Setting the Bar High

I feel kind of horrible that it has taken me this long to write this post because it is for my husband, who I am so absolutely proud of.  Last month, Bryant was promoted to Captain in the United States Army JAG Corp.  I should probably take a minute to explain what the JAG Corp is but first I should give you an explanation of the alphabet soup- JAG stands for Judge Advocate General.   This simply means that Bryant is an attorney for the Army, a job that he seems to absolutely love.  Bryant is the type of person that takes his responsibilities very seriously and when he loves something, he loves whole-heartedly.  I can attest to this because I am someone that he loves. And I can tell, in his actions, that he loves his career with the Army.   I watch the way that he shows his committment to his job but it is so much more than that; he is proud of his work, even if that means helping soldiers write their wills.  And everyone that he works with seems to like him very much but more than anything they seem to respect his work.  He has made a family at his office and I feel very fortunate that they often let me in on their little group. With all of that being said, I was a very proud wife on February 6, 2012, when I got to "punch" his new rank on him and hear him be called "Captain Morrison."  So, may I present the new "Bars" that my husband is priviledged to wear.  Also, I am leaving you a recipe to try. 

Banana Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 plus 1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 extra large eggs

1 cup flour

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 medium ripe banana, mashed (I used 1 1/2)

4 tbsp buttermilk

(need trick to make buttermilk, if you don't have it- pour 1 tbsp of lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill the rest of the cup with milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in bowl and whisk until fluffy.  Gradually add eggs and whisk well.  Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda, fold in, and then stir in the banana and buttermilk.  Pour into baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Now, I made this with vanilla buttercream but here is a good recipe for those without peanut allergies.

Peanut Butter Crunch Icing
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
5 1/2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 plus 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk