Bangin' Banana Bread - MmmmMMmmm

So... we let some bananas get a little too ripe. We've all been there.

When this would happen growing up, my mom would always throw them in the freezer and make some banana bread in the next couple of weeks. I followed suit and decided this weekend that I should give it a go. I had actually never made banana bread before, but I looked around and combined these two recipes, both from Your Cup of Cake (Recipe A, Recipe B). 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup ripe bananas, mashed (I used 3)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to finely mash the bananas. 
3. Pour milk into a liquid measuring cup at just under 1/3 c and add lemon juice to the milk. Let sit at least 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, beat the eggs. Add oil to the eggs and beat again. Add the milk and vanilla and beat again. Add the mashed bananas and - you guessed it - beat one more time.
5. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Then, stir in the brown sugar. 
6. Slowly add the dry to the wet, mix until just combined. Fold in the pecans. Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan. 
7. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or until it passes the clean toothpick test). 
8. Remove from oven, let sit 30 minutes, and serve!

For the Love of a Chili Dog

Confession: I am a chili dog addict.
 
The first time I came to D.C., Layne took me around to all his old haunts. Since he lived a little further out in Northern Virginia and he knows I have an intense love for chili dogs, we had to hit up the Vienna Inn. It's a total dive, but the chili dogs are only $2, and I devoured 3 or 4 dogs before I was satisfied. And then I craved them for the entire 9 months I was away.

When we moved out here, Vienna Inn was one of the first places we went to. But then I began to hear about this other magical chili dog purveyor - Ben's Chili Bowl. At the time it was only in D.C. in the U Street corridor, which was not exactly a neighborhood I frequented. But, hey - I'll go anywhere for a good chili dog, so within a month we found ourselves making the trek.

Picture from my first visit.

Wow. Spicy chili, crisp snap to the dog - I was sold. And after years of living a good 30-40 minutes from either the Vienne Inn or Ben's, or only being able to grab Ben's at a Nats game, this spring Ben's opened a location in Arlington. (Cue celebratory dance.)

It pretty much made my year.

Layne and I went opening weekend, and when my mom visited she made sure we went twice. Turns out, she loves chili dogs just as much as I do. My White Trash roots run deep.

As a complete bonus, Detroit is known for their coney dogs (which is just really just another name for chili dogs). So when I'm in The D, I get to feed my addiction at Lafayette! Because locals know there is no real competition between American and Lafayette.

If I have a chili dog in hand, I'm a pretty happy camper.

Last weekend at the Nats game.

 Check out my D.C. page for more recommendations on where to eat in the Capitol.

Twitter is kiiiiiinda Awesome

(Did you ever see that David Spade show "Rules of Engagement?" It is not very good, but it is available on Netflix, so I watched all 10 seasons because I'm awesome like that. In any case, the title is supposed to be read in David Spade's characters high-pitched, drawn out "kiiiiiinda.)"

But, alas, I digress...

Things are getting crazy busy at work this week, so we'll keep this week's Friday 5 pretty simple.

Top 5 Favorite Things on Twitter This Week
Guys, I may be addicted to Twitter. I recently started really getting into it thanks in large part to this article, and it has totally changed the way I use it. I already was of the opinion that it is borderline insane to not have a Twitter account in the modern world simply for news purposes, but WOW. So, without further ado, the 5 best things I saw on Twitter this week... 

 { Meghan + Twitter = True Love }

 

Princess Diana's 20 Best Style moments via @GoodHouseKeeping 

@aa_Stardust wrote a really nice blog about how to be better human. It's nice to be nice. 

@epicurious gave me 6 solid reasons to bust out my slow cooker this summer - yum.   

@Blogformatting is hosting a FREE workshop on 3 easy ways to get blog traffic from Facebook. Sign up and join us tomorrow!

@HouseBeautiful challenges you to tell the before from the after in this awesome quiz. I only missed one (which gave me unreasonable jubilation) - what can you get?

Follow me on Twitter for more goodies like this and I'll follow you back!

