Our little Chicken coop

This is our little Chicken coop we built after we brought home three little chicks!

The girls love their new home!

Our garden last summer!

The girls in the snow just last week!!!  Can't wait for spring to get here so we can plant the garden!

Banana Nut Bread

My husband (bless his little heart) informed me that he wasn't eating bananas in the morning anymore right after my trip to Costco last week.  (I bought a huge bag of bananas!)  Since they've all ripened at once I decided to use them in banana bread.  The thing is...He'll eat all the banana bread.  Go figure?  This is when I roll my eyes at him.  Gotta love my husband!

I decided to post the recipe since it really is a family favorite around.  The bread just disappears! 

Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well.  Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the bananas.  Blending well after each addition.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into a well-greased loaf pan.  Bake in oven 40 to 45 minutes or till done.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.  Slice bread and serve with butter or eat it plain.  Yummmmmmm!!!  Enjoy!

Avocado Fries

Oh dear.  I never should have done this.  This may be one of my biggest mistakes all year.  Can’t take it back now.

So we’re totally enjoying our grilled avocados, but my husband innocently asks “What else can you do with avocados?”  And so my daughter twitters this recipe, and I'm laying all the blame on them.  Of course, I had to go and make them, and now we are doomed.
Sigh….  Avocado fries are good.  They’re very, very good.  So don’t even go there unless you’re willing to deal with that.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside… I dusted them with a little parmesan cheese, which was so unnecessary.  But wow.  We’re not so much down with frying stuff around here, but now I must have avocado fries.  Must. Have. Them.
At a buck fifty a pop (at least around here), avocados can easily run up quite a tab on the grocery bill.  Oh, who cares.  We’ll do without napkins and wax paper or something.   Avocado fries are here to stay.

So, consider yourself warned.  I tried to tell you….  

Avocado Fries

Printable Recipe
Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates.
3. Sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt.  Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set on 2 plates in a single layer.
3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan.

Luscious Lemon Delight

Prep time: 19 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Servings: 8

Grandma often doubled this recipe, because we all wanted a second helping.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, divided
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 2 (3.4-ounce) packages lemon instant pudding mix
• 2 2/3 cups milk

Directions

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 375F.
• 2
  Combine flour, 1/2 cup pecans and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Press onto the bottom of an 11 x 8-inch baking dish. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let stand to cool.
• 3
  Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
• 4
  Add 1 cup whipped topping to cream cheese mixture and fold in gently. Spread over cooled crust.
• 5
  Combine pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl. Beat until thickened. Spread on top of cream cheese layer. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Chill, covered, for 1 hour. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Miss Shelly's Pineapple Sheet Cake

Miss Shelly's Pineapple Sheet Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
20 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts- I left out due to allergies

Mix all together until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Icing
8 ounces cream cheese
4 T. butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts- optional

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add Vanilla. Slowly add sugar and blend after each addition. Fold in nuts if desired. Ice cake while still a bit warm. Serves many as this cake is rich and sweet, so cut the pieces small as you can always have seconds.