For whatever reason, "Banana Pumpkin" sounds better to me than "Pumpkin Banana". Either way you put it, this bread was fantastic! Since I was giving it away, I pretty much stuck to this recipe from Skinnytaste.com. I didn't want anyone getting something funky, nor did I want the experiment to go totally wrong when I was planning to give it away. However, I'm not sure at this point I could really go wrong with banana. (See Banana Oatmeal Muffins, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Banana Carrot Bread, Banana Zucchini Bread, and Banana Blueberry Muffins.)

Ingredients:

- 3/4 C unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 C whole wheat flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 C pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 C light brown sugar, unpacked
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 325. Grease whatever sort of pan you are using.
- With a mixer, beat your butter and sugar together. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.

- Mix in your bananas, followed by your dry ingredients.

- Pour your batter into your bread pan(s). Let bake for at least 60 minutes. If you are making muffins, cook for around 18 minutes before checking on them.

While we did give two mini loaves away, we just had to keep one to make sure it was gift-worthy. I promise you, it most assuredly is!

I premiered this recipe on Post Graduation Studies, a high school friend's blog. Make sure to check it out!

This recipe is easy, tasty, and budget friendly. It's fit for a meal for anyone, ranging from the starving college student to the family of four!

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb thinly sliced chicken breasts
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder or salt)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 3oz package of chicken flavored ramen
- 1/4 C water
- 1lb package of Asian Medley frozen veggies


Directions:

- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, then the chicken. Sautee until cooked through (no longer pink).
- Add the vegetables and cover the skillet. Cook for about five minutes, until the veggies are cooked through.
- While the vegetables are cooking, cook the ramen noodles as directed (without the flavoring). Drain the noodles.
- Add soy sauce and ramen seasoning to the chicken/veggie mix. Toss in the noodles.

*Note: If you get the seasoned veggies as I did, you probably don't want to add the ramen seasoning. It makes it REALLY salty, even with low sodium soy sauce!*

This recipe is delicious and easy! If you're feeding more than two people, I would double up on the ramen noodles.



Inspiration for this recipe came from: DisneyFamily.Com.

Clark and I sort of have an obsession with oriental food. Whenever one of us isn't feeling well, it's SO tempting just to order Chinese food and relax together. To help break that habit, I thought I needed to learn to actually make some of our favorites.

This was a bit time consuming, and didn't QUITE turn out as I had hoped (AKA it didn't look as pretty as I wanted it to), but Clark ate all of it. We had NO leftovers. So, I'd say it was a success.

Ingredients (for the chicken):

- 1 lb chicken, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 C cornstarch
- 2 eggs, beaten

For the sauce:
- 3/4 C sugar
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 C distilled white vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 350.
- Dip your chicken into the cornstarch, then the egg, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

- Pour your sauce over the chicken.
-Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and put in the oven. Cook for an hour. Every 15 minutes, turn the chicken. Use your judgement if the chicken needs to cook a shorter or longer amount of time.

While your chicken is cooking...

Ingredients (Fried Rice):

- 1 packet of instant rice (I used brown, but you can use white if you wish. I probably should have made two packets, since Clark LOVES fried rice. So, if you need a lot- make sure to double up!)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 C frozen peas & carrots mix
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 4 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

- Heat the sesame oil in a skillet/wok to medium/ medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and veggie mix. Sautee until tender/ the frozen veggies are cooked.
- Lower your heat to medium-low/medium heat and push your veggies to one side of the pan. On the other side, add your egg and scramble/cook it. If some of your veggies get mixed in, it's really ok.


- Add the rice and soy sauce once the egg is cooked, and mix it all together. Cook until completely warmed/mixed together.



Serve your final products together and enjoy fabulous homemade comfort food!

This recipe came from the fabulous workings of: Life as a Lofthouse!

It's happening. I woke up the other morning with the desire to play Christmas music. I sang, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Angels We Have Heard On High" to Michael last night to try to put him to sleep. That "itch" for the holidays is there. If I indulge anymore, it will turn into a disease.

