Too Much Of A Too Busy Of A Morning !

....awake I was when my "Crabby Cabbie" came home in the wee hours of the morning, finding myself unable to return to any kind of sleep, not for want of trying.

I resorted myself to getting up and staying up.  Energy or no energy.

I had a load of dark laundry that needed doing, and with it being "cheap" off rate Saturday all day, I resorted myself to getting it done and hung on the clothes racks in front of the woodstove.

"....trust you, me, the woodstove was going, as when I was out with the "pack" in the early morning light, it was NOT a balmy -15 Degree Celsius out there!  Brr ....."

I had it in my head I was going to make a Chicken & Broccoli Braid, as I had found the recipe yesterday on the Canada AM website, from the Brampton Firefighters's book "Fire & Spices", and I had all the ingredients on hand.

Before I got started on making the Chicken & Broccoli Braid, I had also had it in my head for the past week that I needed to also make a recipe for a Black Forest Banana Bread, as I wanted to give a loaf as a "gift" to someone "special".  This is a recipe I had posted to Cindy's Recipe Exchange in December, hearing all kinds of great reviews about it from Exchange members, but not having yet having a chance to try it out myself.

Since I also had all the ingredients in the house for the bread too, I began with making it first off.

"The end result yielding me two small 8 2/3x4 1/4x2 1/8" foil pans by dividing the recipe in half portions to each pan."

"Regardless of how full I was after having our Dinner, I still could not, NOT try a piece before I sent the other on its way to be delivered by my "Crabby Cabbie".  OMG, it is one of the most delish breads I have ever tasted, tasting the way things used to taste right from the "Bake Shops" in Southampton when I was a kid !"

This recipe is a definite "keeper":

Black Forest Banana Bread
Recipe Source: Gifts from the Kitchen, Publications International, Ltd. 2009

Makes 1 loaf (9″ x 5″ or 8″ x 4″)

1 jar (375 mL/10 oz) maraschino cherries (about 1 cup)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (100 g pecan pieces)

Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Drain cherries, reserving 2 tbsp juice. Coarsely chop cherries.

Combine flour, baking and salt in a medium bowl. Beat brown sugar and butter in a large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Beat in bananas, eggs and reserved cherry juice until blended. Stir in flour mixture, cherries, chocolate chips and pecans until just blended. Spoon into prepared pan; level top.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan; cool completely

Once the breads were cooling I got on with the making of the Chicken & Broccoli Braid for our Dinner.

".....right from the start."

"To the end result.  My oh my, another recipe that will be added to my "favorite" collection."

This Chicken & Broccoli Braid was pretty simple and easy to make, as well as "quick".  A nice and easy dinner for anytime throughout the week.

The recipe for the Chicken & Broccoli Braid is as follows:

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chicken meat, diced
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion

Unroll crescent roll dough and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the centre, stating on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the centre, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side.

Spread the chicken mixture along the centre strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.

Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven at 375 degrees 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTE:  I did not have or use Dill weed, nor use almonds, and I had also forgotten the egg white wash.  It was still all very very good.

The "good" news is both recipes exceeded my expectations, the "bad" news is I am a SILLY NILLY, as I overdid myself and now paying the "price of the piper", as I now sit here finding myself totally exhausted with a coffee close at hand and a "still" sink full of dishes to be done up.



Laundry folded and put away?  Dishes in the sink being done up?  I think NOT, as maybe both these chores can wait until tomorrow when I have regained some energy back here, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".