Heptadecagon

Many times I post a recipe here because I want to save that recipe. That's what I'm doing today. I looked up "Easy Banana Muffins" because I really didn't want to use my same old muffin recipe and I had, as usual, a ton of bananas. Well the recipe I found was a hit with the kids. And anyone who has kids knows that if a recipe is deemed more than acceptable, you stick with it. So I'll be putting this recipe into the "what to do with old bananas" rotation. (If you want to see the original recipe, you can find it here .) Ingredients: 3 large bananas 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg (slightly beaten) 1/2 cup melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, but I used it) 1 cup milk chocolate chips What to do: Mash the bananas and add the sugar and the egg. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon ...

For as long as I can remember, Mom has always loved vanilla ice cream. A few moments in time creep into my mind when I see her ordering Butter Pecan at Baskin-Robbins , but if given the choice for a half-gallon of ice cream at home (when companies still routinely sold half-gallons), she'd choose vanilla. I like vanilla ice cream. But I always perceived Mom's choice as boring, bland, dare I say, vanilla? Until I thought about Mom's choice more and realized that by choosing vanilla ice cream, she chose a simple, pure flavor that probably isn't appreciated as much as it should be. Good vanilla ice cream is a pleasure to eat, really, and can form the basis of so many wonderful desserts. I looked up what desserts could be made with vanilla ice cream as their base, and since these pictures from Coastal Living were so pretty (taken by Levi Brown), I thought I'd share them here. Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Cake Nut-crusted Key Lime Ice Cream Cupcake Peanut...

Do you ever feel like the bananas in your house are against you? I do. Even though we love bananas and we eat a lot of bananas, we always have some in the freezer, waiting to find new life as banana bread, cake, or cookies. The other day, I was tired of my same old recipes and thought I'd look for something new. And, I had three very ripe bananas staring at me from my counter top. Find something worthy , they said. Something so rich and so fine, we'll be happy to be a part of it. And boy, did I. These are called Banana Oatmeal Cookies (you'll notice the link says moist and chewy , but due to an aversion to one of those words by several of my faithful readers, I decided to cut those two words out of the title). But me? I'm going to call them Damn Good Cookies , because they are. Even without chocolate or nuts, these are, by far, one of my favorite cookies. In fact, these are so good (maybe it's the butter?) that I will, for the meantime, allow a bit more sugar i...

How's that title for an expletive? I love it, don't you!?! I plan on using that phrase from here on out. Scared out of my gourd? Sweet Bacon Crackers! Exasperated by the mess in the girls' room? Sweet Bacon Crackers! Amazed by the fact that Timmy remembered to empty the dish drainer without me asking him to do so? Sweet Bacon Crackers!! Okay, we're moving on... I said I wouldn't turn this blog into a recipe blog. AND I WON'T. But Tim forwarded a recipe to me that I knew FRN would like. And if you like bacon as much as FRN does, you might also enjoy the recipe . It looks simple, but tasty. (Okay, to be honest, it doesn't look tasty to me. But I agree with Tim that the kids would like it.) Ingredients 36 butter crackers (Keebler Club, Townhouse, or other sort) 12 slices of bacon, cut into thirds (see how math is involved here?) 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar How to make: 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F, and place tin foil onto two cookie she...

Scents have a way of taking us back to moments in our past. So do recipes. The following sugar cookie recipe is the one that does it for me. They aren't named for my mom, Mary, but we did make this cookie when I was younger, usually around Christmas. I fell in love with them then, and fall in love again, every time I eat one of these. Mary's Sugar Cookies* 1 cup softened butter 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar granulated sugar/frosting for decorating In a large bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and butter. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and mix well. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half 3/16 of an inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes a...