Linking up with September Farm today - holla at my farm girl!

Wordless Wednesday | Underwater

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The Liebster Awards

I have been blogging on and off for years now. Literally - years of blogs have started and then slowly flickered to a stop when I get bored. I recently picked mine back up again, and have made a real effort to join the "community" I often hear other bloggers talk about. Besides my Twitter followers doubling in about two weeks, being nominated for a Liebster Award by Katie over at The Macarthur's Lately is the first sign that I'm doing it right. :) She found me and asked that I carry on the baton. I was totally cool and chill about it (or maybe I squealed and then jumped up and down for a few minutes), because how awesome is it to make friends like this? You should definitely check her out - I love her bucket list and she already totally convinced me to finally sign up for Birchbox.

So, without further ado...

11 Facts About Me

1. I absolutely hate my name, which really upsets my mom since I was the only one of her kid's that she actually picked the name for.
2. I kind of crazy love my husband. Like, most people love their husband and all, but I am super into him and just think he's so great. You would get what I mean if you saw us together. 
3. Tomatoes = love. Numerous times in my life, I have left for the store in the middle of making a sandwich because I realized we have no tomatoes. 
4. I can't drive my car. Three years ago we sold my car when we moved to D.C., and Layne had a manual that I have studiously avoided learning to drive.
5. I love, love, love interior design. I didn't know how much I loved it while I was going through school, but I wish I had because I would have made it my life. 
6. I am shy. As is typical, it comes off as me being standoffish, but really it's just because I'm shy. My mind goes something like this: "I have nothing to say... think of something fast. Oh, you are so awkward. Just keep sitting here and don't draw attention to how weird you are."
7.  I have pretty much the worst handwriting ever. In fact, anything involving hand eye coordination of any sort is pretty much off the table for me. Do not throw something at me - it will inevitably smack me in the face.
8. I am not a fun person to share a bed with. I'm a blanket hog, I kick and punch, and Layne has woken up numerous times to find me with my leg straight in the air. 
9. I moved a lot growing up. Like, 5 elementary schools, a new house every year a lot. So now after living in D.C. for a few years, I have the itch to move on and am fighting it as I slowly learn what it's like to actually settle in someplace.
10. My best friend lives literally on the opposite side of the planet. Why does Australia have to be so far away? But it has taught me that some people are too important to let slip away, and also that you can keep a friendship alive via Facebook and Skype.
11. And lastly, I am on the job hunt! Oh, the joys of the job search. If you know of anyone hiring in the marketing/PR world in D.C./NoVa, please let me know!

Questions from Katie

1. What's the story behind the name of your blog? My favorite movie is "When Harry Met Sally." I watch it, oh, about once a month. So, when I had to come up with a new blog name, I borrowed from the best.
2. Would you give up internet and cell phone for a year for $10,000? Yup - I'm poor. I'd give up almost anything for $10,000. :D
3. Dogs or cats? Cats. But also dogs. I grew up with both!
4. What's your biggest pet peeve? Stupid people. (Is that mean?)
5. Do you have any hidden talents? Um... no. Though Layne tells me that I am an amazingly efficient grocery shopper. So, you know, watch out. You do not want to be on Guy's Grocery Games with this girl!
6. What was your last dream about? The final fight scene between Voldemort and Harry Potter. Obvs. 
7. What was your best/favorite vacation? Paris! Can you beat Paris? Maybe, I just haven't been that many other cool places, but I really don't know how you can top it. 
8.  Favorite reality tv show? Hhmmm... I got really into Survivor and The Amazing Race for the first time this year. Otherwise, maybe MasterChef or Food Network Star.
9. Would you rather a weekend in the mountains or at the beach? Beach. Mountains are nice and all, but been there, done that after living in Utah for years. And, I'm addicted to the sun.
10. Any embarrassing/bad 1st date stories? Not really a first date... but once in high school, I started dating this guy who I also worked with. Very quickly, I realized he was a bit (read: A LOT) more into it than I was and broke it off. For some reason, he insisted that I go on one more date with him while I insisted that I would not. When the day came, (and I am NOT proud of this), I left my house before the date and turned off my phone. I AM  A JERK AND I KNOW IT - ok?! Fast forward a few months, and he asked me to go to Homecoming. I said yes, as friends. But then he started telling everyone we were getting back together, and when I confronted him about it he told me that I HAD to go with him. So then I left a chair on his front porch with a note that said "Thanks, but I'll sit this one out." BECAUSE I WAS TERRIBLE AT 16, though I swear he had all of this coming. Fast forward another 9 months or so, and he asked me to dinner. I consented, as I thought enough time had passed. Apparently not. He proceeded to tell me that it was the anniversary of our break up and that I was the worst, hardest thing he had ever had to overcome. And this guy had been through some pretty rough stuff, so that was really uncalled for. He also said that when high school was over he wanted to move to Baltimore so he would never have to see me again. It made for a very awkward night. After that, I just entirely stopped talking to him. Saga over. Whew! Aren't we all glad we're out of high school? Also, I only live an hour from Baltimore now - Muhahaha!
11. What's your favorite quote? Try a little harder to be a little better. 

