Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

We're not huge pumpkin fans around here. However, I love pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. So a few weeks ago, I ordered a huge can of pumpkin with our Prime Pantry no-rush shipping credit :) 

I pretended to make "bread" this morning to avoid the pumpkin scowl, so when I added the chocolate chips, Jamie was like, are you making cookies? No, I'm making bread! Why are you adding chocolate chips? You'll see when it's done, I told him. I told him I was testing a new recipe to take to the Halloween party next weekend :) 

It turned out delicious, so here is the recipe I used, adapted from this recipe on All Recipes. 

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed 

2 eggs 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup maple-agave syrup blend (original recipe called for honey)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a standing  mixer, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, maple-agave blend and sugar. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and stir until just combined. Finally, add chocolate chips if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pregnancy: Thoughts at 41 Weeks

June 29, 2015: 41 Weeks Pregnant! 

I did not expect AT ALL to make it to this point in pregnancy. I really thought that by now, we'd have a beautiful baby boy in our arms to love, hold, and take care of. I know that life is going to change once he is here and I have been trying to enjoy my last bits of time alone, but I was ready to give all that up and meet him a week ago! I wish I had better prepared myself for the fact that he might come this late. Many people tried to warn me, but I ignored them thinking that it wouldn't happen. So here I am in what feels like a perpetual state of waiting.

I have been lucky that for the most part, I have enjoyed being pregnant. Sure, there are some discomforts, but the excitement that I have experienced so far has been incredible, and I know there is so much  more to look forward to. Here are my bump-date photos, followed by my thoughts on the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens of pregnancy. If it weren't for me making it to this 41 week mark, I don't think I would have taken time to write or post any of this, so I am grateful that I have the time and energy to share.

The Ups
The best part of pregnancy has been the joy it has brought to our family and friends. Everyone is so supportive, thoughtful, and excited for the future! It has also been fun getting to pick out clothes for the baby, plan out his nursery, and think about his future. I have also been blessed to have an easygoing and healthy pregnancy. The maternity photos were fun to take too, with our student Malena from Burton-Conner who is a very talented photographer!

The Downs
If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said that the hardest part was keeping the secret from family and friends for almost two months. That part was super hard, but worth it when we got to see their reactions. Now that I have made it to week 41, I might say the hardest part has been the days past 40 weeks... it is a constant waiting game that feels like it will never end. Although I have read and I know that I will not be pregnant forever, it certainly doesn't feel that way today. Other things that were hard included having a baby sitting on my bladder for the past 9 months, headaches and nausea during the first trimester, having to sleep on my side with a giant pillow, and having to give up beer and wine. I made up for the beer and wine in ice cream and milkshakes, though, so that part really wasn't so bad!

The In-betweens
Jamie and I were in a transition period throughout the pregnancy, and at first we weren't sure if he would be able to defend his PhD this year or not. We also weren't sure if, when, and where he would get a job if he was able to defend. His job search and unknown defense details were definitely stressful at times, but in the end, everything couldn't have worked out more perfectly. He defended his thesis in May, walked at graduation in June, will be having this baby **hopefully** in July, and we'll be moving to New York City in August. We were able to travel in early July to choose an apartment, and we'll be living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in Morningside Heights, that is only a 5 minute walking commute for Jamie to get to work. He's excited to be a real Professor Doctor.

We are so ready for this baby to make his debut... now that I've written all of this, I guess I'll be posting again when he is finally here.... let's hope it's tonight ;)

Istanbul and Italy Pictures

We finally got our trip photos ready to share! Click Here to see the photos from our trip! Here are some highlights: 

The first 4 nights of our trip, we toured Istanbul with family!

It was a blast thanks to our guide, Necip, who showed us all of the sights! 

After our 4 nights in Istanbul, Jamie and I headed to Italy. We started in Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre. 

The views were absolutely breathtaking! 

After a long day hiking, swimming, and eating, we headed south to Florence, and stopped at Pisa along the way! 

It was exhilarating to climb the leaning tower.

