3-2!!!

today is my 32nd birthday and i am feeling so grateful for all the love!  i know this is going to be a terrific year!

my 3rd birthday...

music...death cab for cutie

death cab for cutie, "cath"

banana bread (or muffins)...

jarad is going to yosemite this weekend to hike half dome and camp.  when he goes camping, i always make sure to send him off with some home made goodies, and to have a great dinner waiting for him when he gets home.  this time i am sending him off with some banana bread muffins.

ingredients:

1 cup mashed bananas (2 medium bananas)
1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 t baking soda
1 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

how to:

in a large bowl use a hand mixer to combine sugar and butter.  then add banana, egg and dry ingredients.  you can either bake off in a loaf pan or make muffins.  this makes about 18 muffins.  bake at 350 for approximately 12-15 minutes.  and approximately 45-50 minutes for a bread.

***i made a few adjustments to the recipe to make it lower calorie.  i substituted 1/2 cup of applesauce for one stick of butter and used low fat sour cream.  the apple sauce keeps the muffins moist, and you won't miss the fat***

more cemeteries...

in one of my older travel posts, i mentioned that i like to take pictures of cemeteries if i happen to stumble upon them on vacation.  here is one we drove past while on our honeymoon in playa del carmen, mexico.

ranch style meatloaf...

this ain't your grandmother's meatloaf recipe...it is updated and full of flavor, while still remaining the ultimate comfort food.

ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large egg
2 cups bread crumbs
1 medium zuchinni (grated)
1 package of dry ranch seasoning mix
1 T italian seasoning
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 t crushed garlic
5-6 dashes or worchestershire sauce
4-6 T BBQ sauce
salt and pepper to taste

glaze:

1/4 cup BBQ sauce
few big dashes of hot sauce
3 T ketchup
2 T brown sugar

how to:

combine all ingredients and throughly mix.  the zucchini tends to let off a lot of water while cooking, so you may need to add more bread crumbs if the mixture feels too wet.  form in the shape of a loaf and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.  brush the glaze on top of loaf several times while cooking to form a crust.

sage cleansing...

in many cultures burning sage is a cleansing ritual and promotes healing.  you can buy a bundle at your local farmers market or sometimes a health food store for a few bucks.  just burn it and let the smoke hit all the corners of the room, and think or say good thoughts of healing, new beginnings and growth.

wedding bands...

jarad is not one to wear jewelry and didn't see himself wearing a wedding band.  he offered up the idea of getting a tattoo in its place.  i didn't mind, but we decided not to do anything traditional.  instead we liked the idea of getting matching skull tattoos.  jarad's on his ring finger and mine on my left wrist.  it is symbolic of "until death do we part" and of course my love of skulls.