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

Bunny Butt Cookies for Easter...

Okay, are these the most adorable, stinkin cute cookies ever???????

Bunny Butt Cookies!

Seriously, even the name makes me smile:)

Pillsbury does it again...super cute and super easy sugar cookies. 

And I personally promise your kids will think you're the coolest mom for making these!;)

here's how you do it...

Bunny Butt Cookies

*Note:  This is the Pillsbury recipe but we like to make our own 

sugar cookie and frosting recipe.  

We also don't slice the cookies, we roll out our dough and use round cookie cutters. 

 For those who want exact instructions, read on...

Ingredients:

1  roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated sugar cookies

1/3  cup all-purpose flour

1  container (12 oz) fluffy white whipped frosting

Pink gel food color

22  miniature marshmallows

Candy sprinkles

Directions:

1  Heat oven to 350°F.

 In large bowl, knead cookie dough and flour with hands until well mixed.

2  Reshape dough into 9x1 1/2-inch log.

3  Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.Remove plastic wrap. Cut cookie dough into 33 slices. Cut 11 slices into 4 equal wedges; shape each wedge into ovals for bunny feet. Place cookie dough slices and bunny feet on ungreased cookie sheet.

4  Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

5  In medium microwavable bowl, stir frosting and 1 to 3 drops pink food color until well blended. Microwave uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until soft but not translucent.

6  To make bunny butt, frost 1 whole cookie slice and 2 bunny feet with frosting. Place bunny feet on bottom of cookie as shown in photo. Place 1 marshmallow in center of each cookie for tail. Decorate bunny paws with candy sprinkles. Repeat with remaining cookie slices and bunny feet. To add ears to your bunny, place pink jelly beans at the top of each cookie.

I'm pretty sure this cutie pie will be honored if you make Bunny Butt Cookies! :) 

XOXOXO

Suzanne

it's not about the bunny. . . .

bunnies are soft and cute.

when they're chocolate, they're yummy, too!

chocolate bunnies. . . .such a fun part of Easter celebrations!

but. . . . .

it's not about the bunny.

He is Risen!

wishing each of you a beautiful, blessed Easter Sunday and a

fresh and lovely Spring:)

be blessed,

Suzanne

Don't Forget to Wear Your Easter Bonnet. . . .

remember dressing up in a brand spankin new

Easter Dress and Bonnet?

i used to love that!

i still love seeing hats or bonnets on Easter Sunday morning,

although it's much more rare.

but not with these beauties. . . . .

  

aren't they purty???:)

need a last minute table decoration for Easter Dinner?

head out to the dollar store and grab some of these glitter eggs. . . .

find a pretty container around the house, some styrofoam to stick the eggs in and

Easter Grass.

Now look what you created. . . .

or, get out your favorite mason jars

(i love mason jars)

and you can do this. . . .

 isn't that choclate bunny cute???

and if you have time. . . .

and some paint around the house,

you can do this. . . .

Happy Saturday!

Suzanne

Jelly Beans, Jelly Bean Cookies and Magic Jelly Beans. . . .

ahhhh. . . . .i love me some bright, colorful jelly beans.

they're just plain fun!

i have a board on pinterest called "fun food". . . .

and for sure, jelly beans qualify!

so i was just tickled as could be to find some

 cute jelly bean ideas out there.

read on for a few great ideas.

but first, check out this jelly bean cake, costume and my favorites. . . .

jellybean happy pills:)

oh gosh, i almost passed out when i saw these jelly bean sugar cookies.

sign me up for a double batch. . .please!

the recipe for this is at :sallysbakingaddiction

or here's another one from

  simplyklassichome.

magic jelly beans anyone?

this next idea is seriously too cute!

full instructions can be found at nothingbutcountry.com but in a nutshell,

in a pail with some wheatgrass or even easter grass,

have your child "plant" a few jelly beans.

the next morning,

you have replaced the jelly beans with a giant rainbow lollipop.

get it?

the jelly beans turned into a lollipop.

soooo cute!

and the lovely lady behind this at nothing but country provides you with a printable 

magic jelly beans seed packet to make it oh. so. real!

when i taught Sunday School for the little ones years back,

i just had to find a way to give out jelly beans.

so we used something like this attached to a cute bag of jelly beans:)

meaningful, clever and YUMMY:)

wait. . . .

we need more jelly bean cookies, don't you think?

 here are simple, colorful cut-out sugar cookies.

