Weekend Warrior: What Does it Mean to You?

Most people I know, look forward to the weekends.  It's a time of relaxation and family fun.
However, when you have a husband that basically works in the retail world, there is no such thing as a normal weekend.  Heck, there's no such thing as a regular work week.
Weekends in our house means the kids pitch in and help me out getting housework done.  Chores that have been neglected get finished up.  Shopping trips get done.
This past weekend we pretty much did the usual:  sorted, washed, dried, and put away laundry, and did some cooking.
Sunday I didn't feel very good, and the boys wanted to spend time with their grandmother, so they left me alone to nap all day.
However, the work I got done this weekend was awesome.  Since my husband brought home several family packs of chicken leg quarters that were on sale, I decided to use one of them to make up a wonderful huge batch of West African Chicken.  This is a fantastic recipe I got from a neighbor, as part of her wedding gift to me.  It is truly yummy, and freezes great.  I always make way more than I need to for one meal, because once it is in the pot, the cooking is the same, and it makes a fabulous freezer meal.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN  from Joan H.

2 Tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of chopped green chiles
1 16 oz can of chopped tomatoes with liquid
1 chicken flavored bouillon cube
1/4 teaspoon EACH:  salt, ground ginger, and ground red pepper
1  Cup chunky peanut butter (I used smooth, because that's what I had)
6 chicken thighs (or drumsticks)


Saute onion in oil.  Add chicken and everything else, except peanut butter to pan.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer until chicken is done (when it gets up to around 165F with a meat thermometer).  Remove chicken, debone, remove the skin, and shred the meat.  Stir in peanut butter until smooth.  Add chicken back into sauce, stir well.  Heat through.  Serve with rice.

While it's cooking:

 

I can only say I wish the computer had Smellovision.  It smells WONDERFUL.  I can't wait to try it.

I removed the chicken to add the peanut butter.  Yum.

The chicken and the sauce.

We were all members of the clean plate club tonight.  And look at the smile in the second picture.  It was a HIT!

Snow Days and Mushy Bananas

Here we are, in Virginia, with March literally just around the corner, and have 5-6 inches of fresh-fallen snow.  Again.

I'm looking at the bananas in the basket in my kitchen, thinking "eeeeewwwwwwww".  I'm not a fan of bananas to begin with, but I bought these right after my husband had oral surgery (for the third time), thinking of banana-peanut butter-protein powder-yogurt shakes.

Huh.  Never quite got around to those, so now the next question was "What do I do with all these bananas?"  I thought I might use my dehydrator and make banana chips.  That should have happened two days ago, and now they are far too mushy to dehydrate.

Well, when life gives you mushy bananas, make BANANA BREAD!  So, that's on the list of things to make today.  Along with a turkey breast, roasting a bunch of chicken bones for chicken broth, and getting the raspberry jelly made that I have been meaning to make for the last couple days.  (Ooops)

Several hours later.....

Raspberry Jelly

After doing a marathon session of baking and cooking, I decided it would be in the best interest of the entire family if the driveway got shoveled.  My husband was at work, so the driveway was pretty clear, except for my car.   I had let the sun do its work on it for awhile, and shoveling was pretty easy, especially since I had help.

But, for the cooking and baking.... Oh yum.

My house has the wonderful aroma of banana bread, raspberries and turkey wafting through it.

So, the next time life hands you mushy bananas and a snow day (or just the bananas), make some banana bread.  It's worth it!

Banana Bread 

Banana Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cup white granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 mashed bananas

2/3 cup butter

4 tablespoons milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° farenheit.  Butter three 8x4x2 inch loaf pans.

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 2 cups of flour.  Set aside.  In a separate large mixing bowl, combine mashed banana butter and milk.  Add banana mixture into dry ingredients.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed until blended, then on high speed for 2 minutes.  Add remaining flour and eggs, beating until blended. 

Pour batter into buttered loaf pans.  Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from the pans, cool thoroughly on wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing to serve.  Makes 3 loaves.  Technically this makes 48 servings, but let's be truthful.  I'll be lucky if it makes it to the weekend.