You want me to do what?

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but this new thing I am trying is one of the scariest, dangerous and most difficult things I have to do in a while.  I am trying to… (Pause here for effect)… eat LEFTOVERS.  I know, I know. You’re asking yourselves, “How can she do this?”  But it’s true.  For those of you who know me, you know that I cannot STAND to have my food touching.  I know it all goes to the same place in the end, but I just can’t get over it!  My biggest fear happens every year at Thanksgiving. Someone always puts their mashed potatoes on the same plate as their Jell-O, things start to run, and you can just imagine the horror that ensues… Really?  Cherry-tinged potatoes?  Ugh.  I am gagging just thinking about it.

So as picky as I am about my food on the first day, I am especially picky about it on the second or third day.  Nothing ever tastes the same after it has sat in the fridge all night.  And it usually doesn’t get eaten the next day anyways, because who wants to eat the same thing two days in a row?  I am now trying to repurpose leftovers into other things, so our menu stays exciting and we're using things up instead of tossing them out.  Some homemade salsa from last week (made from our own veggies!) was added to chili, giving it the extra little kick it needed.  Left over boiled potatoes were added to breakfast the next day, along with eggs, cheese, onions and peppers.  My mama is an expert at taking any sort of left over and turning it into a fabulous soup, so that is next on my list.

Banana bread might not sound like an adventure to most of you, but there was a time when I could not imagine using a brown banana for anything other than the trash.  But that was the old me.  The new and improved me has discovered that there is a place in this world for rotten bananas – and that place is in my stomach!  In a time where brown bananas used to mean the garbage can, now they mean only one thing – banana bread. The sight and oh, the smell of banana bread can brighten anyone’s day.  So here you go.  This is a basic, but very tried and true banana bread recipe.  You could also add nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips if you want.

Banana Bread

4 small bananas

1 cup sugar

1 lg egg

1 ½ cup + 2 tblsp flour

1/3 cup butter

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix wet ingredients, and then slowly add dry ingredients.  Pour into lightly greased bread pan, and bake 55-60 minutes. 



A work in progress...



My oven is older, and I used my stoneware, so I usually have to bake mine for an hour and 10 minutes.  But just keep an eye on it, and check it often – it is SO worth the wait!



Is your mouth watering yet?



And if you don’t have any extra bananas sitting around, I will share some of my bread with you…  ENJOY!!

Mmmm... the breakfast of champions