Thank you to Partiologist for the idea!

No jelly bean cookie cutter?

well. . . .buy a tin of jelly bellys and use that!

works awesome!!!

these look super good. . . .

and i think will be made in this house tomorrow!

Jelly Bean Blondies

Jelly Bean Blondies

Ingredients

1 Stick Butter or margarine Melted (1/4 cup)

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Pinch salt

1 cup all­purpose flour ( or Gluten Free Flour Mix) 1/4­1/2 cup jelly beans

Instructions

1. Butter an 8×8 pan

2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. 3. Add salt, stir in flour.

4. Pour into prepared pan, and sprinkle top with Jelly Beans.

5. Bake at 350°F 20­25 minutes, or until set in the middle.

6. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Recipe by A Few Short Cuts at http://afewshortcuts.com/2012/04/jelly­bean­blondies/

have a beautiful Easter weekend!

be back tomorrow:)

Suzanne

Marshmallow + Bunnies & Chicks =

PEEPS!!!

gotta love those little sugary peeps, right?

or are you one of those people who pretend not to like them,

as my husband does every year.

 (although they do seem to disappear.  hmmm. . .)

well, on this i am totally honesty.

i love my peeps:)

i mean, they are amazing little things.

you can eat them, bake with them, decorate with them.

and they're so cheap. 

cheap, cute, yummy. . . .

what more could you want, right?

and as this preschool church sign shows,

apparently i'm not alone:)

(it IS for 3-5 year olds so very cute:)

and they look so darn cute in an Easter basket.

so be warned. . . .even if you hate them, they will be in any basket i make

cause they're just so bright and fun.

you can throw them away. . .

or better yet, throw them MY way:)

 i know you're holding your breath to see all the cool things you can do with them,

so let's take a look.

you can

DECORATE with peeps.

 how CUTE are these ideas?????

you can make "peep" kabobs. . . .

or "peep" pops!

anyone up for s'mores?

maybe you want your peeps dipped in Chocolate.

one bag of chocolate chips will dip about 20 peeps.

don't ask me how i know this:)

but the grand finale of peep ideas is this. . . .

a "peep" mobile

i tell you, some people are SOOOO creative!!!

i found most of these on pinterest and many were hard to track down.

however, a number of the ideas can be credited to

Misty Kearns, CEO of Me.

i almost forgot!

i've talked about how much i LOVE caramel popcorn.

have i mentioned how much i love 

marshmallow popcorn?

i don't make it, because i would eat it.

all of it:)

now you can make marshmallow popcorn with PEEPS!

Yum, YUM!

well, my peeps. . . .
that's it for me today.
xoxo
Suzanne
linking up with pink saturday:)

pain, grief, heartache...and a message of HOPE from Hawaii...

Aloha!

we had such an INCREDIBLE week in Hawaii.

you wouldn't know it from the title, would you?

but i had to do something to get you to

 READ ALL THE WAY TO THE END...

it was a beautiful Easter morning...

Easter sunrise service at Waimea Bay Beach,

put on by the North Shore Christian Fellowship.

how PERFECT!

what a blessing to see that big tent on the beach, 

on a beautiful Easter morning,

filled up with people of all ages and races.
Aloha i ke Akua = Loving God     

Aloha i kekahi i kekahi = Loving One Another 

greetings of  "Aloha...Happy Easter" and big smiles.

wonderful music,
a greeting by the youth pastor, who informed us there was 

an Easter breakfast after the service,

followed by a beach baptism...

followed by a paddle out to catch a few waves.

(hey...this IS the surfing capital of the world...

 AND, the surfing ministry here has reached many over the years so...:)

the minister stepping up to share the Easter message,

one of HOPE.

because with the Resurrection, we have hope...

and there comes a time in all of our lives

when we realize our Faith...and Hope...are what we need.