Questions for my Nominees

1. What's your dream job?
2. Favorite restaurant?
3. What makes a good friend to you?
4. Favorite song of the moment?
5. What is something small that makes you happy?
6. Do you have any guilty pleasures?
7. Favorite holiday tradition?
8. A good dinner out, or a new item for your closet?
9. What is your favorite spot in your home?
10. What's your favorite city?
11. Why do you blog?

And now - the fun part!

My Nominees
Paige @ Tomatoes for Cucumbers
Gayle @ A Gayle Force
Sierra @ Sierra's View
Kaylie @ Kaylie Marie
Alexa @ Alexa Tales
Lindsay @ Typically Late
Kate @ Thoroughly Modern
Meagan @ Beautiful Things
Brooke @ Blissful Blonde
Christa @ Forever Young


Let the games begin!

It's a Monday...

It is indeed, once again, Monday. Sometimes they are harder than others, and I can tell already that today will be hard. We had a really great, low key weekend, and the last thing I want to do now is head back into the office.

After a stressful week at work, I went on a really nice, long walk Friday evening and just let the tension fall off me. I stopped for a bit at a park until the lightning bugs came out, and by the time I got moving again, I had a smile on my face despite the mosquito bites I had acquired. Do you ever go on a walk when you're stressed? I just love being outside and definitely miss it. Oh, the compromises of apartment living!

Saturday I spent some time working on a home project. I'm transforming a drawer in Layne's nightstand to flip down and be more like a shelf. He was always using it for books and papers, so it makes more sense. It is far from the most time intensive project I have taken on, but it takes me into uncharted territory. I spent about 20 minutes debating what kind of hinges to get and how they will work. My mind just doesn't work in that physical way, so keep your fingers crossed! I'm still waiting for the paint and glue to dry, then it's times to test the hinges.

Saturday night was date night, so we tried a restaurant from Layne's Bucket List. Ping Pong Dim Sum in D.C.'s Chinatown was really nice. We are not huge into Chinese food, and this was definitely above average (not greasy at all!), but hoisin sauce always reminds my tastebuds of fennel (aka, pure evil), and we ordered two shrimp dishes where the shrimp was past its prime. I told our waiter, and they comped our entire meal! For that alone, they get an A+. Do you complain when your food isn't right? So many people just sit silently, but I always say something. I don't want the restaurant to serve an entire dinner service with shrimp that has gone bad! Despite that one issue, for those rare occasions when I do want some Chinese food, I would definitely go back.

On our way home, we grabbed an ice cream cake. Because who doesn't love the sweet harmony of cake and ice cream?

Sunday was another relaxing day. We went to the in-laws for a chicken pot pie dinner and some good conversation. I love lazy Sundays.

Now back to reality with the rest of the week - here's to making the most of it!

Wordless Wednesday | Summer Adventures

 

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