Poetry Saturday . . . The Man in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self

And the world thinks you king for a day,

Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that man has to say.







For it isn't your father, your mother, or wife

Whose judgement upon you must pass;

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the one staring back from the glass.







You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum

And think you're a wonderful guy;

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.







He's the fellow to please, never mind the rest;

For he's with you clear to the end.

and you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test,

If the man in the glass is your friend.







You may fool the world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass;

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears

If you've cheated the man in the glass.

~author unknown







in-teg-ri-ty - noun

• adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
• the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
• a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.
• who you are, when nobody's watching.

Keep your promises, act consistently, say what you believe and believe what you say.



“Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won’t cheat, then you know he never will.” ~ John D MacDonald



I got this poem from a book Lura sent me for my Birthday, called Best Loved Poems of the LDS People. I love it . . . the book, my friend and this poem.



I had some overripe bananas on the counter yesterday that needed using up. Actually they had been staring me in the face for a few days but yesterday was the first chance I had to do anything with them. If this isn’t the “best” banana cake you have ever eaten, I’ll eat my hat!







*Moist Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting*

Makes one 9 X 13 cake

Serves 16

Printable Recipe



This is one of those little gems that actually tastes better as each day goes by, becoming even moister and more flavourful with time. I would call it exceptional. This is a great recipe to make when your bananas go all black on the outside and you feel like throwing them away!



¾ cup butter, softened

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla essence

3 cups plain flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 tsp lemon juice

1 ½ cups mashed very ripe banana



FROSTING:

½ cup butter, softened

1 (250g) package of cream cheese

3 ½ cups sifted icing sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Walnut halves for garnishing



Pre-heat the oven to 150*C/300*F (yes, this is correct. I know it sounds a bit low, but it bakes beautifully, trust me) Lightly butter and flour a 9 X 13 inch baking pan and set it aside.



Mash the bananas in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.



Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in another bowl and set that aside as well.



In a large bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, alternately with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Finally, stir in the banana mixture.



Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for approximately one hour , or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched with your fingertips in the centre.



Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool.



To make the frosting, cream the butter and the cheese together with an electric hand mixer, until fluffy and smooth. Beat in the icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and of the correct spreading consistency. You may need more or less icing sugar. Sometimes I need more. Spread the frosting on the completely cooled cake and place the walnut halves evenly over top. Cut into squares to serve.







Over in The English Kitchen today, deliciously scrummy Blueberry Streusel Muffins!