We are still waiting for snow! Instead of snow we had unbelievable winds that are still blowing! I couldn’t sleep last night because the wind felt as though it was literally blowing throughout the entire house. Den and kitties were snuggled and dreaming while I listened to strange…very strange…knocks and thumps. Our bedroom has vaulted ceilings and an attic right above us with dormers. At one point I thought the wind was tearing right through the dormers! I think that the high vaulted ceiling in our bedroom magnifies every sound…especially at night. So…today I am tired…and it’s cold outside…right now it’s sunny and 10 degrees. We are staying in and drinking tea and making soup. It’s too cold and too windy to want to go anywhere.
I finished Girls Of Glass late last night and started The Suspect. Girls of Glass was really good…an abduction of a little girl and a detective seeking revenge. Secrets abound in this book and I actually am not certain if the wind kept me up or the fact that I couldn’t stop reading this book kept me up. I started The Suspect almost the minute I finished my other book and it’s already got me hooked…two young girls disappear while on a trip and everyone involved seems to be connected. This cold windy day is a great day to read. And make soup! I am so excited because The Suspect will publish tomorrow and I will review it tomorrow! A first for me. This makes me so happy!
So…my cooking plans changed over the week end. We were trying to empty our freezer…just a little bit…in case we lost power. So we had these tuna steaks based loosely on a recipe from Fine Cooking. I can’t eat raw tuna right now so I needed a recipe where the tuna would be cooked but still moist. Plus I had two bags of baby tomatoes from the summer in the freezer and we were able to use those, too. And I used calamata olives rather than green ones. You toss everything in a sauté pan and then eat this saucy juicy tuna over rice. Yum! I actually used this rice from Costco.
Den loves moist breads like blueberry, pumpkin, and banana ones…he loves to slice them and store them in the freezer for later with tea or coffee. I had not made any in a while…so yesterday I made this banana one. It’s my favorite recipe called Flour’s Banana Bread…it’s moist and slightly sweet…I never add all of the sugar and I always toss in pecans or walnuts. We had it for breakfast this morning. You can find it on the Food Network or just by googling Flour’s Banana Bread.
Later this week I am making smitten kitchen’s Pumpkin Bread and Blueberry Muffins. I have made these before and they are easy and amazing. The pumpkin bread is the best ever! I never sift or separate anything. Even for the Banana Bread I just dump everything in at the same time. It always turns out and I don’t even know why. I think I don’t want to know! If you have never looked at smitten kitchen’s blog you really should. She has the most amazing recipes. I have her cookbook, too and it’s luscious!
So…my goals today are to finish The Suspect…so good…and make Den a Pumpkin Bread…and to stay warm!
Patty
Books, Thoughts and Adventures 
Oooh, we had windy rain last night. Very loud and a little frightening, mostly because I had to keep checking my kitchen skylight, which has fallen down several times over the years And broken.
This time it didn’t…knock wood.
Those breads and muffins look yummy.
I can’t wait to get The Suspect.
Enjoy your week!
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The weather has been so strange. I think most people didn’t receive the weather they were expecting.
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That is for certain!
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We had friends over for “Souper” Sunday last night and have leftover soups and chili today which makes me happy because it was 21 degrees when we woke up this morning.
We have a tray ceiling in our bedroom and it seems to muffle noises – it has to rain really hard for us to hear it in the bedroom.
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And it seems as though our vaulted ceiling magnifies sound…especially wind! How were your little cheesecakes?
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Wind like that always keeps me up at night, too! Glad you didn’t get buried in snow, but sorry you have to deal with the bitter cold. I was just thinking it’s been ages since I made banana bread! Maybe I’ll but extra this week and let them get nice and ripe. Smitten Kitchen is always a hit, too. Loved your photos of the girls on instagram this weekend!
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Thank you! For some reason this time of year always makes me want tea and banana bread! The girls thank you, too!
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I have pinned the recipe for the banana bread and yes some nuts would be perfect. And like Den slicing and freezing for future happiness is perfect!
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It is! I think you will love it.
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I think I will too. 🙂
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We didn’t get too much snow, but it was frigid for a couple of days. Those muffins look delicious!
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They are!
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We had some horrible wind here the other night so I can understand how it kept you up. It did me, as well.
My kids always ask for breads but when i make them they have a piece and then nothing. I can’t eat them so they just go to waste. I tend to not make them anymore for that reason.
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Wind is the worst! It gives me a headache, too!
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