We were on top of the world! Then, we got back on the train to visit Florence. 

We enjoyed walking around the city, and our first night, we enjoyed one of the best meals we had during our time in Italy! 

The next day was jam-packed full of museums, hill climbs, and lots of walking! 

After a full day in Florence, we were ready for some relaxation, so we headed to the Agriturismo Marciano in Siena.

This was one of the highlights of our trip! We enjoyed wonderful meals at the agriturismo as well as wonderful wine and a tour of the vineyards. 

After 3 nights of relaxation, we left Siena for Rome. Rome was beautiful, too!

We walked through the entire city and stumbled upon many famous fountains and buildings. 

Our first day in Rome, we sampled many foods in Testaccio, a neighborhood just south of the main Roman attractions. We enjoyed sandwiches, suppli (fried rice balls) and pizza!

We enjoyed exploring a city with so much history!

After 3 nights in Rome, we headed even further south to the Almalfi Coast. But first, we stopped in Pompeii!

Visiting pompeii was an incredible experience. And then, onward we went to Positano (we stayed in a small village called Nocelle). And when we arrived, we were greeted by the most spectacular views of the coast. 

We spent 3 nights in Positano, enjoying the clear waters and beautiful scenery, along with the local wines!

After all of that, it was time to head back home. It was a pleasant experience traveling home because Turkish Airlines is such a nice airline to fly with. They treated us very well with nice meals and a free hotel in Istanbul during our layover! 

2014 Vacay Overview

I have not been good at keeping up with this little website of mine... this past year has been crazy at school and I just haven't had the time share everything we've been up to.

I know I don't have many readers out there... and I don't write on this blog to build readership. For me, this blog is a digital scrapbook - I mainly write it for myself and for Jamie, so that we can look back and remember all the special times we've spent with each other and with family and friends. It is also nice to have a way to share what we're up to with family and friends, since we don't live close to many of them.

All that being said, if you are reading my site, please leave a comment and let me know you're here! I'd love to know if anyone is reading this... and getting inspiration for travel or recipes or just plain fun!

Now, for the fun part! The trip planning summary!

We began the planning for this trip with a Turkish Airlines flight from Boston to Istanbul. Turkish Airlines just started flying out of Boston, so they had a really good fare deal. To take advantage of the deal they offered, we booked the flights for our trip in October!

We decided to fly from Boston to Istanbul, spend 4 nights in Istanbul, and then fly from Istanbul to Genoa. From Genoa, we would travel via train to explore Italy for 2 weeks. Then, we would fly from Naples back to Istanbul, and finally from Istanbul back to Boston.

The map below shows the cities we visited in Italy:
A: Vernazza (2 nights)
B: Pisa (day trip)
C: Florence (2 nights)
D: Siena (3 nights)
E: Rome (3 nights)
F: Pompeii (day trip)
G: Positano (3 nights)

Pictures and details to come very soon!

Choose Kind.

Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

We bought a waffle maker! Best $20 we ever spent... although we are trying to ignore that this purchase may make has already made us fatter! The next variation we hope to try is fried chicken and waffles... ha!

I have so far experimented with 2 recipes, and liked this one the best. They were fluffy yet crisp. My favorite toppings are strawberries and whipped cream, so I sliced strawberries and whipped up some cream for the toppings. I also sprinkled sugar on top :)

I may try this recipe again with 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil. I think with some added butter flavor, they would be even more delicious!

Ingredients

3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. buttermilk (or regular milk if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, separated into yolk and white
1 1/2 t. sugar
3/4 t. vanilla

Instructions.

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in buttermilk, milk, oil, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whip egg white and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold into batter mixture. Pour onto waffle iron. With our waffle iron, 1/3 c. batter is needed for each square waffle and the waffles are ready after 5 minutes in the waffle iron.

BALT sandwiches

Simplest recipe there is! Bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato stacked between two pieces of bread! A little mayo on the inside and butter on the outside, grilled to perfection. So simple and so delicious!