Going Bananas!

It's a Banana Baking THROWDOWN!

Yesterday I mentioned on my Facebook page that I have some bananas that are ripe enough to be made into some type of baked good.  Normally I bake banana bread, but I was looking for something a little different. My good friend, Nelson, at The Breakfast Cook has a weekly cooking challenge, and his upcoming one just happened to be bananas.  He thought it would be fun to challenge me to a baking Throwdown!  Always up for a good challenge, I accepted.  Then remembered that he's a professionally trained chef! 

He and I will each be developing and making a dish (or several) and will have them posted by Wednesday.  On Thursday, YOU guys get to start voting.  And I may even have lots of samples if you need to stop by or something.... (I make no qualms about bribing people to like me with food)

This is going to be a crazy weekend!  I think I might need to stock up on more bananas!

Lessons from the Quail

My husband and I have started to raise Quail. Ok, my husband and his father were talking about how raising quail and pheseants and then he sheepishly asked my "permission" to start a new hobby. Seeing how giddy it made him, we now have an incubator in our laundry room.

Watching the birds hatch was amazing. Our kids loved the opportunity to watch the tiny baby birds being born. They were surprised and just how long it took for the babies to peck their way through the fragile shell and wanted to help some of them who were struggling.

I had to explain to my kids that a Mama Bird cannot help the chick out of the egg by cracking the shell because it will kill the chick. The strength that is developed by cracking out of the shell is required in order to live and grow up into an adult. The mother hen will often peck at the shell to let the chick know that she’s there, and chirp and encourage the chick – but doing any of the work will actually weaken the chick.

It got me thinking about each of us in our lives. We all have challenges that we wish someone would crack for us and make easier. However, it is by going through these challenges that we become stronger and ready to face the life ahead of us.