Dec25

Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas

We had breakfast, opened presents, played with presents, and took the dog to the beach.

2007-beachdog.jpg
And here’s a present for you. . .

* Exported from MasterCook *

Banana Gingerbread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
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2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 bananas, whole — ripe
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if you’re baking in glass pans). Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Mix dry ingredients (from flour to nutmeg) in a bowl and set aside.

Mash bananas, beat in remaining ingredients. Add the dry mixture and mix just until everything is moistened. Overbeating will make the bread have a rubbery texture.

Bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan, then remove and slice!

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 230 Calories; 6g Fat (22.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 213mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

Dec23

Christmas Prep

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Christmas Prep

I spent three hours cleaning the cat area at the store this morning. Then I made phone calls to arrange a trip to Manhattan for about a dozen girls and moms. So hubby and the girls get to drag the tree in from the shed and decorate it. I’m taking a shower.

One of these days I need to re-write a classic Christmas Song as a New Jersey version. It’ll start, “I’m dreaming of a wet Christmas. . .” Almost every year it’s rain. Well, at least we don’t have to shovel it.

I do have to head up to a shopping plaza today, though, because Audrey needs to go gift shopping. I have to do it because I’m far more tolerant of waiting in lines than hubby is. The downside for him is that I might end up spending money, whereas he’d be in and out with nothing that wasn’t on his list. MUHAHAHAHA! Worst of all, this shopping plaza has not only a Barnes and Noble, but a shoe store. . .

Monday night, the band is playing at a local Catholic church for Christmas Eve services. One of the kids refuses to go because he’s a satanist. Good thing – there could be a major battle between the two imaginary friends right there if he went. How silly.

All the presents are wrapped, I just need to get hubby a bottle of sake to stuff his stocking, and decide what I need to buy at the supermarket so we can hole ourselves up and ignore the rest of the world for a few days.

Dec16

Maytag, You Are Dead to Me.

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Maytag, You Are Dead to Me.

So, perhaps you recall the saga of the washing machine. The first time it made the horrible smells and noises, I also mentioned the dishwasher. The second time, when it set off the smoke alarms, I had said I wouldn’t buy another Maytag. Well, hubby had to disassemble the Maytag dishwasher for the third time in a year (keep in mind that the machine is two years old) to get the thing unclogged. We’ve been cleaning everything off the dishes before they go in since the last time, but we still are getting particulate grunge stuck on the clean dishes every cycle. The filter has a fine plastic mesh that’s supposed to trap this stuff, but the problem is that it’s completely enclosed and can’t be cleaned. So, the plain water rinse we tried from the tap and from the garden hose didn’t loosen a thing – but when the dishwasher starts forcing water and detergent through it, it comes loose. Hubby ordered a new one, because a $30 part is less expensive than a new dishwasher. However, he and I agreed that I should write to Maytag and see what kind of response I got. We expected it would be an exercise in futility, but we’d feel a lot better getting it off our chests. So here it is, and I’ll show you the pictures I couldn’t show to Maytag: Read the rest of this entry →