I was sad to hear that I missed the first big snowfall in Fort Collins, because I’ve been working from St. Louis this week. Here’s a picture of our back deck that WH sent to me the morning after the big snow. (Here’s what the deck looks like without snow. Big difference!) I love snow and cold, and I hope there is plenty of it in store for us this winter. The nice thing about Fort Collins is that apparently it snows 
one day and then the next day it can be in the 50’s or 60’s. So you get the pretty white stuff, but it doesn’t stay around long enough to get tired and dirty looking. Today is supposed to be in the 50’s, so I’m sure it will be gone by the time I get back home tonight.
On the other hand, St. Louis is a baseball town, and it has been fun to be here during the World Series games. You just can’t beat last night’s game (if you managed to stay up for all 11 innings and watch it). The two teams seem well matched in this series and they both have provided some great baseball moments over the past week. I won’t even be too sad if Texas wins tonight. Great team, great players, and they lost last year in the World Series. Two years in a row doesn’t seem right. I’m still going to root for the Cards tonight, but either way, I’m sure it will be another good game.
Today I’m sharing a recipe from my friend Audrey’s mother-in-law. We’ve been making these bars for about 20 years, and they are always a hit. (And always a good way to use up ripe bananas.) I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do.
Mrs. Wilson’s Banana Cake Bars
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4)
1 cup nuts (optional)
1/4 cup sour milk*
2 tsp. vinegar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Frosting Glaze (see below)
*You can use regular milk and make it sour. Measure slightly less than 1/4 cup of milk, and add a bit of vinegar to bring it up to the 1/4 c. mark. Let it sit for 5 minutes to sour before adding it to the batter. You can also use buttermilk if you have that.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, nuts and milk. Then add all dry ingredients, plus water and vanilla. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Let cool and then frost.
Frosting: 6 Tbl. butter, 4 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Blend well.
For this month’s contest – leave a comment and tell me your favorite sports team. It doesn’t have to be a baseball team and it doesn’t have to be a professional team – it might even be your little one’s little league team. We’ll do a drawing next week for Wollmeise. I saved a few skeins for this month’s contest!
Sheri notadmittingtohowmuchyarnI’mtakingbacktoCOwithmetonight
I have a soft spot for the venerable “Pennguinettes” of the University of Pennsylvania, the oldest women’s sports association at Penn and the only synchronized swimming team in the Ivy League. And yes, I was once a Pennguinette “back in the day.” You can check out the club’s web site http://www.dolphin.upenn.edu/synchro/ .
Sadly, The Cubs.
Well, it has to be the Fighting Illini at the University of Illinois! But now that my DH is in the marching band at Indiana University, I have to root for them too. HOWEVER, I wish they had a decent team! I believe they are 1-8 this year. But next year will be better, right?
Georgia Tech! Since the time during the Dark Ages when I was in college, I have loved this team which is also my husband’s alma mater.
Favorite team would have to be my alma mater Purdue Boilermakers. But since I work at a university, I also have to claim the Florida Atlantic University Owls. Professional favorite would be the Edmonton Oilers.
I usually root for the Colorado Rockies or the Pittsburgh Pirates! And when they play each other, I have to go for the Rockies (because my grandmother goes for the Pirates, and we have to throw pillows at each other when the other’s team scores).
It would have to be the Scottish national football team – I always root for the underdogs!
Definitely the St. Louis Cardinals.
Oh this is hard! I’m a Mariners girl from way back… can you say Kingdome? I love my boys in blue win or lose, but I’ve just discovered the Rat City Rollergirls!!! They are some kick ass athletes, and pretty awesome women to boot! They have food drives at every bout to benefit our local food bank… and several are knitters! I just can choose between ’em!
NY Rangers.
My favorite sports team … well, since my granddaughter has quit playing softball and is now in the Marines, the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues hockey teams via for the title. But if I had to make a choice for which is tops, this year I’d have to say the Cardinals!
I’m not a huge sports fan……but I love Ice Hockey…….any team will do! (:
I have a fave team for each sport and for when I lived in NY and now in Florida. So growing up Yankees, Giants, and Rangers. AND now in Tampa, Rays, Buccaneers, and Lightning.
Not too much into sports but I would have to say the Denver Broncos just to show some hometown loyalty!
Hi: My favourite sports team is The Toronto Male Leafs NHL hockey team. I live in northwestern Ontario Canada, and I have two sons and a husband who are rabid Leafs fans. Lacking daughters, I had to study hockey magazines and the internet, plus watch hockey games with my sons, just so I could have a part of the conversation most days during hockey season while my boys were growing up. Actually, this team has done poorly and has not won a STanley Cup for decades. However, we love to cheer for them..
Blackhawks all the way!
Cardinals!!!! Way to go!
Gotta be the Cards!
Gotta be curling, but which team? We probably root for ’em all at one time or another…
But if I can only name one, how about Russ Howard’s rink, just because he has the most distinctive voice in curling…
Actually I have two favorite teams The Boston Red Sox and the New Yokr Yankees I love the rivalry between the two teams plus it drives my family crazy that I am a Yankees fan, also!
I’m not much of a pro sports fan so I’ll have to say whatever soccer team any of my kids happen to be on in any given year is my favorite team!
You can move a girl to Michigan (for over a decade) but you just can’t make her stop loving those Denver Broncos! Okay….so this year it’s easier to be a Lions fan (because they are not continually being clobbered).
Washington Capitals!
Yankees!!!
I’m ever so sentimental towards the Detroit Tigers. I would go back every summer and see one game a year. It was always the game against the Milwaukee Brewers. I would do this with my grandparents. Both are passed away now. I still love the Tigers.
My favorite sports team is the Fire Lizards- my son’s under 6 soccer team. Hilarious!
Since it is football season – I have to say the Ravens. Although, my all-time favorite sports team is the Orioles…here’s hoping they get a little better next year!
Fav team? Colorado Rockies!!!
I can’t wait till you open in Ft. Fun, oops! Ft. Collins. I graduated from CSU and LOVE the area! I will make the trek from Littleton up to check out your new shop and of course, add to my evergrowing stash!
My favorite team is Brooklyn Cyclones, local but only a few years old. They have a long way to go before going into the “big time”.
I’m not really into sports, so based on their colors, I’d have to choose the Baltimore Ravens. I love purple!
I’m a soccer girl and FC Barcelona rocks my world 🙂
My favorite team of all time was the now-defunct Columbus Chill hockey team. They didn’t win much, but those games sure were FUN! I do enjoy the Blue Jackets now – win or lose, ya gotta root for the home team.
Not sure when the contest ends – it seems like it is probably already finished, but I do need to put in a plug for my favorite sports team – Stanford’s Women’s Basketball team. A fabulous example of athletic ability, team work, dedication, sportsmanship, and fun!
Salam wa sa’aadah Linda