Oh, how i love bananas.

I've been writting blogs about how much i adore bananas, and was so so sad i finally had like 10 bananas, but they were all going bad. Alas, i made these wonderous muffins to save my bananas!

Banana Bread Recipe




Ingredients

* 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* Pinch of salt
* 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.



I made mine in a muffin pan instead of a bread pan, and added cranberries and walnuts and they were scrumptious. I highly recommend these, they were so tasty, and they stayed fresh for a whole week. (if you wait a whole week to eat them)

Food and Me are Good Friends.

It's AMAZING how scared...okay fine...intimidated Riley was in the kitchen just a couple months ago. Now, it's as though he's turned pro. Reading and following whole recipes, and coming up with these amazing meals, all himself. I find it rather impressive. Above are a few photos of the food greatness i've been partaking in.

Lucky Me!!

What I have learned...

Actually, i have learned an abundance of things. Today particularly, i am learning about being random. Or "Irregularly" is what we're calling it at work. Did you know it actually takes WAY more planning to create irregularly then it does to just create with structure. You need to not only consider the actual composition, but the shape, negative space and color as well. It is RACKING my brain, but it a wonderful wonderful way.

I can't show you quite yet what i've been working on, but for now i can show you what Riley and I have learned in the kitchen.



My wonderful boyfriend who once stated he was going to cook dinner because i was in a frenzy, had his keys in his hands, and was prepared to slip out the door unnoticed. When I came downstairs and asked him where he was going, he said he didn't know what to do in the kitchen. A couple weeks later, he and I are visiting my family and cooking with my Great Aunt Kiki. (That really should say GREAT!!! because she is one of my favorite people in the world.



She taught him how to make her infamous chicken nuggets. The Italian Way.



Don't they look perdy? Even I think so!! (how strange...)



She taught me to cook Italian Pasta Fagioli. [pasta and bean soup]

Twas a great time, and it taught us to cook some new things that aren't that expensive to make. (always a good thing!!)

POST 101!!! Let's celebrate!

To celebrate, i shall make this blog a cake.



Okay, so i didn't exactly bake to celebrate this blog, but, i did bake a cake to celebrate my friend Courtney's birthday. This is a gluten free cake, made especially for her! I think it came out kind of cute. It tasted pretty darn good too. :)

Dinner makes for Happy Bellies.

My friend Riley and I made dinner the other night, well, he watched, and cut onions and i made dinner. I think it turned out REALLY well though. I love that satisfied feeling i get when i eat something wonderful, and that little extra when i know it's healthy too.

To make this brilliant meal;

The beans were soaking over night and then boiled so they were all ready to saute. Saute enough of them to just cover the pan with some Olive Oil until they are brown [this, is the hardest part for me, i am so impatient!]. Then add some onions for flavor. [It doesn't matter if it's red or white].



Just saute up some mushrooms while your boiling broccoli. I like to add loads of garlic, pepper, oregano and pine nuts to mine, and i wait until the mushrooms get just a little brown. [mushrooms i can wait for, maybe because i love them so!] Then i sauted yellow squash and added tomatos just for a few minutes. Now it's healthy and colorful!

Boil pasta in the broccoli water. It saves time and doesn't affect the pasta much. Tonight, i added lemon, fresh Romano cheese i [i mean Riley] shredded, and probably way to much pesto. Pesto, in my opinion goes on EVERYTHING, and in large quantities.



Now serve and your ready to go! The hardest part is not going back for thirds. :)

Enjoy!

Jobs may suck but at least i had a wonderful dinner!

I work at a gallery in a town called Winter Park. It's an amazing American Craft Gallery, full of inspirational artist. It's a blessing, having this job, but right now it is PAINFULLY slow, and it's killing me. It's actually giving me headaches. All of us are bored, and none of us are going to make our goals since there are approx 10 customers a day now? s.u.m.m.e.r.t.i.m.e is so s.l.o.w there.

A few months ago, i was floored when they decided to take in my jewelry. It's a hugh blessing! I watch them turn down dozens of artists a day, and i'm stoked they've accepted my jewelry. I've brought in two collections to them so far. This collection has 30 pieces i'm trying to finish. In the last week i've brought in 20 new pieces.

On the bright side, i have some amazing co-workers. Tonight, my co-worker Devan invited me over to cook dinner with her. I've lived a very shelted life, especially in the food world, so tonight was an experiment for my taste buds. (which were very happy with my bravery to try new foods!) We made Mediteranian food, which i've not only never had.









Foods i tried:
*Jasmine Rice
*Tomato and Spinich (tried once or twice)
*Squash
*Olives (3 kinds)
*Feta cheese


Okay, so i'm going to have to work on my food photography. You'd never guess i was once paid to be a food photograher. The food was amazing, very flavorful. You'll just have to take my work for it!! I'm going to have to let Devan cook more often. :) Thank you soo much Devan!