Crazy Concoctions

    I've always been a huge fan of mixing and matching. When it comes to clothes, jewelry, food, and so on, I find great amusement in putting together new and unusual combinations. This comes out particularly when I bake. I can't tell you how much fun I think it is to just throw in some new "secret ingredient" to put a twist on an old classic recipe. Not going to lie, more often, these concoctions honestly end up being disgusting. Or at least not as good as the original. My biggest example: raspberry white chocolate brownies. Sounds good, right? Nope. Not even a little bit. But that's what experimentation is all about. I'll throw some stuff together, take a taste, sometimes I'll cock my head and say "hmm...". Sometimes I'll repress a gag reflex. But the ultimate reason for all of this concocting and combining is for that rare moment when I lift the finished product to my lips, sniff, chew, swallow, and that smile creeps its way along my face. That smile of success; the accomplished smile of knowing that I have discovered something great.
   It's hard to realize new combinations that are better than the favorite regulars when it comes to baked goods because they're favorites for a reason. People have passed down the classic recipes for generations because they were the good ones. However, today I had that rare moment. Rapidly browning overly ripe bananas sat atop my kitchen counter, and I had a pantry full of pumpkin. Dilemma. What do I want? Pumpkin bread...banana bread...what to do? SMASH THEM TOGETHER!
   I spun the mixer round and round, mushing squishy bananas with creamy pumpkin. A splash of vanilla to bring out the sweet banana flavor, and dashes of Fall spices to intensify the aura of Autumn goodness that is associated with fall. Into the oven the experiment went, and as I eagerly awaited the results, my house grew more and more heavily in fragrance.
   The bread is served with dinner, and I slice it with a shaky hand, nervous that I may have just created a great-smelling monstrosity. My family lifts slices to their mouths, and I await with bated breath to hear the taste verdict. It's clear upon their faces: firstly confusion. Is it pumpkin bread? Is it banana bread? Who knows? Then, the smile: who cares? It's different, new, spicy, sweet; it's a success. Nothing can give me more satisfaction.

If I've made you hungry or just plain curious, try it for yourself...

Banana Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2-3 Ripe Bananas + Slices For Garnish (optional)

2 Eggs

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1½ Cups Pumpkin Puree

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Sugar

2½ Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Nutmeg

½ Teaspoon Ginger

½ Teaspoon Allspice

1½ Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

¾ Cup Raisins (Optional)

½ Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

Directions:

1. Squish bananas until and stir together with eggs, oil, and pumpkin.

2. Add brown sugar, sugar, flour, baking powder, soda, spices, and vanilla.

3. Fold in raisins and walnuts.

4. Split dough evenly into two lightly sprayed 9x5 bread pans.

5. Garnish with banana slices.

6. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

The Ink On The Page

     I must start this blog with a disclaimer. I am a proud Kindle owner and huge e-reading fan. The whole e-reading industry saves paper, is easier, faster, and the way of the future. However, even though in the last five years or so of owning a Kindle and seldom picking up a hard copy of an actual book, the magic of books is not lost on me. While I adore the feeling of my slim and sleek kindle in my hands, nothing quite compares the feel of a new book. 

   Whenever I pick up an actual book, a spark is ignited in me. All of the possibilities this novel may hold. The shocking drama, the psychologically thrilling mystery, the tear-jerking romance, it's all contained within this beacon of words. The power language can have over an audience continues to amaze me, and that's where the power and mystique of a book comes from. That irreplaceable smell as you flip through a new book; the author just waiting for you to uncover the secrets and fantasy they've laid out before you. The tangibility of the ink on the page. The feel of the rough pages as they slide through your fingers as if you can't get to the next sentence fast enough. As hard as Amazon may try, none of this can be quite perfectly replicated in the form of an electronic device.

   When people ask me if I miss the feel of real books ever since I've switched to e-reading, I tell them no, because it's true. While I miss the feel of pages and the new book smell, I really don't miss the soreness in my wrists after hours of propping up a heavy hardcover. I don't miss having to lug out a booklight if I simply can't put down a book way past dark. E-reading is good, it's a big step in the right direction...it's just the little things that I miss.

   As I was sorting through books at my local library for an upcoming book sale today, I couldn't help that twinge of excitement every time I picked up another book that sparked my interest. Browsing the titles, reading the inside covers, feeling the pages: none of this can quite be compared to browsing the Kindle e-book store on Amazon.com. While e-readers hold an ecological and economical intelligence, a huge convenience, and a futuristic attitude, books hold an unparalleled magic. 

