Fall, Football and Banana Bread Bars.........

Read on for this yummy recipe:)

Well hey there!  I'm re-posting something from 2012.
Yes, I'm being lazy.......but it still pretty much works and it had a recipe I wanted to share.
I've updated it a bit (see the parts in red) so here goes...
Happy Fall Y'All!

i just love saying that!

kinda like i love saying

"ROLL TIDE"! 

yep......i love BAMA football!

Heck, I love college football.  Isn't it funny how you get favorites?
I couldn't tell you much about pro football.
Once they get there it stops being about the game if you ask me so it's
college all the way in this house:)

i've been accused of being a traitor.

but what can i say?

~one of my girls want to go to an SEC school.
(She did too.......she's at the University of Alabama...........
Yep!  I'm a Bama Mom:)

~we live in the south.

~i love a good football game.

~and agree with me or not, SEC just has some good, entertaining football:)

so, i have been an absentee blogger lately.
(Nothing's changed about that)

uggghhh.....fighting migraines that seem to go on forever!
(unfortunately they are still an issue, just not as much:)

i think we have finally found the one medicine that works.

i hope and pray we have, anyway!

Taylor and I took a quick trip up north to my Mum's house.

and had such a great time.

there's no place like home, right?

we even spruced up her house a bit.

she wanted her front door painted a HAPPY, sunny yellow.

so off to home depot we went,

we picked out a paint called "mellow yellow"

and painted her front door.

it was so pretty, we did the shutters, too.

actually, miss Taylor did most of the shutters....in the rain!

can't wait to go back and do more fixer-upper stuff:)

isn't it so pretty?

truly the prettiest house on the block!
(I left this part in because while I haven't been up there to spruce it up this Fall, I need to!:)

while we were gone,

jordan found a recipe on pinterest for

BANANA BREAD BARS

 with Browned Butter Frosting

can you say YUM?????
(Now here's the real reason for this post.  But this time it's Taylor and I who will make them tomorrow.  Not to eat.....to make the house smell good.
Ya...........RIGHT!) lol

From the girl who ate everything

Banana Bread Bars:

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.  For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts, if desired.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

4.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm). 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars These are crazy good so if you happen to have some bananas sitting around begging to be used, try this.  You won't regret it.  Well, if you're like me and eat half the pan, you might regret it.  But you'll love them while they last!  Promise!!!   

Now for a few random things I'm adding........

Have you ever heard of the store Rural King?  

I LOOOOVEEE this store.  Really cool:)  We go in and pretend we're buying 

stuff for our ranch.  Actually, we have to pass on the horse troughs and head straight to the dog food:)  BUT.........I saw these the other day and I'm dying to buy one (or four:) Hehe

I just know there must be something cool I could do with it, 

but for the life of me I can't think.  Any ideas?

I've been messing around with some jars and stuff.......what do you think?

Last but not least, one of the funniest pictures I've ever seen.

It's titled "Moose Hunt" and you'll see why!  

That's it for me!  Now go make yourself some Banana Bread Bars. You're welcome! ;)

Going BANANAS....Banana Split Dessert, Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake and...Easter Fun!

Hey Y'all......thought I better stop by and send a shout-out to my PEEPS:)

I hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for SPRING!!

I didn't mean to be gone so long but with a few health problems,
birthdays and busyness in general............life happens.
I promised myself that I would try to do more frequent, 
short posts but I find myself
 with a ton of stuff to share and I figure I better
 cram it all in, once again:)
So here we go..........

