Low-Fat Banana Bread

One of the oldest recipes I've been using is this recipe for low-fat banana bread:  http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,184,140180-237203,00.html

I found this recipe almost 4 years ago when I first really started cooking and baking.  The compliments I've received on this banana bread are especially satisfying since no butter is used.  And I don't especially enjoy using butter while cooking or baking, so when it comes to making different types of breads, I'm all for using alternatives.

I never seem to have nuts on hand, so I didn't use any chopped nuts.  It does seem like it would be a great addition to it though.  Also, in an effort to be less wasteful, I use the whole egg, not just the whites.

I made this last week after a 3 year hiatus.  Though I didn't get a chance to taste any, people said they really liked it.  No pictures though.

Ja Jang Myun

Today I was especially excited to make dinner for a few reasons:

• I didn't eat dinner yesterday.
• I had time to make dinner.
• The last time I made Ja Jang Myun was about a year ago.

Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew is my go-to dish whenever I go to Thai restaurants.  I have realized that when I go to restaurant, I order the tried-and-true dishes.  As much as I like to try new things, the fear that the new dish will not be quite as good often holds me back from trying a new dish.  (Maybe this is a sign that I'll be resistant to change as I age, or am I resistant to change already?)

Anyway, I stumbled upon a recipe for Pad See Ew recently and decided that it would be my next culinary experiment.  Here's the recipe: http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/pad-see-ew

In my spring break slothfulness, I had no desire to venture out to a Chinese grocery store for the requisite mushroom flavored soy sauce, so I tried the method that Diana mentioned in her blog:  soaking shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce for about an hour.  All in all, I'm almost positive that I could taste the mushroom infused soy sauce, but for convenience sake, I will purchase and use the mushroom flavored soy sauce next time.

I must say that the results were satisfactory.  They were not outstanding, just satisfactory.  And I think I will add this to my repertoire of quick and tasty meals.  It only took me 30 minutes to cook this dish, even while following a new recipe and not moving especially quickly.