White Chocolate Deliciousness

I spent the night baking!  Finally!  I haven’t been in the mood to bake for so long and I definitely missed it.  I am so glad and my heart is happy that this part of me can be expressed with joy instead of sadness/heartache at remembering times of baking with others.  I love baking, baking with people and giving food to others. I made some brownies for those who watched Titanic and then I made banana bread with white chocolate and brown sugar from the States (woot! the brown sugar here is different…and you can’t get white chocolate in “chip” form here).  I included the recipe for the banana bread below since I think it’s the best and super delicious especially with white chocolate chips.  Enjoy!  Any recipes that you recommend?

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Banana Bread

5 T butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, 2 egg whites or egg replacer works fabulously!

1 t. whites

1 t. vanilla

1 ½ cup mashed bananas

1 ¾ cup flour

1 t. soda

½ t. salt

¼ t. baking powder

½ cup heavy cream or soy milk

NOTE: These are REALLY good with white chocolate and many people like them with chocolate too, but I like white chocolate.  Estimate how much you want in there.

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the bottom of the loaf pans (2 reg. or 4 small).
2. Beat butter in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Beat well.  Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Add mashed bananas.  Beat on high 30 sec.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add this flour mixture to butter mixture alternately w/cream.  End with flour mixture.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan.  Bake until brown, toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.  Baking times: Larger Loaf pan—1 hour 15 minutes.  Smaller Loaf pan—45 minutes.  (I don’t know if I buy these times…each oven is different and I usually find it needs more time.  Just stick a knife in it and when it comes out clean then it’s ready!!).
5. Cool on wire rack in pan.  Remove from pan after 10 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack.  (Nah, go ahead and eat some after the first 10 minutes…YUM!)

White Chocolate

As most of you know, I LOVE white chocolate! Well, today was a wonderful day because of white chocolate. I found Lindt white chocolate at SPAR (the grocery store) in both bar form and truffles!!!!! Of course, I bought some and it was amazing. My heart is happy, but I ate a little bit too much… 🙂
p.s. What kind of chocolate do you like best?

16 (Random) Things

So, I got tagged on facebook, but I’m more of a “blogger” than a “write notes on facebook” so I’m going to cheat and do this on here.  Let’s see where this takes us…

Directions:
Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a note with 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

1. I will only buy something if it fits the ever changing definition of “happy.”  For example, I found the most amazing shoes at Ron Jon Surf Shop and let me tell you they were the epitome of happy.  Comfy, leather, green and white flowers. 
2. I will have 4 bookshelves in my room at home when I leave for South Africa.
3. I trust easily.  I will give people the full benefit of the doubt whenever possible.  Yet, I struggle with trusting God in many things.
4. I will show you every possible angle and not let you generalize about things. This may drive you nuts…
5. I gave up drinking pop/soda.  I last drank pop probably in fall 2007.  The only kinds I crave are Orange Soda and Root Beer–in the form of Root Beer floats.  Occasionally others, but not as much as those two.
6. White chocolate is my downfall.  I love it. I could eat it all the time.  Lindt White chocolate truffles especially.  
7. I get attached to things and am bit possessive.  For example, I’m in love with my bike and am already sad to be leaving it.  I also get attached to books and get all sentimental and can’t bear to think of giving them away.
8. I could walk on the beach for hours and hours, miles and miles, and not get bored.
9. I am a pen clicker.  Give me a click-y pen and I will click.
10. I made a goal to take/pick a picture a day for this next year.  In the end, I want to make a sweet collage.  So far, so good.
11. I prefer small silverware.  Small spoons, forks, knives.  Especially at Coldstone when you can use the “sample” spoon.
12. Toast with peanut butter and honey is one of my favorite snacks.
13. I love cake. Better than sex cake, strawberry cake, white cake, funfetti cake, everything.  Though, I’m not a huge fan of chocolate frosting.
14. I like to play songs on repeat.  “Turn it Up” by Aaron lines has 237 plays on iTunes, which is not counting all the other plays on CDs and my iPod.
15. I used to collect quotes. All sorts. I would post them all over my room.  I did the same with fortunes from fortune cookies.
16. I leave for South Africa “next” week.

Yikes, do I really have to pick 16 people?  Nah, 16 is way too many people to tag in a blog.  Facebook, sure. Here, nope.  But, I will say thank-you, Sarah for tagging me on facebook!  Hope you enjoy my random list and I hope you’re doing well across the ocean!

Ragamuffintop Week 5

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Raked a LOT of pine needles.  We raked for probably about 3-4 hours.  I am still amazed at the size of the pile we amassed.  I would have taken a picture, but I didn’t have a camera that worked with me.  I called that good enough for the day.

