Monthly Archives: February 2006

Family matters

5 years and counting

I don’t post as frequently as I should but I thought today being the special day that it is (our 5th wedding anniversary), I should put something up for everyone to read and thus know how much I love my wife.

I love Nichole more than (in no particular order):
-The Cubs
-my music collection
-my science
-my sunglasses
-Magnum PI
-sitting around on a Sunday watching golf
-sitting around on a Sunday watching the Cubs
-sitting around doing pretty much anything on a Sunday
-pie, cake, donuts, and any other sweet treat you can think of

Things I love to do with Nichole (Also in no particular order)
-go to concerts, especially at the Blue Note
-watch Poppy sleep in her crib
-watch Poppy play in her excersaucer
-roughhouse like we were still little kids
-watch TV shows we recorded on tape
-try new restaurants
-go on roadtrips (even small ones to crappy places like Rolla!)
-go to church
-walk around Target or Hyvee
-watch MST3K and laughing until our sides hurt
-relaxing on a Saturday morning

Things that I am looking forward to doing with Nichole:
-buying our first house
-making that house a home
-raising Poppy (and whoever else may show up someday)
-moving overseas and seeing Europe
-going to Abigails for dinner tonight
-growing up and growing….more seasoned!

Some song lyrics that I associate with Nichole:

Comes a time
by Neil Young

Comes a time
when you’re driftin’
Comes a time
when you settle down
Comes a light
feelin’s liftin’
Lift that baby
right up off the ground.

from Muzzle of Bees
by Jeff Tweedy

Sun gets passed, sea to sea
Silently, and back to me
With the breeze blown through
Pushed up above the leaves

With the breeze blown through
My head upon your knee
Half of it’s you, half is me
Half of it’s you, half is me

from War on War
by Jeff Tweedy

You have to die
You have to die
You have to learn how to die
If you want to want to be alive

Okay?

from Shot in thr Arm
by Jeff Tweedy

Something in my veins, bloodier than blood

from Razor love
by Neil Young

But I got faith in you,
It’s a razor love
that cuts clean through.
I got faith in you,
It’s a razor love
that cuts clean through.

from The Gash
by Wayne Coyne

Will the fight for our sanity
Be the fight of our lives?

baking, recipes

Banana bread

It seems like I’ve been trying to make this banana bread recipe for years. Everytime the bananas were just a day away from being perfect, Rockford would through them away. Maybe he’ll think twice about that now that he’s tried the bread.
The recipe is modified from Cook’s Illustrated (because I didn’t have any walnuts). I used a mini-loaf pan and reduced the bake time to 30 minutes. Next time I’m trying the chocolate version, and I might even use walnuts, too.

Banana bread
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 very ripe, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tbl (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt baking soda in a large bowl with a whisk.
Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lighly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.