Juniper Tomato Soup

1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 quart water

1 cup catsup

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Dash pepper

1 Tbs. A-1 Sauce

1 Tbs. brown sugar

In saucepan, cook macaroni until tender.  Drain and set aside.  In frying pan, cook ground beef until brown.  Drain and set aside.  In large kettle, combine carrots, celery, and onion with 1 quart water and boil for 10-15 minute; do not drain.  Add catsup, garlic powder, pepper, A-1 Sauce, and brown sugar to boiled vegetables.  Add cooked ground beef and simmer 20 minutes.  Add noodles last so they don't go mushy.

Comments:  This is very close to Juniper's recipe!  Just don't overcook the macaroni.

Very Best Banana Bread

My sister-in-law brought a mini loaf of this banana bread to me when I was in the hospital after I had Max. It is the best banana bread I've ever had! It's now become a favorite in our family. This bread has great flavor, is very moist, and tastes even better the day after you make it. Enjoy!

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. In a medium sized bowl, mix butter into the mashed bananas. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add flour last. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan.* Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

*After buttering the pan, I sometimes coat it with a sprinkling of sugar - both on the buttered pan as well as on the top of the loaf. Delicious!