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Ran 20 minutes, walked 10 minutes–tried to run with the dog for about 5 minutes 🙂

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Walked–ummm, 30 minutes? I didn’t keep track because of the great conversation!

Food: 3/4 cup Yogurt Burst Cherrios, milk, 20 carrots, handful of grapes, 1 piece of bread with 1/2 slice pepper jack cheese and turkey, 1 package peanut butter crackers (190 calories), 1 brownie, 8 chips & guacamole, chicken wild rice soup, baguette, frontega chicken, white chocolate chips, hot chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows 

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Walked: 25 minutes

Ran: 22 minutes

10 Minute Pilates–Total Body Workout section for 10 minutes

Food: Bread and peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pear, carrots, better than sex cake, and I forgot to write down what I had for dinner…

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

10 Minute Pilates–Waist Slimmer

Power Sculpt Workout Week 1/2–20 minutes

Food: Kashi cereal, milk, carrots, grapes, pears, 2 pieces of bread with turkey, green peppers and cheese, better than sex cake, 2 pieces of banana bread

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

5-10 minute wake-me up stretching/yoga

Walk: 20 minutes kind of…over lunch in heels 🙂

Run: 20 minutes at 2.1 miles it was hot. very hot. and a guy stopped and asked me directions so maybe that’s why I was slow 🙂  

Walked: 20 minutes

Food: Yogurt burst cherrios, milk, 1 piece of toast with peanut butter and honey, 1/2 pear, 1 sample package of honey bunches of oats (120 calories), better than sex cake, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, tortilla with cheese and greenpeppers

Friday, June 27th, 2008

10 minute Power Sculpt DVD Workout 3–I’m liking this getting up a little early and doing a mini workout. baby steps to running in the morning I like to think 🙂

Food: Kashi cereal, 2 pieces of bread with cheese and green peppers (I know I’m weird), carrots, snackers snack well thing, better than sex cake, 2 pancakes with peanut butter/chocolate chips, eggs, milk, craisins trail mix

 

Final rambling thoughts: Yikes…a triathlon??  I like my hair today.  I feel like I’m too balanced to gain or lose weight.  Do I need to buy a scale? The pants are the same fit.  Daring Bakers Challenge here I come!

Substitutions

When I want something, I make do concerning recipes.  Sometimes this strategy works, sometimes utter failure  For example, I really wanted pancakes on Saturday, but we didn’t have milk.  I searched the fridge where I found a Vanilla Carmel creamer and decided to make do.  Vanilla Carmel tasting pancakes were quite interesting.  Good, but thick.  The next one…well, I admit wasn’t completely out of desperation.  I made white chocolate s’mores. Delicious. Absolutely delicious.  Go try them right now! 🙂

Melty White Chocolate Amazingness and Moving

I’m in my new house! Such an odd feeling. I wish I had roommates…(thank goodness they’re coming soon!) I’m “borrowing” internet from someone nearby–thank you, thank you!  Hopefully we’ll have our own very soon because well I want internet!  My stuff is everywhere, but at least my bed and two couches are here 🙂  Part of me is dying inside at not having everything where it belongs–the other part knows that this isn’t going to happen tonight.  Although, I definitely have tons of decorating ideas running through my head.  Oh, and I got my super happy standing mirror back!!  Now I just want to paint my room too.  So many things to do.

On another happy note, I had the most amazing dessert ever.  White Chocolate Molten Cake from Chili’s.  If you’ve read any of this blog, you’ve probably heard how much I heart white chocolate so this revelation shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Anyway, I loved the mix of the super warm cake with melty white chocolate and then ice cream covered in white chocolate.  I might even get creative and try to make one sometime–seems like the recipe wouldn’t be too bad.

Well, I’m off to:

a.) read because I’ve given up on unpacking

b.) unpack because I want things put away

c.) sleep…such a long day of moving

d.) mixture of the top 3 or an “unknown”

Your vote?

A hit!

Perfect choice. A little bit of healthy with a little bit of dessert-y feel. Plus, no leftovers! I get to make a salad for Sunday…I’m brainstorming ideas already 🙂

White Chocolate Covered…well Anything!

I’m obsessed with white chocolate and chocolate covered things!  Therefore, I decided I’d go the healthy/unhealthy combo of fruit and chocolate for the Core Team tonight 🙂  Ha, I actually took a picture for one of my friends back home so I’ll post that later once I get it uploaded.  In other news, the weather is gorgeous!! I’m SUPER excited to go camping this weekend and get away.  Plus, before that I get to have dinner with my mama and brother and then hopefully go sign a lease.  I already started giving the relatives a list of garage sale items to be on the lookout.  The list includes: a grill, dining room table and chairs, deck furniture, a bike and a few other items.  We’ll see what happens!  Well, I better go shower so I don’t smell (I went running today…happy day!) at Core Team tonight.