Sorry :(

Agghhhh!! Classes are taking over my life! College classes started back up last week, and oh my goodness I have been so busy already! I'm sorry I haven't been able to blog, but tonight I'm hoping to write a post about taking care of yourself. The importance of taking care of your hygiene, your self-esteem, your attitude, your spirit.
  I look forward to posting tonight! And again, I'm sorry that I haven't blogged all weekend. :/
Love,
   Simply Jenn

Banana Bread :)

Hey y'all! Today decided to make some loaves of banana bread. Our last few bananas were getting pretty brown and spotty, and that's the perfect time to transform them. See, if you use fresh bananas the bread of course will be yummy and turn out...but if you use old bananas? You're giving them a new purpose - they're not fit to be eaten by themselves or even in yogurt or what not. At this point, it's cook them or throw them out. Sooooo why not take the opportunity to make such a scrumptious snack??
    Here's the recipe I use for Banana Bread :) I hope you guys enjoy!! If you try any of my recipes, please feel free to leave some feedback on how they turned out or if you liked them, same with the patterns I share. :)

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

    2-3 mushy bananas

    4 T. Milk

    1 stick softened butter

    2 eggs

    1 1/2 c. sugar

    dash salt

    1 t. baking soda

    2 c. flour

 

Preheat your oven to 350* and grease two bread pans. In a medium-large bowl, mash your mushy bananas! You can use a fork for this act of violence, or a hand-held mixer. ;)

  Next add your splashes of milk, 4 T. worth, along with the softened butter and eggs. Use the handheld mixer to blend up this gooey mixture. You want to make sure the butter and bananas are in chunks, not too big but definitely don't blend the mixture smooth.

   Scoop the sugar, salt, and soda into the bowl and using a wooden spoon or spatula mix well, setting aside the mixer. Add the 2 cups of flour, and stir until all the ingredients are mixed and you have a gooey yellow batter.

   Pour your batter into your bread pans, making sure the batter level reaches only about half-way up, no more than 3/4 full so that the quickbread will have room to expand as it cooks.

  

 

   Bake for 45-60 minutes, but check around 30 minutes to check and see how the little guys are doing. To tell if your loaf of banana bread is done, insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center, and slide out. If the stick comes out clean, then the bread is done! But if the stick is a little gooey when you remove it, cook for 5 more minutes and then try again until the stick comes out clean :)

   Take 'em out of the pans and let cool on wire wracks once they've cooked through, allowing to cool a good deal before you serve. This bread is amazing when served warm, or cool, with a spread of butter.

Enjoy! And as always,

 Love,

   Simply Jenn 

Infinity Scarf

One of my newest loves....scarves!! I've been developing my style lately, and I have a story on that for another day. Anywho, along with my style and this CRAZY cold weather, I've developed an affinity for scarves. Thick, pretty, warm, scarves. Especially the Infinity Scarf look, as shown below from Pinterest.

Being a knitter, I decided to create my own infinity scarf pattern! I looked up "lacy stitches" in my book "The Complete Guide to Needlework", or something close to that. I found the delightful Turkish Stitch :)

Therefore, with my knitting needles and yarn, I went to work making this pattern.

With size 13 needles and two strands of worsted weight yarn, cast on 18 stitches.

Round 1: Yarn over, slip first stitch, knit one stich, psso. Repeat Round 1 until scarf reaches desired length. Cast off using the k2tog method. Using the mattress stitch or invisible seam, sew together the two ends to make an infinite loop.

There you have it! The infinity scarf :)

***Note*** for the pattern I created, you can use any size needles and yarn, this is just what worked for me. Depending on how thick or thin you want the scarf depends on how many stitches you cast on (more or less stitches).  Just be sure you always use an even number of stitches so that the Turkish stitch works correctly. This scarf also looks great when left as a regular, open scarf, and tassles on the ends are quite adorable.

** If you do make this pattern, it is not copywrited. But if you make this scarf with the intent of selling it, I ask that you give the proper credit for the pattern. **

Love,
   Simply Jenn

Buttermilk Brownies!

