Banana Bread

I am always tring different receipes in the attempt to find the perfect one. Banana bread is one that I just can find one I love, I made one a few years ago and it was perfect but I can't find that receipe again. Well the one I tried today is awesome! It is really different though nothing like your typical receipe. So I thought I would share it all with you and maybe you can try it out. I got it off of Good things Utah and it is from the Southern Living Magazine. Sorry it is kind of long, but enjoy! (I didn't have pecans and it was still so good, I can only imagine they would make it that much better)

Ingredients: ¾ cup butter, softened1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened2 cups sugar2 large eggs3 cups all-purpose flour½ t. each baking powder, baking soda and salt1 ½ cups mashed bananas1 cup chopped pecans, toasted½ t. vanilla extract

Topping: ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar½ chopped, toasted pecans1 T. all-purpose flour1 T. melted butter1/8 t. ground cinnamon

Preparation: Beat Butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Pour into 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loafpans; sprinkle with combined topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from the pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Ice

Here are a few pictures of Bear Lake that I took on Saturday.

I love the huge ice pieces.

Isn't the contrast of the yellow weeds against the partially iced over lake great?

Sisters

I tried loading this picture before but I couldn't get it to work. It certainly is a trick to get a 1 year old and a 3 year old to do a cute picture together! :)

Experiment

Now that tax season is over I have had more time to play with my camera (I don't remember who asked, but it is a cannon digital rebel xti). I decided to do a phot shot with the girls yesterday. I thought they turned out pretty good. I got this idea from my friend, thanks penny.

Jeffrey

I just thought I would put in a plug for my little brothers band, they call themselves "coup de grace". They usually play at some clubs in Provo but they have been working on a CD which is for sale and is really good, I can't believe it! Here is a link to their myspace page where you can get a little sample of their music. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=19098998

Model

I got a new camera and Savannah has been good enough to be my model so I can figure all the little features it has. It has been pretty funny the different shots of the kids I've gotten.

Look at that Savannah has a vertical about like her mother!

I really want to get some great nature shots but the weather is still so yucky everything is just grey. This is a picture of the frost on the tree in our front yard yesterday morning. Thanks to photo shop I was able to give it the appearance of a blue sky even though it really is a gross grey day.