Yummy Banana Bread - Update

Do you have some bananas that are past their prime?  In our house, we prefer a fairly green banana to it's brown-spotted ripened brothers.  So once they start to get spots on them, they are probably not going to be eaten by any of us.  This conundrum put me in search of an easy banana bread recipe.

And I found it.  Chances are you have all the ingredients you need already in your pantry.  This recipe is yummy and is easy enough to be kid's in the kitchen friendly.  It's moist and dense and beautifully banana-y. (Click on the picture to be taken to the recipe)





Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

  
Some people like to eat their banana bread just like it is.  I, however, prefer to toast mine just a little and smear a some peanut butter on it.   That, my friends, is the way to eat banana bread.

So try this out and whip up a loaf (or two, they freeze well you know) for yourself.

The link does not appear to be working.  This recipe comes from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x5 inch pan.
2. Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas. Add flour and soda, stirring just until combined.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 1 hour (or till toothpick comes out clean). Remove from pan and let cool, store in refrigerator or freeze.

Operation Organization Post #2

My last post was about tackling the refrigerator and freezer.  If the condition of those appliances didn't scare you away - I appreciate you giving me another shot!

Today we are going to continue in the kitchen and take a look at the spice cabinet and some of the other storage cabinets.

Operation Organization Post #1

I don't know if it is the Nesting Instinct kicking in already or if I had finally had my fill with my house being a perpetual disaster, but we spent our long Memorial Day Weekend on Operation Organization as I like to call it.

Over the next few posts, I am going to show you some of the projects and messes we tackled.  I am embarrassed by the Before shots but I hope we can continue to be friends. :)

Maybe these posts will encourage you to do the same - or at the very least, allow you to scoff in horror at another household's mess!

My first room to tackle was da-da-daaaaaa - The Kitchen

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

I love Pinterest.  Have I told you that?  I love it in so many ways.  Recently and perhaps most delightfully, I love it because it introduced me to Monster Cookie Dough Dip.

DIY Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is upon us folks.  A great gift for mom doesn't have to cost a fortune.  And you don't have to be artistic or crafty to be able to make something to give to mom or a grandma.

Take a look below and maybe you will find some last minute inspiration!

Best Cream Cheese Frosting Ever

I love cream cheese frosting.  I mean really L-O-V-E it.  It just makes everything better.  And this is my go to recipe for cream cheese.  I think it is the perfect balance of sweet and a little tangy.

Photo Credit: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/

I don't go for the store bought cream cheese in a tub when I can help it.  And once you make this frosting - you will know why.

The recipe originally came from King Arthur Flour.  They have tons of great recipes on their site - you should really check them out.  But I digress.

On to the recipe.  This recipe makes 3 cups of frosting.  I doubled it when I made it so you will notice twice as much butter and cream cheese in my pictures.

• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons milk, to make frosting spreadable

Cream your butter, cream cheese and vanilla together until fluffy

Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar until it is all combined (and they definitely mean slowly unless you want to clean a cloud of powdered sugar off everything you own)

You can add milk into it if you want it thinner but I prefer it just like it is.

I am only a little ashamed to say that as soon as the mixer came out of the bowl, I was looking around my kitchen for something to spread the frosting on.  I quickly settled on fresh brownies.  And after I spread it on those brownies, I wasn't the least bit ashamed.

Daisy Birthday Party (Real Party)

Birthday parties are a lot of fun.  I love planning the menu, making the decorations and the excitement that comes with the transformation of the party space.

We really enjoyed putting this party on.  It was a daisy themed first birthday party.

The colors were pink and white.  We carried this theme with pink gingham table cloths and pink and white daisies.  We added in some green highlights with patches of crepe paper grass and tiny white picket fences to round out the look.

I painted wooden number 1's and placed them within the centerpieces.  The decorations were simple, the colors were clean and none of it was fussy.

My favorite part of the decorations were the four foot tall daisies that lined the driveway.  I like to get arriving guests an idea of what to expect as they arrive.

Hope you enjoy these pictures.

DIY Foaming Soap Dispenser Refill

Have you ever heard a DIY housekeeping tip and you thought, "how on earth have I missed this one?"  Well that's how I felt when I learned about the DIY Foaming Soap Dispenser refill.

