Another episode of bana bread gone bad

In my quest for the best banana bread, I made another banana bread this morning. It's called Chocolate Banana Cream Bread. The name of it really doesn't properly describe the bread so I've renamed it Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bread. Actually, you can't taste the cream cheese in it. I wonder if it's even necessary. The listed ingredients make it sound like it's a definite pleaser. I'm not really sure if the recipe tastes good though because I changed the recipe. I halved the amount of sugar in the recipe and left the bread in the oven 25-minutes longer than I should've. The bread is still moist but I'm not sure if it should've been even moister and it's not very sweet. Eek. I'm disappointed w/ what I've done but I don't know if I want to try this recipe again. I'd recommend the full amount of sugar or 3/4 cup. And to also add an extra banana or two for more banana flavor. I felt that was lacking.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
3 ounces Cream Cheese -- softened
1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
2 medium Bananas -- mashed
1 Egg
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 cup Flour
3/4 cup Miniature Chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Blend butter, cream cheese, and sugar in mixer until creamy. Add bananas, egg and sour cream. Stir flour with chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until just mixed.

Pour into buttered 5x9 loaf pan. Bake in 325 oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until edges pull away from pan. Turn bread on rack. Cool.

X-tremely X-cited about Q7

To make a long story short, we're looking into getting new cars. DH has convinced me to look into the X5 so he can get the M3. I saw, I didn't like. K-dawg & V8-13 highly suggested the Q7. We went to the dealership today to look at it and test drive it. I likee and there's also a deal on it that ends in 4-days: $10k off MSRP on all cars. Whoa! We'll see if we get a new car by Thursday.

Making more bread

I made that Walnut Maple Banana Bread, I didn't add nuts since I don't like nuts. It turned out to be a success. It has no sugar in the bread so it wasn't too sweet at all. (Sweetened w/ maple syrup.) The topping consisted of 3Tbsp of sugar of which I only used 2Tbsp. Ppl liked the extra kick of sweet. W/o the sugar topping the bread would seem bland. It was moist and had the perfect sweetness. I forgot to take a picture of the banana bread and there wasn't anymore left over to take a picture of. heh. I found another banana bread recipe that consists of chocolate chips and cream cheese. It sounds good. I already bought the ingredients today and will plan on making it soon. My sis really wants to try this recipe out. In fact, she called me to double-check to see if I had made it yet. Hah!

On the other hand, I made a lemon bread recipe today. It didn't work out. Sucked, in fact! Someone tossed out my lemon glaze accidentally so the recipe was missing something. It was really dense too so I'm not gonna make this recipe again. I'll look for another recipe w/ a moister consistency.

Here's the banana bread recipe. I tried to go back to find the recipe online but the link was gone. Hmph. Luckily I saved it on my computer.

Walnut Maple Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
3 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons white sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

2.In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and maple syrup. Beat in the egg and bananas, leaving a few small chunks. Stir in the milk. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and stir into the banana mixture just until moistened. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Mix the nuts and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the batter.

3.Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

SnP Pics

Ok, since knittynay has directed ppl to my blog here goes a link to the Stitch n' Pitch pictures. They're uploaded onto the yahoo group site.

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/pacifica_snb/photos/browse/a08c

Last night was a relaxing night all to myself to knit, chat, and just hang out w/ some knitting buddies. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Giants won! Unfortunately, I was so concentrated on my knitting I really didn't care to watch the game. I know my priorities.

Experimenting w/ cast-ons

With some encouragement by knittynay I decided to create a new picot cast-on that would be more to my liking. Rather than having something protrude out w/ the picot cast-on I wanted something smoother, like waves. I call it scallop cast-on.


left: picot cast-on, right: scallop cast-on

It's made of short rows and yarn overs. I initially just made short rows but thought adding yarn overs would make a cute eyelet. Um, I'm no knitting designer 'cuz it didn't turn out as I planned. haha. But I'm learning. I then thought about how I normally make eyelets in my knitting. So I kfb, yo, k, yo, kfb. Then I turned around and k2tog, drop st, k, drop st, ssk. The final outcome didn't look any better than the other way I did it so I just stuck w/ adding short rows and yarn overs. I had tried just adding short rows but I like that the yarn overs made the scallops more pronounced. I wonder if there have been other ppl and patterns out there that have started cast-ons like this too, so it would create a scalloped edge. Or am I the 1st one?

Scallop Cast-on:
Using knitted cast-on...
*CO 5
k1, yo, k1, yo, k1
turn
p1, drop st, p1, drop st, p1
rep from *

This would be a good time to try to knit backward. It's interesting. I'll allow myself to do a few more and see how I get used to it.

Kids say the darndest things

My DD's funny. Last night DD, DH and I were in bed ready to sleep. DH decides to take a fart and DD says, "Daddy *boot boot*." (the farting noise) Then she tries to push him off the bed and continues, "Daddy, go out. Go out." so he could go outside to the bathroom to finish his fart/poop. Kee kee.

More baking, I think.

I made banana bread today. It smelled sooo good coming out of the oven. DH's co-worker made a banana bread for him to bring home and I thought it tasted pretty good. It had good flavor and wasn't too sweet. So I asked him if he could get the recipe for me. She gladly forwarded it. The recipe contained pineapples in it. Interesting. I didn't remember that. It was a nice banana bread. Though maybe I didn't recall it very well because this banana bread was too sweet. It didn't seem like the same one I ate a while ago. Hm. Maybe he brought home a lemon bread that I liked. Hm. My memory fails me way too much. Ughh. I will keep searching for a better banana bread recipe. Or was it lemon bread?

