Dinner and a movie just not working out? Why not try banana bread and a movie? Heh… Tonight, I finally used up my two old bananas and made banana bread out of them. And mom came over to watch Under the Tuscan Sun with me.

The banana bread was something of an experiment. I have never made such a thing before, so that was a first. I used Splenda instead of sugar. I used Egg Beaters instead of eggs. But I still used the half cup of butter that it called for. Despite doing some of the steps bass-ackward (and realizing once I’d started that I had no baking soda or baking powder – thankfully I have lovely neighbors who loaned me some) the banana bread turned out just fine – and yummy! Mom liked it enough to take some home with her. Hmmm, with a bit more planning and a few more ingredients in my house, I might be able to handle this baking lark.

I do want to know why, as a responsible chemistry teacher, that I can’t seem to follow my own lab rules when cooking? I mean, I tell kids to read through a lab first before performing it, then read as you go. So why couldn’t I do that while making the banana bread? I put the eggs in at the wrong time, I didn’t have all the ingredients when I needed ’em, I didn’t have the right sized bowls, etc. etc. It’s amazing the stuff even turned out! 🙂

The movie was also fun. And as an additional entertainment, we had Leo wandering around the living room and playing with a piece of foil that mom had discarded after having a Hershey’s Kiss. (Did you know they now make dark chocolate Kisses? These weren’t those type, but I might have to buy some when this batch finally disappears.)