Made this great tasting banana bread the other day and just had to log it here for easy access. There are always a couple bananas in the bunch that try to make it into the trash. Not on my watch! Ate a little for a late night snack then wrapped it up for breakfast with some coffee.

This is the simplest frosting I’ve ever made and it got rave reviews from the household. I didn’t have the full 8 oz. of chocolate chips so I used butterscotch chips for the last 4 oz. Next time we’ll go all chocolate but either way it was yum. Took about 10 minutes to make and most of that was just waiting for the water to boil. Went perfectly on this chocolate cake.

J and I had truffle macaroni and cheese at a great little spot called Herbs & Rye which makes totally awesome flat bread pizzas. Neither of us knew what to expect, I mean I knew they were expensive mushrooms and supposedly they were great but after the first smell of the mac and cheese we were turned off. So much that we just had it sent back. The odor was so offensive to us that I had to put the dish on the table next to us to just get it away. It was interfering with our delicious pizzas. The staff was very cool about it and took it off our bill no problemo. So I was surprised when I was sniffing around the cheese island at Whole Foods and came across this truffle cheese and I actually kind of sort of liked it. It was super expensive so I just got a small piece and it was great. Super creamy and coated on the outside with edible ash as opposed to a wax or something.

During Christmas my secret Santa at work gave me a bottle of black truffle oil too and we’ve been loving it on popcorn ever since. Truffles are slowly finding there way into our hears I guess.

Last night (11-04-11) our dog Sweetie Pie passed away (SP). She was one of two strays that came to our door about three years ago. They were all the blessing to us. SP soon had a litter of puppies and we kept one of her daughters. So just like J, Z and I, there was the little family of three dogs, momma, papa and daughter. SP was the wild one but yet the good/smart one. She danced and chased, she played hard and loved hard. To most guests she was a ferocious beast, growling and barking and even a little bite here and there if you gave her the chance, our brave defender. Only four years old (we think) she went well before her time, in a flash leaving much wonder in all of our minds as to what, how and why. That’s something we will never know but I do know that I’ve learned a few things from that dog about how to be a leader of a household. She had and amazing spirit.

Today when I was deciding what to listen too at work I picked Jonsi. This is the first song that came up randomly. I don’t think it was so random after all. It describe SP perfectly and instantly brought a tear to my eye. I played it for J when I got home and she cried too. We will all miss you Sweetie Pie, so very much. Fortunate our paths crossed.

Jonsi – Boy Lilikoi
Jonsi - Boy Lilikoi

I want to be a lilikoi boy lilikoi
You grind your claws, you howl growl
Unafraid of Hoi Polloi
You run, you’re free, you climb and dress trees
You reignite
You growl, you howl, you show your teeth
You bite, it’s alright

Say no more, use your eyes
The world goes and flutters by
Use your eyes, you’ll know you are
Use your eyes, the world goes and flutters by
Use your eyes, you’ll know you are

Why me, my boy, you burn so bright
Do you illuminate?
One day you’re out, you give up the fight
You slow down heart-rate

We all grow old, use your life
The world goes and flutters by
Use your life, you’ll know you are
Use your life, the world goes and flutters by
Use your life, you’ll know you are

Electricity wires are down
Rainbow colours fade into brown
I dreamt you were smiling, shifting for good
Courageous boy, now you are gone
And run past the years, no place to go
Your spirit is grand, so life goes on
You are
You are

I want to be a lilikoi-boy ooooh
You grind your claws, you howl, you growl
Unafraid of Hoi Polloi

Electricity wires are down
Rainbow colours fade into brown
I dreamt you were smiling, shifting for good
Courageous boy, now you are gone
You run past the years, no place to go
Your spirit is grand, so life goes on
You are ..
You are ..

I was talking with my older brother the other day and he was informing me that he liked the pictures I’ve been taking of different cheeses lately. I asked him if he read something in one of the posts (I forgot what it was) and he replied with “I only looks at the pictures”. Which means I can pretty much say anything I want here and he wouldn’t even have a clue. Like it was me who stole your Sex Pistols tape from your room back when we were younger (I’m sure I enjoyed it way more anyway). He went on to tell me he had been addicted to a certain cheese from Trader Joe’s, it was a Gruyere. Not sure which one/brand, heck, I’d never even heard of it before to be honest. So when I saw it snuggled in with the million-and-a-half cheeses at Whole Foods I had to grab it. At first taste I wasn’t sure but J and Z LOVED it at first bite. I mean really loved it. Cheese seems to be so subjective, different strokes for different folks I guess. I did end up liking it with crackers, it’s actually growing on me.

I’ve been loving these Somerdale cheeses that are mixed with fruits and/or herbs and spices etc. They usually end up on the sweeter side but this one was definitely savory. It has a mild "hot and spicy" mustard flavor and the seeds give it a nice texture without being overbearing. J was down with it and Z was OK with it but wasn’t begging for more, lol. Would be great with some pretzels or a pretzel bread.

So we’ve moved into a new place (again) and were still trying to get ourselves comfy. Even in the midst of unpacked boxes we manage to find a cozy little spot to relax and read.

The dogs were bringing in these nuts and breaking them open making messes all over the place. I picked one up and saw what seemed to be a pecan on the inside. I opened one up and tasted it and wow, it was a super sweet pecan for sure. Pretty cool, what a nice surprise.

I think we missed the peak season to harvest though because most are cracked open and dried up already but a few are still just right.

Picked up this cheese a little while ago and just got around to eating it the other day. It was good and we all enjoyed gobbling it up but as for being “sharp”, I’m not sure if I’m buying it. Very average, again I need more umph. I do like the fact that it’s raw milk though.

I wish I would have thought of this in place of disgustingly good although the url is already taken. Image via Honestly WTF.

Original hard wood floors from 1953. Something that’s rare if ever found in Vegas. Z reading from her stack of books.

Getting ready to see these fools tomorrow night.