running out of freezer space...

The fruit flies were getting thick around my batch of bananas which is a good sign of ripeness. I went for a run this morning, came home and knocked out these 7 loaves of banana pecan bread. Kevin has been known to polish off a loaf in a single sitting. He says that Brooke helps him but I can't be sure. Giggle

The environmental question of the day - is it better to use the metal loaf pans and wash them after every use or is it better to bake them in paper loaf pans and throw them away (sort of like cupcake liners)? I know which would be more time efficient....

the exploded view....

Have you ever noticed the "exploded view" term that is used in manuals? It is supposed to mean "enlarged" view but in my case it was the view after things exploded.

Here's the bike after the exhaust line has been removed, the engine guard has been shifted, the oil cooler lines disconnected, the filter housing cover taken off and the filter extracted. They sure make it an adventure.

Everything went back together well and there weren't any leaks when I cranked it up. There was one problem, however. BMW sells an oil change kit that comes with a filter and all of the necessary o-rings and gaskets. There were 2 small metal gaskets that were extra, in my opinion. It's going to drive me crazy not knowing what they are or if they belonged somewhere. Giggle

motorcycle maintenance...

I'm ashamed to say when the last time was that I rode my motorcycle so I'm not going to say it. I'm further ashamed to say when the last time was that I did an oil and filter change on it. This will be my weekend project.

This task forced me to clean out the garage. I had some tools that I needed to find and cleaning the garage was necessary to find them. With that done, I ran the bike for about 5 minutes (I'm so glad it started), removed the oil plug and drained the oil. Can you see it dribbling out? Kevin's Auto Supply lent me a collection pan for the oil. Thanks

That's enough for one day. I need to pace myself. Tomorrow is when the fun begins. I've got to take off an exhaust pipe and engine guard to get to the filter. It also has an oil cooler that needs to be worked around. Yikes

pucker up...

Loaves of lemon poppyseed bread. Yum.

Unfortunately they went straight to the freezer since I already had some other loaves that I've been working on (eating). They smelled great so I'm looking forward to chomping on them in the near future.

One downside to this bread is that you brush a sugar / lemon juice mixture on all sides of the loaf right when it comes out of the oven. I should have put down a drop cloth and worn a rain coat. What a sticky mess. Lemony sugar water went everywhere.

Spiced Pear loaves are next.

muffins in loaves clothing....

This wasn't in the plans but I woke up Wednesday with a craving for blueberry muffins. The mini loaf pans were still on the counter after being washed so instead of a dozen muffins, I ended up with 3 loaves of blueberry bread (that's what I'm calling them). I was a little slow with the camera so the one loaf that was devoured didn't make the family portrait.

The banana bread is still the leader of the pack. Beth sent me a recipe for a Spiced Pear bread. I'm going to try a few varieties of pears so that should be fun. Plus I still need to know out the Lemon Poppyseed bread.

mini loaves...

My new thing are mini loaves of tea breads. Full sized loaves are just too big so they tend to get mushy before they are finished. I went out and bought a pack of 4 mini loaf pans that measure about 6"x3". I had a large bunch of over-ripe bananas so I gave banana pecan bread a shot. You can see the lone surviving banana from the bunch in the background. The other thing I like about the mini loaves is that they bake much more evenly in my oven. Plus they freeze and thaw so well without any impact on quality.

Tomorrow, I'm going to make a batch of small pumpkin bread loaves. That will be followed with lemon poppy seed bread. I'm taking suggestions for the fourth loaf. Cranberry walnut? Apple raisin? If I can get 4 varieties and about 20 loaves, maybe I'll visit the farmers market and see if there is a market for tea bread in Austin.