Great Thanksgiving Recipe

If you are like me, the three days prior to Thanksgiving will be spent planning the menu, looking for recipes, the old favorites as well as interesting new ones, shopping for ingredients, and cooking and baking. All for one day, but so worth it, especially if we get to spend it with the important people in our life. I hope however you choose to spend Thanksgiving, it is filled with peace and joy.

This recipe for Banana Nut Bread is from my book, Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket. It has also been a Thanksgiving Day staple in our family for more than 75 years. If you like your bread sweet and moist, you will probably agree this really is the best.

Best Ever Banana Nut Bread

3/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and sour cream, mixing well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add this mix to creamed mixture alternately with the bananas. Stir in vanilla and nuts.
3. Pour into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and bread breaks away slightly from the edge of pan. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from pan and finish cooling on rack.
5. Enjoy!

Special Activities at Well-known Destinations

From time to time, I like to check the websites of some of the destinations in my book, Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket to see what may be new and exciting.

At Hammonasset Beach State Park (Madison) two cabins are being built for the "State's first foray into Cabin Camping." This is good news for folks who have never camped and want to get a feel for the camping environment before buying equipment, or for those who may have retired their tents or campers but still remember the joys of camping at the beach.

There was a recent newspaper article about the number of people who have been visiting Hammonasset during some of the warm days in October and early November. I agree that the beach is a great off-season destination, to walk along the water's edge, sit on the sand wrapped in blankets with your face up to the sun, or hike one of the nature trails.

If you visit, be sure to stop in at Meigs Point Nature Center where you will find the usual reptiles and amphibians, but also the most amazing history of Hammonasset, beginning with the Ice Age, about 10,500 B.C. For the rest of November, the nature center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10-5. From December through March, hours vary depending on school programs. www.hammonasset.org.

White Memorial Conservation Center (Litchfield) is the State's largest nature center and wildlife sanctuary. Because this park is a four-season destination, it appeals to hikers, bikers, birders, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. Inside the Museum, nature's bounty is clearly evident through the use of photographic murals, animal mounts and interactive exhibits.

Check the website for hours and the many Special Activities listed for November and December, such as an Autumn Bird Walk, and Wreath Making Using Natural Materials, both free. www.whitememorialcc.org.

Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket, by Jan Mann

Apple Harvest Cake

The best thing about October, well, right next to viewing the fall foliage, is apple picking, and then getting together with my daughter Holly to make holiday pies. But, there are also cakes, cobblers, muffins, salads, or simply biting into a crisp, juicy apple straight from the fruit bowl. Yum!

This Apple Harvest Cake recipe is an old family favorite and also one of the recipes in Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket. Enjoy.

Apple Harvest Cake

5 apples
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Peel and pare apples. Cut into thin slices. Combine sugar and cinnamon and mix into apples. Put to one side.

4 eggs
2-1/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

* With electric mixer, blend eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice, and vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to liquid ingredients and blend with mixer. Continue mixing at medium speed until thick and lemon colored.
* Grease and flour bundt pan. Batter and apples are added to pan in layers, 3 for batter and 2 for apples. Begin and end with batter.
* Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Place on rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down on cooling rack, allowing cake to drop out of pan.

Bake in 350 degree preheated oven.

October Happenings

Well, depending on what part of Connecticut I visit, the foliage is either near peak, at peak, or just past peak. I hope that everyone has already taken a relaxing drive to enjoy this October phenomenon, and with the warmer-than-usual weather, perhaps stopped for a picnic as well.

If not, there are still two weekends left and lots of special activities going on. Here are a few suggestions:

Elm Knoll Farm, Somers, through October 31st ~ Their website boasts one of the largest pumpkin farms in Connecticut, plus a new corn maze, petting zoo and so much more. Be sure to check out the evening Haunted Hay Rides. http://www.elmknollfarm.com/.

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic, October 24 & 25 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. ~ The Spooky Nature Trail for families is a self-guided tour through haunted woods, plus treats and cider, crafts and games. http://www.dpnc.org/.

Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor ~ Some of the unique activities at this location are: Pumpkin Patch Time through October 26, Rails to the Darkside on October 24 & 25 from 6:30 - 9:00 pm., and Night of the Haunted on October 19 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm with special guest researchers and authors.

Visit this creative and fun website to get the full effect of these Special Events. http://www.ct-trolley.org/.

Talcott Mountain State Park, Bloomfield/Simsbury ~ The Heublein Tower is well-known for exquisite views of the countryside, especially during October. On October 19 from 10:00 - 5:00 pm there is another reason to make the one and one-quarter mile climb to the top of the mountain. The "Tower Toot" is the Friends Annual Fund-Raiser. Food and drink will be available for sale, music provided, and face painting for the kids. In addition, the gift shop will be open all day.

www.ct.gov/dep/site. Click Outdoor Recreation, click State Parks & Forests, click Find a Park. (At the Talcott Mountain State Park there is a link to the Friends of Heublein.)

Have fun!

Fall into Connecticut Campaign

Exciting news for Connecticut residents like me who look forward to exploring the state during fall foliage. Yesterday, Governor Rell announced the extension of her "Staycation" program through November. Hundreds of businesses and attractions are taking part by offering discounts for lodging and restaurants and reduced admission fees to attractions throughout the state.

I am happy to join this campaign by offering a 25% discount on web orders for my book, Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket. This book will guide you to attractions that are also taking part in the "Fall into Connecticut" Campaign, such as Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Mystic Aquarium and Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, both in Mystic, Old New-Gate Prison in East Granby, Stamford Museum & Nature Center in Stamford, and Hopkins Vineyard in New Preston.

In addition to the above destinations, Cruising Connecticut has thirty-three other exciting day trips, all with picnicking facilities and a suggested menu, plus one or two recipes suitable for each destination. Even if you're not a cool-weather picnicker, you will find many of the recipes comforting when served at home during a blistering wind or snowstorm, such as White Bean Chicken Chili, Jambalaya, Carousel Chili, Sandwiched Meat Loaf, and Wild Mushroom and Oyster Chowder. And, all the bread and dessert recipes!

Check out the "Fall into Connecticut" participants at http://www.ctvisit.com/. Cruising Connecticut is listed under the Town of Glastonbury, the location of my publishing company, or simply go straight to my website for my offer, http://www.cruisingconnecticut.com/.

The most important thing is to get outside and enjoy the beauty of autumn in Connecticut. I love the quote chosen by the sponsors of the Campaign: I cannot endure to waste anything precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house." Who could have said it better than Nathaniel Hawthorne?

The Big E

The Big E, the largest fair in the Northeast, takes place in West Springfield, Mass and runs from September 12th through the 28th, so if you haven't been, there is still one week to go. Visit the Midway for daily parades, attend concerts, go on thrilling rides, shop at Craft Common, and so much more. And, be sure to visit my favorite, The Avenue of the States.

Each of the New England Buildings is a scaled-down version of the original State House, and you'll want to experience all the exhibits and goodies unique to each state. In the Connecticut building, don't miss "Love to Read Connecticut Authors", a book store sponsored by Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA.) If you visited last year, look for us on the opposite side of the room in a much larger space with room to browse the 115 titles representing 62 Connecticut authors.

I will be there signing my book, Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket on Thursday, September 25th from 10-3:30 and 6-9 and would love to meet you. Sharing the booth with me from 6-9 will be Patricia Sheehy with her two novels, plus her latest book, Giving with Meaning http://www.psheehy.com/. Please stop by to say hello.

What will I be doing during my down time, from 3:30 to 6:00? Why, stuffing myself with all the great food of course ~ Maine baked potato, Vermont's fresh blueberry pie, seafood from Rhode Island ~ well, you get the idea. Oh, and I can't forget my once-a-year Creme Puff, The Big E's signature dessert found in the New England Center, plus a bag of the best kettle corn ever, popped outside the back of the one of the New England buildings. Actually, since I discovered last year that kettle corn can be frozen with no loss of flavor, make that two, to go!

For more information: http://www.thebige.com/.