Winter Comforts

We had several days of rain and some snow this week.  I know that we didn’t have as much snow as many of our family but it still makes one want to prepare to hibernate for the winter.  To me this brings around thoughts of comfort food (as if I didn’t have enough fat to last the winter!).  Yesterday I made a hot hamburger, vegetable and barley soup and some wheat bread in our new bread machine.  YUM!  It was so good and made us all so happy.

For the last week I’ve had some bananas going black on the cupboard and I kept thinking that I needed to make banana bread.  Since I haven’t been feeling good my cooking involves lots of small spurts of activity.  When I made my soup I put the hamburger, onions and garlic in to cook.  Laid down for awhile, with the timer on.  Next cut up some veggies, laid down.  Added the broth and veggies, laid down, etc.

Finally today I got around to the bananas.  My banana bread has always been good but a few years ago I found this recipe by Tyler Florence for Banana Bread with Pecans.   This recipe is divine! 

If you love banana bread you definitely need to try it.  If you don’t like nuts in your fruit bread, well….you are on your own and I feel so sad that you are missing out. 

This recipe has you take two bananas and lightly mash them with a fork and keep them on the side for a while.  Then when the bread is all mixed in you fold these bananas and the pecans in.  When you taste the bread the texture is so moist and there are very small pockets of banana in the bread.  

Bob was so funny because he kept asking if the bread was done.  “Bob, I’ll let you know when the bread is done,”  Bob, “I think we should take it out now,”  Me (having flashbacks of raising young boys), “It’s OK, Bob you can have all you want when it is done.” 

I should be careful what I say because when the bread came out and the smell had permeated the entire house.  

Bob had some very substantial slices of bread.  Then he kept saying that we should have made more.  I had doubled the recipe!  It was so funny to listen to him but very satisfying to see him so happy.  Ahhh, small pleasures.  Winter can come now because we have our own coping skill to deal with the cold dark days.

 Note to self:  Buy more bananas!

Note to Ben:  Sorry but you live too far away.  I know how much you love Banana Bread but next time you come visit I’ll make some for you…you just have to share with Bob. 

Question:  What do you do to cope with the dark cold days of winter?  You know those days that are dreary and dark and not good for going out and playing in the snow.