The Sweetest Things Sunday…Banana Cream Pie With A Nutter Butter Crust!

I've always been a fan of Jane Goodall…yes, I admit it! Her work fascinated me when I was younger and I also had a secret desire to become an archeologist! Really! Maybe that's why I ended up owning an antiques store instead…I'm still digging for treasures but at least it's at fairs and shows and not off in the desert somewhere! But when you start studying all that Jane Goodall did…it does make you wonder, did she ever start out by simply making banana bread? Or a banana cream pie or did the monkeys come first? Hmmmm…..

Could it really be that simple?

I had some very ripe bananas last night and this made me look up pictures on Pinterest for beautiful images of banana recipes but I began seeing images for Jane Goodall instead!

And then it got crazy! Go figure!

 

I certainly thought this would be a job I would love!

My other dream was to be like Nadia Comaneci! 

So, I used to imagine myself as Jane Goodall?  Really?

I can tell in my heart that you aren't getting this picture!! I REALLY wanted to do this! In reality it was much more conceivable to me than being a gymnast!!

But, with the Olympics going on 
right now those old dreams have begun to stir! 

Unfortunately, this old body can only dream!

I'm not sure I would've taken the Jane Goodall thing this far, though!

How did she do it?

Seems awfully lonely to me!

( could she see into the future….or was this just coincidence? 

No matter….we all love bananas and this dessert is definitely worth sharing with you now that you've listened to my ramblings of dreams from days past! I didn't become a gymnast or an archeologist….but that's ok! I became a wife and a mother and with a passion for antiques and a huge love of cooking! And I still have dreams! But they have changed…for the better!

Banana Cream Pie With A Nutter Butter Crust

Process in the food processor: 1/2lb peanut butter sandwich cookies, coarsely crumbled (they pictured Nutter Butter) 1/4t kosher salt Drizzle in: 2T unsalted butter, melted FOR THE FILLING” Whisk Together: 2 eggs 1T dark rum, optional Combine; Gradually Add: 1c sugar 2T cornstarch 1T all-purpose flour pinch of salt 2c whole milk Off Heat, Add: 2T unsalted butter 1/2t vanilla extract Assemble Pie with: 3 ripe, firm bananas, sliced Serve with (Optional) White Chocolate Whipped Cream, Chocolate Curls, and chopped peanuts Coat a 9" tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Process cookies and salt for the crust in a food processor until fine. Drizzle in butter while machine is running. Transfer crumbs to prepared pan and lightly press to cover bottom and sides; set aside. Whisk eggs and optional rum for the filling in a small bowl. Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a saucepan, whisking to break up lumps. Gradually add milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Temper some of the hot custard into the egg mixture, then add egg mixture to remaining custard. Continue to cook unitl thick and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add butter and vanilla. Assemble pie by arranging bananas in the crust. Pour filling over bananas and smooth to cover. Wrap loosely in plastic and chill overnight. Serve with the White Chocolate Whipped Cream. White Chocolate Whipped Cream Simmer: 1c heavy cream Pour Over; Chill, then Whip: 4 oz white chocolate, chopped. Simmer cream in a saucepan. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand 5 minutes to melt; stir until smooth. Cover and chill until completely cold (base may be made up to 1 day ahead). Before serving, whip the chilled base by hand using a whisk until soft peaks form. Don't use a hand mixer because it's too easy to over beat.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

The Sweetest Things Sunday! Sweet, Sweet Faith!

"Faith is the gap between where we are and where we see God taking us!"

That was the opening statement in the sermon I listened to just a few hours ago.

 For those of you that have read this blog for any length of time you are fully aware that we have been on a two year "journey" of sorts with Holly and Brad and all of their moves with work, etc..This week we will begin a new chapter and although we don't yet know the outcome we do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are in the palm of His hands and there is no better place to be! When I looked back at my old posts, I realized that even though I thought I was truly trusting in God and His sovereignty for their lives as well as ours, I was really pretty much begging and pleading for my own way! After listening to a fabulous sermon today at church, and then another one by Crawford Loritts on the radio, I was reminded once again through Abraham's journey in the wilderness that this journey we are on is one that should be heaven focused... and that if we are living that way then no matter what the circumstances in our lives are, we can be completely at peace knowing that we are in the place He wants us to be in! Waiting on the Lord is not passive indifference…it means that we are living a life that is engaging with God and we are moving along with Him to our final destination.  We may not get the answers we want or even get them in this lifetime  but we are always in the process of growing in our faith and trusting that He has a much bigger picture in mind than I do!

One of Crawford's last statements in his sermon on faith was this, " We are to raise our family ( children ) to go…to leave…to move with God and to have an understanding that the greatest thing you can ever do in your life is to glorify God even if it makes some people unhappy!" Yes, I cried! But I get it! I really, really do and it's really, really freeing! 
   Recently I saw this in a commentary on knowing God's will and having true peace and it was as simple as this, "If you had to select only five or six verses you would pray every morning which ones would they be?" The author chose these verses and I thought it was a great place to start!

Psalms 86:11 HCSB
Teach me Your way, Lord,
and I will live by Your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.

Luke 9:23 HCSB
If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Luke 11:3 HCSB
Give us each day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:33 HCSB
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness

Luke 22:42 HCSB
“…not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Colossians 1:11-12 NRSV
may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Psalm 19:14 HCSB
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

If you want to hear Crawford's sermon you can listen to it here. It's really, really worth it! As is making this incredible cake that I'm leaving you with for today's Sweetest Things Sunday!

