Banana Bread

Bananas ... they are great to have on hand for a quick (and healthy) snack, but they go bad so quickly!  And you know Mom, she likes them on the "under ripe" ride. Yes, you can freeze them for smoothies, but even better? Banana bread!

It's another Westra classic!

These quick breads don't use as much flour as regular bread, so they are a little easier to sub in Gluten-Free flour for those Celiacs in the family!


INGREDIENTS~

1/3 Cup Milk

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Mashed Banana

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Raw Sugar (for topping)

Combine the milk and lemon juice and set them aside (the milk will curdle). Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, mashed banana and milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle raw sugar across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Also makes great banana muffins (bake for about 15 minutes).

The raw sugar topping is a Blackham addition, but it really adds to both the appearance and the taste (and the calories of course, but if you're eating this, you're probably not TOO concerned with the extra calories, as this is NOT a low cal dish to start with). 

Easter 2011

Easter was April 24th this year. The Westra family party was the day before, Saturday, April 23, 2011. Lots of pretty flowers all over the yard. Cooper had broken his arm just a few days before and was worried about the hunt, that he wouldn't be as capable with just one hand (and yes, it was his right-arm that he broke ... this was his second break in six months!) We told him that he could start with the "littles" group to give him a little extra head start before the other big kids came collecting. 

Here's a quick clip of Ani and her first Easter egg hunt ...

Looks like Cooper did just fine finding and collecting eggs!
That broken arm didn't slow him down at all. Got a bucketful!

Scott doesn't seem to think it's fair that his egg is so little compared to Camden's big egg! While the Blackham Boys have used Easter "buckets" instead of baskets for years, looks like other families had buckets this year too.

Who knew stickers would be such a hit ... on heads! Funny faces!

You can check out the Jensen Easter 2011 in Wendy's family blog ...

• Easter Egg Hunt
• Coloring Eggs 
• Easter Morning
• Egg Bash and Egg Hunt

Dancing in the New Year ...

The Blackham house hosted a little New Year's Eve bash to wind up 2010 and welcome 2011. Grandma and Grandpa, Chris and his boys, and D&D and baby Ani came over for Hawaiian Haystacks (with gluten-free gravy!) and games. Shane's family was going to come too, but they had some sickness hit and weren't up to it after all. D&D brought a Wii game over called "Just Dance" and it was enjoyed by everyone. We played Apples to Apples, Pictureka, Rat-a-Tat-Cat and Grandma taught us how to play Farkle. 

Here's some video ... Mom/Margie and Derek start off with "It's In His Kiss", then Dad/Lamar and Chris tackle "The Monster Mash" (1:30), followed by Corin and Kaden rocking to "Tik Tok" (starting at 2:30). Then Chris and Kaden wondering "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (4:00) and Derek and Corin getting funky with "Funky Town" (starting at 5:10).

Who has still been dancing over the years?

Looks like Derek had his camera out ... any additional video or pictures?

2010 Christmas Letter

The annual update ... PDF is in Dropbox. 

Holy Hike!

 

We all know that Dad/Lamar likes hiking, but Uncle Arnold is quite the hiker as well. In October 2010, Dad joined Arnold on a hike to White Baldy. White Baldy is among the highest and least visited peaks in the Wasatch. It is most commonly accessed from both Red Pine and White Pine Lakes in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but can also be approached from Silver Lake (via Silver Glance Lake) on the American Fork Canyon side. All routes require serious scrambling. The ten mile hike took almost eight hours. Afterward, Uncle Arnold sent Dad an email along with some pictures ...

Thanks again for going on the hike to White Baldy today. Also, as I said, you don't need to apologize for the pace you walked. You walk as fast as any of the Alpine hikers I go with and in several cases, you are faster.  I was impressed that you made it to over 11,000 ft. I hiked Box Elder Peak with a 28 y/o man this summer and he was so exhausted when we got down that I had to drive his car home and his father and brother had to help him in the house because he could hardly walk. [This same man can run up to ten miles at low altitude and on the flat.] Last fall I hiked Lone Peak with a guy 20 years younger than you. His legs gave out on him when we reached 10,500 ft. He waited for Jan and me while we went up to a few feet from the top. So, see, you did just great today. I am attaching pictures of our hike. I may have to send them in two or three groups because sometimes my server won't let me send very many. You may not want Margie to see a couple of the pictures. Regards, Arnold

Looking through gmail archives the word "hike" appeared a lot from May-August in 2010. Chris was living with the folks at Havenmoor during this time, and he and Dad went on a lot of hikes, sometimes getting some of the rest of the family to join. I couldn't find any pictures though ... the email clips below are all from Mom/Margie unless otherwise noted. 

