Forever Young

69 years ago a legend was born. Today is Bob Dylan's 69th Birthday. Bob... may you stay forever young. Happy Birthday! Thank you for all you have given us.

Beatty Zimmerman's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Bob Dylan's 69th birthday is coming up soon so I decided to make his mother's banana bread in honor of his b-day. My husband thinks I'm crazy but Bob is an important figure in my life and has changed my life in so many ways. So in Honor of Bob... Here is his mother, Beatty Zimmerman's, recipe


Not only is this recipe from Dylan's mother but it is incredibly moist, not too sweet, and super delish too :)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips (or up to 12 ounces, if desired) I used 12 ounces because there is no such thing as too much chocolate :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the sour cream and ripe bananas; mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry mixture to the sour cream mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips. Divide the batter between two greased (8x3-inch) loaf pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Turn the loaves out on to cooling rack or aluminum foil as soon as they're done and enjoy!

Ina Garten's Blueberry Crumb Cake

There is nothing more relaxing after a long and stressful day at work than drinking a macchiato while baking and listening to Bob Dylan :)



I love Ina Garten! She is super sweet and all of her recipes are simple but delicious. She is an inspiration to me because she taught herself how to cook while her husband served in the military... hmmm sounds like someone I know :)


This cake came out perfect! Crunchy buttery top and sweet and delicious cake! This would be perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee. I love Ina Garten and her recipes never disappoint. The recipe called for fresh blueberries, however, the grocery store had really funky ones this week so I used frozen.


Ingredients
For the streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,

crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.



While doing the dishes my Hubby snitched another slice :( sneaky sneaky

Jakob Dylan!!!

I'm going to see Jakob Dylan in Baltimore!! And I get to drag my Hubby with me :) Last time we went to see Jakob my hubby wanted to leave early because "his feet hurt" I think he is was just a lil mad that I was goo goo ga ga over Jakob :) Cant wait for April to come!! Then we will probably see Bob Dylan in the summer! I can't wait!

I'm Homesick :(

Bob pretty much sums up my mood right now...


Today is a cold a gloomy day :( I turned on the TV and all I see is LA. I really wish I was home right now. You never know how wonderful something is until it is gone. I would kill to be in Santa Monica right now! I miss the sun, the traffic, Alley Dogs, STARBUCKS!!!, the crowds,Taco trucks, skyscrapers,mountains, crazy people in Venice Beach,the dirty air that gives you cancer, palm trees, driving over 45 m.p.h, the friendly people (East Coast people are sooo rude!) errr I miss everything about it! The perfect day for me is driving to Venice, riding bikes on the trail,eating somewhere in the Santa Monica Promenade, and people watching at Starbucks. Hopefully in a few years my Hubby can become a recruiter and we can go back home. Until then I guess I am going to have to stop turning on the TV. It is too depressing.