First up, one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE desserts,
and perfect for Easter!
Banana Split Dessert 
We've made this in our family for years and I cam across it recently in 
one of our old cookbooks.
Everything about this is pure YUM. 
 TRUST ME:)

Seriously, this is so good I think you just need to try it:)
Banana Split Dessert

2 cups graham crackers 

1/2 cup butter melted 

1/2 cup butter 

2 cups sifted powdered sugar 

2 eggs 

5 bananas 

1 15 1/2 ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained 

1 8 ounce container frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed 

semisweet chocolate, shredded 

1/3 cup chopped nuts optional 

maraschino cherries 

In a mixing bowl toss together the graham crackers and the melted 1/2 cup 

butter.  Press crumb mixture onto the bottome of a 13X9X2 inch baking 

pan.  In a small mixing bowl beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter about 

30 seconds til softened.  Add powdered sugar; beat till fluffy.  Beat in eggs. 

Spread egg mixture over crumb mixture. 

 Slice bananas lengthwise into halves 

and arrange over egg mixture.  Spoon pineapple over bananas.  Spread with 

dessert topping.  Sprinkle with chocolate and the nuts, if desired.  Cover 

refrigerate at least four hours before serving.,  Cut inot squares to serve. 

Top each square with a cherry.  Cover and chill to store.  Serves 15. 

From the Avon International Cookbook 1983 

Ready for more banana goodness?

How does Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake sound?

Pretty good if you ask me:)

So here you go........

Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup butter, softened and cut into pieces, (divide 1/4 cup for sauce and 1/2 cup for cake)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 large bananas, yellow but firm, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Place brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.

Pour into a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9" square pan.

Arrange banana slices over brown sugar mixture.

Place remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; 

beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

At low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with sour cream,

 beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spread batter over bananas.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 min or until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minute.

Run small knife around edge of cake; carefully invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm.

Before we get to the fun stuff,
here's another cute idea for Easter.......Deviled Egg Chicks!

Simply make your usual recipe for deviled eggs but instead of slicing the egg
lengthwise, slice it horizontally and scoop out the filling that way.  

(Does that make sense?))

Add peppercorn eyes and a tiny carrot nose and you have the perfect brunch dish:)

Okay.......moving on to some fun stuff!
I think I am desperate for little kids again.
I know this for sure.......
if i did have a little one, I would grab some cotton balls, 

cut out bunny shapes and make a bunny photo frame of my kiddos!
Like it?

Using those plastic eggs and some pipe cleaners, make some egg bunnies to hold
a little treat.  This would be a great way to share treats with the rest of the class:)

Next is one of my favorites.......
Now you can "egg" your neighbors (without getting in trouble:)
I made this one because to me, it's the perfect combo of Easter Bunny fun
with a lesson/reminder on the TRUE meaning of Easter.
The reason we celebrate...........our risen Savior.

The obvious thing to do would be to share this with families with children.
However, I think the opposite would be a wonderful treat.
Do you have an elderly couple or someone living alone, who may like to wake up to some eggs in their lawn on Easter?
Now that would be a special treat:)

If you do a search online for "you've been egged", you'll find many variations on this.

Easter treats.........

these are so adorable!

I tried looking around for the exact instructions but came up empty.

However, it looks like these cute faces were made with pumpkin cookie cutters!

CLEVER!!

 Oh gosh, I have to share these EVERY year..........
Bunny Butt Cookies!
 
Here is the link with instructions: Bunny Butt Cookies

Kids would LOVE these straws.........
PEEPS Straws!

How about some bunny pancakes?

This is sooooo cute:)

Need a last minute favor?

These are super cute and easy...Cotton Tail donut Holes.

Follow the link for the free printable:

Bunny Tails

And who couldn't use advice on life once in awhile?

Especially if that advice is from the EASTER BUNNY?

Here's something just for fun........

What's your Easter Bunny Name?

My name is Bubbles MacDoodle!

Okay, told you I had some fun stuff:)

But now I leave you with this.

It's great to have fun............

but it's more important to remember this:

Happy Spring and may God Bless You!

XOXO Suzanne

A.K.A Bubbles MacDoodle

Made With Love....Simple Ideas for Valentine's Day Gifts and Decorating

When my girls were younger,

we had barely put Christmas decorations away

before we started decorating for Valentine's Day.  

