Bananas

Sometimes I buy bananas, just so they'll go brown.  That's when they're the best to bake with.  When everyone else throws them in the trash, I get busy. My family eats more bananas than the Chiquita lady.  All year long, we eat bananas.  When my dehydrator is out in the summer, I buy bunches and bunches of bananas and store those delicious chips away for bedtime snacks.  Fruit salads aren't fruit salads without them, and peanut butter sandwiches........well, nuf said.

Tonight, after a long day's work, there were three brown bananas on the counter, with nobody to love them, except me.  Banana bread.  In just over an hour, my house was drenched with that wonderful aroma.  And, my husband was smiling and batting his eyes. 

So, tonight's share-a-thon is my Country Banana Bread recipe.  Enjoy! 

3 medium ripe bananas
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Mash bananas, add eggs, add flour sifted with sugar, salt and soda.  Stir well, add nuts. Pour into lightly greased loaf pan.   Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan, cool on wire rack.

Don't forget the milk.

Things I love

I love my dog, Niko.  He's a black goldendoodle.  That's a mix of a golden retriever and a poodle.  He's so sweet, unless we have company, then he's a idiot.  But I still love him.  I love my Jersey milk cow, Sweetie.  I love her more every day as we get to know each other.  I love milk, especially raw milk.  We used to have 16 gallons of milk delivered every Thursday morning when we were little.  Our milkman's name was Don.  I remember sitting at the kitchen table, before school, with our bowls of oatmeal.  We would be out of milk by Thursday, so he'd be there to deliver for breakfast, and he'd leave with oatmeal on his cheek. 

I love making goat milk soap.  It started out as a 4H project with my daughter, and ended up being my hobby.  I love growing a garden and canning the harvest.  I love my fruit trees.  They haven't given me anything yet, but they will.  And when they do, I will love that too.  I love baking.  I love fine point pens.  I love making lists, and I love old barns.  I love photographing old barns too, especially in black and white.  I love lilacs and cedars.  I also love braids.

I love camping, Mexican food, beer and coffee.  Yes!  I love coffee!  I love the sunrise and the sunsets.  I have a picture of the sunrise from this morning for you today.  I love smiling, and receiving one in return.  That's one of my favorites, too.  I love listening to Dr. David Jeremiah on the radio every morning on my way to work.  I love visiting farms.  I love my magazine subscriptions;  Mother Earth News, Backwoods Home, Hobby Farm, and Hobby Farm Home.   I love Jackie Clay's canning book!  I love the Bible, old familiar hymns and I love teaching Sunday School.  I really love the Apostle's Creed.

Most of all, I love my life.  Everything in it has been a wonderful gift from God.  I thank Him every day for all He has blessed me with. 

What do you love?

Cherry Pickin

My day began at 5:30.  The orchard will let you in at 7:00, and it's an hour's drive from home.  I brushed my teeth as the coffee brewed and then dressed in my worn out overalls and a tank.  My sweet mom and I were to meet a high school friend of mine in town at 6:30.  We made it on time and headed to the orchard.  By 6:30, it was already hot and humid, but we were excited to pick our cherries; red, tart and perfect for pies.

We arrived at the orchard about an hour or so after we started our journey and it was a beautiful place.  They had cherry trees, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and peach trees.  We picked for a little more than an hour and then headed home.  I was anxious to be home, so I could get the cherries pitted, washed and canned.  I make pies all year long, so these will taste so good this winter.

On our way back, we stopped at a farmer's market, just opening for the season.  I bought some chocolate mint and two loaves of bread.  I know those families work hard to try and make a little extra income on the weekend, so I supported them.  I do make my own bread often.  I have a fantastic recipe for whole wheat. 

So, four hours later, I pulled the last four pint jars of red, tart pitted cherries out of the water bath canner and set them to cool.  This is the first time canning cherries for me, so I have figured out I need to pack them tighter.  They float to the top and I have a lot of space on the bottom of the jar.....lesson learned.  But, I've posted a couple of photos of my prize for the day.  These cherries, cooling on my dining room table, are the first of many canning sessions in this kitchen.  By summer's end, my basement pantry will be stocked once again with fruits, jams, and vegetables that will lovingly nourish my family for the next year. 

First Time for Everything

I've been reading blogs for quite some time now.  I have several on my favorites list that I read daily...almost daily...ok, when I have time.  Yes, I'm a busy, working mom. If I'm the only one that reads my new blog, then so be it.  At least I'll have an outlet for my "thoughts".

My name is Marilyn.  I'm knocking on mid-life's door.  I am married to John, my best friend, for nearly 27 years.  Together, we have three amazing children.   We live on my family's Century-Old  farm in the Ozarks.  I am in the insurance business, and I have been for more than 20 years.  My husband operates his own small engine repair business from home. 

I have recently (in the past 5 years or so) become obsessed with being self-sufficient.  I'll cover this obsession later.  But, I have the desire to share, with anyone who will listen, my struggles and my successes in learning how be who God made me to be.  In short, I am a wife, a mother, a cook, a reader, a Sunday School teacher, a gardener, a canner, a soap maker.  I have a Jersey cow.  (And what a story that is!).  I also have a couple dozen chickens and a golden doodle named Niko.  And, this is My Life on Cedar Lane...........