Best Banana Bread

1/2 C. milk
4 really bad bananas, mashed
2 beaten eggs
1/2 C. butter flavored shortening
2 C. flour
1 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 t. baking powder

Toss all ingrediants into a dish.
Mix.
Pour into 2 loaf pans.
Bake 375, 1 hour. (Times may vary)

A couple explanations:
Honey, when I say really bad, I mean those bananas should be standing up and talking back to you. Let me define this for you.
Not ripe: Still has green on it.
Ripe: All yellow
Bad: Brown spots
Really bad: All over brown.

Why 4 bananas? I've experimented with different measurements and this one creates the best flavor.

I use 2 loaf pans, because it creates smaller loaves so they're not as dry. Also, this way walnuts can be added to one, since not everyone wants or can have walnuts. How much walnuts? Well that depends on your taste.

This recipe was handing down to me by my mom, I've altered it slightly, and this is the recipe that everyone raves about when they have some.

So enjoy this tasty treat! And let me know how it turns out for you.

Hey there! Welcome back!
No, I didn't bail on ya. I just took the weekend off. I know. You were extremely disappointed, but I had to do it. Okay, I didn't have to do it, but I did it anyways. It was Mother's Day and, well being a mom, I figured I was entitled. No? Don't think I should've taken the whole weekend? That's okay, neither did my teen son. Ha ha! In his words. "Now that's just not right. You get the same birthdays and holidays we get. Plus you get an anniversary. Why do you need a day? And now you want the whole weekend? Where does it end mom, where does the madness end?" He was joking, of course. I just told him "Suck it buttercup! It is what it is." Sheesh, I just don't know where he gets smart-a$$ ways.

So how have things been in your whole world? Great, I hope. Me? Besides a fun and quiet weekend spent with my family, I've been doing a lot of thinking. That was thinking, not drinking! (rolling eyes) Where you get these ideas from, I just don't know.

If you've been around Books N Beans for a while, you know I'm trying to create an atmosphere of a virtual book cafe. So far, I'm falling short. It's okay, it's true. Nothing wrong with the truth. Anyways, so I've had a few ideas pop into my head in the last couple of weeks. So keep your eyes open and check back a lot this week, because I'm going to start implementing them.

If you go to an actual book cafe what do you get?
Drinks, food, books, conversation, etc.
So what can you look forward to?
Some tasty recipes (all tested by me and mine) and those will include drink recipes. Okay already, I'll throw in an alcoholic one or two. You really have a one track mind don't you?
Of course, I'll keep posting the book reviews. I actually have 3 left over from April's readings I haven't posted yet, and I just finished the first one for May. It wasn't on my list. I mentioned it was Mother's Day weekend right? Well, I chose one from my favorite author. Nope, I won't tell. You'll just have to check back and find out for yourself.
And I'm thinking this Musing Monday might be a recurring thing. And no, it won't revolve around books. I mean really when I meet with my girls for coffee, books are only one of many topics we discuss. That was a warning. Topics get dicey, fun, humorous, debate-worthy, serious, etc in my world. Guess we'll just have to see how that goes over.
June will be the first month I do the Find it Fridays. Check back to see what that's all about. I'll post more details as it draws nearer.

Okay, I've rambled at you long enough! Go do what you need to do. Talk to you soon!

4 cups

Results may vary, however, in these cases there will be extreme fatigue because neither of these side effects will result in you having a good night's sleep.

Be Smart! Start this book when you have a day off, clear your calendar, stock up on supplies (coffee and snack foods are recommended, but if you must go healthy then go ahead), and gulp down TID. Yes, gulp. Do not savor this book. Do not attempt to read it over the course of a couple of days. Your mind will scream at you. It will go something like this. "Now why the H&## did you go and do a fool thing like that for? You know, you can't do just a portion of this book at a time! You have to treat this thing as if it's the best sweet you've ever had and someone is trying to snatch it right out your hands. Back up into the nearest well-lit corner, and be prepared to snarl at anyone who tries to interrupt before you reach the back cover. Go on! Get it done now!!"

