Summer Fun!

Here in Missouri, we've been under an extreme heat wave and drought for over a month.  I was actually pretty excited to hear that the highs this week are *only* in the upper 90's.  For a few weeks, we had a run of 100+ degree days.  It's been hard to spend much time outdoors, what with my growing belly and all.  I don't know how people used to cope without air conditioning on days like this.  I guess I'm spoiled by it now, but I wouldn't have it any other way! 

The other evening we had some clouds move in and a nice breeze, so I took Clara out for some bubble and water play.  She loves to fill up her water table with the garden hose and throw all of her toys in there. 

Here she is, blowing bubbles all by herself.  She's pretty independent when it comes to bubble blowing but she still enjoys chasing after bubbles when I blow them.

Popping a bubble against her face.  Ouch!

Notice how brown our grass is.  We haven't bothered watering it this summer and it went dormant with the extreme heat and lack of rain.  That's okay, though...we haven't had to mow since May!

She's getting to be such a big girl!

Microwave Lemon Curd

I've made this several times and it always turns out so delicious!  I love really tart, lemony sweets, so this is perfect.  I normally use it as a cupcake filling but it would also be good in a mini tart shell, spread on bread, layered in a trifle...or just on a spoon.  It's supposed to keep for 3 weeks in the fridge, but mine always gets used up much sooner than that!  The technique is very simple, as you just mix everything together in a bowl (I use my Pampered Chef quart sized batter bowl) and microwave one minute at a time until thickened.  The recipe says to store in small sterile jars but I've never had a problem using just clean jars.

Microwave Lemon Curd
from allrecipes.com

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup fresh lemon juice

3 lemons, zested                  

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the microwave, and pour into small sterile jars. Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

Banana Bread Pancakes

I can across the recipe for these banana pancakes on Pinterest last night and immediately knew I had to make them.  Banana bread is one of my favorite foods, for breakfast or a snack.  The maple vanilla glaze is what really sold me on them, though.  To me, everything is better glazed!  My 2 year old ate these without the glaze, as the brown sugar in the batter makes them sweeter than regular pancakes. 

The original recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour but I didn't have any.  I substituted all purpose flour instead. The only other change I made was to increase the milk.  The original calls for 2/3 cup, but it seemed too dry to me with only that amount.  I increased it to a cup and it was perfect.  Since I was making these for a toddler, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup for the batter and they were 4 inches in diameter.  I got about 18 pancakes out of the batch.  Enjoy!


Banana Bread Pancakes
adapted from How Sweet It Is

2 cups flour (I used AP, but you could substitute whole wheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Measure out the milk and add the vanilla extract to it. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add in milk and vanilla, stirring to combine. The mixture will still be dry. Add in mashed bananas and mix. Add in melted butter and stir until batter is somewhat smooth.

Heat a skillet or grill on medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, spoon batter into rounds and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for a minute or two more. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve hot with butter and syrup, or the vanilla maple glaze.

Vanilla Maple Glaze

1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over pancakes.