Caved in

I caved in and started on a new project w/o finishing the cardi wrap, as I had initially wanted. Oh well. It's aww goood.

My new project that I started is the Crumpets dress for Madz. Madz saw me stringing the beads onto the yarn one night and just had to help. It helped keep her preoccupied and quiet. She gets so focused when she's stringing beads. heh. I finished stringing the beads the next morning and began the picot cast-on. It's quite interesting how it's done.



I'm not really sure I like the look of the picot cast-on method that I found. I wonder if there are more out there? I'd like something smoother. I guess I could try and make something up myself. We'll see.

Some more pictures and updates

Here are some pictures of taken since my latest blogs.

Peanut butter Chocolate Chip cookies.


We have some really ripe bananas on the counter top. I'll try to make banana bread tonight or tomorrow and post some pictures.

And here are the items of an unassembled pair of earrings that I have yet to put together.


On the right you'll see a pair of beads that have already been set up on the wire. There are bags in the front that also have these beads set up in wire. And in the back (aka the top) are the beads that are not wired. At the top and upper right corner are the chains, s. sliver beads, and earring hooks. Stay tuned for the final outcome.

Last night I also began stringing the beads onto the yarn for the Crumpets dress. DD helped. She loves to string things. Tonight I'm taking her to SnB and I've set up a bag for her to string beads. Now I just wish I had a tray of some sort to catch the falling beads. I also finished stringing the beads when she went over to the Grand's place today. Then I began working on the picot cast-on, which takes a long time to cast-on. It doesn't work up fast at all. No picture.

Itchin' to start a new project

I finally received the yarn for the little girl dress pattern I've been eager to knit. I bought the yarn 'cuz it was on sale for 40% off. The color isn't what I would pick if I had more choices but for the money I'm ok w/ it. I had also been going back and forth as to what color beads I wanted to get for it. For some reason I decided on the clear rainbow trout look. Now I don't think I like it so much and would've liked to go safe and use a clear pink or lilac. I'm not about to return the beads as sending it back would cost as much as the actual item...maybe even more. I will just take it and see how it works out. My hands are itching for a new pattern to knit. And w/ all the materials ready for me to use on this new pattern I may just start on it w/o finishing my hairpin lace cardi wrap project.


Here you'll see the yarn I received as well as the beads that I've placed on top.

FOs of WIPs

I finished the Clap on June 5th, started a mug cozy on June 12th and finished it the next day, and also finished knitting up Saartje's Booties on June 19th. It was a productive month! I'm so proud of myself for finishing so many projects. I'm also working on finishing the Hairpin Lace Cardi Wrap. I'm done w/ the wrap part and just need to do the sleeves. As for my 1st pair of socks, I don't plan on working on those for a while. I may never touch them again. But I'm still holding on to the thought that I may persevere and actually finish this boring boring sock, if not pair of socks. What was I thinking knitting all stockinette on size 0 needles? Ughh. Knitting socks-wise, I would like to try to knit up a new sock pattern that'll be out on the shelves July 22nd, by Knitscene Mag. It's called Kimono Socks. It seems like it'll keep my interest and it's worked on size 2 needles. There are also other socks I'd like to try to knit up too.

Yum...Cookies!

In addition to knitting and beading, another hobby I've recently allowed myself to work on is baking! I love to bake and haven't done it for a while. On Sunday, to keep DD busy and to have some fun, we baked cookies together. I was looking through the kitchen cabinets and decided to flip through my Nestle Tollhouse cookies book. Decided to bake Chocolate Chip PB cookies. DD loved to help me put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Esp. the chocolate chips. That would explain why there weren't that many chocolate chips in the cookies. I'll have to add more later when I finish baking the rest of the cookies.

Randomly on my mind

Ok, it's been a long time since I've updated my blog....as I've been reminded last night by Ms. Stellar. I'm actually surprised I even blogged at the end of May, as I gave birth 2-days after. Heh. I thought I hadn't touched this blog longer than that. Bleah.

So. What's up w/ me? I've decided I will update this blog today. heh. I'm going to be talking about other random things on my mind besides for knitting. Hmm...I think I'm gonna change the title of my blog to "Knitting on my mind...and random things".

First random thing...I received a pkg of bead accessories I ordered recently. Yay! I've been busy w/ taking care of two kids for the past two-weeks and hadn't had much time to work on the beading project I had in mind. It's a pair of earrings. My friend bought me a beading book for my b-day back in Sept and her b-day just past in May. We haven't seen each other in a long time as our group of friends have gone really busy as we've gotten older. As DH mentioned the other night, when we were younger we didn't have much money but had time...now we're older and don't have much time but are earning money. Ughh. I digress. Back to beading. So, she mentioned she liked one pair of earrings in the book so I had planned to make it for her ever since. I've bought the material and so far I've wired together all the individual bead groups for one of the pair of earrings and just need to attach them on a chain and attach the earring hook. I'll post pictures when I'm done. Hm...not sure when that'll be.

I also bought yarn and beads for a dress pattern, Crumpets, I plan on knitting up for my daughter. I'm excited! But first, I need to finish up one more WIP so I don't feel bad that projects are piling up but never done. I've done a really good job of closing up my WIPs even after birth and having to take care of a newborn. Well, it does help that we got a nanny. heh.

I'm almost done w/ the hairpin lace cardi wrap. Wahoo! Just need to do the sleeves now. I've been saying that for over a week now. I've just been really tired and out of time. In fact, DS is beckoning for my time now. I've gotta blog again later. Also, no pics available as I'm not on my own computer now.