Things that make me happy

Can't top a cute kid getting out the pots & pans and surrounding herself with them for a smile.

My MIL has been giving me peppers every time she sees me (she's a big fan of fresh fruit markets; no surprise given in Russia everything comes in a can, and you're lucky to get that). She often shares the bounty with me like this:




The purple peppers turned green when I cooked them into Moosewood's Mexican Pepper Casserole (mmm...I think I'll go snack on some cold casserole rightnow). Today I'm making banana bread, which I made every Sunday when I was pregnant, so Tess should be an immediate fan:

Banana Bread

Sift together: 1 3/4 C flour, 2t baking powder, 1/2t baking soda
Mash: 2-3 ripe bananas
Cream together: 1/3 C butter* (softened), 2/3 C sugar, 2 eggs (add mashed bananas)

Add dry ingredients to wet, mix briefly with dough hook, pour into greased and floured bread pan, bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

You can add 1/2-1 C chopped nuts, but increase cooking time to 60 minutes.
*my original recipe calls for shortening (ugh), so you can use that if you like.
You can also add chocolate chips, if you are really feeling decadent.