School Days

Up in the morning and out to school
The teacher is teaching the golden rule
American history and practical maths
Study hard, hoping to pass
Working your fingers right down to the bone
The guy behind you won't leave you alone

Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll, Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll
Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll, Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll
Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll, Hail, Hail rock 'n' roll
                                                                        -- AC/DC

Today was the day Andy returned to work. School days return. And it just so happens that it is one of my days off from work, so Cari, Chad and I got to spend our morning together, getting back into the swing of things.  Breakfast, wash dishes, laundry, wipe up food from the floor, peel dried yogurt from every little nook of 2-year old skin and off each little piece of hair that she so cutely smashed when she raised her hands in the air to squeal with excitement and then smacked herself on top of her head....with yogurt covered hands, of course.

I decided we should make it a special morning and do something fun.  Cari will also be starting with a (new - yay!) sitter on Monday and so needed some breakfast foods to throw in the freezer that will be easy to run with.  Nothing better than her all-time favorite, banana bread.  Every morning when you ask her what she wants for breakfast, she answers "Ah! Banana bread!!!!!!" Well, until Daddy became a stay at home Daddy over the summertime and he introduced her to the yumminess of toast with butter and honey.  Now that is her reply everymorning.  Anyways, we needed a new stash of banana bread, so while Chad was peacefully snoozing, we hiked on the apron, pulled the hair back, sanitized the hands up to the elbows, and had a blast.

Ghirardelli Banana Bread
This is a modified version of my Mom's banana bread. I have never tasted any banana bread better than hers.  The only modification is the chocolate chips. It makes it a little more exciting for Cari!

What you need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use whole wheat if you chose)

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Canola oil

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup ripe mashed bananas

Ghirardelli chocolate chips.  Please don't use any other brand. Trust me.  After you taste it, you'll understand. And, what makes this recipe so wonderful is that the amount is completely up to you!

Oh, and you need a super cute helper too.

All ready for the baking, Mommy!!

I have to add also, that I am quite proud of my creativity here.  Cari does not have her own little Cari-sized apron, so I decided to be crafty and use one of my own. Here, she is modeling the modified adult apron.  Here's how you do it:  Take an adult waste high apron and wrap it around the tops of her shoulders.  Use the ties from the apron and criss-cross across her back, bringing the ties back in front of her belly to tie it.  Nice, huh?!! Here's a back view to help you see what's going on.

My favorite part about this is when she got up in her chair, I told how I wished she had an apron. Then, the lightbulb went off, and I said to her, "Oh! I know! I'm creative anddddd innovative, Cari!" to which she replied, "anddddddd very smartie, Mommy!" How I love my little sparkler. 

Onwards and upwards, back to the recipe!

What to do:

Dump the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the sugar.

Mix them together.

Add in the baking powder and salt. Take a taste test.  Not too good at this point, but any time Cari hears the word sugar, whatever is in front of her immediately goes straight to her mouth. She wouldn't admit that this wasn't very good, only because she knew she had just dumped sugar in there.

Pour in the canola oil.

Stir it up just a little.

Pour in the milk, egg and vanilla extract.

Stir it up just a little more.  Oh, by the way, these intermittent stirrings are not required, but sure are fun for the kids! If you are making it yourself, just dump everything into the bowl at once and then mix.

Peel the bananas and put them in the bowl.

Mix it up a little with your hands, and don't forget another taste test!

Beat on medium speed for a minute or two until everything is mixed together. Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.

And, yet again, another taste test. Good thing this banana bread is for her, anyways!

WHAT? What did you say? Chockit Chips?????

Snag a few Ghirardelli chocolate chips and enjoy the melty yumminess in your mouth.

Pour them into the bowl.

Mix them in with a spoon.

And, of course, the final taste test...full of chockit chips.

Pour into a greased and floured 9x5x3 inch glass loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes until cooked through. Test with a tooth pick for doneness.

I slice up the banana bread, place it on a cookie sheet and into the freezer for about an hour. Then pull the frozen slices off and put them in freezer bags.  Pull out once slice at a time and microwave for a quick and yummy breakfast!

Recipe Condensed:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use whole wheat if you chose)

1 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Canola oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup ripe mashed bananas
Ghirardelli chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips on medium speed for approximately 1 minute until mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in loaf pan and bake 55-65 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.