366 Project: Week 17

 

April 22

  

April 23

 

 April 24 

 

April 25

 

   

April 26

 

 April 27

  

April 28

366 Project: Week 16

April 15

April 16

April 17

April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21

366 Project: Week 15

April 8 (Easter Sunday)

April 9


April 10


April 11


April 12


April 13 (Friday the 13th)

April 14

Coconut Banana Bread!

Last Saturday I woke up extremely early and thought I would throw some muffins in the oven while I cleaned the house. . .thus I would end up with a delicious breakfast treat to cap off the house cleaning.
It is getting to be the time of year where it seems we end up with an over-ripe banana at the end of each bunch. So, luckily, I had three over-ripe bananas saved up in the fridge dying to become my favorite bread/muffins (okay actually this recipe is just somewhere in the top 5).
Some of you may have noticed that I am a bit obsessed with Mark Bittman well the obsession continues because this bread if from his How to Cook Everything cookbook and it has become my default banana bread. . .I would have never thought to put coconut in banana bread but I am glad Bittman did and if you have some bananas and coconut lying around you should give this recipe a try too.

Whisking dry ingredients

Creaming butter and sugar

Eggs and banana

Add wet to dry

How cute are these. . .Ikea a few years ago

Ready for baking.

Delicious!!!

Mark Bittman’s Banana Bread
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, plus some for greasing the pan (I always use unsalted)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I didn't use)
1/2 grated dried unsweetened coconut (I didn't have quite enough unsweetened so I mixed in about a tablespoon of sweetened coconut)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. (I used a muffin tin)

Mix together the dry ingredients. Cream the butter and beat in the eggs and bananas (out of habit I usually cream the butter and sugar together and have never had a problem). Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients; do not mix more than necessary. Gently stir in the vanilla, nuts, and coconut (I typically mix the coconut in with the dry ingredients first).
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 (about 35 for muffins) minutes, until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread will come out fairly clean, but banana bread is excessively moist compared to other breads. Do not overcook. cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. To store, wrap in waxed paper (I freeze them and they reheat in the microwave wonderfully).

More Dustbowl-ing

Dustbowl progress is being made although, I did have a little freak out on Tuesday and per the suggestion of my husband I went to bed at 9 o'clock!!I woke up feeling MUCH better. . . I was in one of those spots where everything is started and you are working but nothing seems to be getting done. . .I am going to assume everyone knows what I mean. Luckily, I am now feeling like (some) things are moving in the done direction. Here is what I have been up to:

Little bird bodies waiting to be stuffed and sewn shut. . .

Stuffed birds getting grouped into families. . .

STRUNG BIRDS!!! Don't they look like they want to live on someone's porch or wall or where ever? Granted, they still need a tassle on the end but . . . THEY ARE ACTUALLY READY TO HANG!

Pillow front (pieces) example #1. . .

Pillow front (pieces) example #2.

I have all of the pillow fronts designed and cut out now I just need to sew and sew and sew and iron. I am getting excited to see them all put together and backed.

Hopefully I will make big pillow progress this weekend.

Where Crispin likes to "help" me sew Sweet Keith decided he is more of a bird man and got in on the stuffing action.

366 Project: Week 14

I've made it to April. . .another month down and a fourth of the year complete (this year is going VERY fast)

April 1

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

April 6

April 7

Dustbowl Progress

So. . . I have been hard at work prepping for the Dustbowl Arts Market (April 28th). I have spent the evenings and weekends cutting, sewing, ironing (my least favorite part) and planning. Jerod refers to this state of things as "the Belteau sweat shop" and threatens to lock the door, feed me speed and just give me food once a day (in actuality he has done the grocery shopping, helped me clean and let me monopolize the Roku). I don't have any finished product to show off yet but I have made some headway.

I have bags full of various size bunting pieces all stacked, sorted and ready to sew.

Bird bodies. . . .

A bit of sewing done! (Crispin was so exhausted from supervising that she took a quick nap. . .I think it was 2 hours)

AND. . . a couple almost done buntings (size large) they just need their finishing touches.

Although, it is a lot of work I have been having tons of fun and am more excited than I have been in ages (I hope I am not getting my hopes up too high).

I will keep you all posted on my progress and hope that everyone is up to something of their own that is both fun and fulfilling.

366 Project: Week 13

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31