Chicken Tikka Ranch Dressing Sandwiches

He pummeled the air.  "Yay! Yay! Yay!"  he hollered between each bite while his little fists flew around his head.  He hummed with his eyes shut as he chewed.  He rocked back and forth singing yes.

As I spread the Ranch on the bread I heard, "Dip Dip?"  The question held hope, delight and wonder.  Ranch on bread?  "These are a few of my favorite things!"  Then when he saw the meat the breathless awe of "meat, dip dip?"  made me realize perhaps lunch has not been varied enough.

I thought that Abe's initial expression of wonder would end as he continued to eat his lunch.  However I was mistaken!  Abe proceeded to do a dance over and over and over again with each bite.  There was no whining for more Ranch, or not finishing all that was on his plate, or begging for apple juice instead an expressive full body wiggle of joy with each bite.  I just laughed and laughed and laughed and so did Zana as we watched Abe eat and enjoy.

I guess that will be a repeater for tomorrow.
  

Connie Auntie's Cookbook

Sometime along the way I will write a recipe for chaat..... maybe in a few years but for now I am going to write my new favorite recipe.  Why?  Because as a single I kept to the Fabulous Four recipes for all my cooking needs but now I am married to a man whose mom collects cookbooks.  Not because she is some gourmet goddess but because she likes to try new things.  Personally I feel this just leaves lots of room for embarrassment and error!  Who cares what some random chic says tastes good?  My motto is "get a recipe that works and then work that recipe!"
Well I have had to give that motto up to the great commitment called marriage. (none of my roommates had problems with my redundant eating habits but then again I never cooked for them) I have begun to read cook books (I have currently four in my home.... I tend to use one of them more than the  others) and I have a new recipe.  It is for banana bread.  A simple thing to make.  And instead of being from someone I trust it is from Emily, who I have NEVER met!
A lady here in the city suggested using her banana bread recipe but substitute the bananas with a green squash that is unique to this part of the world.  Her family "just loves it."  It was green!  It was green and lumpy and my family did not love it, I didn't even try to taste the bread I was so put off by the bright color and sticky look.  Sometimes I seriously worry about my baking abilities.
I decided to not even use the same recipe for banana bread but look further afield into a recipe book that has been fun to read.  Why read and not cook?  Well almost every recipe (at least in the desserts) has some American ingredient not found here.  So I retired this book to the back burner.  But for this cooking endeavor I dug her up and checked her out. And what I found was a winner.  Pure genius for banana bread thanks to a lovely CHUC named Emily Fredrick.  I do not know what a CHUC is but I do know it has something to do with the nursing profession as the cookbook is called,  "Buns in the Oven... a second helping."  Hopefully no buns in my oven, two in the short time of 16 months is enough for this mommy!
All recipes are made to be changed so I did jazz it up a bit but I will write that in.


Banana Bread
3 bananas
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. sour milk (I used 3 heaping T. of yogurt instead)

Blend (I mashed with a fork) bananas, sugar and shortening (I just used butter).  Add eggs. Sift flour and salt together. Add soda to milk.  Mix into creamed mixture and then add flour.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  

 This recipe was great doubled and also with a few chocolate chips thrown in.  It also cooked up fine after sitting in the fridge for a night!  My son just gobbles it up!  I love it because I have everything in my kitchen and even my dinky little shoe box oven can't seem to wreck this bread!