Wow! We had some rain yesterday .. the kind that drums on the car roof like a barrage under fire .. and the wiper blades on full pelt can barely deal with it .. Short lived though and saved watering the plants :) Then a lot of thunder rumbling last night but not much rain to speak of .. Today it keeps veering from bright and sunny to overcast and threatening and then back again .. much cooler than last week, but pretty much in line with our usual summers .. lol .. Where's the long, hot summer we were promised???? You'd think Meat was over here trying to do outdoor shows!!
Nice to have a tweet from him yesterday .. complaining about 62 degrees being cold? Hey boy .. welcome to MY world!! .. lol
Today I found some sad, brown bananas in the fruit bowl .. Reminded me of a story from years ago when my friend's husband was on the dole and she was trying to bring up 4 daughters on next to nothing .. The youngest was sitting at the kitchen table drawing .. remember kids used to do that? .. lol .. Holly carefully drew this bowl of fruit with bananas on the top .. coloured them yellow .. and then took a black crayon and over-coloured them all black .. rolling .. as Chris said, this exactly reflected the bananas she'd always buy .. the cheap ones which were on the turn .. lol
Anyway .. on the "life gives you lemons, make lemonade" principle .. we have made banana cake .. which has filled the house with a wonderful smell .. and is now cooling ready for a spot of lemon drizzle I think ..
See chiefie? That's what you do when life hands you lemons, or in this case over-ripe bananas ..
Seize the banana cake!!
Caryl ..
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Meat Loaf for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let's help him get there!
Hope your weather picks up Caryl and warms up. That story Meat told reminds me of what happened to my friends when they were staying down in Victoria a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful hot day, so they thought they'd go for a drive to the beach and have a picnic, well when they got there, it was 10 degrees colder than where they were staying, so they went back. The people staying at the same place said I thought you were going to the beach today, they said we went but it was too cold so we came back. It's funny how the temperature can change in over a relative short distance. Well I never buy bananas, whether yellow or black as I HATE THEM!!!!!! Sorry Caryl, but I'm glad I'm not at your place at the moment, as I hate the smell of them, so wouldn't have liked the smell of your banana cake wafting through the house. I did eat bananas as a child, but only tolerated them, and hated them when they were all black and that yukky consistency, but now I can't stand to be anywhere near someone eating one. Carole
lol .. it can go up and down 10 degrees or more during one day in my garden! This morning it was probably in the low to mid 60s when I was sitting outside in the sun having coffee (shame on you Chiefie for scuttling away from a mere 62 .. lol) then up into the seventies as it clouded over and got humid .. then the thunderstorms, (which have made driving on some of the roads more like crossing fords!) .. followed by a drop to the upper 50s ..
Well the cake is delicious .. adding lemon drizzle was a master-stroke .. lol .. And actually although it does taste of banana as well as pecans and citrus, the smell of it cooking didn't really .. just a lovely smell of baking wafting about ..
I don't think there's a food I hate really .. still can't enjoy beef fat, or those red beans in chilli, hearts which always seem tough and chewy to me, or dark greens unless I have a nice flavourful gravy to wash them down :) .. there are other things I wouldn't choose .. like trotters, sweetbreads, couscous, that unappetising looking squid-ink pasta for eg .. but I can manage to get on with them if they're set down in front of me ..
Oh there's a couple of things I'd never have though when I'm in the US .. biscuits and gravy .. and grits. The first seems to me like dull scones in an indeterminate grey gloop .. and the only time I tried grits I thought .. hmm .. I've put wallpaper up with tastier gloop than this .. lol .. And I'm sure there are many exotics like sheeps' eyeballs etc that I'd pass on :)
Caryl
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Meat Loaf for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let's help him get there!
I am unusually tired today. No apparent reason. I had my full 8 hours and yet, I wish to close my eyes. Nice to see a few members out and about already on here.
I have to say, I love bananas and banana bread. Although strictly in moderation right now...esp. anything to do with the word bread in it. It sounded lovely Caryl. I also would have to agree with the biscuits and gravy as well as the grits, summaries. I don't dig either one of those items. I was forced grits during hospital stays...and I did eat it...and it was....well gritty and I'm pretty sure it could be made into some form of weapon in prison cells. Biscuits and gravy is what I call a southern breakfast. Because, being from NY originally, I never had encountered that meal be it at a diner or homemade. So, when I had it...it was not something I would order on purpose.
I haven't run across too many veggies that I won't eat or at least try. And I enjoy a simple meal or a sophisticated palate all the same. I enjoy texture and taste, part of my problem of dreading the dieting.
Meat's tweet had me laughing again..we know Meat hates the cold. Inland can be much hotter than the coastlines. And once the sun goes down, you have another variance too. Howie and Meat to chit chat at Starbucks....ah to be there. However, the more exciting part is that he's got 8 tracks laid down already with ... what...maybe 4 to go. These peeps he introduced us to could be writers (since he trashed the other songs). Although he's going to keep us on the hook with their purpose. As usual. So more tweeting tonight perhaps. I bet so.
For today, the goal is pretty simple, sustain enough energy to be awake and functioning. I have an off day from the gym, which is a much needed rest and then play time with the kids a little later.
Yes .. I had just one small slice of the banana bread to see how it turned out .. and I'll always do the lemon drizzle when I make it .. just scrumptiously tangy :) .. but then I put it firmly away .. lol. I have a friend coming over tomorrow who's wheat intolerant so I had to make it with gluten free flour .. but with the addition of a little magic (glycerine and zanthum gum) it turned out really well .. Don't know if you ever have to cook with gluten free flour but it's a bloody nightmare! No elasticity in pastry .. and cakes tend to be horribly dry and crumbly .. but the glycerine works a treat, and the cake is moist and holds together well.
And tomorrow I shall let her take the rest of it home to avoid temptation :)
Hope you feel less tired tomorrow :)
Caryl
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Meat Loaf for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let's help him get there!
Glad you enjoyed your bread Caryl. My niece is gluten intolerant too, and when she was up at Christmas, I didn't try to cook cakes, but we had a pizza that was gluten free, and the pastry base wasn't too nice, and we made lasagne with gluten free lasagne sheets, and you can tell the difference. It must be very limiting for these people, I feel for them as wheat is pretty much in everything. I am blessed in not having any allergies or food intolerances. I haven't had the biscuits and gravy and wouldn't have a clue what grits are so assume I haven't had them. And I would pass on the sheeps eye balls too. I have to admit I am rather fussy and there are quite a few foods I don't like, and some I wouldn't want to try. Carole
