BUSY DAY AT HOME

I am just full of energy today - so got up early and started some homemade bread. Once that was on its first rising I got out the ingredients for banana bread, to use up those spotty bananas. I made two batches of banana bread - the freezer will be nice and full - I got four loaves out of those two batches. This is the best banana bread recipe I've ever used - everyone loves it.


BECCY’S BANANA BREAD
3/4 cup margarine
1 1/3 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. mashed banana
1 C. sour cream
2 C. flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Oven 350; pans greased (one 9x13, 2 loaf pans, or 4
mini loaf pans)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy; add eggs and vanilla. Combine banana and sour cream - 2 cups total. Stir into creamed mixture.

Stir in dry ingredients.
Bake. They say 60 minutes for full-size loaves. I baked the minis for 50 minutes only - toothpick did NOT come out quite clean and the loaves were VERY soft and squashy when I turned them out, but wow were they moist!


Four loaves in their pans -right out of the oven - heavenly!!



Meanwhile - the bread dough had risen two times - and was ready for the pans. I use an Amish recipe given to me by a friend many years ago. I don't even look at the recipe any more - it is in my head. The dough rises twice in the bowl - and then the third time in the pans - so I have to plan ahead to have enough time at home to get through all three risings and then the baking. Of course after that comes the eating - but I always plan ahead for that.



Now the banana bread it out of the pans and cooling on the drainboard - do we still say drainboard? Or do we always have to call it the counter? I like drainboard.

So - time to wash up the dishes - but we have our hot water heater on a timer - and a late shower took all the rest of this morning's hot water, and no more will heat until 8 p.m. Usually this arrangement works fine - showers early - before 7, and then the hot water has time to heat again and we use off that tank the rest of the day. Then days like today happen and I'm without hot water. Doesn't happen often - but today it did. If I load the baking dishes in the dishwasher it will be too full - and there is no hot water anyway to run it until after 8 tonight, and I want the baking mess cleaned up NOW.

I was thinking of moving all the stuff from in front of the hot water closet - taking the panel off, resetting the timer to heat once again - and then when it was done, resetting the timer, then putting the panel back on and putting all the "stuff" back where it belonged - when a great idea hit me. I'd heat water and wash the dishes like we used to when I was a kid growing up in Alaska. We used a dishpan - hauled the water from a waterfall a distance from the house - heated the water on the stove and usually scalded our hands getting the temperature just right in the dish water. You can just imagine what wash day was like - with three kids and a fisherman to do laundry for.



So I got out both teakettles and set them to heating water. The one in front is my favorite and I use it every day - the one in back whistles like a train when the water boils - and it gets used when the grandsons are here and want to hear it. I heated them both full of boiling water - poured some in the baking dishes and added cold water from the faucet - we have PLENTY of cold water - and washed everything up. Then I put the clean dishes in the drainer and poured more hot water over them to rinse - just like in the "good old days". It was fun to do this one time - but I like the "good new days" when hot water pours forth from my faucet when I need it, and I don't have to lug it in buckets, up the stairs. And in winter we had to lug ice when the waterfall froze - and melt that for water.

I am grateful for the hot water heater timer though - we have saved over 60.00 a MONTH by not running it all the time - quite a savings I can use for crafting, or buying toys for the grandsons - or even baking more bread.

And speaking of bread



Here it is - out of the oven and smelling so good it can make a strong man cry. Ahhhh the sweet smell of home baked bread!!!

In between the mixings and the washing up and the straightening up the kitchen, I had time to finish this cute little needle case, made of felt.






This was fun to make - think I'll make a couple more. In just a little while we are off to Mt. Vernon where Don has an appointment for a little laser eye surgery. The appt. isn't until 3:30 and takes a couple hours. I will be driving home, and then he will be back to work tomorrow - oh the marvels of modern science - and the joys of hot water!!!