The Autodidact

 After the success of the   Banana Bread  recently, I thought I'd try a variation. It did not disappoint. Combine in one bowl: 5 eggs 1 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups almond flour 1/2 cup xylitol or monk fruit 1/4 cup melted coconut oil 4 Tablespoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir until blended, put in a greased loaf pan and bake at 300° for about an hour and 15 minutes. Don't forget to add the coconut oil after you melt it in the microwave, like I did. It was quite good without the oil, surprisingly not too dry, and reminded me of Irish Soda bread. Next time, I will add the oil, and I am sure it will be even better. 

Here's a tasty bread that satisfies your craving for banana bread and has no gluten! It is still hot out of the oven and butter is melting on my slice as I write. Preheat oven to 300°. In a bowl combine: 3 smashed bananas 4 eggs 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups almond flour 1/3 cup sweetener (I used xylitol) 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup or so of chocolate chips if desired. Nuts would be nice too. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes or when a knife comes out clean when inserted. Let cool a few minutes before removing from the pan. Slather with butter and enjoy! My plate is empty, so I'm going back to the kitchen for more.

*** Greetings to you all as we near the end of another year, a year much unlike other years. This will be a long letter; but you are probably locked in your house with nothing better to do anyway, so enjoy! In January, we said goodbye to our rental property and sold it. It was our first home as a married couple, and we spent 10 years on both sides of the duplex raising our first three children. It was bittersweet and freeing at the same time. Jay was freed up to work on projects in our own home, and the sale proceeds generated cash for big projects, such as a new roof and skylights, new patio and fence!  The patio was the last project of the season, and it was finished in time for us to enjoy it a bit before the cold weather set in. Because of all the work done on the house, Jay did not get to garden as usual, but next year, with a deer proof fence and no interference from projects, he should be good to go! Early on in March, we all leisurely put together a 2000 piece puzzle of histori