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PROGRAMMING NOTE from the Author and Archivist


So obviously I just stopped blogging on this platform. I'll get back to it eventually. Or not. I'm taking a break from all social media. It seemed necessary for my mental health.

The last few years have been busy and … challenging:

- 2015 Happened.
- 2016 Let's call it The Lost Year. (Obviously words failed me.)
- 2017 about broke me. Literally. Mentally.
- 2018 was ridiculous, proving 2017 was just a warm up. (Good thing I was already broken so it couldn't hurt as much.#2018TrashCanFire I thought things were going okay, but maybe not?)

- 2019 was such a blur. I know there were highlights, but then stuff happened and carried into the next year...

- And then in March#2020 really took a turn. Who can even categorize 2020? Do we dare?


I kinda want a do-over of some of the last few years. But life doesn’t work that way.


So for now, I'm hunkering down. Regrouping. Trying to stay safe and sort some stuff out.


Stay safe everyone. Stay well.

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Recipes from Aunt Flora -- Banana Nut Cake

One of the problems with using the recipes from this particular family cookbook is that it is a much copied version of an original created long before word processing programs. This especially true when it has to deal with type and formatting. For example, this one was on a page where the hole for the three-hole punch took a bite out of vital ingredient measurements. Unfortunately, I am not close enough to Aunt Flora to be able to pick up the phone and ask. I had to guess on a few of these.

Let's hope it's okay. As it's banana, I am counting on my handy IT guinea pigs to find out.

Banana Nut Cake

2 ½ cup flour
? teaspoon baking powder (1?)
? teaspoon baking soda (1?)
¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar

2 eggs
2 cups nuts, chopped (mixture of walnuts and pecans)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup ripe smashed bananas (about 2)
2 tablespoons milk

Sift dry ingredients together.
Beat shortening until creamy.
Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add nuts and beat well.
Stir in vanilla and beat well.
Add flour mixture alternating with bananas and milk.
Turn into a well greased pan.*
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.*

*In this case, I turned it out into a well-greased 13x9x2 cake pan and only baked it for about 40 minutes. It came out of the oven brown and firm, with the cake tester releasing cleanly. I figured if the cake was thinner, more of the guys could get a crack at it for breakfast.



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