We Are Family

Saturday, we spent the day with Emily at Albright College for Family Day, ie. Feast Day...er, I mean, spending two hours in the cafeteria...uh, no...spending time with our student.

 

It was fun having a more in-depth tour and seeing into Emily's classrooms and where she's been hanging out while at college. I loved seeing all the families who came in to shower love on their students. One family even brought homemade food for their son. He looked thrilled to devour it all.

 

 

Boxing Day Observed

Since my hubby is British, I often think that he must get homesick for some of the traditions and goodies he enjoyed around the holidays when he lived in England. I asked him one year what fun things he wanted to incorporate into our family traditions so that it might lessen those feelings, and he said he missed Boxing Day the most.

Boxing Day, for many Brits, is like Christmas Day Part 2. All the same foods and fun but repeated at a relative's -- grandparents' or aunt/uncle's -- house. It was the day that Stuart said they got their prezzies from their grandparents. An extension of the fun, so to speak.

When we lived in Britain, we were always invited over to a friends' home to join in the fun. A beautiful and tasty roasted meal with Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas crackers, and a small present afterwards.

So now we try to recreate this goodness in our house each year.

Only this year, our turkey decided NOT to thaw in time. I took it out of the freezer at the suggested moment, but it must have been in a deep freeze when I bought it because that bird was still a bit frozen even a week after I started thawing it. We delayed our meal for a few days, and it was still as lovely and fun as always.

Great food. Great company.

We ended with a demonstration of bunny hopping and a meeting of the piggies.

Wordless Wednesday

Hellish Kitchens Returns

I am a huge fan of banana bread. I have always loved the taste and texture of it. I especially enjoy the Starbucks version which has chocolate chips in it.

So I was especially excited when I found this yummy (and tres facile) recipe on allrecipes.com. Not only is is super easy and tasty (pair it with your favorite afternoon tea)...but it's also dairy-free, which isn't necessarily a problem in our house but comes in handy when we have over-ripe bananas and no eggs.

Hope you enjoy it, too!!

Banana Bread

Rated: Submitted By: Irene Evans Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 16

"This recipe's special because it uses no eggs or milk. I know that there are many people who are on milk-free diets, so this bread is perfect for them."

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup shortening 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed ripe bananas

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Note: This recipe does NOT contain eggs or milk. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening for about 5 minutes (mixture does not get smooth). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas, beating after each addition (the batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 8/25/2012

Another From Hellish Kitchens...a.k.a. Mine

I have a reputation.

I love to buy fruit.

And while I can't eat most of it due to allergies, I love that my kids can get all the wonderful vitamins and minerals that fresh fruit offers.

Okay, so that's not a bad thing, right? Not something important enough to get a "reputation" from.

That's not the actual problem, though.

I love that the fruit is available for the kids to eat with their meals or for snacks.

But sometimes...I forget that we have it.

And when that happens, it dies, and we feel really wasteful if we have to throw it out.

Recently, I perused allrecipes.com for a good banana bread recipe. (Have I mentioned how much I love that site?) And voila! I give you the following recipe, great for when you don't have any eggs or milk in the house...or if you're on a dairy-free diet.

Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup shortening 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed ripe bananas

DIRECTIONS:

Note: This recipe does NOT contain eggs or milk. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening for about 5 minutes (mixture does not get smooth). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas, beating after each addition (the batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

I've made it three times, and every time has been awesome!!

Seriously.

We've eaten the entire loaf in one meal.

I use margarine for the shortening and cook it for about 10 minutes longer (but that's my oven). Some of the reviewers offer some good suggestions. But I would just make it from the original recipe the first time and see what you think and where you might tweak it.

It's a great way to use up "old" bananas...and keep from getting a "reputation."

Easter Yum!

What could be more festive than these yummy donuts?

Oh, yeah.

Happy...

...National Peanut Butter Day!

Eggs-tra Special

Stuart brought me home a Galaxy Caramel Egg. Galaxy. Caramel. Egg.

For those of you who don't know British chocolate well, Galaxy makes a creamier version of Cadbury's. It's one of the Mercedes of the chocolate world.

I've had it since May.

For those of you who don't know me well, that's a LONG time for me to keep chocolate.

I'm a choco-holic. I know it. My hubby knows it. My kids know it. If there's chocolate in the house, it won't be long until it's no longer in the house. If there was some kind of support group for this addiction I'd be the "poster child" for it.

Okay. So I exaggerate...a bit.

Anyways...back to my Galaxy Caramel Egg...

Each of the family members in my house -- with the exception of Ethan and the various fur-covered ones -- has demanded implored encouraged me to eat said egg.  I'm guessing it's to remove the temptation that they feel in seeing it each day.

But I can't.

It's not because I don't want to. It's not because I won't enjoy it. It's not even because I'm not physically able to.

I just don't want to...yet.

There will come a moment, when the time is right and the coffee is perfect, that I will peel back the foil wrapper and sink my teeth into the luxurious caramel surrounded by creamy chocolate, savoring the sweet goodness with a swig of Starbucks Special Blend.

...........

Excuse me. I think I hear the kettle whistling.....