we were visiting my parent’s house the other day and, as usual, my mom is cookaholic. she is the most amazing cook ever {seriously the best ever}! she loves, loves, loves it when hubby charming comes over because he is like a human disposal. she gets so giddy feeding him…i think my parents are in awe of how much he can actually consume in one sitting.
so, my mom insists we take food home every time i/we are over. she kept offering her home cooked meals to go. of course we can’t say no, it’s too good to refuse! well, it didn’t stop there…she started to offer random things like the bunch of bananas no one else at home would eat! i said no; so she ran up to hubby charming to see if he wanted to take the bananas…lol. he can’t say no to my mom, so we accepted the very, very ripe bananas my mom offered. and voila, some very, very yummy bread came into fruition the next day!
banana bread
Directions
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
*In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
*Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
after a day and night of being icky sickly, i awoke to a doting hubby charming! voila, breakfast was awaiting me. he had prepared a quaint breakfast spread {coffee, mimosas, quiche, and fruit}. i was still feeling a bit under the weather but it was quite nice to be able to sit together; spend our time talking, eating, and relaxing. i love spending quality time with him since he’s been traveling so much for work {insert sad face}.
* Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
* Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
* Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.
later that day: i was feeling much better, thanks to the meds [although i’m not a meds type of gal]! anyhoo, i pulled out my new shoes {love!} they are soooo comfy! i am not a sneaker kind of girl but i love how it has the hidden heel [love the height], it’s a little bit funky, and the street feel of these shoes are rockin’. it was a part of my ‘click and buy’ streak of late. prancing around in these chaussures makes me smile.
[some delicious, spicy stew // not for the timid tastebuds]
we wanted a cozy night in and the hubby charming really wanted to cook up something to eat. he put together a beef stew in our fabulous slow cooker. we debated on just a vegetable stew but we succumb to the cow :p
slow cooker beef stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika [we replaced this with cayenne!]
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
directions
*Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
*Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.
we both want to abate not so good foods from our diet and strive to balance out a healthier palate {cross our fingers}. i am in awe of folks who are so resolute with always eating healthy, organic, and fresh! i love sweets, although i have somewhat diminished my intake by the pounds/per year {heh}. i think ordering the 20 boxes of girl scout cookies might negate the above positive thinking {yikes!}.
