As Good a Thing as a Road Trip

The first time I ever drove on the freeway was with my dad. In fact, this was also the first time I drove outside the Quince Street chapel parking lot. I was to practice driving, as I had a permit to drive, 15.5 years old, and as I drove around SC, he suggested we get on the freeway. I trusted this was a good idea, as I trust my father, not blindly, or he was perfect, but because I have always known that he knows me: my best interests, my limits and my potential. So I drove onto the on-ramp at Lawrence and I drove onto the freeway. He suggested a Road Trip to Stanford, and I drove us there and we went and strolled a bit and I drove back and had to remember to slow down when I got off the freeway.

Now, you see, a Road Trip is a good thing. This is what he taught me. Driving to places far was not simply a chore because someone lived far, but when it was us, me and him, he called it a Road Trip and it immediately became a thing to want to do. And there are few things as good as a thing as a Road Trip.

Before I became able to participate in the driving during a Road Trip, we Road Tripped to Fresno to see GA. When I learned to drive we Road Tripped to Stanford. Then, after I graduated high school and it came time to go away, my dad was there for a Road Trip. When I came back from Chicago and it was time to go back to P, UT, I was pleased to find that he still likes this, that he wanted a Road Trip with me. A Road Trip doesn't have to be very far, it just has to be to a place you want to go, or with a person you want to ride with. These are facts (my dad taught me a lot of important Facts, and I will tell you more about those).

So, this is to tell you that Road Trips are quite nice. This is to tell you a thing I learned from my dad. This is to tell you that if I invite you on a Road Trip, it is because there is a place I want to go, or I want to ride in a car with you, but more than likely, it is both.

Natural Baby Goods is having a giveaway for a gift certificate for one of my favorite clothing makers to look at, but never buy because it's quality, so it's pricier! The Emersonmade trench dress is what they review, and that's the item I most want: a trench dress that is actually on the long-enough side, because they're always always too short, even though I'm of a tiny stature.

banana breads

I had quite an abundance of ever-ripening bananas, and the anticipation for banana bread can't be beat. My mamacita has always made the most delicious banana bread, with a recipe from The Lion House. I remember, as I'm sure my brothers do, being so excited for a slice of warm banana bread with butter. I know my dad likes banana bread, as he always expresses concern that we are going to burn it when it's baking--you can smell it halfway through its bake time, causing one to believe it is ready NOW. A sorry fact when it is not, in fact, ready.

On Sunday night (We had quite the baking bonanza here--H, H and I also made these coconut cupcakes from Ina Garten, and H pretended gluten doesn't hurt her for the night) I decided to make up two batches because I had that many bananas, and I had even purchased mini-loaf pans from the dollar store so that the loaves could be used for various purposes more easily. As a last-minute decision, I added toppings. I happened to have four things that taste delicious with bananas, so I tried them: chocolate chips, coconut, fresh blueberries and sliced almonds.

They turned out quite nicely, and because I was using them for various purposes, I decided to split up the toppings, so I cut each into four and made new loaves. They were wrapped for their various destinations. You can find the recipe in the Lion House Bakery cookbook, which can be purchased here. A worthy investment. I know you can find a million b bread recipes online, but this is the best. Posting the recipe would probably be the same as pirating music, and I do not want to go to jail. FYI, I do substitute the margarine for 2 parts silken tofu, and 2 parts applesauce. Most delicious.

How To Butcher A Chicken

On Sunday, I invited Kelsey and Kendra over for dinner to show off my domestic skills: I baked bread and roasted a whole chicken. Now, this was my first time roasting a chicken, but I have been preparing for years, because my aunts love to suggest roasting a whole chicken as an economical meal for a dinner party (it's always a dinner PARTY when the K's come). Ina Garten also helped prepare me because she recently showed me how to carve a chicken. I even asked my mom a few more questions when she was visiting the few days before (Do you usually roast it covered or uncovered? What if I don't have a roasting pan?). However, I was unprepared for came out of the sealed plastic bag that encased my whole chicken. NO ONE PREPARED ME FOR A NECK. Luckily, we have the interweb, so I googled "Chicken remove neck" and was led to this: butcherachicken.blogspot.com. Thank goodness for those who blog about things they know about this. So now I am blogging about this blog that I know about, in case any one else needs any of the steps for chicken preparing. (It turned out delicious, rosemary infused and moist.)