Gone Bananas

I always have bananas onhand, why? Cause I am addicted to them. I like them before they're fully ripe, I like that when they're ripe and I even love them with they're overripe. Non the less, there's just something not too appetizing about eating bananas that have gone beyond overripe. Here is what I did with the double B's (blackened bananas):

Caramel & coconut topped banana loaf:

4 tbs butter, melted

2 eggs

3 bananas mashed

2/3 cup of sugar

Combine above ingredients in 1 bowl

1 Cup all purpose flour

1/3 Cup whole wheat flour

3/4 ts salt

1/2 ts baking soda

1/4 ts baking powder

1/2 ts cinnamon

Combine above ingredients together in a large bowl

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix till combined.

Then add 1/3 cup of shredded & sweetened coconut.

Mix through.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan then top with caramel chocolate chips and more shredded coconut and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes and you have this:

It tastes alot better the day after and the longer it sits since it is partly whole wheat, giving the wheat time to absorb the flavor of the bananas. Emmmmmmm...

Dumb Puppy No More!!!

Congratulations to Miss Gemini Adams, class of Petsmart 2006!!!!!!!!!

There she is, the smartest puppy in her class. We even showed the teacher how Gemini can dance with us. And here she is with dad:

And then her proud mom:

Gobblin' it up!

I was surprised to see that Neil didn't dispose of the whole turkey. I was rather disappointed at the amount that he ate; I thought I was in for another Margarita night at Jims where Neil ate a 2 pound piece of steak, 3 brats, a bag of chips and goodness knows what else he got his hands on. He did however make a purty good Princeton. Renee and I sipped on that during appetizers.

After that we layed around like a bunch of couch potatos, too full to move. Around 5:30ish we went for a walk up to the hindu temple across the street and then came back and started on desert: Apple pie (made by miss renee), pecan pie (made by Neils mom) and my pumpkin pie and cheesecake:

Sorry for the blurriness

Then it was on to the Turbo Cranium challenge. Girls vs. Boys. How that was even a competition I do not know, since the boys crashed and burned!!!! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEHEE. And that my friends was our thanksgiving.

RAINING PUMPKINS

Man, whoever doesn't LOVE this time of year must be crazy. During this season, I think, dream and crave baking anything containing pumpkins. Weird I know, but it's just begging to be used! It does me no good in the pantry. Sure, my husband is probably sick of all the pumpkin muffins, pumpkin loaves, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake I have been making, but you gotta use what the season gives you. If it rains pumpkins, you might as well use 'em.

I am SO excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow. Not only are we heading over to Neils for a get together with his Boston family, but I am bringing freshly baked homemade pumpkin pie and pumpkin chocolate swirl cheesecake. As a matter of fact - the pumpkin pie just popped out of the oven. Hopefully I don't eat the whole thing before tomorrow. Hmm.......No, I must not! I got the pumpkin recipe from King Arthurs new Whole Grain baking. The honey in the filling really makes a HUGE difference. It is so delicious!

KING ARTHURS GOLDEN PUMPKIN PIE
Crust:

2/3 C old fashioned/quick-cooking rolled oats, ground 30 secs in food processor
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs brown sugar
3/4 ts ground cinnamon
1/4 ts salt
6 tbs cold unsalted butter, cubed
3-4 tbs cold milk/half and half

Filling:
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup honey
1 tbs melted unsalted butter
1 ts ground cinnamon
1/2 ts ground ginger
1/2 ts ground nutmeg
1/2 ts salt
2 ts dark/spiced rum ( optional )

Prepare crust:
Whish together oats, flours, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter using mixer till unevenly crumbly. Add milk/half and half a little at a time until dough hold together when you grab it, and it's not too dry or crumbly.
Shape dough into a disc, 1 inch thick and roll like a wheel on it's edge along floured surface. Wrap and refridgerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Remove from fridge and let rest 15-30 minutes before rolling into 12 in disc on floured surface. Fix cracks in dough once it is in the pie pan, crimp edges and refridgerate and prepare filling.

Prepare Filling:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix filling ingredients together till smooth and pour into pie pan. Cover edges of crust with foil.

Bake pie:
Bake at 425 degress F for 15 minutes on bottom oven rack.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 + minutes on middle rack.
Allow to cool to room temp and refridgerate overnight (is the best) before serving.

I have been cleaning like a mad women. Now that I am working part-time, it isn't hard to keep up with the housework, but it definitely isn't as easy.

Now, off to bake that pumpkin cheesecake and prepare dinner.....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!