Friday Food ~ Banana Almond Pancakes

Banana Almond Pancakes
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 banana, pureed
3 cups milk (I use soy milk)
1 TB lemon juice
1 cup sliced almonds
Canola oil



Mix all ingredients well. Add a little more milk if the batter seems too thick. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add a small amount of canola oil to the pan and pour about 1/2-1 cup of pancake batter into the frying pan. Cook both sides until golden brown.

Food Friday ~ Magic Bars

I'm not going to claim this recipe as "mine", because the original recipe came off a can of sweetened condensed milk. These cookie bars were always my absolute favorite growing up. I have made them for my family as a little girl, for my friends as a college student and young bachelorette, and now I make them for my family! If you haven't tasted these yummy sweets, try this recipe and it will likely become one of your favorites, too!

Magic Bars

1 package of graham crackers (not the whole box)

1/2 cup melted margarine
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (I usually use the fat free one--tastes the same to me)
1 small package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
9 X 12 casserole dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush the graham crackers in the package, or by using a blender or food processor. Pour the melted margarine into sprayed casserole dish. Dump the crushed graham cracker crumbs into the pan and press to form a smooth, layer. Layer in the rest of the ingredients in the order listed above. Press down gently to combine everything. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is very lightly golden.
Dump the graham crackers into the baking dish, and press firmly. Next, layer in the sweetened condensed milk and sprinkle with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Cover with coconut and chopped pecans.

Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.

Friday Food ~ Herbal Mint Tea

Herbal Mint Tea

4 cups water

9 herbal mint tea bags (see below for my favorite brand)

3 large bowls of ice

1/2 cup sugar

You can use a tea maker and follow their instructions for the amount of water and ice. Keep the 9 bags to 1/2 cup sugar ratio. If you make this tea in a tea pot or sauce pan, follow the measurements above. Serve with lots of ice! Ahhhhhh. . . so refreshing!

Tues. News ~ Brand new . . . gorgeous faucets!

Gorgeous, isn't it!? This is the new look in our master bedroom bathroom!

This is the old one. . . err . . . ummm . . . err . . . not sure what to say . . .

Before . . . This is what the old faucet looked like. One of them was leaking, and couldn't be fixed. My husband is really, really good at fixing things around the house, so he took on the challenge of replacing both of our faucets in the master bedroom bathroom! I am so happy with the results! Gorgeous, just gorgeous!

After our baby boy, Isaac, watched his Daddy replacing the faucets, he decided to try to do some work under one of my kitchen cabinets. He removed a bunch of my stuff, mostly picnic supplies, and then tried to lean back like he had seen Daddy doing! There is a small shelf in there, so he couldn't really do it, but he sure did try!

He likes to hang out under this cabinet, but recently I did an overhaul and completely reorganized all the picnic supplies, so now he really can't get in there very easily. Now he's on to other adventures, like climbing up on our bed without help! It's a tall bed, too! What's next!?

Friday Food ~ African Horned Melon

I absolutely LOVE to try new things! I am very adventurous when it comes to trying new food, especially fruit! I'm a vegetarian, so there are some limits there. But, I digress. This African Horned Melon caught my attention at the grocery store today! I love the color orange, and it's spiky exterior was very intriguing. I was desperate to find out what it looked like on the inside, and better yet, how it tastes!
We cut it open and were shocked to see it's green, slimy, seedy flesh! Wow, that was a surprise! Let the adventure begin! I had a few quick thoughts . . . hmmm I hope it is ripe . . . hmmm I hope I'm not supposed to cook it or something . . . (you know some food, like rhubarb, can be poisonous if not cooked). A quick search on google, assured it was meant to be eaten fresh and raw. So, after I slowly dismissed each of my worries, I got a spoon out and dug in! Wow, no not wow, yummy, more like . . . Wow, that's funky! It tastes as slimy as it looks! Those seeds taste like you are eating nothing but the seedy part of a cucumber, in mass quantity. The flavor is kind of lightly sour. It's not gross, but I can't say it's yummy either. I would say it is interesting.

Monday: Mommy Menu ~ Vegetable Curry & Mango Lassi

Vegetable Curry and Mango Lassi

* Disclaimer, I'm not from India or any other country where curry is commonly served, but I LOVE it, so I made up this recipe based on what my family and I have enjoyed at the homes of friends and eating out at Indian food restaurants.

5 potatoes, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 can Fri Chik (vegetarian chicken of your choice), chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can garbanzo beans

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. curry (yellow kind found in any grocery store, Walmart, etc.)

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

In a medium sauce pan, cook the chopped potatoes until soft. Saute the onion and celery on medium until soft. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and spices. Simmer medium/low for 5-10 minutes. Add the vegetarian chicken and cooked potatoes, and continue to simmer 5-10 more minutes or until ready to serve.

Chop the onion and celery . . .

Cook up 1-2 cups of basmati rice to serve with this curry.

Add the tomatoes and garbanzo beans to the sauted items.

Add the cooked potatoes and vegetarian chicken and continue to simmer on low/medium.

Mango Lassi
1 30 oz can of mango pulp

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 cups of ice

Whiz in the blender until smooth. Enjoy!