Browse Category: projects

Bananas are only good in muffins.

I hate bananas but for some reason, I like banana-nut bread.  I’ve been using the same recipe since 2003 and it has never failed me.  I also make muffins instead of a loaf so I get a little extra crust.  They come out moist inside, not too sweet, has a light banana flavor, and crusty on the outside.  Jes had a bunch of bananas that got neglected last week so I made some this weekend and thought I would take some photos of the process.

Here are all the ingredients:

I mixed all the dry ingredients together and then all the wet in a separate bowl.

In the meantime, I creamed the Crisco.  Yes, I used Crisco. You got a problem?!  Then I added sugar and eggs.  Once that’s all creamed, I alternated between adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients for a total of 4 additions.

Next I added the chopped walnuts (instead of pecans) and greased the muffin tin.

I used a disher to scoop out equal portions that filled the tins half-way.

In the 350-degree oven they went for about 30 minutes (until golden brown on the top) and then cooled on a rack.  Tasty.

It makes about 24 muffins if you fill the tin only half-way.  Make sure they cool completely before storing in an open or loosely-closed container.  If you close it all the way, they sweat and get sticky.  I like them on the drier side to keep the crust chewy.

Home Improvements

We got a good deal on 2 additional storage units in our building and got the keys this weekend.  So we spent a good part of the weekend putting stuff away, cleaning the house, fixing things, and rearranging furniture.

Jesse really got into it and even moved the stove out of its nook to level out the burners.  We always had an issue with oil rolling over to one side of the pan but not anymore!  Jes looked like a puppet behind the stove.

We also had a little drip under the sink for the past 2 years and finally found the source!  Of course this involved taking everything out from under the sink and taking apart the drain.  Luckily all went well without any major messes.

Today we moved both of our bikes, the trainer, and bike pump down to one of our storage units.  After a trip to Home Depot, Jes built a rack for them and voila!  The bikes stand upright inside their tiny little kennel!  Now with the bikes off the livingroom wall, we moved bookshelves, cabinets, and tables around.  In the process, we got to wipe everything down, vacuum and scrub the floors, and ended up with some extra space to use in the house. Hooray!  I’m glad we made the most of our rainy Sunday. By the way, it started raining this morning and hasn’t stopped all day. In fact, it’s coming down even harder now at 11 pm!

Collect them all!

mini cards

I’ve had some photo referrals and inquiries from friends and co-workers lately and have felt kinda dumb not having anything to give them.  So, I went online and ordered these really cute mini business cards with my contact info on one side and a snazzy photo taken by yours truly on the other.  They arrived in the mail last Saturday and I was so happy to see them!  They come packaged in a sturdy little box and I also got a card holder for free!

Apple pie will win one day.

Pie Party 2009

Michelle and Ryan threw their annual Holiday Pie Party this afternoon and once again I made an apple pie.  They say I’ll never win with an apple pie but dog gonnit I’m going to keep trying!  To switch it up a bit this year, I used a new recipe that involved adding fresh cranberries and topping it with a crumble.  As an apple pie, I thought it was quite yummy with a little sweet, a little tart, and a little texture from the chopped pecans.

mixture

Here’s the mixture of two kinds of apple, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cranberries.

assembled

Here’s the pie right before it goes into the oven.  Check out the little cubes of butter that I had to add to it!

finished pie

After 30 mins, I added the crumble and baked it for another 45 minutes.  With some final touches of my little cut-out stars, it’s done!

mini pies

I also had some filling and crust leftover so I made some mini pies with just filling and crust on top.  Aren’t they cute?!

counting the votes

Well, after everyone voted for their top three favorites and the points were tallied, a savory pie won again.  Aw shucks!

The winna!

Vyl (for the second year in a row) won with a bacon and egg quiche that was super tasty and totally deserved to win. Perhaps it was because she pulled the Bacon Card?!  Next year I’m going to make a bacon and apple pie.  That should win it!!

Here are the rest of the photos.

Vendor #3 is in the Mouse House!

cards

Back in October, when Eleen was putting together her list of vendors for her Modern Mouse shop, she offered me space in her store to sell my photos.  I was initially excited but then dumbfounded by all the logisitics.  What do I print?  How much can I spend?  How much do I charge?  Well, I went out on a limb and chose four photos that would go together in a themed set and printed blank greeting cards.

packaged

Once they arrived, I was surprisingly pleased with the quality of the paper and how well the photos turned out.  I then went to Kelly Paper for some clear plastic sleeves and printed some labels to give it a complete look. Ta Da!!

On Friday, I stopped by the store to drop off my first set of 40 cards.  Eleen added them to her inventory and I helped put price tags on them.  Yay!  To make it official, she put them up on display and now they’re for sale!

Hopefully I’ll be able to come up with a cleaver name for my mini photo business and build a classy website this coming year.  Until then, you can find my stuff at photosbynina.smugmug.com.