Things that make me smile

Happy Friday!
All things that just really get me; the smell of freshly baked bread (we made these rolls last week)....

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Birds in flight...

An Aga (what I would give for one of these in my kitchen!) via jonny2love on flickr

Better than Banana Muffins!!

So really, what is better than a freshly baked banana muffin (unless you don't like bananas!)? A banana muffin with chocolate chips, of course!

 The truth is, my daughter is the only one who will sit down and eat a whole banana; the rest of us are kind of on the fence!  Don't get me wrong, I'll take a banana baked in just about anything...it's more the texture (you know what I mean). So this means I always end up with a bunch of over-ripe bananas that I throw in the freezer for when we need a new batch of muffins or bread.  
I love walnuts in my muffins but of course with the allergies at school and the fact that you have to chew them too much (as per Liv) I opt to leave them out.  What I throw in in place of those nuts though is a whole lot of chocolate!  Give these a try next time your freezer is bursting at the seams or you want to give your kids something semi-nutritional as a snack or quick breakfast.

recipe adapted from Robin Hood Flour Cook Book

Recipe: 
1 3/4 cups flour           1 cup mashed ripe bananas  (about 3)
1/3 cup sugar               1/3 cup canola oil(substitute coconut oil 
3 tsp. baking powder                                             or applesauce)
1/2 tsp. salt                  1/4 cup milk (substitute yogurt or sour cream)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg           1 egg
3/4 cup chocolate       2 tsp. lemon juice 
  chips (or walnuts)                               


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup. Level off and pour into mixing bowl. Add sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; stir well to blend.  
Combine the banana, oil, milk, egg and lemon in a small bowl and beat until combined (you can use a rotary beater if you wish).
Add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir until moistened and then fold in the chocolate chips!
Fill lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400 for 20-25 mins.
Makes 1 dozen muffins.

A Bit of Sugar

My Mum came to visit this weekend.  She lives just far enough away from us that visits aren't as frequent as we'd all like.  It's always amazing when she comes because I get to see everyone at their very best.  My kids soak up all that she has to give and she gets that extra glimmer in her eye delighting in all that they are.  I love these times too.  I get to watch my kids experience her unconditional love and patience and listen to all of her stories and knowledge on everyting from Ancient Greece to tips on baking.

This weekend was no exception.  We got out the baking supplies and made some melt in your mouth sugar cookies in the shapes of hearts, fish and butterflies.  The kids learned proper rolling techniques and how to get the most cookies from your dough.  We also learned to give Liv her own bowls of icing.  She pefers to do lots of licking of the utensils rather than spreading of the icing!

They made some fantastic cookies and they were very proud of the end result!

The cookies are delicious (we don't eat the ones Liv decorated!) but even more delicious are the memories...

Go bake some cookies!!