This and that and banana bread update!!!

It snowed yesterday...enough that it will be here a few days anyway.  We had a long gorgeous fall with beautiful sunsets day after day.  We had a long enough fall that I am actually ready for winter.  I love the change of seasons. and would hate to live where there weren't any... A change of season....any season ...gives me a boost of spirit and energy.

We had dinner guests last weekend and I was actually tired of using fall colors for the table and chose the crispy green and white.
DH had left for the store and I was thinking I should have had him pick up a few mums because the garden was pretty dead.  But to my surprise I was able to make a great centerpiece.  I used the large gold leaves from a peony I missed cutting back along with the glossy green leaves of the mahonia (Oregon grape) and for the white touch lots of fluffy seed heads from the autumn clematis..

Found a recipe for equal parts mashed roasted yams and cooked quinoa and added crumbled bacon and caramelized onions..  It was so delicious that I am going to fix it with the turkey this year.  A real keeper.

And speaking of recipes I will add an update on banana bread.  A while back I tested about a dozen banana bread recipes and this winner topped all...  It is so good I would never even think of tweaking it but it called for 1 cup of butter and I only had 1/2 cup so I substituted 1/2 cup shortening and I think it was even better.

Another hint:  This recipe calls for 8 bananas and I usually have that many in the freezer as I pop them in them when they start to get overripe.  It is this many bananas that put this recipe over the top in flavor...  But when I thaw out frozen bananas there is a lot of extra liquid so now I put them in a strainer for a couple hours and they work much better.

Haven't posted for a while as I've had my computers disconnected trying to backup and move files and get both computers working with only one printer....the newest one.  I was able to do all the backing up but the oldest computer just wouldn't allow the new printer's drivers to be installed.  After the second blue screen of death I decided to leave well enough alone and hang it there with both printers.  Eventually I won't be able to get ink cartridges any more for the old one..  I hate to let go of my old programs and learn new ones.... the old Pagemaker and Image Composer are like old comfortable friends of many years......and it was a shame they were both discontinued.  Haven't touched a needle for about 10 days... but I did paint some buttons... will show them soon.