I know I've posted on this several times. My constant love of the seasons. Ultimately, autumn outweighs them all. I love all the seasons for different things, but, truly, Autumn is my favorite. I love the sweaters, the foods, the leaves, the holidays, the pumpkin patches and apple orchards and hay rides and festivals and... I think you get my point. I L-O-V-E Autumn.

Yet here I am, excited for Christmas. This is not to be overshadowed by my excitement for Thanksgiving, of course. But I love Christmas carols and family traditions and I KNOW Michael is going to be more "in to" Christmas this year, because he totally figured out the unwrapping of presents on his birthday.

Don't get me wrong. We are having an extraordinary autumn. Although, I must admit, it's only just now getting to the perfect weather I crave. You know. Sweaters, jeans, mittens weather.

To add fuel to the fire, here are some pictures of our wonderful Autumn... followed by things I have in mind for Christmas :).

My Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe that featured on Standpipe & Sprinkles!

Our trip to the pumpkin patch (see Pumpkin Picking).

Apple picking.

Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting.

My acorn treats being featured on DIY Bride! (For original post, see Blogging on a Budget: Seasonal Exceptions.)

Homemade Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice.

Now, things to come!


Mint Chocolate Cookies (picture used from BakedPerfection.com).

A giveaway/auction/fundraiser for Team Fearless, Relay For Life.


Shopping ideas for baby and daddy during the holidays. (Image taken from Home by Heidi.)

White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (picture and inspiration from Bake Your Heart Out)... OK... I have a bit of a peppermint addiction starting around December.


Christmas tree hunting, decorating, and more!


Make sure to check in for all these fabulous treats and more! Also, anything that you may want (a recipe, post about family/outings, etc.) please feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to appease!

These cookies just taste like fall. They are truly a perfect dessert for this season. Easy to make, positively adorable, and as long as you love apple-- perfect.

Ingredients:

(Cookies)
- 1/2 C butter (one stick)
- 1 egg
- 1 C unsweetened applesauce
- 2 C flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 375.
- Beat your butter, egg, and applesauce together.
- Stir in your dry ingredients (premixed or not, whatever is easiest on you).

- Drop the cookies on a prepared sheet, or use a cookie scooper. Size is relative. However large you want them!

-Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a cooking rack.

While they are baking....

Ingredients:

(Frosting)
- 1/4 C heavy cream
- 1/2 C unpacked brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 to 2 C powdered sugar

Directions:

- Beat together the brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Place in microwave for 10 to 30 seconds.
- Mix in the powdered sugar until you have the right consistency.

Give your cookies sufficient time to cool before frosting.

Voila! Easy and delicious.

As you may remember from Sorority Blues, I was having some difficulties with my sisters. Perhaps it wasn't their fault. After all, none of them were married. They didn't quite understand precisely what I was going through with Clark being away. However, a few of them were in long distance relationships. I had hoped, perhaps, they would step up and try to really get me out to do things. Sadly, I was mistaken (save for one sister, that is).

Well, at this time I was in a Literature Theory class where I met my now bosom friend, Becca. She and I started talking thanks to her fabulous Wicked bag (as in the musical), and hit it off from there. It just so happened that at this point in time, she was actually dropping from her sorority thanks to a lot of drama and ridiculousness. I shared my woes about how my sisters weren't being supportive about Clark being gone, and we then adopted each other.

Our spring formal was approaching, and it just so happened that it was on my birthday. Thanks to the "tapping" drama from the last function I was at with Clark, I had to stay at formal all night (or at least until Lady President told me I could leave). Well, I certainly didn't want to be stranded all night by my lonesome. Since Becca was dropping her sorority, and had mentioned already buying her own formal dress, I invited her as my date. Of course she said yes. From then on, we were pretty much inseparable.


