SENIOR LADY: SHRINK FLATION BANANA BREAD!

 

I was preparing to bake banana bread for breakfast.

The cake mix box felt lighter when I got it out of the

cabinet. I was suspicious of package size and content

shrinking again! I had been anticipating further

 manipulation of consumer products.  Food prices at

 the grocery stores had been increasing since the

 Pandemic. I was finally getting used to the cake

mix in the box shrinking from 18 oz to 15.25 oz.  

Now most brands of cake mix size is 14.25 oz.

I developed a plan to combat the Shrinkflation/ 

Shrinknation cake mix dilemma. I started buying 

extra boxes of vanilla and chocolate cake mixes 

when they were on sale.  I used the extra box of cake

 mix for portion control.  Measurements of 1/3 cup - 

1/2 cup of cake mix was added to my bowl of dry cake

 mix, when I baked.  The amount of cake mix I added

 depended on whether I was baking cookies, muffins, 

or breads.  I was upset when food companies shrunk

 cake mix size by almost 4 ounces and didn't  change 

the instructions on the box.  The texture and taste of 

the cake, muffins, and breads may be altered.  Altered

 taste and texture are not to important to me when

 baking  my weekday desserts. However, I want my 

baked goods to taste great for pot luck and holiday

gatherings.  Exact measurements are crucial when 

you are baking pound cakes from scratch.  Pound cake

 lovers are very picky about the texture and taste of

 their pound cakes. 

The price of eggs were increasing also. I only use  two

 extra large eggs when baking.  This action has not

 dramatically affected the taste and texture of my

 baked goods.

My Shrinkflation Banana Bread recipe below reflect

changes I had to make due to today's economy.

SHRINKFLATION/SHRINKNATION BANANA BREAD:

14.25 oz white cake mix 

1 large ripe banana

2 extra large eggs

⅓ cup oil

⅓ cup cake mix

1 tsp vanilla 

⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided 

⅓ cup chopped nuts    

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 temp. Grease 8 or 9 inch loaf pan.

In large bowl use mixing fork to mash banana. Add egg, oil, vanilla and mix well. Combine cake mix, nuts, and half of the chocolate chips into wet ingredients.  Pour

batter into loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes or until center 

feels firm to touch. Let cool 15 minutes  before 

serving. 

TIPS: 

** Any neutral cooking oil can be used.

 Avoid oils with strong flavor since can 

alter taste.

** Can add more bananas & chocolate 

chips. I used what I had on hand.

** Nuts are optional. Walnuts or pecans ok.

** 1/3 cup Biscuit mix can be used. Add

sugar to taste if desired.

** Store sliced bread in plastic container 

with tight lid. 3 days room temp. Freezes well.

SENIOR LADY: MORE EGG SERVINGS-COPY CAT!

 

 Years ago, I had to learn to stretch my budget.

I was the only female in a house full of hungry

teenaged boys and my husband.  They really 

loved breakfast and sometime I served it

as the dinner meal.  

I had to figure out how to make my eggs last all

 week long. I wanted to avoid grocery shopping after

work.  

The noticed how the eggs looked on my fast food

 breakfast sandwich.  The egg was folded over.  It

 reminded me of the eggs I had at college.  A food 

service worker told me they were liquid eggs which

 came in a large carton. The eggs were cooked on a

 griddle and sliced into single sized portions.  Her

 comments made me wonder if this method was the

 answer to my egg problem. I experimented with this

 method and tweaked it also. I realized that I could

 almost double my egg servings.

COPY CAT STYLE EGGS

4 Extra large eggs

1 Tablespoons milk 

2-3 Tablespoons Butter

Salt & Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat 9-10 inch skillet on medium low.  While skillet 

heating prepare eggs.  Crack eggs into bowl. Add

 in milk, salt and pepper. Whisk eggs until they are

 fluffy. Melt butter in skillet and make sure surface 

of skillet completely covered. Add half of egg batter

 into skillet.  Swirl egg batter so surface of skillet is

 completely covered.  Let edges of eggs set. Make small

 slits in center of eggs if they are too runny & you want

 well done eggs. Use spatula  to flip one side of egg over

 other side. Place folded egg on platter. Cut into 3 or 4

triangle edges. Repeat process using remainder of eggs batter.