Hearts were everywhere, and we were already thinking of

what Valentines to make and what would be on our 

Pink and Red Menu for Valentine's Day.

The past few years we've kinda let it go.

Life just got more busy, you know?

Until a few days ago, when my 12 year old niece Macy

wrote to show us pictures of how she had decorated her room.

I think she did an AMAZING job!

She finished by asking how we were decorating this year.

Ummmmm..........well,  I wasn't sure if we were.

UNTIL that email from her.

Until I was inspired by a young girl's festive spirit.

So I went online and I walked around the house,

 looking for ideas.

I found a few things I had made and tweaked them a bit

to make them work for Valentine's Day, either as a

decoration or as a small gift.

See what you think........

1.  Candy hearts look adorable in a Mason Jar pedestal.  At least I think so.......
but then, I love these candies so I would think they look great in ANYTHING!
And these are really easy to make, using a mason jar, candlestick and E6000 glue.

2.  Painted Mason Jars and Milk Bottles hold anything you can think of,

and would be a beautiful way to hold flowers, candy or special messages.

3.  Bejeweled Mini Mason Jars.......Strips of lace or burlap glued around a jar, embellished with a jewel and/or flower.  These look cute gathered on a table top and make

AWESOME gift containers!  No wrapping necessary:)

4.  Heart Garland.......dollar store craft!  

5.  Heart Pencil Toppers........Again, the wire and pencils were bought at the dollar store.

Simply twist a piece of the wire into a heart shape and wrap on the pencil tops.

 

These heart toppers are also fabulous on a longer stick and used as bubble blowers!  

Thank you Macy!

Without the inspiration from you, we might've been lazy and let this Holiday slip by:)

A few other decorations I found were these:

A heart wreath.......paper hearts glued on a wreath or any round form.

 Pom Pom Monsters!

How cute are these?  Pretty dang cute if you ask me:)

Heart Rag Wreath!  Super cute and EASY!

Yarn wrapped letters or hearts.  This is such a simple project that

will be a real eye catcher!

Well, why NOT a heart tree?  

You could write little messages on them or leave as is.........

cute either way!

  Remember the heart garland I mentioned above?

You could tie them on branches outside.  Awesome!

Alrighty then, I think that's about it.

Check back soon.......I have other ideas to pass on but didn't want

 to bombard anyone:)

XOXO

Suzanne

Things I wish I Knew How To Do.....And AMAZING Bourbon-Less Chicken.......

I suppose we all have things we wish we knew how to do.
My list would be a long one if I really thought about it.
Today's writing prompt is to list one or two things I wish I knew how to do,
so I'll go with the first few that popped in my head.

I wish I knew how to crochet.
A year or so ago, I actually found a yarn store and signed up for a class.
I didn't realize that it was ONLY knitting.........the owner didn't care for crochet.
But that was ok.......close enough.

* * * Note to yarn store owners..........
When you have a first time student, please don't scour your store for the
U.G.L.I.E.S.T color of yarn EVER.
There really are people like me who like color......... a lot of it.  And pretty color at that.
So to start with, I already hated my project.
Then, the other 3 ladies apparently were old friends/long-time customers
because y'all knew everything about each other.
So you sat and talked to them the whole time and barely remembered that I was there.........
fighting with my grotesque yarn to do the right stitches,
until I got up and came to ask you for help.
And you were only two seats away from me.
That was my one and only "class experience".   And by the time I got home,
I had forgotten how I did anything at all.
Next time, I will try to learn with online videos.
At least I can pretend they are paying attention to me;)
After all, I have so many important pieces I want to crochet
for my grandchildren someday.......

Sources:  Click on each link.....Booties,  Indian Headdress, Elsa Hat "Frozen",  Cowboy Hat and Booties
See?  SUPER important things I need to make them:)

The next thing that popped in this ol' head was this...........
I wish I knew how to ice skate.
Oh, we used to skate as kids but I can't remember that.

