This has been the strangest day! It looked gorgeous outside, but on my lunch time walk, I was freeeezing in a light jacket and no gloves. Now it’s overcast and windy. Oh Spring, I’m looking…where are you?!

To cheer myself up, and to squish my angry sweet tooth that had me aimlessly  wandering around the kitchen looking for something to eat after work, I whipped up some Frozen Banana Custard! It’s been faaaar too long!

This gold star recipe comes from Gena and is comprised of, wait for it, one ingredient. One. Frozen bananas!

To make sure I’m always prepared to whip some up, I buy a bunch of bananas, cut them in half and freeze them. When I want to make custard, I take out two halves, slice them up, pop them in my food processor, and start whirrin’.

First your banana will look like dippin’ dots.

Then it will start to clump together.

Then, with angels singing in the background, it will turn into frozen banana custard!

Better than any custard you’ve ever had! No sugar, no fat, no nothin’. Just bananas. That’s it!

You’d be surprised how much custard one banana makes, too. Almost a full cup, I’d say!

Thick, luscious and decadent. Perfect for a guilt-free dessert…

Or an after school work snack. Bliss. Make some, won’t you?

While I was enjoying my bowl of creamy goodness, I heated up dinner – which I made yesterday afternoon – a big pot of Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Perhaps my subconscious was telling me that yesterday’s warm weather was just a teaser, and tonight I’d really need a big, warm bowl of chicken soup. I made this batch the same as always – starting with a big pile of fresh veggies.

Tip: I rarely use an entire onion in one recipe, so I go ahead, chop the whole thing up and store the rest in the freezer. The next time I need chopped onion for a recipe, it’s all ready to go!

For the “noodle” part of my chicken noodle soup, I used a mixture of Reames Frozen Flat Dumplings and Egg Noodles. You can find these in the frozen foods aisle – they are SO good!

All I had to do tonight was pop the soup pot on the stove to reheat, and dinner was as good as done!

Comfort in a cup.

Served with some Parmesan Garlic Bread.

That’s one slice of EarthGrains Honey Wheatberry bread, spread with some butter, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Popped under the broiler until golden brown. The best!

Sooo…while you’re whipping up some of that banana custard, do yourself a favor and whip some of this soup up too. Hurry, while the cool weather lasts!

I have no shame in admitting that tonight is a “butt-firmly-planted-on-the-couch-because-oh-my-gosh-there’s-some-reeeeally-good-tv-on!!” kind of night. First we’ve got 20/20 Behind the Bachelor, Gossip Girl (eek!) and Jessica Simpson’s new show, The Price of Beauty. I think that one’s going to be REALLY good!!

Dessert war too: duck or truffle? I can’t decide! Maybe both… muwahaha!

Take care!

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What do you think makes someone beautiful?

I think a genuine interest and concern for other people’s wellbeing makes someone very beautiful on the inside. And this may sound cliche, but I think confidence is a very beautiful thing too. NOT to be confused with cockiness!!

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3. The Secret Ingredient to Make Anything Taste Better

On another note – it.is.friggin’.freezing.here. I watched my little Weather.com temperature widget get gradually lower and lower…and lower and lower…all day. I think I shed a little tear when it reached 2 degrees. It’s right around this time of year when I seriously contemplate moving to California. It’s true – the “cali bug” creeps up on me every single year. Ooofta.

At any rate, my cravings for all things warm and comforting kept me at the stove last night for a couple reasons. 1) To try and stay warm, 2) to whip up some Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

This soup was extra special tonight because I baked the chicken instead of boiling it, which is what I usually do (it’s the fastest & least messiest option.)

All I did was season two chicken breasts with salt, pepper & garlic powder, then baked them in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. I cannot tell you how tender and juicy they turned out. Such a treat!

I also broiled up some Parmesan Bread to go with my soup.

1 slice of toast, smeared with a wee bit of butter, sprinkled with garlic powder and parmesan cheese and broiled to a beautiful golden brown color.

