Who is Orange Sink?

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Rice Lake, WI, United States
My home town is Rice Lake, a small town in northern Wisconsin. I own Red House Wool Studio~ an in-home wool and rug hooking business. I enjoy collecting and decorating with antiques and primitives. Orange Sink Blog is a journal of my interests and ramblings about life. Cathy Greschner

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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Banana Bread Warms This March Day





Since March has come in like a lamb here so sunny and warm, I thought I'd bake some banana bread. I've been thinking about banana bread for the past few weeks and dog gone it today I just went for it! I haven't baked in so long I nearly forgot how and besides that my friend and neighbor Lisa phoned and we chatted the whole time. Those head phones you plug into the phone work great for me. Lisa and I live only two houses apart but we gab on the phone nearly every day.

I didn't fire up "old Betsy" my wood cook stove today to bake the banana bread. She hasn't been fired up now for a couple of years. We burn wood to heat our house as some of you regular readers know. Dave tells me he can't keep up with fire wood for TWO stoves. I have baked quite a lot with her over the years. Mostly for Thanksgiving turkey and hams. When the nieces and nephews were little tots we would fire her up on those cold days when they came over to slide down our hill. Little wet mittens and boots warmed and dried quickly as we all rubbed our cold hands and cozied up next to "old Betsy". I inherited her. She was left in this house by my friend Helen, the previous owner who named her Betsy. Helen passed away this last week. She was 90 years young. She raised nine children in this house and old Betsy delivered many golden loaves of baked bread.

So after my golden loaves of banana bread came out of the old electric oven, Smokey and Max showed up for a little bite.
Then Max's head took a spin when I dropped a piece on the floor. Taking a picture with one hand while getting them to do something is no easy feat. I thought this picture was pretty funny if not a little Excorsist looking LOL.
I guess I haven't lost my touch when it comes to baking banana bread. I have to tell you it turned out pretty darned delicious. Slathered in Smart Balance Spread and downed with a tall cold glass of my favorite iced tea, the winter doldrums melted right away!
I doubled the recipe and threw in some dried craisins and figs(dates). I used pecans for the nuts. One of the little loaves is for Lisa since she is the sweetest of neighbors and friends. The other one is for ??. Maybe I'll freeze it for a gift.
I took the dogs for a walk today. Yes, by golly I think maybe Spring will arrive yet in northern Wisconsin. It's been a long time comin'!!
I'll share one more photo today of an old oak cupboard that sits next to "old Betsy" in our breezeway. Back in my antique dealer days I bought this piece and had ten coats of paint stripped off of it. Now that it's so popular to paint everything white maybe I should have left it! It really was a terrible mess. Not the original kind of paint you would have wanted to see. It still has the original piece of old gray marble set in the counter top for baking. It holds some of my pieces of Red Wing pottery.

11 comments:

  1. Ole Betsy is a beauty! Thanks for sharing pics you have some beautiful decor :)

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  2. I am drooling over that old oak cupboard. It is gorgeous.
    Bev in P.E.I.

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  3. I think that I can smell that Banana Bread....YUMMY!!!

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  4. Your house looks absolutely charming.
    It must be different cooking on Betsy. I think the food would have to be just extra good coming from the wood fire. Is it hard to regulate the heat, I always wondered about that. Love the dogs and their treat eating. The one looks like a little tornado.
    Beautiful bread baking also.

    katie

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  5. Hi Cathy,
    What a lovely kitchen you have! Your post made my happy just reading about 'Betsy' and baking banana bread. Yes, spring is coming, the days are getting longer, now we need the snow it melt!
    I bet those doggies loved their walk!!!

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  6. Hi Cathy

    Wish we lived closer! Your place looks inviting, warm and cosy. Isn't it funny how our little friends show up when there are treats around.

    Glad your weather is turning around. We still are exceptionally warm and no snow, so the wood is holding out (for now)

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  7. I would love to have a stove like that.

    O and also someone to cook homemade Banana Bread for me too; want to trade food for wool? LOL

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  8. The doggy pics are a hoot! Yes, it's hard to take pictures with one hand while doing something else with the other....I can relate to that for sure!
    Your banana bread looks DE-LISH and your home looks so cozy....wish I were close enough to have bread and coffee with you!

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  9. I can almost smell that banana bread from here....I'm enjoying reading your blog tonight. I've always wanted to learn how to make hooked wool rugs. I'm also a dog lover, and an antique dealer, and I live in Michigan, so we're practically neighbors!

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  10. Pics of your Dogs are just Fantastic, I love all the angle shots (with ONE hand!!!) Nice sweater or coat also...

    Gee, I think I can almost smell the Banana Bread from Wisconsin...Wanna Share?

    Spring IS almost here, Think Positive...

    Always My Best~Marilyn

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  11. Cathy, I love the pics of your house, looks so warm and inviting!

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