Yum! Banana Bread

I love banana bread and tend to buy banana's even when we don't need them just so I have a few extra ripe ones for my breakfast delight. I also add extras like flax seed, dates, almonds and sometimes even chocolate chips to my banana bread ! If you ask Nick what my favorite breakfast is he'll probably tell you banana chocolate chips pancakes! Here's the recipe I usually use from The Joy of Cooking, enjoy!

Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk Together:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I like to use wheat)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy:

2/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Beat in:

1 to 2 large eggs (I only use one)

1 to 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (2-3) - I use 2 bananas

Add the dry ingredients in about 3 parts, beating until smooth after each addition. Fold in if desired

1/2 cup chopped nut ( I like to use walnuts, almonds or pecans)

1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit ( Dates or craisins are my favorite)

Scrape the batter the batter into the greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 - inch loaf pan. Bake the bread about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, then unmold. Cool completely before slicing


What do you like to put in your banana bread?

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays

Dear 2011

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It's been a amazing year that brought a new job and an engagement to a wonder man, he is my rock.

Wedding Wednesday - Rustic Chic

Picking a theme wasn’t hard for our Tahoe wedding. Since we met and live in Tahoe why wouldn’t we incorporate elements of its natural beauty. We’re calling it Rustic Chic. Here are a few inspirations for our theme. You can find these and many more rustic wedding ideas on my Pinterest Wedding Style board. 

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 Who doesn't love cake!  I love how the cake is made to look like tree bark.

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 Isn't the navy bridesmaids dresses and grey suits the perfect color combo. 

We'll add punches of yellow and greens too.

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 The branch holders would be an easy and inexpensive DIY project.

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What a gorgeous view. We'll have a view of the mountains and lake to enjoy during our wedding at Edgewood Tahoe.

What wedding theme did you choose for your wedding? 

xoxo,

 Tiara

Wedding Wednesday - Engagement Photos

Being engaged is a special time. There are so many things to juggle from engagement parties to dress shopping to picking a color scheme & theme to our most recent check of the old check list engagement photos. Our photographer Melina Wallisch is amazing. She's located to South Lake Tahoe and has an eye for the natural beauty of Tahoe.

Back in October we headed out to a meadow near Taylor Creek for the first location before heading down to Tallac and Valhalla Estates on the lake.  Below are a few photos.

 

Melina featured our session on her blog too! I can't wait to see her photos from the wedding!

Where did you take your engagement photos?

xoxo,

Tiara

Wedding Wednesday - The Bridesmaid Dress

We have a dress Houston.... now that the wedding dress has been bought I can safely pick out a bridesmaid dress and tell the world. I said yes to jcrew. I love their clothes so why wouldn't I love their wedding line. 

First things first narrowing down the color. Navy or grey...grey or navy. Since I'm planning on incorporating Tahoe's natural elements into the wedding the winner was dark navy (below).

Dark Navy

Dark Pewter

All three dresses below were contenders, but only one could win and it's The Gabby. Made of cotton taffeta (love the crisp, refined feel and subtle sheen), The Gabby features asymmetrical draping on the bodice accented with a soft ruffle for an extra bit of textural interest. I love the slimming lines and slight detail on the bodice. It will definitely compliment the wedding dress.

The Gabby

Bow Monde

Mika

What color did you pick for your bridesmaid dress? Did you go with jcrew too? I would love to hear from you.

xo,

Tiara

Wedding Wednesday - The Wedding Dress

This past weekend I headed down to San Francisco, met up with my sister and shopped for wedding dresses. (Note, this was the first time I've tried on dresses since becoming engaged in June.) Yes, I'm not like most brides, but I knew what I did (simple & off white) and didn't (lace, beading etc) want in a dress. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have found THE dress my first weekend out looking.

The first appointment on Saturday was at this cute little boutique shop in Russian Hill, Atelier Des Modistes. Susan was lovely and really narrowed down what dress style best fit my body. I left feeling I had found a dress. Of course it was the first dress I tried on. After lunch we headed over to Amy Kuschel, Union Square, where I continued to try on numerous dresses. We compared each dress to the first dress at the first place (Atelier Des Modistes) as it was a beautiful dress we both fell in love with. However, I found a another beautiful dress named Lucky in Love at Amy Kuschel. Still muling over the dresses we  checked out Glamour Closet, a discount store, just to see what they had before calling it a day ... no luck.

Amy Kuschel "Lucky in Love" Dress -
With every sale of this dress $50 is donated to the San Francisco SPCA 

After a day of dress shopping I was still set on the "first dress." Sunday we had one more appointment at 11 am and I'm glad we kept it. Bridal Galleria was the last stop of the weekend before heading back to Tahoe. Upon walking in we were told they were hosintg a Marisa trunk show and offered 10% off to anyone who purchase a dress that day. The designer himself was even there commenting on each dress I tried on. Again the first dress of the day was THE dress. However, this time it was bought - well two days later over the phone after my sister found out it was 50% off! That's a whole another story. It was meant to be.....

You're probably wondering which one or what does it look like? Well you'll just have to wait to see this amazing dress on my wedding day, August 19, 2012.

Wedding Wednesday - Eat Cake

Cakes, cupcakes, or a variety of desserts it's up to you. Living in the mountains I want to bring the natural elements inside. We're looking at various ways we can display our cake and other treats. The idea of using rounds as a cake stand adds a nice rustic chic element. Plus it's super easy to DIY - no need to break the bank. Here are a few cake/dessert display stands you might find on my "Wedding Style" board over at Pinterest.

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