I decided to have people meet at my house before the event (I forgot what we called this). Since I had to be there all night, I had to drive. Having a minivan meant that I pretty much always got assigned to drive people as it was. I decided, since it was my birthday, I would make cupcakes for everyone. Perhaps I was secretly hoping that they'd all sing to me. Well, much to my dismay, no one ate cupcakes before we had to go. In fact, very few people arrived even remotely early. They showed up and then we had to leave (we were assigned a time). One of my sisters, who was actually moving in with me over the summer and basically already living with me, bought me a sunflower (my favorite) and kept wishing me happy birthday, but no one else seemed to care.

When we all piled in the car, I asked Becca to direct for me off the directions I had printed out.

Let me lead with I am AWFUL at directions. Terrible. Truly. Thank goodness I married Clark, who seriously has a GPS in his head.

So, I asked Becca to direct. However, there was some confusion, and I took a wrong turn. One of my sisters was from the town, and was like, "Where are we going?"

I looked in the rear view mirror and said I was following the directions I printed off.

"Well, you're going the wrong way. You need to turn around. You could have just asked me, I am from here."

My van was jam packed (as in, there may have been one or two people extra) and they were all being loud and my feelings were hurt that no one had wished me a happy birthday or even partaken in the cupcakes I made, and I was stressed because I'm awful with directions but had thought that out and here I was going the wrong way anyway.

"Look," I said, "I'm just following the directions. If we don't come up on the road it says next, I'll turn around, but until then could you just let me drive?"

It may have been nastier than that. I am biased, after all.

She rolled her eyes, said something under her breath to her date, and let me be. Five minutes later, we turned around.

"So, now you're going to listen to me?" She just had to say.

"Well, we figured out what we missed on the directions. Next time why don't you drive."

When we finally got to formal (truly not that late), the sister who had been telling me where to go and whatnot ignored me the entire time. So, when we all sat down at a table, it was me, Becca, and most of the people who had been in the car with me (save the sunflower-sister), and they didn't talk to us at all. Seriously. I basically felt like I was an outcast imposing on formal. I was so mad.


Becca did her best to make the night worthwhile. I think we spent most of the night talking to the female bar tenders (although I wasn't drinking) than we did anyone else. If we weren't talking to them, we were dancing. Thank goodness Becca was super outgoing and loving, because I think I would have spent most of the time sulking at the table or in the bathroom if it wasn't for her.

When we left, we gave more people a ride. At least they had the courtesy to thank me and offer me gas money. Becca spent the night. We stayed up talking/watching a movie and divulging in the cupcakes I made.

My family and friends from afar did everything in their power (sent me flowers, presents, phone calls, etc.) to make up for the fact that Clark wasn't there, but they weren't either. I was so thankful to have one friend, who I wasn't even close to at that time, to really just take over and make my day amazing. Because, admittedly, I'm one of those people who wants a parade on their birthday. Becca definitely did her best to do all that and more for me, even if my "sisters" didn't.

Hello again, Newfangled readers! I'm so excited to be a guest here again. My name is Katie, and I blog over at Standpipe & Sprinkles. For this post, Emily specifically requested a style board that included a plum-hued wrap dress ... I'm happy to say that I was able to accommodate that request -- and with a budget friendly frock, too!

Enjoy!


For Mama: 1. Hello, cute Old Navy Long-Sleeved Wrap Dress! $32.94 || 2. HUE Opaque Tights, $13.50. Legwear genius. || 3. Kanne Boots, by Blowfish Shoes, $109. Fancy. || 4. Tea Leaf Infinity Scarf, by Practical Impact, $34. Darling. || 5. Sweet Colorful Leather Wrap Gold Bangle Bracelet, by Showrist, $15.

For Michael: 6. Old Navy Plaid Shirt, $14.94. || 7. Cherokee Jeans, $12. Target has the best baby clothes! || 8. smartfit Laceless Rio, $14.99 || 9. The Yellow One, by objecta, $30.49. I love it.

What are your favorite budget-friendly brands for mama and baby?

XO

Katie