Frosted Banana Bars

These bars are so delicious and the recipe makes a huge batch. It is the ideal dessert for large crowds. Plus it adds variety to what you can do with those overripe bananas sitting on your counter. I found the recipe HERE. And there are tons of other delicious recipes yet to be tried on their blog.

Frosted Banana Bars

½ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Frosting:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

3 ¾ - 4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in bananas. Spread into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in enough powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency. Frost bars. Store in the fridge.

Taco Salad

One of the bonuses to having a baby is all of the wonderful meals that friends bring after the birth. We had so many wonderful friends who brought us delicious food. We asked for all of the recipes and ended up with some lifelong favorites! Here is one of the easiest, best salads I have ever had:

Taco Salad

1 bag of Romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Diced chicken, olives or tomatoes (optional)

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, mixing well. Serve with broken up tortilla chips!

Baby Carsen

One of my best friends Mary, had a baby in September and I finally finished her gift this past week. Talk about LATE! And yes, I know that I should be demoted from said status as best friend since I am so late with the gift. Sorry Mary.

Anyway, I made a cover for baby Carsen's car seat! I love how it turned out! Hopefully momma and baby enjoy it as well.

Welcome to the world baby Carsen!

(Mary, this will be in the mail as soon as I can get to the post office!)

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This cake is simply delicious! If you like lemon anything then you will love this cake! I took my tried and true Poppy Seed Cake recipe and used lemon ingredients instead of the regular yellow cake mix and french vanilla pudding. The idea came from my genius of a mother! You really must try this cake!

1 – 18 oz pkg. lemon cake mix

3 ¼ oz pkg. instant lemon pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

½ cup water

1 teaspoon lemon extract

½ cup melted butter

¼ cup poppy seeds

1 tablespoon flour

Combine cake & pudding mixes, eggs, sour cream, butter, water, & poppy seeds in large bowl with electric mixer. Blend well on low speed. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. Pour into Bundt pan – bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

November Already?

Is it seriously November already? Where did the year go? We had a fun Halloween with our cute little Tiger. Our family dressed up as Calvin, Hobbes, & Susie from the comic "Calvin & Hobbes." So little Bennett was Hobbes.


I am trying to get all geared up for Holiday presents and crafts. I am starting early because I want to mostly give homemade gifts and I am really hoping to finally finish my Christmas quilt and our Christmas tree skirt. I made a top last year, and I think I now have an idea for how to add a bottom. Plus, I am finally in the process of making pillow shams for my big euro pillows. Hopefully I will have tons to post in the upcoming months before Christmas.