. You are able to find out what preventative health services are available for women without extra cost to you  at carewomendeserve.org

5. Did you know that you can freeze overripe bananas until you are ready to make your next smoothie or to bake a delicious treat? That is great news if you’re busy and don’t want to waste them! Pop them in a ziplock bag and into the freezer. Just thaw them when you’re ready.

6. Always look for promo codes or coupons online either before you shop and print them out at home or on your smartphone when you are in the store! Recently, I was in Kohl’s with my son. He was looking for a dress shirt and a tie. While he shopped I looked up Kohl’s coupons on my phone. He was able to save 15% off his total purchase! That certainly made him happy.

7. Another “always do” item is to check your credit card statements thoroughly. I have been missing deals that are printed on some of the statements for substantial savings on various goods and services. Some examples are 25% off of Papa John’s Pizza and 25 – 30% off of AMC, Cinemark and Regal movie e-tickets. Never let a deal slip away!

One of the really great things about doing this blog is the sharing aspect. In my last post I shared my daughter’s ice cream cake recipe. She thoughtfully gave it to me with pictures! My niece sent me something that I will share in my next post. I just love this!! Remember to share your tips and tricks in the comments. It’s a community!!!

See you next time!

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April 17 = Snow?

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope your last week has been a good one.

I had an excellent one! I made a trip to Ithaca and saw my son and his band play with my oldest daughter. She and I don’t get to do a lot together since life is so busy but we had some quality time on our road trip! I also found a real steal on a gathering set for my dining room (at the Christmas Tree Shop, can you believe it?!).  It was delivered last Friday and it is in use now. My house is clean with shiny floors and empty laundry hampers. Darn! I feel accomplished. In truth, if we weren’t having snowy weather I may not have been so ambitious in my house. There, who would have known that Winter in April could be a good thing!

Recipe

My daughter Sara made an ice cream cake to celebrate her fiance’s birthday. It turned out awesome! Her creations always do. She never follows a recipe. Sara has enough knowledge of food and flavor that she just creates! This example is just a small sample of her work.

Ice Cream Layer Cake

Ingredients

butter flavor cooking spray

10-12 ice cream sandwiches

1 quart of ice cream – softened (Sara used Eddy’s Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie)

Chips Ahoy cookies (or a store brand)

1 jar of hot fudge topping

Approximately 2 cups of Peter Pan honey roast peanut butter

1 – 8oz. container of whipped topping

Mini-chocolate chips/morsels

Spray a rectangular container with the cooking spray. Line the bottom completely with the ice cream sandwiches. You may have to cut some to do this. Next, spread the softened ice cream on top of the sandwiches. Now it is time for the cookie layer. Warm the hot fudge topping in the microwave for long enough to make it pour-able but be careful and don’t warm it too much. Drizzle it on top of the cookies and using a rubber spatula spread it out gently. Then do the same warming, drizzling and spreading with the peanut butter. Finally top with a layer of whipped topping and sprinkle mini-chocolate chips on the top.

Pretty and delicious! Thank you Sara!

                

Project 

A few nights ago I went to the Dollar Tree store and picked up some items for a Spring wreath for my porch (ok, among some other things). All of the items only cost $5 plus tax. I used my hot glue gun to put it all together. See what you think.

  

Handy Tips

  • When I paint a room or a small project one of the challenges I face is to keep the paint container reasonably clean so that closing it is easier. I can’t tell you how many times when closing up the paint can I splattered myself with paint from the little well around the rim of the can. I would wipe it but still there might be a mess. There is also the way that paint will run down the side of the can when you are pulling the paintbrush from the can and clearing off the one side. Maybe I am the only one this is happened to but I doubt it.

Today when I was painting a small folding table with chalk paint for a little display I tried a new trick. I put a rubber-band around the container stretching from top to bottom. You can use this on a larger gallon can as well. You will just need a longer rubber-band. Then you use the rubber-band to run your brush across as you pull it out of the container to paint. It works like a charm!

  

  • Tennis balls are relatively cheap and can be used for a few different jobs. You might want to invest in a few when you read these tips.

  1. You can cut a slit in as many tennis balls as you need and put the balls on the furniture legs to prevent scratching and provide for quiet easy sliding when moving furniture/
  2. Tennis balls also remove scuff marks on wood floors by rubbing the scuffs with a clean tennis ball.
  3. If you use a padlock outdoors and would like to prevent it from getting rusty and corroded you can cut a slit in a tennis ball and put it over the lock.
  4. If you have to park a bicycle on grass it is sometimes not very stable. Cut a slit in a tennis ball and put it on the bottom of the kickstand. Problem solved!

