Cherry Walnut Banana Bread

Oh yummy!  I love this bread because it is pretty guilt free and sooo good!  I got some dried Traverse City cherries for christmas, and thought I would put them to good use. 

I think I will be making a lot of it in 2012.  As you can see James and I LOVE it!

So here's the Recipe:
Cherry Walnut Banana Bread

-1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
-1 Cup All Purpose Flour
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1/2 tsp Baking Soda
-1/2 tsp Baking Powder
-1 tsp Cinnamon
-2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (or whatever kind of oil you want)
-2 large Eggs
-1/2 Cup of Milk
-1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
-2 Large Ripe Bananas-Mashed
-1/3 Cup Chopped Wallnuts
-1/2 Cup of Dried Cherries

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Grease and flour loaf pan.  I like to trace the bottom of the pan I am using on wax paper, cut it out, and place it on the botton and just pam the sides-it makes the bread come out super easy!
3.  Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl. Except walnuts and cherries.
4.  In seperate bowl whisk together the mashed bananas, oil, eggs, milk and apple sauce. 
5.  Add wet ingretients to the dry and mix well.  Then add the cherries and walnuts, and mix. 
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 45 minutes to and hour.  Check to see if bread is done by inserting toothpick, and bread will be done when tooth pick comes out clean. 

Check out this adorable gift I got from my dear friend Kayla

Seriously-how cute are these!  I LOVE them.  Kayla is the best at picking out gifts. 

Thankyou Kayla-They are so perfect!

A Backyard BBQ Dessert

With Inspiration from my good friend Rebecca Moat, i was lucky enough to make a few treats for a Backyard themed Baby Shower.  How Fun!

The Burger: Surprisingly easier than I thought it would be.  Just two 5 inch (i think) yellow cakes with a big brownie in the middle, then a little decorating with help from piping tips.

Part of the corn on the cob cup cake-I think using Jelly Bellies would be better next time.

Grass

The Mom-to-be's favorite cake is Black forest.  So I made her a few of these-just chocolate cake with a cone shape hollowed out of the center(not too much), then cherry pie filling, piped whipped cream on top and garnished with a cherry and chocolate shavings.

It's good in vanilla flavor too.

Ready to go!

I really had a ton of fun on this little project, which just helps to reassure me that Baking is something that I would like to learn more about, and do as a profession someday.

So living in Hawaii is soooo much fun, you should all be sooo jealous!


When ever I go home for a visit, and my family and such are like "oh you live in Hawaii, lucky you bla bla bla"-this is what I think of....

I cant open my windows or doors to let air in because I get lizards and geckos and cockroaches-and lets not forget the occasional centipede in my house.

Which leads to my house being a steady 93 degrees from 11am to 7pm.  Feels like the infernos of hell.

Which leads to me having this constant struggle with my hair.  If i leave it down it causes my neck to sweat, and I want to shave my head.  If I put it up it looks aweful and it gives me a headache which makes me so frustrated that I want to shaving my head. 

So that leads to me running our one ac unit in our house which is located in our bedroom and barely cools just that room, which will lead to a 300 or 400 dollare electric bill.(we havent got it yet but am expecting the worst)

Which leads me to getting my hair cut at an affordable place.  This is where it gets bad. 

I do not know why it is so hard to have hairstylists cut your hair the way you want it cut.  And I am not asking for anything complicated by the way.  I could tell from the first snip it was gonna be a miserable next couple hair months!  It is bad.  It is a hack job.  It looks like she cut it with a butcher knife.  And It is too short to put it up in a respectable pony tail.  Which means my neck can expect a hot few months coming up. 

Also because it is so hot that as soon as I get home my clothes are OFF!  Not all of them of course!  But i cannot wear a bra at home anymore, I will go crazy.  Like I said 93 degrees!

So Im thinking about getting a masectomy and shaving my head.  It is only practical.

Aren't you jealous!!??? 

Yeah I know I complain, but you would too.  The beaches are FANTASTIC.  But this isn't a vacation people, it is real life.  I have to cook, and clean, and study.  I can't just spend all of my time at the beach.  Life goes on! 

I am pretty sure no one reads this soooo, I don't feel bad complaining.  I will write more often though and maybe next time I wont be in such a rage.  I can be pleasant.  I promise!

Pride

I complain about Hawaii a lot.  I complain about everywhere I live a lot.  Actually-I just complain a lot.
I could go on and on about the things I hate about Hawaii-but there are also a lot of things I LOVE about Hawaii.  I just don't voice my opinion about those things so much.
I wonder all the time why on earth I am here.  I know everything happens for a reason and as I have reflected I have started to see the blessings that have come from living here. 
One blessing that really sticks out to me is that living here has made me so proud to be an American.  I know that sounds silly-arent we all proud to be Americans?  Well, sometimes I cry about it-that is how proud I am. I have become an emotional person at my ripe old age of 21. 
But I REALLY am so Proud!  In a healthy way.
I see people here who talk about where they came from and they really do realize how great The United States is.  Some don't, but a lot do.
This is where people want to live.  Our freedoms here are known throughout the world. 
I know our country is not perfect-I get that.  But Our country has done more good for the world than any other.  Our Military is amazing, and protects the freedoms of so many people-even those who aren't Americans. 
When I went to Pearl Harbor with my family 2 weeks ago we were able to see a Naval ship that was leaving to go underway for a while.  All of the soldiers were lined up on the deck of the massive ship and were dressed up in their white suits and stood saluting as they the Harbor.  I really felt the strength and beauty of our country at that moment.  It was such a beautiful thing to see.  It was probably what touched me most while I was there.  And I looked and saw a woman waiting on a pier till the ship was out of view.  She was probably saying goodbye to her husband for months. 
People sacrifice a lot for our freedom still. 
I am proud to an American.  I feel incredibly blessed to be born when I was and into the most powerful and influential country in the world.  One that was built upon the shoulders of great men.  And God was the center of their reasoning.
I am also proud to be from Michigan.  There is a new Chrysler commercial that talks about detroit-the motor city, and I love it.  It makes me so proud to be from that state. 
I am trying to complain less.  It is a work in progress.  My husband can testify that it is a slow one.  But being greatful for what I do have is the first step.

