Monday, Fun Day

I spent the day in the kitchen today.

I decided the dirt, dust and mountain of laundry from

the weekend would just have to wait another day.

Housework is nice like that...and it waits for you..

and waits, and waits.  haha. Over-ripe bananas,

zucchini and peaches needed to be put to good use!

I made Lemon Zucchini muffins to put in the freezer...

A peach crisp for tonight's dessert....

Italian Zucchini and Tomato Bake for the freezer...

Tomatoes, onions, zucchini sprinkled with Italian seasoning,

garlic, salt, parmesan and pepper.  I layered the whole thing

with slices of romano cheese before putting it in the oven.

I only baked it half way, then let it cool before freezing.

And two loaves of banana toffee bread.

The recipe is here on my blog....just use the search box.

It's banana bread with pecans and toffee chips stirred in the batter

and sprinkled on top.  Heaven.  This is going in the freezer, too!

The muffins have been tested and baker approved. :)

♥

Around Here, Lately

1. We had very strange weather over the weekend.  Snow and 50 mph winds, with gusts up to 80!  Snow and daffodils...a typical Ohio spring!
2. Shrimp thawing.  Looks like a black and white photo, doesn't it? But it isn't!
3. One of the best smells....lemon zest.
4. Another best smell....fresh baked muffins.
5. Cell phone selfie, me running errands..out and about and happy the sun came out. (It usually rains on me on errand day!)
6. Took this while at an auction.  Had just won this pretty tea set.  It isn't in the shop yet....trying to find out more about it first. No markings on the bottom.  Any help would be appreciated!
7. Another fun buy.  I bought it for myself (obvious reasons if you know me) for $3.  Once home, I discovered it was a plate in the series of Fontaine's Fables made in 1880.  This fable is The Sparrow And The Other Birds.  I found two online auction houses asking $275 for plates in the series.   One on clearance for $245. Goodness!
8. Morning light in the back yard.  Snow on sprouting hostas.
9. Slate.

♥

This And That

1. Little hints of spring.  Look at the grass turning green!  It was in the 50's (F) today and for about an hour I turned off the heat and opened the front and back doors and had a pleasant breeze go through the house. (Checked another thing off my list!)
2. Puttering in the kitchen.
3. Grilled mushroom, onion and havarti burgers.  Oh my.
4. Roof top surveillance duty.  He sure takes that job seriously!  He always looks at me sitting at my desk as if to say, "It's all clear!"
5. Ready for the oven.  Clean-Out-The Frig Muffins.  They conveniently used up the buttermilk, one ripe banana, a cup of currants, and the last cup of Special K cereal.  Yum.  Recipe here.
6. It wasn't a duck, but it'll do. :)
7. Swinging in the breeze!

♥

Spiced Oat And Currant Muffins

This recipe is for the lovely Jenniffer, but anybody is welcome to it!

They are super moist and yummy!

Spiced Oat and Currant Muffins

1 c oats

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c dried currants

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

3/4 c sugar

2 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t allspice

1/8 t nutmeg

pinch of cloves

1/3 c melted butter

In a small bowl, let the oats, currants and buttermilk soak

for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk all the dry ingredients

in a separate bowl and melt the butter in the microwave.

Beat eggs and add with the vanilla to the oats. Stir the wet and

dry ingredients together.  Don't beat, just stir until combined,

adding the melted butter at the very end.

Spoon into muffin tin, filling them to the top.

Sprinkle with additional oats.

Bake 16-20 minutes at 400F degrees.

Toothpick test.

Makes 12 muffins.

♥

This And That

1. Spiced Oat and Currant Muffins waiting to go in the oven.
2. Testing the finished product.
3. Simmering orange peel, cinnamon and allspice makes the house smell wonderful.
4. I almost thought a kangaroo had been in the yard. ha.
5. Kitchen towels, fresh from the laundry.
6. Mrs. Junco.
7. A gift from my niece, home from New England.  It's a Glug Glug Jug,  an updated version of the beloved English antique!  It makes a gulping sound when you pour from it.  It was so fun I watered my plants with it today! 

♥

What I Did Wednesday #29 WITH A LATE UPDATE!

1. Watered the flowers in the pots outside.
2. Made out the grocery list. (Spencer came up later and added 'DVDs' to the last column, using my pen.  :)
3. Watched Mr. Cardinal in the feeder.
4. Checked the garden for anything ready to pick.
5. Filled a bag and a box of unwanted items for the thrift store.
6. Enjoyed the morning light on my desk.
7. Watched the light turn to dark clouds, lightning, and eventually rain.  Much needed but only about 15 minutes worth.  We need days of it!
8. Added some cheery stickers to my freshly painted toes.
9. Watched rain drops dancing in the pool.
10. You know my yummy Banana Toffee Crunch Muffins?  I mixed up the batter and put it in a greased tube pan.  Baked for 1 hour.  Yum. Easier than muffins, too.  I think I'll be making it this way from now on!
11. Caught Oreo in the cupboards.
12. Watered the inside plants.

I also cleaned Nugget's cage and the parakeets' cage,

did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathrooms,

vacuumed, cleaned the litter box and ran on the treadmill.

Oh, and made dinner and did the dishes.

But some things aren't as fun to photograph. haha.

I hope your day was lovely, too!

Have you thought of photographing your day?

It makes even the ordinary seem extraordinary.

♥

And!!!! We interrupt this Wednesday to show you what some one in town

 dropped off to me this evening.  A frightened, starved little boy kitten they

found wandering around.  I guess they thought Mrs. Doolittle would take him in at the zoo. ha ha. 

 Well, she was right.  How could I refuse?

I even had a little bag of kitten chow.  How convenient!

He's exhausted, can't you tell?  Aww.

No name yet.  Hmmm....

Banana Toffee Crunch Muffins

I was mixing up my normal recipe for banana bread and thought I'd do something

a little different.  I added a few handfuls of chopped pecans and 1/2 a bag of Heath's English Toffee Bits to the batter, 

reserving a generous amount for sprinkling on the tops.

 I used extra large muffin tins to make monster sized muffins.

Oh yes, I'll be doing this again!

Banana Toffee Crunch Muffins

1/2 c softened butter

2 c sugar

3 eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 t baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 bag of Heath English Toffee Bits

1 c chopped pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla.

Add flour, soda and salt.  Mix well.  Stir in part of the bits and nuts,

spoon into greased muffin pan and sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake 25-30 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean.

Makes 18 regular sized muffins.

♥