TEMPTATION TUESDAY

Hey everyone.   I hope that you are all enjoying the sunshine where you are, as much as I am, here.  The temperatures are getting much nicer as well.  I only wish that the wind would die down a bit.  We can't have it all now can we?!  LOL!  Well, as you all know Kayzer went last Monday to get fixed and just a little update;  he is doing fine.  YAY!   He did not even try to clean that incision once.  He was super amazing and that was a huge relief.  Jackson goes to get his haircut today and a bath so he will be truly styling for Easter.  :)  And, Jeffrey, well he is Jeffrey.  He is dealing with life as it comes.  They are all doing well.  That makes momma a happy camper!  Here is a picture of the two of them (Kayzer and Jackson) getting along together better, or maybe I should say tolerating each other better:  

I have a couple of good recipes for you all to try today.  These are both quick recipes but, due to Easter and the busy week I have.  I didn't plan ahead to well.  Sorry.  But, I will tell you that I have tried both of these and enjoyed them both. 

The first recipe is for a;

PICKLE DIP

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 to 1cup of dill pickles, depending on how pickly you like things------YUM
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
dill, for garnish
pickle juice

Chop the pickles into very small pieces.  Combine with the cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce until well mixed.  Splash in a bit of pickle juice to thin dip out a bit (around 1 Tbsp, more is fine, depending on your taste).  Serve cold or at room temperature with chips. 

Tip:  I thought that it tasted a little plain to me so I added some sour pickles into mine and a splash of the juice from the sour pickles.  It gave it more of a kick and was much more to my preference but if you are a true dill pickle fan, you will probably love it the way it is.  I just really love the sour punch to my pickles!  It was delicious and we cleaned it all up! 

I found the recipe for this dip here:  http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2012/01/18/pickle-dip/ 



The other recipe that I wanted to share with you all today is for ;

CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD

3 over ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 c melted butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 c flour

For the swirl;
1/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*  Butter and flour a 9X5 loaf pan.
Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together.  Sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of banana mixture.  Then gently stir in flour.  Be careful not to over mix.  In a small dish mix together the 1/3 c sugar and the 1 Tbsp cinnamon.  Add half of the banana bread mixture into the pan and then sprinkle half to three quarters of the swirl mix.  Then, you add the remaining banana bread batter and top with the remaining swirl. 
Bake for 50-60 minutes.  If you use a different size pan keep a close eye on the time it will cook differently.  When I made mine I cooked it for the full 60 mins but, I think it could have come out 5 mins earlier at least. 

I found the recipe for this bread here:   http://lovintheoven.com/2010/03/cinnamon-swirl-banana-bread.html 

I made up a loaf of this last week when I wasn't feeling so great.  It was a quick and easy recipe and the end result was quite pleasing.  Not only to my tummy but my eyes as well.  You take a look for yourself;

Can you believe it?  I remembered to take a picture to show you all?  Of course, it was half eaten at that point but, I still got a quick shot of it before it was all gone.  Love that swirl of cinnamon.  You could do the same thing with any favorite banana bread recipe.  I liked this recipe because it didn't take a lot of ingredients and it went together so quickly.  Try it for yourself.  It will be worth it. 

Are you all ready for Easter?  I am not.  We are having a Bar B Que!  YAY!  It makes me feel that much closer to better weather.  And, it is much simpler to prepare.  LOL!  But, there will be lots of good grub!  Can't wait. 

Hope that you all have a great rest of your day.

Warm and primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug