Recipe(tried): Summer Squash and Lemon Thyme Soup, Kona Inn Banana Bread

Hello Everybody!

We are going to have leftover Chicken Pot Pie tonight. In fact, as I sit here, I can smell the delicious aroma of it baking, oh I am too old fashioned!!

Yesterday we enjoyed Summer Squash and Lemon Thyme Soup. The recipe is from Back to the Table by Art Smith. His book is just wonderful. I had originally gotten it from the library and had dog-eared so many pages that I finally decided to get my own copy. Boy, am I ever happy I did. This is a delicious soup! It gave me the opportunity to use up all that broth from the previous recipe.

The Kona Inn Banana Bread is a marvelous recipe that yields 2 loaves that will knock your socks off! That's how good it is, just incredibley moist and very banana flavored! That recipe is from The Baker's Dozen Cookbook. That's another one I need to purchase as the library copy has been dog-eared as well. Oh well...

Here are the recipes!

Summer Squash and Lemon Thyme Soup
serves 8

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 med-size sweet onions, finely chopped
1 medium leek, white part only, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 med yellow squash, scrubbed but unpeeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
6 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
salt
hot red pepper sauce
parmesan cheese curls
1/4 cup pine nuts for garnish
freshly grated lemon zest for garnish

Heat the oil in a pot over med heat. Add the onions, leeks, garlic and cook stirring often til the onions are transluscent, about 10 min.

Add the squash and thyme sprigs and cook stirring often til the squash softens, about 5 min.

Reduce to low, simmer partially covered til tender, about 20 min.

Discard the thyme sprigs and puree soup. Return to pot and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish.

Kona Inn Banana Bread
yields 2 loaves

6 very soft and ripe bananas
2 1/2 cups all-purp flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
4 large eggs, at room temp
1 cup coarsely chopped wlanuts

I added 1 tsp. each of vanilla, rum, and alond flavorings.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mash the bananas and set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients and set aside.

Mix the sugar and shortening in mixing bowl. When creamy, add eggs one at a time. Mix in the bananas and flavorings. Add the nuts and the flour mixture just until well blended. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bakea in center of oven for 1 hour.