Beauty and the Not So Beastly

Alright. I have a bone to pick with the world. Lately, it's becoming a bit of a trend to take the classic Disney movies that we all love and cherish and revamp them into these new dramatic spin-offs. There have been two Snow White movies, Alice in Wonderland, the TV show "Once Upon A Time", the list goes on and on. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for the creation of these new and interesting takes on the old classics. However, my problem comes in with the Beauty and the Beast spin-offs.
   There was Beastly, now a new show "Beauty and the Beast", and there are rumors of an upcoming Beauty and the Beast movie starring Anne Hathaway. All sounds lovely, right? I mean, who doesn't enjoy watching the brainy but beautiful Belle who feels like an outcast find unexpected love in a castled full of enchanted teapots and cursed princes? WRONG! Neither of the recent takes on the classic movie have done well at all, and I can tell you exactly why. Without fail, they completely mess up the beast!
   I realize that in today's world, we're very caught up with appearances, especially in the world of Hollywood. We want to watch movies showcasing flawless faces that we can fantasize about. So, how does Hollywood deal with a story line that calls for the romantic lead to be a beast? They take an extraordinarily handsome actor, cover his flawless face in some rugged tattoos and silvery scars, and call it a day. Newsflash: THIS DOESN'T MAKE THEM UNATTRACTIVE! The best is supposed to be furry and animalistic, with claws and fangs. Making the beast a brooding teenager just makes him seem annoyingly sad...not scary.
   A man with weird tattoos and scars could easily assimilate into society, so seeing these so-called "beasts" need to isolate themselves and see themselves as a monstrosity is just plain ridiculous. The animal-like Beast of the Disney version is lovable, and his pain and loneliness are realatable. I have distinct memories from when I was very young of being incredibly disappointed at the end of Beauty and the Beast when the beloved Beast transforms back into the handsome prince. I looked at him and thought: "where's Beast? I don't know this guy."
   If Hollywood wants to revamp Disney movies into new action-packed and aesthetically interesting movies, I'm all for it. However, if they want to do it right, they need to get over their phobia of having a creature that is truthfully scary-looking on-screen. The Beast cannot be a man masked with intricate ink and scars, but what he really is: a vicious, misunderstood, hairy, toothy, adorable beast.

I Dreamed A Dream

Dreams have always been something that has fascinated me. They serve as the most prominent medium through which our subconscious communicates with us. I can go dozens of nights in a row without remembering a single dream, and then I can also go weeks with nightly visits from my subconscious. Everyone dreams; it's just a fact of life. Some nights they can be pleasant, and others they can be terrifying. However, I always feel a twinge of exhilaration at the anticipation of dozing off, in case of what vivid splendors I may delve into.
   For the past several years, I have made a conscious effort to write down my dreams right away when I wake up. Often, I'll find that I can wake up from the midst of an captivating story line of my subconscious, I'll lay in bed for another hour thinking about it, certain there's no way I'll forget it after thinking so hard about it. Then, lo and behold, it's gone the moment I sit up. Through writing down my dreams, I've found there are a few different categories to them.
   First off, there's the good old fashioned nightmare. For example, when I was very, very young, I had a recurring nightmare of my Mom driving off a bridge into the Fox River, and beneath the bridge there were these trolls. The trolls forced us to do an obstacle course before they would let us go, and my Mom would always fall to her doom into the river while the trolls just laughed. Through the years, these nightmares have branched from bridge trolls, to house fires, to tornadoes, the usual.
    Then there are those dreams that absolutely make no sense, but while you're dreaming them, it seems completely logical. My favorite of these for me is when I dreamed the Blues Brothers were robbing my house, and they had already killed my parents. I was hiding behind my older sister's bed, when John Belushi points a gun at my head and says "gotcha".
    My most frequent version of dream is when I'm stressed or worried about something in particular, it will manifest itself and the dozens of ways it may play out in real life inside my head. These, in a way, are much more terrifying and disturbing than the classic nightmares. When I wake up, often I'll feel just more worried than I was to begin with, I'm not a fan of these nights.
    This brings me to my favorite: the pleasant dreams. Usually, for me, these consist of replaying some of the best moments of my life. It's almost as if watching these scenes as a movie, allowing me to relive these wonderful times. The memories don't play out exactly as they happened, usually my subconscious will throw in something weird to shake things up: perhaps a stray giraffe, or something of the like. Regardless, these are the dreams I look forward to and hope for.
    Dreams can be scary, interesting, meaningful, pleasurable, sensory, or simply a mode of communication with our innermost thoughts. I feel like my dreams let me know myself a little bit better each time. The effect these visions have over me is incredible. Sometimes, they can be so vivid, I can feel, smell, or taste these manifestations of my mind. Sometimes they can wake me in a cold and terrified sweat, other times they can find me waking up with a big smile on my face.  Regardless of what kind of dream I have, I'm always grateful when I get to experience them.