I think it would be a fun way to get a bit of activity in, especially when it's so blasted hot outside here, which is pretty often:)
Therefore, I start ice skating classes in February.
Seriously!
And I can't wait:)
Just hope I don't look like this on my first day!

I probably will, but that's okay.
I'm still really excited.
Because deep down, I think I could've been a really good skater;)

I started to learn to speak French,
before we went to Paris.
I learned a few phrases, but I think it's such a beautiful sounding language that I'd
like to learn to speak it more fluently.

Lastly, I have a Canon rebel camera that I want need to learn to use.
Then maybe I could stop practicing how to take selfies.
Yes I'm 50.......not 15:)

There you have it!
Things I would love to know how to do.

Moving on,  my niece visited over New Year's and told me about a recipe (and food blog)
that she loved.  The recipe is for Bourbon-less Chicken
and the blog is Jamie Cooks it Up.
Wow.......what a find.

Tonight I made it using Jamie's recipe,
and I could have eaten the whole pan all by myself.
In fact, just writing this makes me wish I had tripled the recipe!
You have to try it out.  For real!
Feel free to add some stir friend veggies, but make sure you increase your liquid amounts.
In fact, I increased my liquid anyway because I like my rice floating in sauce:)
BOURBON-LESS CHICKEN

5 chicken breasts

2 T oil

1 t minced garlic

1/4 C apple or pineapple juice

1/3 C brown sugar

2 T ketchup

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/2 C water

1/3 C soy sauce

pinch red pepper flakes

1 T cornstarch

1. Cut your chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces with some kitchen scissors. 

2. Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it is hot, pour 2 T Olive Oil into it. 

3. Add your chicken pieces to the pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. The chicken will start to get a bit juicy and bubbly. 

Put the lid on the pan, slightly tilted and drain the juices out into the sink. Return the pan to the stove top and continue cooking over medium high heat. 

5. Into a medium sized mixing bowl combine 1 t garlic, 1/4 C apple or pineapple juice, 1/3 C brown sugar, 2 T ketchup, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 1/2 C water, 1/3 C soy sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1 T cornstarch. Whisk it all together until the cornstarch is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. 

6. When your chicken has a nice brown sear on some of the pieces…

pour the sauce into the pan. Stir it around to cover all the chicken pieces. 

7. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pan with the lid at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape. Let this baby simmer away for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking period. 

8. Serve over white or brown rice. 

I can't wait to try more recipes from Jamie Cooks it Up!
Guess that's it for today.
Is there something YOU wish you could do?

xoxoxoxo
Suzanne

Cool Stuff. . . .Like Vintage Jewelry and Lemon Merengue Pie Dip!

so guess what?

i actually made the vintage jewelry project i'm going to show you!

i didn't just stalk other blogs but made them myself:)

baby steps folks, baby steps!

i love collecting vintage jewelry to re-purpose into

cool jewelry for today.

and not just vintage. . . .there are great pieces of

 vintage-like costume jewelry out there

just begging to be made into something unique.

but this time, i didn't make repurposed jewelry,

but something way simpler. . . . .

 magnets!

(these can be made with cool buttons or scrapbook goodies too:)

all you need is a magnet back and E6000 glue
 and about 15 minutes (plus drying time)

and TADA. . . . .
you have a set of awesome magnets!

well, what do you think?

Okay. . . .next, i could use some help.
i have a bunch of these flower cabachons and could make
so many cool things,
but what do you call the gold filigree backs they are glued on,
and do you know where I can get them?
if you know, please email me or comment.
thank you!!!

now, i just don't seem to have it in me to NOT leave you with something
amazingly yummy
(fattening)
to eat.
(or devour:)
so when i saw this lemon merengue dip from
Ashton at Something Swanky,
i had to share it!


and. . . .if you gain weight, you can blame her, not me.
i'm just the messenger;)
mmm. . . .mmm. . . .mmmmmmm

if i were you,

i'd hightail it over to her and grab the recipe!

bye for now. . . .

Suzanne