Cooking

Few activities bring me as much pleasure as cooking does. I love to read recipes for pleasure. When my work schedule allows, I love to try new recipes. Often on Sundays this past school year, I cooked all afternoon so that Dave and I would have meals ready to go when we get home from a hard day of work.

This afternoon, I've puttered around in the kitchen fixing two pans of lasagna for friends--one for death, the other for birth, baking banana bread, making a three-bean salad, and making chicken salad. I still have lettuce to wash for salads next week. I can't begin to tell you what Dave and I will eat for dinner. Maybe a burger, maybe a salad, maybe jalapeno-mushroom melts. I declined the opportunity to go to a cook-out with brisket, just to stay home, do laundry and cook. I know that may sound crazy, but after being gone all day yesterday and working 10-11 hour days all last week, I just wanted to cook.

I'm not really sure what it is about cooking that I enjoy so much; I do know that it certainly isn't the dirty dishes that are created. But, I've been washing as I cook this afternoon. I know I enjoy eating, so maybe that's part of where my joy in cooking emanates. I think part of my satisfaction comes from seeing people eat and enjoy the food I've made. I truly feel happy when someone exclaims, "This is delicious!" I feel like I'm filling a need--especially when cooking for those who might not have the time to cook right now. Just maybe my lasagna will provide more than nourishment for the body; I hope it provides food for the soul, speaking in a language unheard, telling the recipient of my meal how much I care for them.

Here's the recipe for banana bread I used. It's from a friend of my great-grandmother's, Miss Wilma. I've modified it to use self-rising flour by omitting the salt and baking soda added to plain flour. I never have plain flour in the house; I prefer self-rising. I also cheat by using my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer; I'm so spoiled by it: I just turn it on and let it mix. I don't really mash the bananas in advance, I just tear each into five or six chunks and add them one at a time. And, I love the new cooking sprays with flour: what a time and mess saver.

Banana Bread
Ingredients
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2-3 mashed bananas
2 c. self-rising flour
1 t. vanilla
2/3 c. chopped pecans, optional
1/2 c. coconut, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add mashed bananas; mix well. Add flour 1/2 c. at a time, blending after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Fold in pecans or coconut. Pour into a greased, floured loaf pan or 4-mini loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.

My banana bread is almost done. Surprisingly Mason isn't bugging me to fix his dinner, though it's well past his usual supper time. Maybe the heat's getting to him. So, I'll go and bring extreme pleasure to one more individual--Mason is the only dog I've seen get winded from eating dinner. He must know I'm typing about him; he just came over to visit and remind me that it's supper time. I spoke too soon.