Warm Weather Parties

Lately we've been invited to several parties, my husband & I.

As soon as we RSVP, we think about what we could bring,

either as a hostess gift or something yummy to add to the table.

When we're up to it and we have time to spare,

we whip something up from our kitchen.

Quick breads, like this banana loaf, are easy to prepare.

It goes well with a hot cup of morning coffee or

warm afternoon tea.

I'm a big fan of banana bread {sometimes I

buy bananas just for this reason} and use

different recipes like the one from this cookbook.

When it's out of the oven and cooled, it's ready to be

wrapped up for the party. Foil or plastic wrap are

the easy solutions. But what if I use something that's

environment-friendly and pretty at the same time?

With the bread still in the cake pan, I swaddle it using a

clean cloth napkin.

Then I tie kitchen twine around it to keep the napkin in place.

And remember the mismatched utensils I featured last week?

I thought they were perfect gift toppers which the hostess

can use later on.

You can give the cake pan to the party host

{e-mail her the recipe so she can make it too}

or if she decides to transfer the banana bread

to a platter and serve it, you can easily

take home your beloved pan.

TADA!

By the way, Clara over at Bloomize interviewed

me on my travel essentials. Thanks Clara!