How happy was I when I realized that all the ingredients for banana bread were already in my kitchen?

Well, everything but the loaf pan. I had one, but I believe that was donated when I moved last summer, along with a bunch of stuff I used - unlike the pan - on a regular basis. Frequently I reach for a favourite shirt and end up doing a mental fist smack on my forehead. "What, I gave that away, too?" But I digress...

The warm glow of satisfaction that descended upon me when I discovered that everything listed on the recipe I Googled matched what was sitting in my kitchen was not simply the result of laziness (although that was there, too. Much as I love winter, did I want to snow suit up and head out for groceries? No, I did not). The resulting joy came from the fact that I rarely have the all right ingredients at home - the fact that I did made me feel distinctly grown-womanly and self-sufficient. I'm not Julie, or Julia but I do make very good baked goods (notwithstanding the cookie episode from last month - but I no perfecto, my peeps!)