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Recipe: Banana Squares

Photo by CAS

I am frequently overly optimistic when I purchase Bananas.  They look so golden & delicious. . .the kids love them. . . they are only $.44 a lb. . . we’ll go through a dozen in no time right?

Wrong.

Sometimes we do-I swear Princess would eat 3 a day if I would let her.  My mom & mother-in-law, nurses both, do not recommend that for a daily intake unless you want to serve prune juice alongside!

But other times, many other times, we have bananas that start to go brown.

Banana bread is a classic-but sometimes you get tired of it and want something different. Need a new way to use up Bananas going brown?  Try Banana Squares!  These delicious treats are similar to a blonde banana brownie.  Think of it as a cookie alternative.

Banana Squares

1C Sugar
1C Mashed Banana
1/3C oil
2 eggs
1C Flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

-Mix sugar, mashed bananas, oil eggs.
-Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
-Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix till thoroughly combined.
-Spread into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

Variations:
Sprinkle top with powdered sugar when cool.
Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Add chocolate chips (1/4 to 1/2 C).

Using Homemade Laundry Detergent in an HE Washing Machine

The most frequent question I get about my homemade laundry soap recipe-both here on the blog and over on my YouTube video for making laundry soap is “Can I use homemade laundry soap/ laundry detergent  in an HE washing machine?”

Photo by r4n

The next most common question is “Really? Only one TBS for a load?”. . . but I digress.

HE stands for “High Efficiency” -HE washers are typically front loading washers specifically created to use less water than a standard washing machine.  Because less water is used, laundry detergent must be low sudsing and disperse quickly.  About.com has a great article explaining HE Clothes Washers that you can read for more information.

Unfortunately I do not have an HE washer, and I can not offer solid advice or personal experience on this question.  What I can say is this.  Homemade laundry soap has almost no suds-that is actually one of the complaints you hear from first time users.  “There were no suds and the water looked gray? Is that right?”*

If I were the person with an HE washer, I would personally feel comfortable trying the homemade laundry detergent in the machine.  However I am not an expert-each of you faced with this decision will have to make your own choice based on the facts you have available.

I did look around to see what some of my favorite sources had to say about using homemade laundry detergent/soap in an HE machine.  The fabulous Tipnut addresses this about 2 pages down in her “Homemade Laundry Detergent FAQ“, and Thrifty Fun had this exact question about HE washers & soap asked-you can go read all the answers from their readers.

Do any of you use homemade detergent in an HE machine? What are your feelings on the matter?

*note: Yes, it is normal for there to be little or no suds.  Yes, it is normal for the water to look gray-that’s the dirt coming out of the clothes.  You just don’t notice it with your store bought detergent because the suds keep you from seeing the water.

Rubbermaid Drawer Organizer Winner

Congratulations to Tammy, the winner of the Rubbermaid Drawer Organizer set!

For all those who didn’t win, don’t despair!  I have a Kiwi Shoe Protection Product kit giveaway running right now, and coming soon I have a cookbook.  There is even a pair of prescription eyeglasses and frames that I’ll be giving away soon