Christmas in Hawaii

This will be James and I's first Christmas together in Hawaii!  We are excited to have a realxing break from work and school, and the stress of traveling during the Holidays.  We will however miss our family, and the snow.  But we have been making plenty of efforts to try to feel the Holiday spirit as hard as it is here in sunny paradise.  Also, Here are some Pictures of our new home!  We love it, but we don't love the lizards, gecko's, serious abundance of milipedes and occasional centipedes that came along with it.  Oh and lets not forget the roaches!  Who could forget them and there visits at 1am!  We do prefer living on the 1st floor though.  And James is loving the extra space of the newly discovered attic.

The lights James put up!

Our Tree

Our dining area, we have nice big windows now too, that let in trade winds.

Kitchen looks almost identicle to the old one.  Except....

Now we have a dishwasher!  My most favorite item in the house.

And the Living room. 

We are happy to be here and are adjusting to the culture and differences of living in the Jungle.  Despite how much I complain about it.  We really are grateful to be here.

Fall

It is almost fall, and i love fall. Fall is Hawaii is different than Michigan or Idaho. Obviously the leaves don't change and there really isn't anything to harvest, but it does get a degree or two colder. I miss the Fall seasons that i had in Michigan, there really is nothing like it. Let me paint you a picture:
I will start with my Mom...my Mom loves the season changes and she loves Fall a lot, and she would get excited for the changes, she would bake apple pies, and Cream of Broccoli soup, and we would drink cocoa and rake leaves, and go pick out pumpkins. One year we even canned peaches-a memory I love. The thing is with my Mom is she is a wonderful person she is cozy and smells good, and she is an excellent cook and she always is there for her children first no matter what and she listens and she loves her children more than anything ever! My Mom has sacrificed so much for her kids, that is a whole seperate blog in itself. But I guess what I am trying to say is that all my fond memories of Fall include my Mom, who is amazing.
So the leaves would change and Michigan would be gorgeous because of all the colors from all the maple and other hardwood trees. I would often take walks to Log lake Park and just look at the trees, It looked like it was on Fire because is was so orange and red and yellow. It was the most beautiful spot in all the world, and I have been to a lot of places that are pretty. But simple little Log lake Park tops the list. Michigan cools down nicely for fall, just enough so that in the mornings you can hear the grass cruch from the frost outside. Fuzzy sweaters and Light Jackets were brought out and the shorts and flip flops put away till next spring.
My siblings and I always looked forward to the Fall for Football season because as my brothers got into High School they would play. It was always fun to go and cheer them on, not that my friends and i did a lot of cheering-I mainly would go find friends and try to find some boy i was stupid enough to like. Kayla was in Marching band and she was always occupied with that, but I would always stop to watch her perform. It was especially cool when she became drum major and would lead the Band. Band was something she loved and she was passionate about. I am glad she stuck with it and loved it. I think as kids grow up it is no longer cool to be in band so they drop out of it, regardless of wether they actually like it or not. I am proud of her for sticking with something she loved even when it wasn't the "Cool" thing to do.
My senior year I started driving my car in the Fall. I don't think any one actually understands how much I love that car-except maybe my dad-maybe. Driving the "Beast" was so amazing, it was exciting and liberating and...i just can't explain it, there really aren't words. It was red, fast, made people looks because it was brilliant, it was my first car, i spent all 5000 dollars on it. Not too many people buy their first car. I really took advantage of the Fall when I had the beast. Every morning almost I would go in late to school-I didn't have a 1st hour, so I could go in late anyways-but I always went speeding down Loglake road and had the heat balsting! Up until i moved to Hawaii I was ALWAYS cold! So i loved to blast the heat in my car-even if it did get a bit too warm. Then I would stop at northland and get a chocolate milk and a doughnut. Not just any doughnut but a cream filled one with the yellow orange and red Autumn sprinkles. I stayed pretty thin senior year-I am still amazed at how. I cant eat like that now!
There was of course Halloween where i went trick or treating well into my middle school years-but then again so did my brother brandon who was a senior in high School. He made us run from house to house so as to get the most candy possible. The last year i went trick or treating as a pumpkin-a PUMPKIN! i was in 7th grade! My dad made me. I was so embarassed. Not to mention I had just started my first period, and hadn't told anyone yet-I was embarassed about that stuff, and my brother was making run from house to house-all I could think about was man I hope I dont get a big stain on this stupid pumpkin costume! Good times! I love Michigan and I miss the memories that go along with it. Sometimes I wish i could go back and things would be the way they were before i left, but because of how fast my families lives have changed-they just can't!
They say you can't go home again, and I know that, but i am still trying to find home. Fall just makes me miss what used to be home even more than usuall.
Last night i got out my Fall decorations and put them up around the house, it makes my house feel a tad cozier. I need to bake something-that is what my family did. James doesn't really understant that biological connection i have to baking and holidays. I tell him well it is because it isn't a family tradition you have always had. In Michigan we bake! It is what we do to celebrate.
During this season I am greatful for my family I have the best family in the world-each person holds a special spot in my Heart. Someday I hope we can all be together again and enjoy the fall season like we used to.