ALL we need.
in fact, all we HAVE.

when i say this man spoke from experience,

i really mean it!

he wanted to thank the people of the church for their prayer, support and for lifting him up when he needed it most over the past year.
he wanted to speak of HOPE, FAITH and God's LOVE.

 he went on to tell us what a year it had been. 

ever since last May/June...

you've probably heard the story.

while this man of God was spending time in California
attending a minister's conference,
he received a phone call from back home in Hawaii.
actually, the call came while he was at Disney Land with his wife and grandchildren.
there he was, in the "happiest place on earth",
when he got the call.

tell me, what is the WORST phone call you can think of getting?
is it that someone you love passed away?
i experienced that this past year and let me tell you,
it's plenty PAINFUL.
is it that your child has been in a car accident?
or is it that call saying the lump you found is cancer?

all of the above are pretty much the worst calls we can think of getting,
 i would bet.
but this man received one that might have us all beat.
you see, his call included
 death, senselessness, hopelessness, PAIN and the loss of a child.
the loss of a child as he knew it.

last May in Honolulu,
there was a 28 year old man who went on a random
shooting spree for 17 minutes,
injuring two and killing one.
causing PAIN to MANY...
including this pastor,
who was told that the shooter was his son.
and the woman he randomly shot and killed,
in front of her 16 year old daughter...
was also a much-loved mother of TEN.
he rammed cars, shot at police officers...
for no reason.
in addition to grieving for family members,
i've often wondered how a parent of one of the criminals must feel.
what they think...
what they must go through.
because he also lost a son.

of course, the news reports ALL over the world usually
 start with the shooter's name, age and the fact that he is the son of a local Pastor.
of course.
apparently, he was a troubled youth growing up.
sometimes carefree,
sometimes mischievous,
never cruel.
apparently.
he had been battling drugs and his parents were so hopeful.
FINALLY, at the age of 28,
their beautiful boy showed signs of settling down,
completing a treatment program.
getting his life together.
apparently.
until the phone call.
until they knew he had taken the lives of innocent, lovely people...
and he would pay dearly.
he SHOULD pay dearly.
that crazy guy, wandering down the freeway...
in beautiful Hawaii, of all places,
randomly shooting a gun,
was somebody's little boy.

we sat there under that tent on the beach,
STUNNED.
this was NOT the Easter message we were accustomed to hearing.
but it was by far the most powerful message we heard.
because on Easter Sunday, he spoke of hope.
the hope we all have because Jesus died on the cross and rose again,
to give us hope...and life.

some of the reports you may have read,
( and may soon hear, since the trial finally begins on June 12)
may have you thinking that his family wants him to be free of all guilt.
we don't always know the real story...or what attorneys plan for a client.
but let me tell you, that is not the case.
this man and his wife raised their children to know and love God.
the verse he always used to encourage his children was Jeremiah 29:11,
which happens to be a favorite verse in our home, too.

but as this minister said, the "plans" God has for his son now include jail...
most likely for the rest of his earthly life.
and he did not make excuses...or shy away from any part of the story.
after the shootings, after hearing it was his son,
he thought of the woman his son killed, and her beautiful BIG family.
and he reached out to them and other crime victims.
the church has had fundraisers to give money to the family.
there has been a lot of criticism to come their way, but they stay strong.
not even the family want to excuse the horrible things he did.
they have hope that God will use him in some way.
it all comes down to hope, doesn't it?
and they do love their son...but not what he did.
never what he did.

he asked us to please continue to pray for them,
all of them,
 especially as the trial starts.
particularly for the woman's family, who have to relive this horror.

i'm not sure what angle the press/ courts/attorneys will take.
maybe you will hear a completely different story.
but this is one man's story,
shared with us in a church service on the beach,
Easter Sunday morning.
i wish y'all could have been there.
about 30 people out of the few hundred who were there,
walked down the aisle to receive Christ that morning.
many would be baptized in the waters of the Pacific later that day.
it was something to see...to be a part of.
a real blessing!

even though i am not a writer, not a theology student...
i hope that by reading this, maybe you were blessed as we were...
or that no matter what you are going through...you know that there is HOPE.
please forgive me if there are little inaccuracies here and there.
i truly didn't intend that.
i just wanted to begin telling you about our little trip to Hawaii.
how a one week trip, with nothing special planned,
turned out to be one of the best, if not THE best, trips we have ever taken.

be blessed...
Suzanne