July has to be my favorite month of the entire year. The entire month should be considered a holiday. I wish it lasted 90 days. I can't think of anything I don't like about it! Some highlights of the month for me include Independence Day, fireworks, cold watermelon, waterslides, homemade ice cream, birthday parties, boating, growing a garden, hiking, Pioneer Day, gelato, the sound of sprinklers, air-conditioned movie theaters, farmers market, and much, much more.
Dave has always insisted that he looks like Mark Wahlberg, and now it's been confirmed (much to my dismay.) I think it's hilarious they chose Magic Johnson, because Dave has often thought of himself as having a "connection" with African-Americans. Jamie Lee Curtis was also on the list of look-alikes. Huh. Never saw that one coming.
I'm sorry if I post about food all the time. But let's face it- I just can't get enough. A co-worker brought in some banana bread the other day, and I fell in love. I've already baked 5 loaves of it, and haven't gotten sick of it yet. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, so I will pass it along to you. Enjoy!
Mary's Famous Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 or 4 large bananas)
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour, or 2 1/2 cups white flour
chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)- optional
chocolate chips- optional
Beat together first seven ingredients until totally smooth and creamed together.
Add in banana, honey, and eggs.
Stir in flour, about one cup at a time, then add nuts and chocolate chips, if using.
Pour batter into lightly greased loaf pan and let stand for 10 minutes.
Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, then lay foil over top of bread and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan, remove and enjoy!!
Marcie recently made the most wonderful key lime pie; it was truly heaven-sent. She got the recipe from Tastespotting, which is like porn for food lovers. If you haven't yet checked it out, stop reading and go there right now. This key lime creation has a thick graham cracker crust, a layer of decadent coconut, zesty key lime filling, and is topped with a thin layer of not-too-sweet whipping cream. Although the dessert is quite rich, I didn't seem to have any problem cleaning my plate as well as a good portion of my nieces and nephews' plates. This is one recipe that is definitely worth hanging onto. 
all geared up for the zip-line canopy tour
