Banana Bread

I don't love bananas. They are a bit to slimy for my liking. I do love banana bread, though.

Actually, I love chocolate. I add it in to food wherever I can; and banana bread is the perfect opportunity.

The first time I baked a loaf of banana bread, I misread the recipe. It called for one cup of chocolate chips. I thought it said one bag. That was the best batch of banana bread I've ever made! No one else thought so, but that didn't matter. It was a loaf of heavenly, chocolaty, melty joy! 

Since then, I've made compromises in my banana-chocolate ratio, so that my family will also enjoy my baking. This is my latest recipe. (I didn't exactly make it up on my own, I read a few recipes sort-of put them together.) Sorry, no pictures this time.

Ingredients: 

1. 3 very ripe bananas (or 2 bananas plus 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt)
2. 2 eggs
3. 1/2 cup softened salted butter
4. 1/2 cup brown sugar
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 2 cups flour
7. 1/2 cup oats
8. 2 teaspoons baking powder
9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
10. up to 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips) according to your preference

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla, set aside. In a separate bowl, mash up the bananas then add the eggs (and yogurt, if you are using it) and mix it all up. Add the banananess  to the creamed mixture, and mix it all up again. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Stir the chips in. Grease 1 loaf pan, or 2 muffin pans. Pour the batter in (filling the muffin cups only about 2/3 full). I don't remember how long to bake it for, but I usually leave it in until it is fully baked (when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, this may take a few tries because of the chocolate). Allow bread time to cool before removing from pan. Enjoy!

Koko-nut Cookies

These are some of my favorite cookies. The recipe comes from the Danish cookie, kokoskager.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream together 1 cup salted butter and 1 cup white sugar.

Lightly beat two eggs and add them to the creamed mixture.

Measure 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Add flavorings to butter/sugar/egg mixture and make sure everything is thoroughly mixed.

Sift together 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Measure 1 cup flaked coconut.

Simultaneously, add flour mixture and coconut to wet ingredients.

Mix well.

Chop up 1/2 cup toasted almonds and stir into the dough.

 

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Remove from cookie sheet and place on wire wrack to cool.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup salted butter
2. 1 cup white sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 1 teaspoon almond extract
5. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 2 1/4 cups flour
7. 2 teaspoons baking powder
8. 1/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1 cup flaked coconut
10. 1/2 cup toasted almonds

Break Every Chain

     There are chains in my life. Things that cling tightly to my heart. Holding me back from the life God has for me.
     Some go unnoticed for a long time, until I'm asked to do something that I don't like. Then I see: pride, wrapped around my ankle, holding me down. Others I am aware of almost daily. Depression, broken off once, twice, three times, creeping back up around my neck. Addiction, encircling my wrist, no longer holding me to anything but still reminding me it's there.
     Jesus breaks our chains though, right? We sing about that in church. I know it's true, he's done it in my life before. Why is it that so many are still there?
     They are double-linked.

      Also, they are valuable to me. Each one holds something for me as well as holding me. These are not just rusty old ugly clunky chains, they are shiny, enticing ones that happen to be much stronger than they appear to be.

     But, as I said, they are double-linked. What is the second link?

     Fear.

     The extra strength comes form the fear of what would happen if I were free of these things. I know, it sounds crazy, but it's true. 

     I'm afraid of what God might ask me to do. I tell myself, "God can't use you if you have these things in your life. Now He won't ask you to do anything that you don't want to, because He can't!" I know, sounds really foolish, but I do it anyway. 

     God has been teaching me something lately though. Something I've known in my head for a long time that is being slowly moved down to my heart. He doesn't want to hurt me. He loves me. He wants what is best for me. Like Eve in the garden of Eden, I'm suspicious of God, I think he is trying to cheat me out of something really good. But He isn't. He is really good and He is trying to bring me closer to Himself by helping me to get rid of the things in my life that are hurting me, the shiny, deadly chains.