• 06/22 We finally were able to pick up D & D and A about 4:20. Their flight was delayed twice! Chris went on the hike without LaMar this afternoon since the plane was late.
• 07/03 We have Camden and Cayson here. Chris and LaMar are going to take the boys for a little hike this afternoon.
• 07/06 I think Dad and Chris will probably go hiking about 4 (usually go every other day when they can).
• 07/08 Chris and LaMar went for a nice hike and said it was beautiful there.  Kadan was going to go with them, but the weather looked threatening right before they left, and he was afraid they'd get rained on and decided to stay here. Then it turned out beautiful weather.
• 07/13 (at 7:30 pm) Dad and Chris are not back from their hike yet.
• 07/14 I have an MRI and flex x-rays tomorrow. Chris has a dentist appt. at 1 p.m. He and LaMar will go hiking in the afternoon.
• 07/19 We arrived safely about 4:30 p.m. at Wendy's.  We left a little before 11:30 and made just one stop at Carl Jr.'s on the way.  I've been trying to call Chris all evening, but no answer. They were planning on hiking, swimming, and a trip to the grocery store.
• 08/20 Chris and LaMar go to the temple at least every other week and have enjoyed hiking together whenever they can.
• 08/28 (From Alicia) Shane and I are planning on hiking to Red Pine Lake on Labor Day in the morning...if any of you would like to join us, just let us know!
• 08/29 (From Alicia - Summer Update) Shane went to scout camp in Zion's National Park and herded his scouts through several hikes.  On the 21st I ran the half marathon with 3 of my friends. My time was 2:18:41, a lot better than I had anticipated! I was able to run most of it and had a great time. My legs were extremely sore for a few days afterward but are doing better now. I am ready to get back into running this week...Shane and I are planning on running the 5K for Eliza next month and I am trying to decide if I should do one more half marathon at the end of October. Shane and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary of meeting next Monday by taking our Labor Day hike to Red Pine Lake. (You can find the Linden Recap in its entirety on the WriteOn blog). 
  

Grayson did some snowshoe hiking early in the year, and then he and a work buddy hiked Mt. Olympus in May. Gray has also been doing some "bouldering" and rock climbing in addition to running a marathon (in Alicia's email above she ran a half marathon and Amy was running a lot during this time too). In the annual photo collection, there was a picture of Kemery and Taylee's hike to Rocky Mouth Waterfall too.  2010 ... oodles of activity!

Lasagna - A Classic Westra Dinner

July 29th is National LASAGNA Day ... did you know that? 

Did you know there WAS a lasagna day?

Jen never ended up eating lasagna - but she still makes it for her family and they are happy when she does. It's a classic Westra recipe. Now, it's just as easy to make multiple lasagnas as it is to make one, so double (or even triple) the recipe. The completed lasagnas freeze well for future dinners, or make them in disposable pans to give away. 

1 lb hamburger

1 package lasagna noodles

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp Italian seasonings

1 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb mozzarella or jack cheese

1/2 lb cheddar cheese

2 8oz cans of tomato sauce

Parmesan cheese

Brown the hamburger and drain. Cook the noodles as directed and drain. Combine the soup, milk, onion, W.sauce, seasonings and salt. Add cooked meat. In a 8x11 baking pan, start with a layer of noodles. Spread meat sauce mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with a layer of both cheeses. Drizzle tomato sauce over the cheese and top with Parmesan. Repeat the layers one or two more times. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Westra Clan - Do you have pictures or memories of Mom's lasagna?

Father's Day 2010

 Missing the Jensens this year. Got the annual photo. 

Some digging in the sandpile, jumping on the trampoline, throwing balls ... Happy Daddy's Day!