Thursday, August 20, 2009

Banana Cake


Yum! Is all I can say about this, Oh and it's an easy recipe!
Banana Cake
1 box yellow cake (follow directions on back)
2-3 RIPE mashed bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cap full banana extract
Can be baked in any pan, I used a bunt pan for a pretty presentation. Then the top decided to stay in the pan so it didn't come up pretty but we glued it back together with a yummy cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp.vanilla
A dash of banana extract
(I didn't want a thick layer of frosting on this so I added some milk to thin it to the consistency I needed)

Monday, August 10, 2009

S'mores

We had a family birthday party over the weekend and this is what I made:

You can find the original recipe here. I used a brownie mix - it turned out great. These are really rich - so 1 square is about all you can eat. But they are yummy!


S'more Bars
Crust:
14
whole graham cracker boards, crushed (2-1/4 cups crumbs)
3
tablespoons sugar
1/4
teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Brownie:
6
ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4
cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
3 eggs
1-1/4
cups sugar
1
cup all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon salt
2
teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1
jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream (about 1-1/2 cups)
2
tablespoons milk
1
cup mini chocolate kisses
3
whole graham cracker boards, broken up

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter in a small bowl until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; press crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, pressing the crumbs evenly into the corners and along the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the crust until chilled and set.
3. Brownie: Combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe glass bowl or glass measuring cup. Heat chocolate mixture in a microwave oven on high until the chocolate and butter are melted, about 1 minute. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. With a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Reduce the speed to medium. While continuing to beat, gradually add the melted chocolate-butter mixture to the egg mixture; beat until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally.
5. Stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture. Then stir in the vanilla until smooth. Scrape the brownie mixture into the crust-lined baking pan; smooth the top level with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake in 350° F oven for 30 minutes or until the top is smooth and the center is set when gently pressed with fingertip.
7. Topping: While the brownie layer is baking, whisk together the marshmallow cream and the milk in a small bowl until the mixture is well blended and smooth.
8. Pour the marshmallow topping mixture over the brownie layer in the pan. Spread or tilt the pan to level the topping and cover the brownie layer completely.
9. Sprinkle the mini chocolate kisses evenly over the marshmallow topping. Then scatter the crumbled graham crackers all over the top.
10. Bake in 350° F oven for 3 minutes or until the chocolate kisses are glossy and the marshmallow topping is set. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Bathroom Decor

My husband and I were looking for a picture to go in our guest bathroom. But really, what goes well in a bathroom??
We found this picture in our files, that we had taken at an old Ghost Town in California. We played with it in photoshop...

I think it's appropriate and still looks nice.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Shoulder Bag

I have NEVER sewn before. (Ok, to be honest I did sew 2 straight lines when I was about 12 years old)
I recently was given an old sewing machine. I have been wanting a church bag, but haven't been able to find exactly what I want in a store. I need it to be pretty big, to accommodate 3 ringer binders, toys, keys, burp cloths, etc. I came across this tutorial. With a few minor changes, it is just what I was looking for! (my bag is a lot bigger than the one she made and I put in 2 pockets)
I went online, watched a YouTube video on how to thread the machine (and wind the bobbin) and I started on my bag.


I LOVE it! I am so ridiculously proud of myself as well. ;) I show it to everyone. It's not perfect, but it is fabulous for me.
If I can make this bag (having never used a sewing machine or a pattern) then you can too!
Give it a try, it's super easy!