What do you get in return for being smart? You get a 2-for-1 deal! Woohoo! Peabody takes the lead on the leading in homicide, then she's the catalyst behind the investigation of a corrupt squad in Illegals!

Not only that, but there are some definitely interesting spots that are maybe showing possibilities for Eve in the future. Eve has a moment where she's more understanding of what makes a good leader and/or commander. Gasp! I know, right? Tough Eve? Yep, it's true. Well, it's true she has a moment, I don't know if it's true that it means commander in her future.
She also can manage Bella without breaking into hives or puking on her shoes. Not that she's really done that, but still... you know.  Maybe a baby? Okay, maybe not. An older kid would be better. Oooh adoption. Because who can see Eve, Roarke, or Summerset changing diapers. Summerset maybe. The other two? That's funny, I know.
Lastly, and this is a good and serious one, Eve is not constantly haunted by her nightmares. She's dealing. As she says, it's still there, but not ever-present in her mind. Yay for her!
Does all of this mean Eve is moving forward, onward, and possibly upward? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

2 cups

The book takes place 10 years later for the twins. We jump into it finding Elizabeth in NY and Jessica in CA, and they're not speaking to each other. Jessica finally went too far and committed the ultimate betrayal. Through present time stories, memories of the characters into the past, and jumping from perspective to perspective the reader is slowly allowed to know what happened and how it happened.

Unfortunately as this timeline takes the twins from their Senior Year in highschool, through college, and into their late-twenties it means the reader is subjected to a lot of childish drama. Some readers have been away from Sweet Valley for more than 10 years and therefore are way more grown-up than the twins end up being. What once thrilled in Junior High, and maybe HS for some of you, now only comes across as childish, dramatic, soap opera-ish, and akin to bad reality TV.

The twins, though they are supposedly 27, they and their friends seem to act as if they're still 17 and in HS. There was a moment when the world probably heard the loudest scream echoing from far away. That was the moment that the word "like" was  like overused and had like just grown like completely like ridiculous. Okay, which is just another way of saying what's already been said. It was just a truly frustrating aspect of the story, especially since there was so much excitement about this book finally coming out.

However, the last 1/4 of the book was definitely it's saving grace. It was great to catch up with all of the characters to see where they've been and to see what possibilities lie ahead for them in the future. Yet, I don't think SWC generated enough interest to warrant an eye being kept on the next release, if there is one. Now if you like soap operas though, then you're going to love this one.

Ultimately, it was this last portion of the book that takes SWC from a 1 cup to a 2 cup.

The following word was stumbled over in Welcome to Last Chance by Hope Ramsay.
The definition was found and quoted from The New Oxford American Dictionary.

ecumenical: "Representing a number of different Christian churches. <special usage> promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches.

Only 1 word again! Sadly, I've discovered it's not because looking up words is working. Huge sigh! There were lots of words I stumbled over this past week, but I forgot to write them down so I could look them up. But, no worries! They say it takes 3 times for a person to retain something. So maybe after I look each word up 3 times, I'll finally retain it. Ha!

4 cups

Now, these types of books are extremely hard to review, because well... there's no synopsis of a story. Yet, Rivenbark still manages to entertain, give you a chuckle, and lead you straight to outright laugh-out-loud moments. From the most innocuous to the most outlandish, she sees and tells the hilarity in every situation.

The title? Well, it's just catches your eye doesn't it? It caught mine. But you'll have to read the book to see where and why Rivenbark came across this little gem of ultimate wisdom. I'll give you a hint it's from a family member. And you thought your family was different? Nope, she'll show you, you're normal. And no, I won't tell you the wisdom. You'll just have to find it for yourself.

3 cups

Jane: The main lady, is broke and on the run from a disasterous past. Let's just say this poor girl has made quite a few made decisions, all of them revolving around "weasel" guys. Her words on the weasel characteristic. She arrives in Last Chance on the 9:30 bus from Atlanta. Pay attention here, because that 9:30 bus is going to be mentioned a few times. It's important, or at least interesting if nothing else.

