Bananas for Banana Bread

I'm pretty sure in another life I must have been a monkey. Most of you know from my previous posts that I LOVE bananas so since I had quite a few naners getting to the point of no return, what better thing to do than make banana bread??!!
I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else) and was excited because it's very simple to make. I always think breads are so difficult but really they are one of the easiest things to bake.  Although this recipe has fruit in it, I'm pretty sure it's not exactly the most healthy....or as my Mom says it, it's "naughty." To make it even more "naughty" you have to slather on the butter once you eat it or else it's just not the same! The only thing I changed in my version was I eliminated the cinnamon. Sometimes it over takes the banana taste in my opinion, but if you love it then add it! Here is how it turned out :)

 How yummy does that look?!

Butter, Butter, Butttteerrrrrrr......mmmmmm

S'mores Heaven

Happy Friday everyone! I am sooo excited that summer is getting closer which means camping and S'mores by the fire! Lately, I have been a S'mores whore, which I completely OK with.  Since, I don't have a fire to make them I have been making them at home roasting mallows over my gas stove....I'm a total pro and have it down to a science. They are just way too good to resist! So, when I found this fun and EASY recipe on Pinterest, I had to make them for our Easter outing with family.  Easy + S'mores = Heaven. You must try them, they are to dieeee for!

XOXO Allie

Gone to the dark side!

I don't know about everyone else but it seems like there is ALWAYS a project going on at our house and typically it's John working on something. Today, he was measuring our duct work...I have learned to not question silly things like this anymore and go about my normal business :) With the weather being yucky this weekend, it was the perfect time for me to do my own project.....attempt to paint my dinning room ceiling. Sometimes, I just get these weird urges to do a project and this ended up being the lucky candidate.

I told John I was going to paint our ceiling dark, little did he know I was thinking almost black.  He was fine with it and didn't have much of an opinion other than that he didn't want to get roped into it. The funny thing is that he ended up painting a good amount of it for me! He kept saying he didn't want me to stand on the dinning room table (as if I was really going to break it) so he intervened and painted the areas I couldn't reach :) I have to say, I definitely lucked out in the 'Mr. Fix It' husband lottery!! I'm usually the one that has the vision and he's the poor guy that gets to make it happen. He really can fix or do anything which is GREAT for me and probably super annoying for him.

The ceiling ended up turning out awesome! I let John know the next thing I want to do in there is install some crown molding and he said, "Ok, well don't expect that to happen any time soon!" I pretty much knew that was coming since I'm still waiting for him to do our kitchen backslash after almost 2 years!! I'm putting bets on the crown molding coming to fruition in 2015, but until then at least the ceiling is nice :)

XOXO Allie

A Spring Caesar Salad

I am obsessed with a new salad.  I saw this recipe about a month ago on Pinterest and have since made it three times! Normally, I am not a big caesar salad person but this is a nice change from the typical spinach salads I make and thought you all would enjoy it too. It's very easy to make, and is a great dish if you need to serve it to a large group for dinners or parties. Honestly, you can have it as a side dish or even as the main dish since the pasta and chicken add a lot of substance to it.

I modified the recipe a bit. Instead of buying 2 bunches of green leaf lettuce I bought 2 heads of lettuce which are much cheaper and gets you more. I usually eyeball how much I need but typically use about 1 1/2 heads for it. The croutons are also something you can swap out. If you're feeling more adventurous you can always make your own croutons. Use some bread that may be getting to it's expiration date, toss it in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and bake until golden brown....so yummy! Like the recipe, I also use 2 chicken breasts but don't boil them in water. I like mine more charred so you can either do that on the grill or on the stove top to get them a little more done. Definitely don't use any other kind of caesar dressing than the one she suggests which is Briannas....IT.IS.SO.GOOOODDDD!!! Here is how it all comes together (minus the croutons which I put on later so they don't get soggy).

Can't wait to make another batch!
XOXO Allie

The Hunger Games Addiction!

I have to admit, I am soooo not a reader but with all the crazy attention around The Hunger Games I finally got suckered into buying the books....thanks Michelle for introducing me to riveting teen literature lol! Normally, I would just skip the books and take people's word for them being good and enjoy a big bowl of buttered popcorn sitting in a comfortable red chair at the movie theater. No joke, I haven't picked up a book to read "for fun" since I was probably 10 and I think it was the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stein. Personally, I would rather watch a trashy reality TV show than read... Yes, this is super embarrassing to admit but they are just so intriguing and make me feel better about myself :)
So, for me to READ an actual book and not a gossip magazine is quite an accomplishment!

Last Sunday, I strolled into Walmart and bought the first book of the trilogy, The Hunger Games. Stupid me decided to buy the books right as opening weekend of the movie was going on so they didn't even have the second or third books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Hunger Games Marketing-1, Allie-0.  At least I had the first book to start with and if it sucked then I would feel better about not getting the other two.  Well, of course that plan went down the crapper. I brought it home and couldn't put it down. I was so wrapped up in it even John thought I was crazy. I remember him saying, "So does this mean you're actually going to be a reader now??" I just laughed because he was totally right! Even I was in shock that I was SO into this book and was even passing up trashy reality TV for it!!! WHO AM I??!! I ended up finishing it within a few days and strolled back into Walmart to pick up the next book. It's sitting on my desk screaming at me to read it so I will probably start tonight. I must be going crazy because I'm actually dying to start the second one :) If anyone of you haven't read it, I would definitely recommend picking it up. I loved that it was constantly keeping my attention and making me continue to the next chapters even after telling myself I would stop. That's when you know it's a good book. Next step, is to go see the movie and see how well it compares to the books. I'm not going to get my hopes up but at least Peeta will be easy on the eyes :) I'll keep you updated on the next two books and may the odds be ever in your favor!

XOXO Allie