The other day while I was at work, the kiddos and I were playing with play-dough - oh what fun! I was given the brown play-dough  by a sweet little girl with big blue eyes, saying "Ms. Jenn, please come plaaayyyyy!!" How could I resist?
  Together, we made wiggle snakes and snowmen with top hats and used cookie cutters. At one point I took this picture:

....and send  it to my wonderful boyfriend, for privacy's sake we'll just call him the Sniper. Well, as soon as my Sniper saw this picture, he flipped out! "Oh my gosh, are those brownie hearts?? for real?? aww you're the best!!" ....Oops. Poor tyke got so excited too.......

                                      You know what that means: it's time to make brownies.

Therefore! As soon as I got home between my split work shifts, I got to work in crafting a brownie masterpiece! And, I shall be generous enough to share it with y'all here today :)

Buttermilk Brownies

Preheat your oven to 400* and grease a 9x13 square baking pan (or other desired pans: muffin tins, banana bread tins, etc etc.)

 

Boil together until a melted mess:

     1 c. cold water

     1/2 c. oil (I used Olive Oil)

     1/2 c. butter (aka 1 stick)

 

Sift together in a large bowl:

    

     2 c. sugar

     2 c. flour

     pinch salt

     4 T. cocoa powder

 

Pour the boiling mixture over the dry ingredients and beat until creamy, You can use a whisk, a mixer, a hand mixer, whatever suits your fancy! I used a wooden spoon though, that's my favorite :)

    

     Anyways...

 

Add:

 

     1/2 c. buttermilk

     1 t. Baking Soda

     2 eggs

     splash of vanilla

 

Stir well, and when all the ingredients are blended to perfection, pour the batter into your pre-greased pans. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on your pan, remove from the oven and let cool. Now brownies you can leave in the same tin they were cooked in and they will do absolutely fine; or, you can remove them carefully by sliding a knife around the sides of the brownie and removing it gently to be placed on a pretty plate or what have you.

 

**Note** If you don't have buttermilk, all you need is regular milk and either lemon juice or vinegar. Add a splash of vinegar or juice to your 1 c. of milk, and let set while you prepare and mix the other ingredients. When it comes time to use the milk, you should be good to go!

 

These brownies are yummy frosted, or left alone alike. :)

 

Enjoy!

  -Simply Jenn 

 

P.S. I did make my sweetie heart-shaped and frosted brownies ;) sadly...we ate them before I could snap a picture!



A Few Things I Left Out..

Hey y'all! So in my post yesterday I forgot to mention a few things! I used a Size 'I' crochet hook and worsted weight yarn, "I Love This Yarn" brand.

Also, here's an easier version of row two:

Ch 4, turn and dc in next sc.
Dc in first sc, ch 1, skip next sc, dc on next sc, ch 1.
Dc3tog over the next 5 sc.
Ch 1, sk next sc, dc, ch 1, sk next sc.
(Dc, ch 1, dc, ch1, dc) in next stitch-lace increase.
Ch 1, sk next sc, dc, ch 1, sk next sc.
Dc3tog over next 5 sc.
Ch 1, sk next sc, dc, ch 1, sk next sc.
(Dc, ch 1, dc) in last stitch.

Hope this helped! :)
Love,
Simply Jenn

WIP

Hey there :) soo today I worked a double shift! And on Friday nights, work is super slow, not a lot to do. Therefore, I bring along my knitting and crochet. :) today's project is a WIP (Work-in-Progress), a cranberry colored scarf. This cute crochet pattern looks super complicated!! But once you get the first row down and keep going the pattern is actually fairly easy and fast.

Here's the link!
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L10146.html?iP=1

Love,
Simply Jenn

Gumdrop Slouchy Hat

     Soooo I am NOT  a hat person! I can hardly ever find a hat or even style of hat that fits my head, isn't itchy, and is cute. But, I've been seeing these "slouchy" hats all over the place....and thought maybe, just maybe, I'll like them..maybe they'll fit. Therefore, I found a quick and easy hat pattern, and yesterday in a One-Night-Wonder moment, I found the beauty and comfort of a slouchy hat.
    These are perfect for when you don't have time to do something to your hair and just need to run out the door! Just toss it off, tilt it just so, and off you go. They compliment tons of outfits, from jeans and a cute tee to a skirt and blouse.
 

 

  The following pattern is copywrited, however you can still use it for your own person use and enjoyment :)
 
The pattern calls for chunky yarn and a size J crochet hook, however I used the brand "I Love This Yarn" and a size I hook, and I think it turned out just fine.

http://www.gleefulthings.com/blog/?p=640

Love,
  Simply Jenn