glutenless banana bread

This is one of our favorite snacks.  I finally found a recipe I like, and I had to share it with you.  Perfect for a spring breakfast with coffee, or add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and it's an excellent dessert.  Adapted from the gluten free everyday cookbook, which, if you are gluten free, you should get.  It is most excellent.

You will need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
• 1/2 cup of cream cheese 
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup mashed banana (2 super ripe bananas) 
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal flour
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees C.  Butter a 9x5 in loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugars.  Beat with a mixer or by hand until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla, and banana, continue to mix until smooth. 
3. Add all the rest of the dry ingredients, and mix together until a smooth batter forms.
4. Pour into loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 50 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

~Enjoy!               

snapshots of a weekend

1.  New favorite easy dinner: Hasselback Potatoes (topped with store bought sour cream and pesto)  Not pictured: the Shepherd's Pie I made for Saturday.
2. Flowers for Mom.  Also ice cream.
3. Organization, spring cleaning... and proof that Kivrin came downstairs while the dog was inside!
4. Afternoon sun, beautiful weather, thinking more often about playing once I finish some work.

And you?  Is the weather beautiful where you are?  Should we just go outside already?
All our windows and doors are open  ....
~ Happy Spring ~

cheers!

What an amazing week.  Much thanks to our friends who came from afar to visit, and to the rest of the Laf-Colorado crowd for coming up to see them and tour the FoCo brews!  I highly recommend the tour route we took, one of the best ways to experience local Fort Collins. 

1. If it's warm enough, and you need a bike, stop by the bike library.
2. Breakfast at Choice City.  Order the potato cakes and a brewmosa.
3. New Belgium, crowded but a classic.  Be sure to ask for a seasonal sampler.
4. Odell's, get the Co-pilot and sit outside if possible.
5. Fort Collins for lunch and another sampler, be sure to try the bacon wrapped pretzels.
6. Funkwerks (pictured above), for a Topic King.
7. Back in town, stop by Equinox and listen to some live music on the patio.
8. Pateros Creek, try the Outlaw (new every week)
9. Dinner at Coopersmiths, get the cottage pie and a homemade root beer.
10. You are always welcome to come stay at my place.  <3  Cheers!

mock spring

It's beautiful outside today.  Soca and I took a long walk and then might have fallen asleep in the sun.

Outside: Sixty degrees, sunny
Reading: Canine Colorado, to get ideas where to go with the pup this spring
Listening to: Some Strange Country
On the needles: a hat for me

Enjoy the weather... likely it will be gone again by tomorrow, so I am going back outside.

ciao!