Choice Morsels

I walked out to take a photo of my daffodils today and found this: A bumble bee tucked inside a daffodil trumpet, sound asleep: Typically, it's the Drones you find napping like this, completely motionless. They only have one job, and, once done, they're otherwise useless around the hive, so the Workers kick them out. They really have little else to do, but sleep the day away. (This is a Brown Belted Bumble Bee.)

This Chocolate Banana Bread is to die for yummy!  Super moist and pretty with all the chocolate chips on top! (Photo is my own) This is one of the breads I made into mini loaves for Holiday gift giving!  The recipe makes a single 9 x 5 loaf or 3 two-by-four inch mini foil loaf pans! Chocolate Banana Bread Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 large over-ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups mashed) 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled 1/4 cup canola, vegetable oil or melted coconut oil 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (save 1/2 cup for topping) Directions: 1) Set oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. 2)  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon. Set aside. (A touch of cinn...

Wringer Washing Machine I remember while growing up in rural Indiana in the 60's and 70's, doing laundry was an all day event. My clearest memories of  "laundry day," come from summer time, when we were out of school.  Mother had a certain day of the week she did laundry usually. I liked to sleep in and I recall waking up around 9:30 to the chugging rhythm the wringer washer already at work.  I'd see all the dirty laundry sorted into piles around the utility room floor: whites, light colors,  medium colors, dark colors and heavy darks, like jeans. (The photo is one I found online of a Kenmore wringer washer quite similar to the last model I remember Mother having in the 70's.) You have to understand, wringer washers only do the washing part. S he'd start with whites, then once the washer finished it's wash cycle, it would stop. Then she'd, by hand, pull each item of clothing out of the washer and feed it through the wringer rollers ...

T his weeks Good Eating recipe is super yummy and easy to make:   Slow Cooker Taco Chili! 👍 Just pre-cook the meat, slice the veggies, open cans and throw it all  into the slow-cooker and enjoy all the favors of a Taco in a bowl of chili! The recipe calls for a small 8oz can of tomato sauce, but I forgot to buy it, so I substituted 1/2 cup catsup mixed with 1/2 cup water and it gave this chili a delicious sweet-spicy that I like better! I've made this Taco Chili twice now and it's a fan favorite on Sunday nights! I served it mine with cornbread. (Photo is my own of a bowl I ate for lunch today!) If you have a few sprigs of Cilantro, that's worth adding, too! You can choose your heat level by your choice of Taco Seasoning packets and by adding a jalapeno or not. ( I didn't use the jalapeno because Hubby doesn't like too spicy!) The sweet potato adds fiber and nutrition, but you can skip it if you're not a fan. Slow Cooker Taco Chili Ingredient...