So the other day when we got back from our weekend (well, Thursday-Saturday morning) at Jillian's, Brian went to work and Steve stayed to hang out, which was cool because he's pretty awesome. I saw that my bananas were browning quite quickly and mentioned that Brian has been asking for banana bread pretty much every time he sees bananas. I think that it was Steve that then said, "well lets make some!" So we did. We made two really beautiful loaves. He posted a picture of the whole loaves here. It was a grand time.
Recipe! (Adapted slightly and doubled from my 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book). For two loaves of banana bread.
Preheat oven to 350* F.
Generously grease two 9 or 10 inch loaf pans. (I used coconut oil for this, surprise!)
Mix together until uniform and creamy:
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup coconut oil (originally soft shortening)
prepared egg replacer for four eggs (originally 4 eggs)
Stir in:
6 Tbsp (about 3/8 cup) sour milk/buttermilk
1 3/4 cup mashed banana (three large bananas)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1ish Tbsp Apple butter
Sift/whisk together ad stir in
4 cups flour (don't forget the xanthan gum if using gf flours)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
When blended, stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or nuts or whatever you want)
Divide between the two loaf pans, smoothing the tops so that they are flat and even. For a slightly crunchy and shiny top like I had, sprinkle a few Tbsp granulated or raw sugar evenly over the tops.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until tests done with a knife or toothpick poked in the middle.
Cool for a few minutes, then using oven mitts remove from pans (to do this I hold the pan in one hand and turn the loaf into the other hand (with mitts on, it is still really hot!) then flip it back so that it is right side up on the rack so that I don't damage the pretty top.)
Wait as long as you possible can, and enjoy plain or with butter!
***
New things!
Yesterday I went shopping at Wegman's and wandered around for while, always a dangerous thing to do. I am happy with my extra purchases though. I got a pretty (and large) cream colored coffee mug, like the colorful ones that my roommate has, so I can stop coveting hers when I use them, and bought Brian a red one, because he also liked S.J.'s a lot. (And they were on sale.) I got a super cute (and environmentally friendly) SIGG water bottle.
The design is really pretty! This was pretty much the first one I saw, then I looked at all of the others, then I picked this one back up. :p
Also, my sister is thinking about getting a kitty, which is really exciting.
Another new thing in my life is that I've started in the formal movements to go to school part time for next year (we've moved past just thinking, people...). S.J. has talked to her parents and they are making adjustments to their house to accommodate me (her mom is really gung-ho about it now that she has gotten past her initial uncertainty and is really excited to clean out and rearrange the house), so I have somewhere to live now. I also talked to financial aid and registration. I found out that I have nine credits left to graduate. As long as I have six credits each of my last semesters, I can keep half of my PEL and there is a part time TAP that I can apply for. I also won't lose any of my loans, but will lose all of my scholarships. I have to go and ask them if I will be able to keep my on-campus jobs. I definitely need to get a real job. Also, exciting, I need to get my own insurance, because I'm going to be booted from my parents not being a full time student. Yay! Adulthood! (By yay I mean mildly terrifying....)
***
And now for that mint chocolate chip cooky recipe!
Preheat oven to 325* F.
Line two cooky sheets with parchment paper.
Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
In a separate bowl sift/whisk together:
2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix to combine.
Stir in:
2/3 cups chocolate chips
2/3 cups vanilla chips
Chill for 3/4 hour, then let sit on table for 15 minutes to soften again (the chilled coconut oil will make it too stiff to divide at all).
Break pieces off of the dough and form into balls. place an inch or two apart on the cookie sheets and smoosh them a little (they won't spread with these types of flour). I make ping-pong sized balls for two-bite cookies.
Bake for 14 minutes or just until firm and slightly brown around the edges.
Cookies will stay soft for at least a week (none survived past that) if kept covered.
11 comments:
Ah... adulthood... TJ is talking to the Air Force recruiter today to see how soon he can get back into active duty... i'm not totally thrilled about this, but we can't afford to live out here anymore and don't even have enough money to move, which seems rather ironic.
and i haven't had health insurance for 3 years.
i hope things work out for you. why are you going part time? why not just go full time and get done in december?
I was told some things (like we'll have more money for you, then when I asked about it again I was told that they didn't have the time to devote to the fund, so it won't be set up in time) and convinced to stay the fourth year, "for the sake of my portfolio" (I was planning on graduating last year). One of the classes I have left is a two semester class that is only offered fall-spring, so now there is no way that I can finish before May.
