Log Stove and Tasty Pear Bread

 

Clay found this idea on his outdoor trader forum and decided to give it a try this weekend.  Eric came down to hang out and they got to work making it happen.

 

I was trying to stay out of the way I just was the waitress bringing things in and out of the kitchen.

 

  I love the way a house looks so cozy and welcoming at night with the lights on inside!

 

Initially it had a hard time getting going but after it started they were good to go.  

 Lily was in charge of supervising the menfolk while they worked.

 

I made 2 loaves today, the one on the left is banana, apple, cinnamon, pecan and the one on the right is banana, pear, cardamom, and almond.

 

I liked the pear one better.  The recipes are as follows and the baking/mixing instructions are the same for both and listed at the bottom:

Apple Cinnamon Bread

DRY

1.5 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1tbsp cinnamon  

1/4-1/2 cup pecans

 

WET

2.5 very ripe bananas smashed

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 eggs 

1 apple finely chopped

Pear Cardamom Bread

DRY

1.5 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1tbsp cardamom

1tsp cinnamon 

1/4-1/2 cup slivered almonds

WET

2.5 very ripe bananas smashed

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 eggs 

1 ripe pear finely chopped

Combine wet and dry ingredients separately in different bowls, add dry to wet ingredients slowly mixing in. Then pour into greased (or pam sprayed) 9 inch bread loaf pans.  Cook at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until firm.

 

No bake granola bar

Trying a new recipe tonight that I found on pinterest. Hope it is good. Sitting down after an intense leg workout and elliptical session to enjoy some Terra Nova with the husband. Back to the work grind tomorrow. I am even doing a day shift this week. That will require lots of coffee and will be very interesting.

Source: fooddoodles.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Early Morning Recipe Experimentation

A little hungry this morning and wanting something warm and sweet. Mixed about 1/4 cup whole wheat pancake mix, 1/8 cup uncooked quinoa, 1 banana, 1 egg, a dash of vanilla and butter extracts, 1 tbsp each of poppy seeds and chia seeds, juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon (think I will use a whole lemon next time since they weren't as lemony as I would have liked) mix all items and mashed banana then cooked the whole whole thing like a giant pancake. Yay for happy tummy!

Earlier tonight I tried Moringstar Farm's buffalo Chik-n bites which were surprisingly good but did need a little extra sauce in my opinion. Paired that with some carrots (which I also dipped in the buffalo sauce) and some olive oil lemon feta hummus chips.

These things are soooo good!!!

Turning Shepherd's Pie into a Casserole

This is how my Shepherd's pie began. I had the great idea of subbing barley on top instead of mashed potatoes. Unfortunately my barley ended up like this...


Needless to say I had to sweep up all the barley and scrap that idea so I made a mixed veggie casserole instead. The colors were so pretty.



I also tried my hand at making some GRANOLA bars. I made some Cran-Orange, Apricot and Almond bars. There were a little dry but had a great flavor!






Today I struggled a little with my workout. I worked out with Joey (my trainer)and I usually am able to push a little harder and we only did BACK and BICEPS but I was wiped out. I am afraid I may be trying to beat a little cold (runny nose, slight sore throat this AM) which may explain the unexplained wimpiness. I was wanting something cold on the throat when I got home and I tried making Banana "SOFT SERVE" for the first time. I had cut up a bunch of sale bananas yesterday and froze the slices all spread out on parchment paper so they wouldn't be stuck together. After frozen I dumped them into a big gallon Ziplock bag. I threw 1 1/2 cups frozen bananas, about 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and 1 scoop vanilla protein powder in the blender. Once it was thick and smooth and topped with pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Yummy! That made me feel a little better, but now I think I want a big mug of hot tea now that I have cooled off.