Earlier this week I celebrated my birthday, and thanks to so many of you, it really was the best day! One of the sweetest presents I got this year was a fantastic collection of recipes, “From Our Kitchens to Yours,” shared by some of my fans.
Okay, for starters, that this group of fans would come together, from places all over the world, to put this together warms my heart. But my favorite part is that each recipe is accompanied by a sweet little story that gives me a glimpse into the lives, heritage and backgrounds of each of the ladies who contributed.
One thing I have always struggled with on this acting life journey is that I don’t get the opportunity to really hear much from the wonderful people who support us. The events are great, but it’s especially hard – knowing people have waited patiently in line to meet us – when we only get to spend a couple of minutes with each person. It all goes too fast, which is why I must confess to not knowing a lot of your names … or at least I’m not always able to put names and faces together. So please forgive me on that …
A Few of Grandma’s Tips
- Vacuum slowly.
- Use steam when ironing.
- For scrambled eggs, put the cracked, unbeaten eggs all in the pan, stir around the yoks until the end and then chop them up.
- To wash your silver, place crinkled foil in the bottom of the sink. Then disolve Spick & Span in hot water and let siver sit in it for a while. (I’ve never tried it, but I’ve never forgotten it … and I’ll take her word for it)
Anyway, thanks to everyone who contributed for taking the time to share your recipes, stories and pieces of your lives with me. And a huge thanks to Jennifer Brock and Nikki Stauffer, who pulled all of this together. I have been looking through the recipes and there are so many I want to try. One, in particular, that caught my attention was the recipe for Spinach Banana Muffins … I can’t wait to try these, Nikki!
And speaking of muffins and passing things down … I am so happy that my daughter, Katie, has started showing a real interest in cooking and baking. We share recipes often now, and she recently sent me a super easy, great recipe for healthy banana muffins that only have five ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white wheat flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 bag of fresh spinach (5 oz.)
- 1 small banana
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients
- In a blender, combine the non-dairy milk, spinach, banana and vanilla extract. Blend until entirely smooth
- Place the coconut oil in a bowl or mug and microwave on high until entirely melted
- Pour the green smoothie mixture and melted coconut oil into the dry ingredients. Mix/fold together until a batter forms.
- Fill each cup of a well-greased muffin tin 3/4 full and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Happy belated birthday, Mary Beth. So glad you had a wonderful day. I just found your blog and I’m so glad I did. It’s full of so many fun, interesting and yummy things. I look forward to following Plank…as well as Days. I’ve been a Days fan since I was a teenager in the 70’s watching with my Mom. Now I watch with my Daughter. I’ve been a fan of yours since you first stepped foot on Days. So glad Kayla & Steve are married once again. Well, I’ll stop here or I’m afraid I’ll write you a book. Brittany and I truly enjoyed meeting you last August in Nashville…Sorry we had you spelling Brittany’s name so many different ways…over and over. Anyway, maybe you’ll remember who we are because of it 😉 <3
Mary Beth, I am glad you like the cookbook! You share so much of yourself with us, and we knew you loved to cook, that a cookbook from many of your fans sounded like the perfect idea for a birthday present. We when were talking about it, I thought, instead of doing a regular cookbook with just recipes, why not do something a little different and add why the recipe means something. Maybe it’s the journalist in me, but I love learning about people, so asking why the recipe was important to each person was just natural and put a ‘twist’ on the book. It was really fun to see what people sent in, and read the stories they shared. I am grateful for those that participated and were open to sharing a part of themselves for this project. It’s a fun way of sharing recipes among friends! Enjoy the cookbook and thank you for sharing yourself with us!
I think most of us are pleased that you even TRY to remember us!☺️.
Agreed…the book was a stellar idea! Thanks, Nikki and Jennifer!
I was so excited to be a part of this project! Many thanks to Nikki & Jennifer for putting it all together. 🙂 After I am finished with my round of Whole30, I will definitely be trying Katie’s muffin recipe! Thanks for sharing it! It’s the perfect recipe for me, ultra simple! Except it does use a food processor which I don’t own & would have no clue how to use… Maybe my ma has one & she can help me make them at her house! hahaha
I always enjoy the tips/recipe blogs! Thank you for sharing with us, both muffin recipes look/sound delicious! I am really happy that you like the book, I was very happy to be able to contribute! Although I haven’t gotten to meet you yet, I feel so blessed that I have made so many amazing friends because of you! 🙂
I love cooking so I enjoy collecting recipes and also sharing them. I have to say I love the recipes you share with your fans. The blackened tofu stir fry is one of my favorites and was a total hit. Please continue sharing your unique recipes here on #plankblog. There is never enough of them! Thank you❤
Cleaning silver with the foil does work..I use baking soda and hot water with it. I have my grandmothers silver that is at least 70 years old. I don’t use it very much but if I do I always have to clean it. (That’s probably why I don’t use it. Lol). I am going to try those banana muffin. They look so good!
Loved contributing to the book. It brought back a lot of childhood memories with my grandmother; that I now hope to pass on to my daughter. Hugs to Nikki and Jennifer for pulling it together, and staying on me to get my part done. I too appreciate what everyone brought to the book, love that it discussed why we added the recipes and loved reading the comments. I am lucky that after just a few events and lots of conversation such strong friendships have been built. Its like we have been friends all our lives, and that is thanks to you Mary Beth. As always, thanks for sharing tiny insights to your life and loves with us.
Love this weeks blog!….I can’t wait to try Katie’s recipe and also try some of my S&K twitter friends recipes!….Truly love that our love for you Mary Beth brings all us fans together and that we can all share with each other! …as always another great blog!