I love the foaming soap.  My 3 year old eagerly washes her hands because she likes the foam and my husband thinks it works better because it foams.  The foaming soap is a little more pricey than regular soap though and aren't we all trying to save where we can?

Enter a pin I found on my beloved Pinterest.  I immediately tried it out and let me tell you it has changed the way our house will use soap from now on.  Seriously.

The Sweet Taste of Pie

I just love pie.  There is something so completely  delightful about a slice of pie.  It satisfies in a way that a cookie or piece of cake just can't seem to.  It speaks to a part of your soul with the flaky crust and delicious filling - even more so if you are having your pie a la mode.

Maybe you have a particular pie that you associate with a holiday - a family tradition of pumpkin at Thanksgiving or your Aunt's award winning (well at least it deserves an award) chocolate pie for cookouts.

I am sharing a family favorite recipe with you today. Every year for my dad's birthday I make him a coconut cream pie - a real coconut cream pie.  There is a little extra effort put forth with the stove top filling, but it is worth every single stir.  I believe this recipe may have originated from a Southern Living cookbook or magazine quite some time ago. 

DIY Bird Print

Have you ever had inspiration for a project get into your brain and you just knew that you would explode if you didn't make that project right away?  That is how I felt about this one.  The inspiration hit me for this idea out of nowhere.  I had the image in my head of what I wanted the finished project to look like and I just had to get it onto the canvas.

Here is what I made and I will try to give you a tutorial of some sorts for how I arrived at this finished project.

Sensory Bins

I think I must be behind on the sensory bin explosion.  I had not heard of these until my dear friend Pinterest brought these to my attention.  We made our first sensory bin last night.  I started out with a basic bin because I did not really know how it would go over.  We used a plastic shoe box and some various glass stones from the Dollar Tree.  I collected some ocean animals from a play set that K had previously received and voila!  She called it her Ocean Box and loved it.  I would like to make more of these and store them in the closet to be brought out when she is bored or needs a new distraction.  They are inexpensive and give new life to toys that may otherwise end up at the bottom of the toy box, never to be heard from again.

Cheese Slaw

Have you ever had it or even heard of it?  My first experience with cheese slaw was about a year ago and I ate so much of it I almost hurt myself. You may recall this was on the menu for the Hot Pink and Zebra Stripe Party I posted about last June.

It seems like the oddest combination but it is SO delicious.  If I had just read the recipe before actually tasting it, I would have never made it.  I did not put Jalapeno peppers in mine because I usually have little ones eating it.  I just throw in a little more banana peppers.  Serve it with a sturdy cracker or even a bagel chip is good.  The cheese slaw is in the round white bowl on the square platter with the crackers.

Honey Bun Cake

I love a good cake.  I mean, who doesn't?  I don't always like to bake though.  I like to cook, but I've only recently got into baking.

Whether you like to bake or not, you have to try this cake from The Country Cook.  Her blog is great if you are looking for real food to fix for your family.  I have tried countless recipes from her site with great success so I encourage you to check her out.

I made this cake for my husband and he said it was one of the best he has ever had.  He doesn't like a lot of icing on his cake so this fit the bill perfectly. 

Easy Skillet Pork Chops

Pork is a lean meat and often can be found on sale in the grocery store, but we just don't eat much of it in our house.  I don't have a lot of good pork recipes.  However, the most recent one that I tried will certainly go into the regular rotation.  (Please don't let my food photography skills cloud your judgement about making this dish)

Creative Easter Eggs

Here comes Peter Cottontail.  Can you believe Easter is almost here?  Where is 2012 going?  I have gathered together some inspiration for decorating Easter Eggs. Nothing against the Pas kits, but there are other adorable options out there.  Enjoy!

Peeps Sunflower Cake

I don't know about the weather where you live it at but here Spring has definitely arrived.  Since Easter is just around the corner, I thought I would share this really simple, but quite adorable Peeps Sunflower cake.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

I have taking quite the hiatus from this blog and I have missed it terribly so!  But, I'm back and I'm going to do better because I really enjoy sharing ideas with other crafty people out there.  And with Pinterest taking over the world, there is no shortage of ideas.

With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner I want to share two printables from a fantastic blog that I just adore called the Happy Home Fairy. (check her out here)  Her posts are creative and family friendly.

The first is a printable for your hubby.

The second is perfect for any special person in your life.

Enjoy!