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

Here is your Sunday Sweet!

Kahlua Chocolate Cake with Homemade Chocolate Sauce

1 box pudding recipe devil's food cake mix

1/2 C sugar

1/3 C oil

3 eggs

3/4 C water

1/4 C bourbon

1/2 C kahlua

3/4 C strong brewed black coffee

2 t cocoa

1/3 C chocolate chips

1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1/3 C evaporated milk

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

mix cake mix, sugar, oil, eggs, water, bourbon, kalua , coffee and cocoa together in a mixer for 4 minutes atleast!!!

Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Let cool 10-20 minutes and put on a cake plate.

Heat butter, sugar, and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly! Add chocolate chips quickly. Wisk till smooth and pour over cake.

Serve with vanilla ice cream ( or ice cream of choice!) and homemade chocolate sauce!!!

Yummy!!!!!

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

2 T butter

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 C sugar

dash salt

1 large can evaporated milk

melt butter and chocolate together and add sugar, stir or wisk till melted..... add dash salt, gradually add evaporated milk. Let simmer at a low boil for 2 minutes....stirring...do not let burn!!!! add 1 t vanilla when done.....

This is the best in the world!!! It is Jim's mother's recipe!!! She is KNOWN for her chocolate!!!

The Sweetest Thing's Sunday….Preservation…And Strawberry Fig Preserves!

God preserves our hearts through trials and triumphs..

God Is My Keeper
God is sovereign, and God is good. Knowing this, many believers struggle to understand why painful things happen in life. They wonder, Why wouldn’t the Lord stop me from experiencing such heartache?

The question deepens when we read a Bible passage like Psalm 121:7-8: “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” Many people interpret this to mean that God will keep them from difficulty. But what the words say is that He promises to keep their soul.

The Lord allows pain. Sometimes He even orchestrates it. God understands the hurt, but He also looks into the deeper meaning of the situation. Trials often strengthen our faith, make us more like Jesus, and give us compassion for others. At times, God may even use difficulties to keep us from living mundane lives or wasting opportunities. With His help, we profit immensely more from walking through the pain than from avoiding it. When our heavenly Father knows it is best, He doesn’t keep us from the pain; instead, He enables us to endure the hardship by giving us wisdom and strength. And when we get to the other side, we can often see—with great gratitude—how His gentle and gracious hand guided us through the whole situation.

We have tremendous hope, knowing that God will keep us through the most difficult times. Read Psalm 124, and ask the Lord to remind you of its truths when painful situations arise in your life.

I found this devotion while looking for verses on how God preserves us! I guess I was motivated by my attempt at making preserves!

The Sweetest thing this Sunday is knowing I really did it! I really did make my own Strawberry-Fig preserves! It wasn't hard at all and they are quite delicious if I do say so myself!!

Here is the recipe!


4 C fresh figs, washed and stemmed and cut up
2 C fresh strawberries washed and sliced
3 C sugar
2 small packages strawberry jello

Mix all together in a heavy good sized pan and bring to a rolling boil! Turn heat down to medium-high and boil for about 10 minutes stirring often!!! You want the mixture to coat the spoon. I also mashed up the fruit a little more while it boiled. Have your jars ready….sterilized and warm and keep your lids warm in water that was brought to a boil and then left warm. Carefully use a funnel and pour into prepared jars. Turn upsides down until cool. I left mine out overnight and then turned them over. This helps the lids to seal. That was it! It's that easy!!

Hope you try it and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Caponata Casserole

Ever wonder what to do with all of those fresh veggies you are either growing or have bought out of sheer delight at a farmer's market and then you get home and realize…Oh, wow….

What was I thinking?

Well, that happened to me recently and here's what I came up with…everything was from our garden except for the mushrooms.

                    

Oh, and a few Creole Tomatoes that I picked up on our way out of New Orleans!

Love these chocolate tomatoes! They are so yummy!

Here are all of the veggies and garlic, cut up, tossed in EVOO as Rachael says, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper and some red pepper flakes as well.

Here are the veggies after roasting!

Fresh basil was added at the end.

And, BAM! You have yourself pretty much all of the ingredients for this yummy dish! Miller never even realized there wasn't any meat in it! He finished it off the next day for lunch as well!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes….turned into Caponata Casserole!

3-4  japanese eggplant (cut into bite sized pieces)
3 tomatoes
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
6 medium sized chocolate tomatoes or other heirloom
1 package sliced mushroomskosher salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (diced) optional
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
fresh basil, torn or cut up (about 15 leaves)
Homemade Marinara Sauce or favorite brand (about 1 cup)1 pound pasta ( I used whole wheat)
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese


Roast your veggies, minced garlic and red pepper flakes as shown above at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want them to be good and done! Cook your pasta and toss with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Toss warm pasta with the cheeses and fresh basil and then scrape all of the roasted veggies in as well, including all of the juices from the pan. Add as much marinara sauce as you would like. Place in a greased casserole dish and top with more parmesan cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes and then uncover and bake until bubbly and all cheese is melted. I also served some marinara on the side mainly because I thought Miller wasn't going to love it and really did like it! So use your own judgement on that one! 

Hope you enjoy!!