And he can rhyme, too . . .

"The heights by great men reached and
kept, were not attained by sudden
flight, but they, while their companions
slept, were toiling upward in the night." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lemon-Glazed Banana Bread

Two of my children like bananas very much and will gobble down a bunch of them with a day, using them in milkshakes, on cereal, or just popped out of the peel. I never learn, however, that once I've provided them with a bunch of bananas more than twice in the same week, they suddenly stop eating them and I get to watch the transformation of bananas from a pretty yellow to a mushy brown. That's when banana bread inspiration kicks in for me. This is an easy recipe. Most recipes call for walnuts but I prefer pecans as the lemon seems to enhance the over all flavor. Hey, it could be our New Year's resolution - no more brown bananas wasting away on the kitchen counter!

Lemon-Glazed Banana Bread

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
½ cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of one lemon
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Beat together the eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Add everything except the nuts and mix to just combine. Fold in the nuts and spread batter in a vegetable-oil sprayed loaf pan. Bake for approximately one hour at 325 degrees or until golden brown and done.

Cool for a few minutes on a rack. Glaze with lemon icing and finish cooling. Glazing it while it is still very warm helps the icing seep in a a bit.

Lemon Icing1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Enough fresh lemon juice to form an icing

Saving a trip to the store . . .

This is the second time I've tried this and my family has said this should be the only way I prepare lasagna now. I think I've mentioned it before, but instead of buying the packages lasagna noodles at the store, I make my own. It takes a little bit more effort but everyone says it tastes better . . . cheaper, too.

Making pasta dough is easy . . . flour and eggs. I usually go with 4-5 cups flour and 3-4 eggs. On dry days, you might need more eggs. It's a very forgiving recipe as your aim is a workable dough. I have my tomato/meat/spinach sauce at the ready. The cheeses are shredded and standing by. I divide the dough into as many layers as I want and then start rolling! You need a good amount of flour for rolling the sticky dough out. You try for a rectangular shape and cope with what you roll out. You just layer with the filling, cheeses, and layers of dough as you proceed. Top with extra cheese and bake at 350 until bubbling and hot. That was my main dish for our party, last night, and that is what disappeared the fastest.

What I like about making my own egg noodle dough is I can use the organic eggs that have less cholesterol in them. And, I never have to fret at the last minute, discovering I forgot to buy lasagna noodles when I went shopping. Between the flour bin and the eggs in the refrigerator, I'm ready to cook.

I also like to make this dough and cut it into wide noodles and simmer in chicken soup. The noodles take less than five minutes to cook through and really make a plain bowl of soup pretty special.

Quotes to grow by?

"A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company."
-- Gian Vincenzo Gravina

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."
-- Dave Barry

"By the time I'd grown up, I naturally supposed that I'd be grown up."
-- Eve Babitz

A poignant milestone . . .

Although there is always a sigh of resignation as each of my children reach the age of 18, there is something a bit more poignant about the youngest one arriving at that milestone. Sigh . . . my youngest turns 18 today! It surely is a measure of how quickly the years go by. I remember when he was born and I thought to myself, "I still have a baby in arms! I'm blessed." I've acknowledged the blessings over the years but that baby in arms certainly grew out of my protective grasp all too soon. Anyway, he is most happy with his birthday gifts and decided he would like German sausage, sauerkraut, and garlic mashed potatoes for his birthday dinner at home. Later in the week, he gets treated to lunch out at a favorite restaurant/fast food place. Cheesecake with strawberry topping is his birthday cake of choice.

Both he and one of his older sisters have December birthdays. It kind of rushes us through the season as we have Christmas and two birthdays for which to prepare. We have always been careful to not count Christmas presents as birthday gifts. I know families that do that but it doesn't seem fair to me to muddle their special day into a feast day for the sake of convenience.

We got together for an annual party with friends, last night. Lots of good food and much laughter. My daughter discovered our wedding album (28 years this February!) and I'm not sure I appreciated the gales of laughter coming from their viewing of it in the living room.

Today, I get to face the bills and bookkeeping that went by the wayside this last week. I imagine a lot of people are getting in the credit card bills and such this week and having to deal with it all. We don't carry a balance on our cards but don't use credit cards when there isn't money to back expenditures on them. I think a lot of people make the mistake of living up to their expectations in life when the paycheck doesn't cover them. And what an example we all have just watching our government in action! Seems like from the president on down all need a basic course in how a checking account actually works!