Munchie Monday: Quick and Easy Banana Bread with only Three Ingredients or Four!

 Almost always the recipes I find on Facebook turn out to be disasters. You would think I would learn.  This one worked.

Quick and Easy Banana Bread

3-4 very ripe bananas

1 box Spice Cake Mix (about 18 ounce size)

2 eggs

Chocolate chips optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 5 bread tin with butter. Or other solid shortening.

In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork.  Add the dry cake mix and the two eggs.  Stir well until all the dry mix is incorporated.  Add the chocolate chips if you like.  (Dear One does not believe in chocolate chips in banana bread...!) Scrape into the bread tin.

Bake for 40-60 minutes.  Start checking for doneness at 35 minutes.

This tasted pretty good, but it was best the first day.  It is NOT agreeable to reasonable blood sugar...

Well I DID Do It This Year!

 Many people know that every October I do a 5K walk in support of the Rett Foundation.  Early this October I went out for a long walk to "practice" for the walk later in the month. I walked 1.83 miles around the perimeter of our complex.  When I finished that walk I was feeling great and it crossed my mind that I should immediately go around again which would make the 5K.  For some reason I did not do it that day and the next day plantar fasciitis came back to haunt me.  Since then I have been struggling.

The end of the month is coming and there are lots of things going on so today was the day.  First thing this morning I went out and got in 0.76 miles before going to the doctor appointment.  Following that I did a few errands then came home pretty fagged out.  I was slouched into the reclining loveseat where I often sit downstairs when Dear One asked if I was going to finish my walk.  I had told him this morning that today was the most reasonable day to complete this event.  

Well, I pulled myself together and went back out.  I put on my headset, got out my big stroller, and started down the sidewalk toward the dam across the alligator pond. Because it is always a struggle to walk, I put on my "I'm Hungry apron" which reminds me of all the good things to eat and which has a very nice set of pockets so I could put a hanky in one pocket and my phone in the other.  I have learned that the app that maps my mileage does not give me credit if the phone is in the stroller and not on my person. Since I was not doing this just for the joy of being outside but had a real need to cover a certain amount of ground, I needed the phone in my pocket.  The only thing I failed to do was get my had out of the closet. Oh well. Next time.

My plan was to do an extra loop about halfway through the walk to pick up some more mileage.  I did that but it was obviously not enough so when I got back to our street, instead of turning right toward our house I turned left and went back to the next connecting street and went a ways away from home.  Finally I turned around and headed home again, pretty sure I would get the mileage it.

When I did arrive home I was just about shot but so happy to have completed yet another 5K.

Here I am in this year's tee shirt, headphones on, red face from the sun and a very good view of the current double chin. Every year I think that double chin, etc.  will not be there next year, but it always is. Well, maybe next year!  This was the 9th Annual Race Away Rett 5K.  Maybe the tenth one will be the charm.  I did recommit myself to whole food eating today.  I am thinking of posting the podcast that buoyed me up in that direction.

Halloween Decorations. Finally!

 Well, it has been a long dry spell on The Country Wife Blog!  I am so sorry to have been such a slug.  Many times I took pictures to share but did not make the time to report in.  Today I just have to do it!

About a month ago Dear One asked me if I was going to decorate for Halloween.  I asked him if I had ever in our nearly fifty years of marriage together decorated for any holiday.  He did not say anything.  (I guess I don't consider putting up a Christmas tree -which he does-and hanging the mitten advent garland on the fireplace as decorating.)

Finally tonight I finished the project I started.  This is what I did:

1. Purchased a wreath form from Dollar Tree

2. Purchased two black plastic tablecloths from Dollar Tree

3. Purchased a package of three round knitting looms in small to medium sizes.

4. Purchased some orange yarn.

5. Purchased some brown yarn.

6. Purchased some purple yarn (which I did not end up using since I already had two other shades of purple yarn I liked better...!)

7. Got out the pom pom makers that are hanging in the workroom closet.

8. Got out the glue gun.

9. Tried making a pumpkin on the smallest round loom.  Seemed like a failure at the time.

10. Made two pumpkins on the Brother KX 350 flatbed knitting machine. Also seemed like a failure.

 11.  Made purple pom poms in various shades and sizes.

12.  Put the pom poms together to make a cat. Sort of.  I am NOT a wizard with a glue gun.  Not not not!

13. Cut one black plastic table cloth into 3 inch by about 8 inch pieces (just simply cut across the folded table cloth in 3 inch strips then eventually had to cut the few places that were folded on the edge.)

14. Began tying the black strips onto the two center rounds on the wreath frame. 

15. When the wreath seemed full enough I glued the cat onto the wreath.

16. Used up the last of the plastic strips (quite a few of them were left over) to make the wreath more full looking.

17. Tied, then glued, the failed knitting loom pumpkin at the cat's feet.

18. Tied the failed knitting machine pumpkins to the frame.

19. Decided I had had enough fun with the decorating so then I

20. Hung the wreath on the front door and tied the Dollar Tree witch with the purple headband (thus the purple cat...!) to the door to hang down in the middle.

Some time ago, well, about a month ago, I went to Sam's Club with the commission to get some Halloween candy "before it is all gone...".  I got a bag of 230 pieces.  A little later I found a black bucket in the closet which was right after I went to Dollar Tree (yes, there is a Dollar Tree a mile from our house and right on US 15 so no turning across traffic to get to it!!) and found a black plastic pumpkin/ jackolantern bag which was pretty large. I thought that might work for holding the Halloween candy.  It turned out the the black jackolantern bag  was too small as is so I slit up the sides and it worked.  Sort of. I had to tape the top of the bag to the bucket.  I filled it with the bag of candy.  Before I knew it, all the chocolate candy was gone...!

Two weeks ago we were at Sam's Club again and Dear One picked up 2 bags containing 450 pieces  each of chocolate candies all of which kinds we both like.  After walking around the store a while then sitting in the cafe where Dear One had some pizza and I had a hot dog with several packages of sauerkraut, Dear One looked over at the end cap where the candy was and saw the price.  He asked if it really was that price. I said yes.  He said we only wanted one after all.  Well, my view was that 900 MORE pieces of candy just might be a bad idea.  Of course we did have 150 kids come by last year but still...Anyway, I took one of the bags back to the shelf and deleted it from the Scan and Go app (if you don't use that, you really must.  It is so good not to have to wait in line ever).  Funny thing: within 30 seconds of me putting it back on the shelf a little boy came by and scooped it up!  I guess he likes chocolate, too.

This is the black jack o lantern bucket full of candy (but not much chocolate!).  I had to put my basket of wool roving for spinning yarn on top of the bucket to put it out of sight so perhaps there would still be a few pieces left on the 31st!  The 450-piece bag is behind, unopened, and virtually invisible. I have every hope that we can treat all the children who come by!

So that is the story of Halloween Decorating 2022 at our house.