Chocolate Cayenne Banana Bread

A delicious twist on old-fashioned Banana Bread

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We all have a go-to banana bread recipe.

Mine was always my mother’s recipe that I’ve made for years. It’s written on an old, stained index card and it’s ‘many’ years old…..
But a few years ago I started changing things up a bit adding ingredients you wouldn’t normally find in an old-fashioned banana bread recipe…

…Like cayenne pepper.

Continue reading “Chocolate Cayenne Banana Bread”

Cowboy Cookies – Small Batch

These Cowboy Cookies are loaded with delicious ingredients

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***UPDATE!!  One small change to this recipe and you can make CHOCOLATE Cowboy Cookies!
Click for full recipe.***

This Cowboy Cookie recipe, also known as Texas Governor’s Mansion Cookies, is Laura Bush’s recipe.  They are filled with oats, chocolate chips, shredded coconut and walnuts!

Recently my sister-in-law texted me a link with a picture of a cookie and the title read ‘Cowboy Cookie’.  I’m always cautious about opening things even if it’s a link from a family member- accounts hacked, spam, etc. Continue reading “Cowboy Cookies – Small Batch”

Broccoli, Cheese and Rice Soup

Healthy broccoli and cheese soup with brown rice

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This recipe for broccoli, cheese and rice soup is so good.  It’s a comfort food for these cool Spring days we are having right now.

We eat a lot of homemade soups during Fall and Winter.  By this time of year I would like to have moved most of the dinner meals outside to the grill.  But it seems to be VERY slow to warm up this year.  In fact it sleeted and snowed here yesterday.  I’m kind of over Winter….. Continue reading “Broccoli, Cheese and Rice Soup”

CoVid-19’s Impact on Teaching

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” We aren’t on the front lines, but we are behind the scenes supporting our students, your children, from afar.

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We have two daughters who are school teachers.

One teaches at the middle school I attended in Hannibal, Missouri so many years ago.  The other is a high school teacher in Rockford, Illinois.

After talking to them about the current crisis we find ourselves in, I wondered just how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting their ability to continue teaching.

I didn’t have to wonder long – I later received a note from our daughter who teaches at the middle school. Continue reading “CoVid-19’s Impact on Teaching”

Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach, Asparagus, Sundried Tomatoes

Quick prepackaged ravioli and fresh vegetables ready in 20-30 minutes

With everything that is going on lately with Covid-19, one of the things we’ve all been affected by is shopping for groceries.

I’ve heard countless stories shared of not being able to find things/products that we are accustomed to buying without even giving it a second thought. Continue reading “Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach, Asparagus, Sundried Tomatoes”

Tasting California Wines

The tasting/class we attended was called California Uncorked – Napa Valley and Beyond.

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Dixie and I have always enjoyed doing wine tastings.  We have a nice little wine bar very close to our house that we go to quite often and we have visited many of the wineries within driving distance of our home including those on the Shawnee Wine Trail in southern Illinois.

So naturally our bucket list includes visiting the wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in California.  While not quite Napa or Sonoma, our latest experience was not only a tasting but also an educational experience on those very wines. Continue reading “Tasting California Wines”