Please let me know if you try any of the tips! Have a fantastic week and see you next week!!

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A Veritable Smorgasboard of Ideas

I’m hoping everyone had a great Easter with family and friends and for those of you who also had a Spring Break, congrats! We had a nice get together in my family with good food and laughs. Who could want more?!

Recipes

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus 

(I know. It defeats the purpose of a healthy vegetable but everything is better with bacon!)

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.

I put the cleaned asparagus in a bowl. Then I drizzled olive oil on the stalks and seasoned with black pepper and garlic salt. The bacon strips were cut in half lengthwise.

I then spiral wrapped the asparagus with the pieces of bacon. The asparagus I bought was thin so in some instances I wrapped two stalks together.

I placed them without touching each other on a rack which was placed on a baking sheet. This was done so that there was maximum air flow all around the bacon to get that crispy texture that I love.

I baked them for 10 minutes and then using tongues I turned them. Back into the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. You have to watch the bacon closely so that it is crispy but not too done. Then to add that nice little extra crispy texture turn the broiler on for 1 to 2 minutes to finish them off.

Strawberry Fudge  ( Six Sisters’ Stuff)

12 oz. of vanilla almond bark or white chocolate candy melts

16 oz. container of strawberry frosting

Break the candy into small pieces and put into a bowl with the frosting. Microwave at half power for 45 seconds. Then stir. Do this again until the candy is all melted and incorporated into the frosting. Pour into an 8 inch square pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place in the refrigerator for an hour.

*I made this as a little extra treat for Easter. It was well received.

Spiral Ham in the Slow Cooker

This year I made the ham in the slow cooker since I was doing a turkey breast in the oven.

I put 1 cup of light brown sugar in the bottom of the slow cooker and then placed the ham in. To get more flavor from the glaze into the ham I fanned the spiral slices a part a little. I then put a half cup of brown sugar on the top of the ham and poured a can of pineapple chunks in over the top. The slow cooker was set to low. It cooked for 4 hours and was super delicious!

Tips and Tricks

  • If you are doing a piece of meat in the slow cooker and want it not sitting in its juices you can create a rack using two metal pair of tongs.                                                                                                                                        
  • If you’re a crafter like I am and always have your glue gun close at hand then you might like this tip. It is sometimes hard to keep the glue sticks corralled so that they are going everywhere in your drawer or cupboard. I have used sandwich bags and all kinds of things but this idea is the best by far! You just clean out a Parmesan cheese container and use it.. The opening on the top for getting out a larger amount of cheese is just right for getting a glue stick out.  
  • I have discovered an app for my smart phone which is pretty terrific! It is called Adobe Scan and is FREE. You scan any document with your phone (like a recipe in a magazine, a receipt, etc.) and it will capture the image and turn it into a PDF file. It will be stored in the Adobe Document Cloud for you. You can add comments and do key word searches. Read all about it by clicking on the link below.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/mobile-app/scan-documents.html

  • Have you ever had anything like a stuffed animal or a pillow that you feel has become dusty and needs a little refreshing? I have just the trick for you. You can put it in your dryer with a damp washcloth or hand towel and a fabric softener sheet. Run it on low heat for 20 minutes or so and there you go. I had a souvenir from Punxsutawney, PA in my room and it just seemed dusty and in need. I used my trick and old Punxy Phil looks brand new!                                                                                                                                                               
  • A few people really love to clean but most just house clean because it has to be done. One of the biggest things you can do to cut down on cleaning time is to remove your shoes at the door. I do this and have a pair of sandals I wear in the house. They never go outside!  Of course, I have always requested my kids take their’s off and it is a habit for them. Most people who come to the house see my shoes at the door, recognize this is what I do and take their’s off also. I even have a bag of slipper socks at the door for people to wear. It really does cut down on the having to sweep and mop the floors. Also, think of all the bacteria, herbicide, etc. that stay outside and don’t get tracked onto your floors or embedded in your carpet! The shoe company, Rockport, did a study and found no less than 9 different bacteria on the soles of shoes.

I hope you have a wonderful week. As always please leave a comment if you have tried a recipe or tip. I love to hear about your adventures in hacking this life too so please feel free to comment!

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