Real life with Lar

Giveaway Thank you for all the support and love you have given me and my blog. I have the most amazing friends and family. I was thinking of a way to promote the blog and came up with a giveaway!! The giveaway will run for the next ten days. There are three ways to enter your name (you can do one or all of them.)  What you need to do to have your name entered is like my Facebook page ‘Real Life Rants and Recipes with Lar’  invite friends by sharing my Facebook page (tag me in the post so I see you’ve shared) leave a comment on my page (or this post) about what you would like to see posted on the blog. (i.e. favorite recipes, certain product reviews, household tip, etc)  On June 9th, I will draw a name from the people who have completed one or all of the ways to enter. (Up to 3x a person)  The person who wins will receive a $25 gift card to the store or restaurant of their choice.  Thanks again and good luck to everyone!! Lar ** sidenote: if you have

Baba’s Banana Pancakes This is my take on the recipe going around the internet. The original recipe is just 2 ingredients…banana and eggs. And although it is a pretty good recipe, I wanted to make these more like a pancake and less like a crepe.  My goal was to make it my grandson’s (aka Little Buddy) favorite pancake. And he really loves it!! Its super easy, healthy and because my oldest has to eat gluten free...it's gluten free! Try making some this weekend! Baba's Banana Pancakes On a plate mash 3-4 very ripe bananas with a fork then set aside In a mixing bowl crack 1 egg for every banana plus an extra egg at the end (for example 4 bananas used...crack 5 eggs in the bowl) Whisk the eggs well  To the eggs add a tsp of vanilla extract and 2  tsp cinnamon (optional) Add the bananas, mix well (I actually like to mix with a mixer instead of a hand whisk for extra fluffiness) Next, add 1 heaping T of gluten free flour for each banana. Pictured i

Sausage Gravy Is there anything better then some good sausage gravy? Its requested so often by my family. It makes the house smell good and makes my fried chicken go to the next level of sinful decadence. * Picture is my Fried Chicken with Sausage Gravy and Roasted  Brussel Sprouts w/Pine Nuts  It is a very easy recipe. So give it a try Start with 2 pounds of sausage in an electric skillet or frying pan and brown up well With a slotted spoon take sausage out of frying pan and place it on a paper towel covered plate... To the fat left in the pan, add 3 T of butter  Add about 4-5 T of KY Kernel flour (if you only have regular then just add some salt and pepper to taste at the end) Whisk the flour and fat together to make a great roux.  This takes about 2 -3 minutes Add 2 tsp of garlic powder (Using fresh over powers the dish so I advise not using it) Add between 3-5 cups of whole or low fat 2% milk (NOT skim) Keep adding milk slowly and whisking cons

***Thanks for the great response from last week's blog on my top 3 personal growth books. I hope if you read them they help you as much as they have helped me.   Today is my top 3 fiction books.  They are truly fun to read and you’re sorry when they are over and wanting to read again!.  The Zebra Network by Sean Flannery This is an epic novel about a CIA agent being hunted by both the CIA and the KGB. Just when you thought you figured out where the plot was going…BOOM!! It twists and turns in an unexpected direction again and again! I couldn’t put it down. Great book to add to your summer reading list. Exclusive by Sandra Brown Although Sandra Brown is mostly known for her romance novels, she has penned some great thriller/mystery novels. My favorite is Exclusive. A reporter suspecting that it was foul play and not SIDS that caused the death of the President’s infant son, sets out to prove just that.  She comes across secrets, dange

TURKEY BURGERS A quick, easy, healthy dinner anytime of the week is turkey burgers or patties if you skip the bun because you're watching your carbs. I do several variations of my turkey burgers. It really depends on what I have on hand. I use one pound of 99% fat free turkey meat.   The burgers always come out moist because of the ingredients that are added to the meat.   In the picture above, I have roasted garlic, spinach, and feta cheese in the patties with a side of sweet potato fries. These are my top 3 combos to cook turkey burgers: #1--- roasted garlic with sweet hot cherry peppers, shallot and shredded parmesan. Here is a picture of the peppers I use. Also, a timesaving tip, I get my roasted garlic already done from my grocery store deli. To make these burgers... ·       sauté shallot in a little olive oil till soften ·       chop about ¾ c of peppers ·       chop as much garlic as you like or you can keep the cloves whole and live dangerousl

Fried chicken I've had many requests from friends and family for my fried chicken recipe.  On the rare occasions that we had left-overs, Smokin would bring some to work to share with his friends.  The guys would practically fight each other for some. The key to my fried chicken is bacon fat!! You don’t need a whole lot but you need enough to flavor the frying oil.  So as much as it may stink you’re going to have to cook up bacon to save the fat. (life’s tough all over ;) If you need help eating the bacon I can come on over)  Also, I use boneless skinless chicken breasts that I’ve cut into strips because I don’t like the dark meat. However, If you do like the dark meat then I suggest boneless chicken thighs (with or without the skin).   However, this is so good you'll never miss the skin.  Soak your chicken (about 3 pounds) for about 1-2 hours in buttermilk.  You can skip this part but it makes the chicken so tender and juicy. So just go for it! Time to

There is something I need to confess…I am Lar and Im a book-a-holic. I have so many books that I could start my own library. I’m not even including my NookBooks or iBooks.  I have all different genres but the self help books are my biggest collection followed by mystery. I bring up books because I feel that they are becoming less and less important. As electronics and social media take over we aren’t sitting down with a good book any more. We go on Facebook to relax or binge watch our favorite TV show on Netflix.  Don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying that it is always a bad thing but there is  just something about sitting down with a nice cuppa tea and diving into a good book. Whether for pleasure or personal growth, books can enhance our lives, help us relax and make us think outside our own little world.  I want to post my top 3 books for personal growth..Next week I’ll share my top 3 books for pleasure reading.  Let me know if you read them and what you think. (most library’

First blog post EVER!   I hope to provide inspiration, a bit of knowledge and a lot of laughter. In the description of Real Life, Recipes, and Rants with Lar you can find out a little bit about me.Please be patient as I learn this blogging thing  xo  Let’s just dive right in to the first post….CARROT CAKE This recipe is from my mom, Jan Bloom. She loved making it and it is probably my favorite of all her recipes.  Mom passed away this past Janurary. She had the voice of an angel and the most sinfully delicious carrot cake recipe around.  I will think of her fondly every time I cook this.  Enjoy as you bless your family with… Jan -A-Lou’s Carrot Cake      2c     Flour 2tsp  Baking Powder 1 T   Cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp  Salt 1 1/2 c Vegetable Oil 2c      Sugar 4       Eggs (large) 1c     Crushed Pineapple (in Juice) 3c     Grated Raw Carrots 1 1/2c Chopped Walnuts (optional) Combine Sugar and Eggs with a mixer. Slowly add the Oil a