We go through bananas pretty quick in this house, but occasionally, we find a few black, soft bananas on our little banana hanger. Before they start to grow hair and drip, we pop them in the freezer, skin and all. We collect bananas for a few months until we have enough to bake our favorite banana bread. Then they get ignored in the back of the freezer until I feel like baking. Let’s face it, by the time I feel like baking, I always have enough to make two…three…maybe four loaves of banana bread.
This is what the bananas look like when we pull them out of the freezer:
I just put them all in a bowl and fill it full of warm water to thaw:
I’ve been cooking dinner. Every day. And I’m not talking frozen, microwavable meals.
this is a big deal people.
Yesterday, I made Pork Tenderloin Diane for the first time since I originally posted the recipe back in January.
It’s a fast, easy, cheap recipe with a light sauce made from deglazing a pan with lemon juice, Worcester sauce and Dijon mustard. Except I didn’t have any lemon juice. FirstHusband (a sauce man) said he would substitute Sprite, but that just seemed too sweet. I googled “substitute lemon juice” and found a suggestion to use vinegar – but half the needed amount. I was doubling the sauce for this recipe and it called for a total of four tablespoons of lemon juice so I used two tablespoons of vinegar.
PERFECT. The sauce tasted exactly as I remembered it and everyone liked it – even PinkGirl!
I’m definitely going to remember this because I probably won’t remember to buy lemon juice in the near future. I know me. But vinegar is a great substitute for lemon juice when used in small amounts.
And I wouldn’t substitute vinegar if I was making lemonade from scratch.
Me. make lemonade from scratch. yeah. that’ll happen.
1. yeah . . . I don’t think so.
2. hmmm. I might just try that.
3. Hey, I already do that!
4. City girl say WHAT?
5. uh huh. I’ll get right on that.
and finally,
6. What the heck is rhubarb?
Here’s what I mean:
1. yeah . . . I don’t think so. Here’s an idea I will never feel compelled to try:
“To ensure great moisture and texture in a chocolate cake, add a can of sauerkraut (well drained) to your mix.”
Sauerkraut in chocolate cake? This is just wrong.
2. hmmm. I might just try that.
“Try this twist on grilled cheese sandwiches. Rather than buttering the outside of the bread, use mayonnaise (not salad dressing). It gives the sandwich a different texture and makes it less greasy.”
Anyone ever try this one? I only have Smart Balance mayo in the house. I wonder if that has enough fat in it. hmmm.
3. Hey, I already do that! This one actually works:
“To clean your microwave, place a wet paper towel in the oven and microwave for 4 minutes. The oven will easily wipe clean with the towel after a minute or two.”
Just BE CAREFUL because the paper towel is HOT. Let it sit for that “minute or two.” Although I use more than one paper towel and I only nuke it for a minute or two. Four minutes seems like overkill. I’m thinking microwaves are more powerful than when this book was published in . . . let me check . . . 1995? Really? 1995? Some of these ideas seem MUCH more dated than that.
4. City girl say WHAT?
“Anyone who has ever run after chickens and ducks out in the yard knows they’re not easy to corner. I finally bought a big fishing net. No more wild chases!”
I can just picture me chasing chickens in my yard with a giant fishing net. Not.
5. uh huh. I’ll get right on that.
“Slipcover a yardstick with fabric and use for cleaning hard-to-reach places, particularly underneath appliances. Then just remove the fabric to wash or shake out the dust.”
bwahahahaha!!! Me. Clean under the refrigerator. bwahahahaha!!!
6. What the heck is rhubarb?
“To take out any “bitter” taste in rhubarb before using it, cover it with boiling water, put lid on pan and let stand for 30 to 60 minutes.”
Good to know. In case I ever buy rhubarb. And cook it before it goes bad in the fridge. If I’m even supposed to store in the fridge. Which I’m probably not. Not that I know this. I’m Googling rhubarb now.
Got any “pragmatic tips” to share? Anything that might fall into one of my six categories? Link up or comment!
Ever since I posted about and shared photos of my banana slicer, I’ve gotten comments and emails asking where they can be purchased. Long story short? Discontinued. BUT, they are available on ebay from time to time. Like TODAY. And the seller sent me an email telling me she actually has FOUR MORE available.
Click HERE to see the ebay listing and contact info for the seller!!
I personally snapped the wires on mine trying to slice a very firm strawberry and just recently got another one myself. I purchased my replacement at a kitchen outlet in Valdosta, Georgia. Ya KNOW I bought TWO.
After I broke mine, I shopped around the internet looking for another and when I couldn’t find one, I sent an email to Farberware asking them if it was discontinued. The first reply was a generic email containing a list of Farberware retailers.
Not helpful.
I tried again. The second reply contained a link to an entirely different product, which works okay on very firm bananas, but it really doesn’t go all the way through very well.
I emailed again. (I am a pest.)
The answer? Discontinued.
So . . . I saved a search on ebay, got an email from ebay when one was listed, emailed the seller to inquire, went to Georgia over the holidays, stopped at the kitchen outlet store (coincidentally – where I found my FIRST one), and purchased TWO, so that when I’m foolish enough to try and slice something other than bananas with it, I’ll have a backup. Check ebay!!!! They still appear from time to time. Since I no longer need one, I promise I’ll never bid against you!
UPDATE: I’ve gotten SO many inquiries on banana slicers, I did a little digging and found these alternatives:
AND? I’ve also made bake ahead egg patties this week! So breakfast for the entire week is already cooked, cut, in the fridge and waiting to be nuked! It’s gonna be BUSY and I’m trying to be READY.
My kids are getting tired of this question. I always ask this question when they say they’re hungry.
Yesterday, after I asked, I listed all the fresh fruit currently in the house and when I got to banana, PinkGirl asked if she could have a little chocolate syrup to dip it in. Sure. A couple of spoonfuls of chocolate to help the fruit go down without any grief? Sure.
AND PinkGirl fixed her own snack all by herself. A few years ago I bought this little gadget.
Perfectly uniform size slices without a knife, in just a few seconds! And it’s dishwasher safe. I keep it stored down low enough for her to get it anytime she wants.
(There are other designs for banana slicers, but I like this one because the wires go all the way through the banana into the grooves underneath, and I can use it for other things like mushrooms, boiled eggs and strawberries. – Friendly advice – don’t use this for slicing strawberries.)
UPDATE 1/22/09: These have been discontinued, but I’ve had some luck finding them. Check out my follow-up post “Get Your Banana Slicer HERE“
My biggest use of vinegar is when I dye Easter eggs and make Good Season’s Italian dressing. But I almost always seem to have it in my pantry.
A few summers ago, a friend of mine called me while on vacation at the beach. Her young son had a painful sunburn on his back and shoulders. Solarcaine was not working. And it was nearing bedtime.
I don’t remember where I got this (ya know I probably read it somewhere), but I immediately remembered:
vinegar.
Best on clean dry skin (NO RUBBING – just pat or air dry). If you have a spray bottle, pour vinegar into it and lightly spray on sunburned skin. Let it evaporate. The sting (and the smell of vinegar) should be GONE. Reapply about 3 or 4 hours later, if needed.
She didn’t have a spray bottle, so I suggested a paper towel, saturated in vinegar, laid gently on his shoulders to apply the vinegar. It worked. He was able to get to sleep – and anyone who’s tried to get a sunburned kid to sleep, knows – that is a huge feat! (The paper towel application is better for faces too – it just stinks a little during application.)
NOTE: If there are ANY open wounds on the skin (bug bites, scratches, etc.) the vinegar will sting and burn in that spot, so DON’T do it!
For a more complete description of the process, check out this epinions.com entry.
I used to make this garlic toast when I was a kid, using the oven broiler and I can fairly say I burned more than a few pieces of bread. Now we use the toaster oven. It’s VERY easy. Butter a piece of bread and sprinkle garlic salt to taste. Toast in the toaster oven (or place on the top rack of your oven and use the “broil” setting) Garlic toast in less than 5 minutes!
We use wheat bread and smart balance spread for a healthier bread, but this is especially good with slices of french bread too!
Growing up, my mom often made an Easter Bunny cake like this one for Easter. (page down for more photos)
Easy, not too crafty (thank goodness), I think I’m making one this year. Judging from the number of available photos on Google Images, I’m not the only one. Check it out:
Bake a cake, any cake, in two round cake pans. Mine will be chocolate. There is no reason for me to eat cake unless it is chocolate. Let it cool and then cut it like this:
On the serving plate (my mom always used a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil), CAREFULLY arrange it like this:
Then, frost and decorate! My mom always frosted it white and covered it with coconut shavings as a base. Dark chocolate cake with coconut – mmmm – just like a Mounds bar. But CAKE!
Busy, Busy, Busy. The only thing I like better than eating Cream Cheese Chicken is MAKING it. Soooooo easy! Dump everything in a crockpot and come back later. That’s what I’m doing today.
But earlier this week I needed something ready in 10 or 15 minutes start to finish. That’s where these come in:
We like these and they are fast, easy and fairly cheap. (We first got them BOGO.) They usually don’t have this many broccoli stems (from the Garlic Shrimp). I pulled them out and supplemented it with some frozen broccoli florets.
One bag is supposed to be a meal, but seriously. This kid can eat. So we cook two bags. Unfortunately, we didn’t have two of the same kind, so we just had shrimp and more shrimp. PinkGirl liked the Garlic Shrimp on the left. FavoriteSon preferred the Shrimp Scampi on the right. I added some more peas to the Shrimp Scampi on the right.
. I have so many mixed feelings:
, which works okay on very firm bananas, but it really doesn’t go all the way through very well. 