Clay: Your typical "knight in shining armor". What's he do? Well, he's to rescue the damsel in distress, of course. Only there's 3 of them in his life, and 1 of them doesn't take kindly to being what she calls a charity case. She keeps trying to thwart his help, while the other 2 want nothing more than for Clay to rescue them. Obviously, Clay's going to keep trying to help the one who doesn't want it. That's a guy for ya!

The Ladies: This is a group of elderly women (one of them being Clay's mom) within the town of Last Chance who are determined to mentor young'uns onto the right path. What they do guarantee is some humorous moments for the reader to enjoy. The Ladies will be a feature worth looking forward to in subsequent books.

Stone: He may be Clay's brother, but the only thing these two have in common is their thick skulls and Stone's skull is by far the thickest. It's understandable that he's a smidge closed off emotionally after losing his wife, but this guy acts like a complete jerk and shows a borderline abuse of power in his role as cop. Unfortunately, it would take a whole lot of rewriting to make this guy even close to something resembling a decent human being. His daughter is the only time you see him act with any sort of emotion.

There's a whole slew of others to meet, as this is Hope's first book in a series, but these ones mentioned are the characters that played the larger roles in this story.

It feels bad to say the characters were the best part of this story, because the writing itself was pretty good. However, there were a few "lines" that Welcome to Last Chance almost crossed or did cross that just didn't help it. For one, it didn't present itself as being Christian fiction and yet there were quite a few times that it toed the line of being just a touch too preach-y. Yea, it's not really a word, but it gets the point across. Though Ramsey does well in her definitive seperation between a good Christian and those who claim it but don't live it.

There were also a couple of moments, very briefly, when the characters approached potential prejudice and almost caused the book to be a garbage read. In other words the only thing reading it would've been the garbage can. Luckily Ramsey didn't go there, and therefore didn't land in the garbage can.

Now, we all know that internal conflict is a big thing in romance novels, but there comes a point when those "Oh what should I do?" moments become "Oh, shut up already!" moments for the reader. Sadly Ramsey did cross the line here. Clay became much too tedious in his constant back and forth. Hopefully, for Clay's sake, he's straight in his heart and his mind, because if he's not... Ugh! His lady's going to need that backbone she developed, because she's going to be holding them both up in the times to come.

Ramsey's writing style though is very smooth, entertaining, and full of lots of potential. While it did tend to shout "new author", she has a really good ability to balance romance, humor, and suspense all in one book. There's definitely something to look forward to as her ability continues to progress, and she definitely has the potential to write herself into the 5 cups category.

There's enough interest here to keep an eye out for the next installment, Home in Last Chance, which will be in stores September 2011.

May's nominees are posted under "Work, work, work". What is this? I love ya hon, but really pay attention would ya? Kisses! Every month I list the potential 10 books I'll be reading. Sometimes I stick to the list, sometimes I don't. Some months I finish the list, some months I don't. Even better is when I finish the list and barrel on through some beyond that. But (sigh) that's only happened once, so don't hold your breath. K? I'd hate to see you pass out.

Anyways, it's listed.

In the next few days, you're going to see a lot of book reviews. I really hate doing that many right in a row, but, well, life's been dull lately. There's been a lot of at-home downtime, there's no tv, etc. That means I've been doing a whole heck of a lot of reading. So much so that I'm going to be way ahead on my posts by the time I put up all the reviews.

I was questioning a few things though, that I'm keeping in my mind for possible future "events". I'm curious as to how to make things more interactive? I'm new to blogging, and I'm wondering are blogs really that interactive?

What about a Treasure Hunt Tuesday (or Thursday) or maybe I could call it Find it Friday? A monthly book giveaway! I'm still not sure though, bc my feeling is people only want something wickedly new (as far as books). I don't think I could pull that off. Anyways, each week there'll be a post on that day (whichever I choose), you'll have to hunt to find/answer the question, and then email the answer (don't post it bc then everyone will have it). At the end of the month, the person(s) names with the most correct answers will be entered for the drawing to win. I was thinking I could scroll through other bloggers/followers blogs too, that way they're not only searching my blog. What do you think?