 Arrange wedges on platter & cover with foil too keep warm. Serve immediately. Yield: 6-8 wedges.

TIPS:

**Adjust eggs to suit your family's size.

**Eggs can be cooked & folded over on griddle.

**Serve immediately since reheating wedges will overcook them.

**Shredded cheese, finely chopped vegetables,

 & cooked meat can be added to egg batter.

**Oil can be substituted for u butter.

**Egg wedges great on breakfast sandwich 

or hamburger.

SENIOR LADY: DIY VALENTINE'S DAY LILY PROJECT!

I love all types of lilies. I buy a pot of White Easter lilies every year. The blooms start to look brown after a few days.They are added to a landscaped area in my front yard.  These lilies are perennials, so I have 

a large array of  Easter lilies. They are in full blooms

 by the  end of the Spring season. 

Cala lilies are my favorite. The market where

 I buy them sell several colors. The new vibrant 

colors are hybrids. Unfortunately, the blooms don't

 last very long. I am left with a vase full of green leaves after a few days. 

I read an article which suggested buying faux Cala lilies. They are beautiful but expensive. I wondered 

if  there were DIY (DO IT YOUR SELF) instructions for making Cala lilies. There were several craft videos online with easy and complex instructions. I reviewed several videos and developed my own version.

MINI VALENTINE'S DAY LILIES 

NEED:

100 Piece pack, felt hearts, mixed color

45 piece pack, Chenille Stems, mixed color

7-8 Inch Glass Vase

 

Tools 

Glue gun & glue sticks

Ruler

Scissors

Instructions:

Open pack of felt hearts and remove 1 inch 

size pink, white, and red hearts. Open pack of

chenille stems and remove green and yellow

stems.

Make lily flower heads:

 Heat up glue gun. Pinch the tip end of  heart so both ends meet to form a point. Repeat process until all of the red, white & pink hearts have points each end.

Make Spadix Spikes:

Cut one inch pieces off yellow stems, depending on how many lilies you're making. I made nine lilies.This is the middle spike inside of each lily. Glue one inch piece inside heart under the pointed end. Close both ends of heart around end of spadix spike. Repeat process until all of the hearts have spikes in the middle.

Add Stems To Lilies:

Glue green chenille stem on back of each lily. This will be your flower stem. Repeat process until all lilies have a stem attached. I folded end of each stem so it measured seven or eight inches. The folded  ends were twisted. This method helped lilies stand up my vase. 

This was a fun project. I hope I can find 

cut out hearts in other colors. Then I can

make mini Cala lilies for every holiday

and season. I  might have to cut out my

 own hearts using a template. I did see

a pack of  colored felt sheets. More

Cala lily projects are planned in the future.

TIPS:

** My local dollar store only had 

pink, red, pink hearts mixed per pack.

** Green florist  picks/sticks can used

 for Cala lily stems

** 5 inch cut out hearts available online

or @ craft stores if larger Cala lilies desired.

LADY: PURPLE VALENTINE LOVE!

 

I remember when Valentine's Day colors were 

just red and white. I was able to recycle my

red and white Christmas decor.  I saved 

all of my red and white ribbons, lace,

garland, and berry picks for Valentine's Day.

These embellishments were added to

wreaths, T-shirts, and cards.

The retail stores have shades for pink, red, and purple

 on their Valentine's Day decor, cards,and clothing.  

I am glad this is the recent trend. I love the color purple. I no longer feel uncomfortable when I wear purple clothes and accessories on Valentine's Day.

  I was happy to find a scarf, pair of socks, and a gift

 bag with purple hearts and letters.

I will probably treat myself to a gorgeous bouquet 

of purple flowers. This arrangement will include 

purple roses, irises, lavenders, carnations, asters,

hyacinth, and daisies. I make sure Bells of Ireland 

are mixed in. They have a lovely fragrance.

TODAY'S VALENTINE LOVE SONGS:

TEMPTATIONS:

MY LOVE IS TRUE:

https://youtu.be/ClyjqEBUHFk?feature=shared

TREAT HER LIKE A LADY ( VIDEO REMIX):

https://youtu.be/wDWuhqp0Nw4?feature=shared