"With Butter" is the modus operandi for everything in my life. That's how I got to be so well insulated. Toast? With butter. Macaroni and Cheese? With butter. I even put it on every newspaper I read.
Sigg bottles are so sexy; delicious swiss polymer-free design, not a trace of BPA to cause reproductive harm known to the state of California! The graphics are great, too, but I'd love to find one in stainless, or with a finish able to hold butter.
I got a SIGG from Wegman's too, it's orange though. Yours is pretty.
And yeah, adulthood can certainly be a challenge financially. Especially when everything happens at once, which it tends to do.
But hey, I can certainly...go to bed whenever I want? Oh wait, only for another week. Hmm. Maybe this adult thing isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Eugh. I hate when people tell you things and then it's all snake oil.
Too bad about your class too, keeping you there. is there anything else you'd like to explore taking, for the sake of staying full time, or are you really not interested in another full-time year? For example: I actually graduated after 3 semesters at JCC but took extra classes and claimed a "new degree plan" to be full time and get my financial aid.
Either way, it's not so bad being a 5-year graduate... ;) At least SJ's parents have warmed to the idea of a tennant. :)
Steve! Yay butter. Crazy Brian and his "banana bread can't get any better than plain" (he doesn't like butter on it). There is definitely a stainless one. I saw one last night at Wegman's that was stainless with just a little one-inch-ish red swiss cross toward the bottom, and if you go to the website and go to the products then sport section, there is a plain stainless one there. But if you ordered it you'd probably have to pay overseas shipping.
Stephanie! Thanks! Orange suits you. Is it the one with flamingos? Or a different orange one I haven't seen? Adulthood is so scary! You're more adult than me! Ah! (Or at least you will be in another week.... Eeee!)
Karen! Hi! I'm not really interested in doing another full year. Other than the point of when trying to put together a schedule, I had a lot of trouble scraping together four or five classes to make full time and that I was interested and that didn't conflict with each other. Also, at 30 grand a year, Roberts is a little more expensive than JCC, and so it's harder to squinch by when I have a lot less than that, and my parents have no money and I've maxed out on loans. It's going to be a lot better being part time. I'll be able to put a lot more focus on my senior show (that's the two semester class), and I'll be able to work and have money to start paying on the ridiculous amount of money I already owe. And it's not like I have to stay extra, I will still graduate in four years, it's just irritating that the things that were told to me this time last year were less true than the person that told them to me wanted them to be. Too bad I can't pay for college with hopes, wishes and moonbeams.
Ah, i didn't know you'd maxed out your loans and stuff already. That does make a difference. I was blessed by my grandmother in that i don't have any loans from my Bachelor's. As long as you're happy with the arrangement, that's all that matters.
at least you still enjoy what you're doing, right?
Yeah, I'm still eligible for loans, but even with max loans, my parents would still have to take out loans and neither they nor I have any money. I think even if we could afford it I would go with this arrangement because it just makes more sense. I'm definitely more happy with this than with any other situation I can think of. I'll be more content once everything (job, etc) is squared away. But it's looking pretty good. :)
By the way, how's life? I know you said that TJ's looking into going full-time military again.
life is pretty good, just trying to figure out what we're going to do about our living situation and the lack of finances to support it. RI is quite expensive. we love where we are and what we're doing and the church we're attending... but prices keep rising, and things are starting to feel out of reach. we haven't reached a concrete decision yet, but he does have paperwork to go active Army when he decides he wants to. I hope to be posting a more informative lj post sometime soon, as soon as i can get all my thoughts together.
anyways... as long as you're happy with your arrangements, that's what matters. :)
i am almost not 23 anymore! :)
I am jealous of your SIGG bottle... I have been eyeing those at Wegmans for ages, but have only recently discovered one with a design I love. Now its time for convincing Tim to come up to Hamburg or down to Erie to get one!
And I was going to ask about the decision about switching to part-time, but I see Karen beat me to it. Hopefully things work out well for you! Money sucks. :/ As does insurance. I lost mine when I graduated last May, but since I am signed up for full-time classes again, I should in theory have it. For like three more weeks (until I turn 21...) Oh the joys of adulthood...
You could bribe him with... cookies? I highly recommend the one in this very post, just use regular flour (would probably be really good with spelt or whole wheat) and ignore the xanthan. And use soymilk or ricemilk or hempmilk or some other non-dairy milk.
Oh I hate this growing up thing! And insurance companies! Thigs are working out though... hopefully... and slowly.... Where are you going back to school/what are you going back for?
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