I never get tired of this sight.  Though I could certainly do without all the leaves. 

I’m still thinking about the pumpkin scones.  mmmmm leftover. even better.

But, let me tell you about The Bananana Cake.  I wanted to make something else besides the pumpkin scones.  I wasn’t sure how much anyone else, like my husband, would like a scone, of any variety.  I considered an apple crisp or tart but couldn’t decide on anything.  So I looked into banana cakes, muffins, breads.  I usually do a quick google search before I hit RecipeZaar and I don’t even know why I bother with google because RecipeZaar is where I usually end up.  I’ve found so many great recipes there.

I found the Banana Cake with Caramel Frosting pretty quickly.  It had some great reviews and the caramel frosting had me intrigued.  I thought I would like it but wasn’t sure anyone else would.  I looked for other recipes but the caramel frosting had me from the beginning. 

The cake was quick to make - margarine, sugar, eggs, banana, milk, flour, salt and baking soda.  And it took about 40 minutes to bake (recipe called for 45 minutes).  The frosting was just as easy.  I made it ahead of time and then frosted the cake right before serving it. 

Everyone seemed to love it.  Full of banana flavor and the caramel frosting had just the right amount of sweetness.  It wasn’t overpowering at all.  I would probably heat the cake up a little before serving next time.  Maybe 15-25 seconds in the microwave to give it a nice warmth.  I’ll definitely make this one again.  It’s a must-have in the family recipe book.

I knew that I had wanted to make these pumpkin scones for awhile.  Every since Kathy sent me a link to the recipe. I took an hour off for lunch yesterday afternoon and whipped up all the ingredients and got these into the oven in about 10 minutes.

They bake for only 15 minutes, which is perfect if you are in a hurry for a quick pumpkin treat.  I didn’t make the glaze until later in the evening and I ended up adding too little milk at first and then I added too much.  I read “T” as teaspoon when I suppose a capital “T” means tablespoon.  Ah well, the glaze was still great, even if a little drippy.  I’ll know better for next time.

Everyone seemed to enjoy them and I sent my mother-in-law home with a few to have with some coffee this morning  

Original recipe found at Pinch My Salt.

I’m off to go make some pumpkin scone during my lunch break.  My inlaws are coming for dinner and I want some yummy scones for dessert.  I’ll report back with our findings

Isn’t that the next logical step.  Election is over…time for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Okay, seriously, let’s just talk Thanksgiving because that might be my favorite holiday.  No gift giving and lots of yummy food.  Count me in!

I would love to host Thanksgiving…eventually.  Right now seating in our house is really limited.  We could pull out folding tables and scatter people all over, but that doesn’t seem very comfortable for everyone.  My sister suggested looking into renting a table and chairs.  I didn’t realize you could do that.  She’s smart.  And she’s hosted a lot of Thanksgiving’s.  I’m gonna miss her Mac and Cheese this year.  I might have to make some anyway so it’ll feel like “home”.

I’m going to look into renting a nice dining set even if there is no Thanksgiving at our house.  It can’t hurt to get a quote so I can be prepared should some other event or holiday come up.  Has anyone ever done that before?  Good/bad experience?

A year ago today, I was throwing up and becoming a homeowner for the first time. A year later, we love our home even more.  It’s finally starting to feel more like ours and less like someone elses.

You can see a before/after shot on flickr.  Only real noticeable changes are in the size of my bushes.  heh

I woke up today feeling great.  We all watched history last night and there is something about all that is truly amazing.  I am so proud of our country and what we have been able to do. 

I’m sure we will all remember exactly where we were and who we were with and what we were doing when 11pm Eastern rolled around and the final polls on the west coast closed and Obama’s electoral votes surpassed 270. It indeed was a great day for America.

GOBAMA!