I freaking love parmesan bread!

Ben and I slurped our way through this one. I’m telling you, nothing warms the heart like homemade chicken noodle soup. Especially when it’s been made the night before and is ready to eat when you get home from work!

Well this girl actually has to go brave the cold (ugh, don’t wanna) to run some errands. Target and my parent’s house are on the list. Oooo, maybe I can snag a peanut butter kiss cookie while I’m there…fingers are crossed!

Bill paying (boo) and Christmas gift wrapping (yay!) shall round out my evening. Come back tomorrow for an awesome giveaway – this one’s GOOOOOD!

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Do you lay low on the weeknights, or do “stuff” – ie go to the movies, go shopping, visit friends, go to the bookstore, etc.?

I’m a hermit crab during the week. When I get home from work, the possibility of getting me back out of the house is extremely small. Hence, the thought of going to Target right now is kind of messing with my mind!

Related posts:

1. One Ingredient, Must-Have Dessert
2. Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
3. The Soup is Up!

True to my word, I headed to the gym after work, where I knocked out 4 miles in 35 minutes at speeds ranging from 6.5 to 7.3. It was amazing!! It didn’t hurt that I was running to Oprah’s “Don’t Stop Believing” themed episode. If those aren’t words to run to…well, I don’t know what are!

I was extremely excited to get home because thanks to some time spent in the kitchen on Sunday, tonight’s dinner was waiting for ME! Quick story…

Although I grew up in Iowa, 90% of my extended family on both my Mom and Dad’s side live in Ohio. Every Christmas and summer break, we’d load up our van, get the travel games out and head east for a family vacation. No matter how many fights us kids got into, or how many hours the traffic set us back – we knew there’d be a pot of gold waiting for us once we reached our final destination: Grandma’s House.

What was this alleged pot of gold? A big bowl of her warm, comforting, soul satisfying Homemade Chicken Noodle  Soup – which was waiting for us every single time we arrived, without fail. 100 degrees in July? Chicken Noodle Soup. Negative 5 degrees in December? CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!

It’s her soup recipe that I turn to again and again when the cool weather rolls in, and it just so happens that it tastes even BETTER when you make it ahead of time!

Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

1/2 Tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot (or 10 mini carrots), thinly sliced

1 rib celery, thinly sliced

salt & pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

2 cartons chicken broth*

8 oz frozen egg noodles

Directions:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat until melted and warm. Add onions, carrot, celery and salt & pepper, and saute for 8-10 minutes or until softened. If you feel like you need to add more oil, add a splash of chicken broth instead and cover the pot with a lid.

2. After vegetables are cooked, add in minced garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Add chicken and chicken broth, turn heat up to high and bring soup to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Serve and enjoy!

*If pre-making, let cool then refrigerate. When you’re ready to eat, you may need to add in an additional can of chicken broth when re-heating as the egg noodles will have soaked up some broth.

Can you say “Welcome Home”?!

This soup is like a big hug – it’s absolutely, positively one my most favorite things in the world

I serve my chicken soup with something my Mom made for us kids all the time growing up – Parmesan Bread. It’s a slice of bread that’s been lightly buttered, sprinkled with garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Broil until golden brown and devour. You’ll never eat regular, old garlic bread again.

If this doesn’t make you smile – I don’t know what will, folks. Give this easy, healthful, MAKE-AHEAD soup, any time you can. You’ll be happy you did

OH – maybe you’re curious as to why you’re seeing me eat cooked carrots?? I am insane, and can eat them if I’m preparing the dish and if they’re sliced extreeeeeeeemely thin. FYI. Odd, I know

Also – if you have a free moment tonight, check out this video made by a friend of mine. She needs your “5 star” vote in order to win some caaaaash money, baby! So help a sister out and vote, why don’t ya’!

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Do you have any foods or dishes that have sentimental value for you? Any recipes that have been passed down to you?

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2. Discover the Ying to Chicken Soup’s Yang
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