Don't care what anyone says...it's Fall to me...

This is my banana bread recipe,kitchen smells awesome with my apple cinnamon yankee candle burning.When it hits September,my Fall stuff comes out,I love the Fall.I don't care what the calendar says. :)

Banana Bread

4 mashed bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup(1 stick)butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
nuts is optional

Mix the flour,baking soda and baking powder.In seperate bowl mix eggs,sugars,vanilla and softened butter,mix together with flour and then mix in the bananas.Add nuts last. Bake at 350 degrees in 2 loaf(bread pans) approx 30 minutes,depending on your oven,could go 25,or longer.When brown on top and test by putting knife in,it will come out clean.

Here is my...
Sour Cream Banana Cake

And this was our dinner,husband's burgers,mm...

Tiramisu Brownie Squares

One Christmas my friend made me this awesome rich,very rich brownie/coffee cake.It's addicting once you start eating it.I'll make it this Fall,but wanted to share the recipe with you...

Tiramisu Brownie Squares

1 package (19-21 ounces) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
20 chocolate crème-filled sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray rectangular baker with oil. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies; pour into baker, spreading evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

2. In a bowl, combine milk and instant coffee granules; stir until dissolved. Add half of the whipped topping and pudding mix; whisk until smooth. Coarsely chop cookies; fold into pudding mixture. Spread filling evenly over cooled brownie.

3. Attach open star tip to a decorator; fill with remaining whipped topping. Pipe diagonal rows, 1/4 inch apart, over entire surface of filling. Grate chocolate morsels over whipped topping. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Chill 30 minutes. Slice& Serve .

Yield: 20 servings or 30 sample servings

Beach Afghan...

This is what I'm finishing up now,sewing motifs together,all done with Caron Simply Soft yarn.I only have four across in the photos,but have six across now.Will post a photo when done. From the light blue out to the offwhite,is the colors of the ocean in vacation pics I took,the offwhite is ofcourse sand.The inner colors are photos of the sunrise and sunset with a few beach colors thrown in.

Sonic and Krispy Kreme Day...

Today was Sonic and Krispy Kreme Day.It was beautiful outside and a great day for driving around.Look for the picture where you can see the roller skates of the waitress that delivers our food.I love Sonic,it's so nostalgic as it reminds me of when I was a kid.You park in a drive up,press the red button when you're ready to order and a waitress roller skates your order to your car window.On another post I have pics of one of our Krispy Kreme trips.These are big deals to us since we have to drive quite a ways on 95 on a weekend,which is a feat in itself. :) So,we try to do it every couple of months and more often in the summer.

Sour Cream Banana Cake...

Now,the best recipes are the ones passed down and you can always tell the best ones used over and over when the page is spotted with stains of ingredients.This recipe page was one that my mother in law used from a book she had for a long time.You can start your own traditions even in a new book,anything your kids remember you making as a special food and years later,they'll look at that recipe and it goes on and on.I as I usually do have altered a couple of things,so I'll add the alterations under the original cake recipe.

Sour Cream Banana Cake

1/4 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt(I never use full amt.)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed bananas(I use 3 really ripe ones)
1/2 cup chopped pecans(optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs and vanilla,blend thoroughly.Combine flour,baking powder,soda and salt.Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream,beginning and ending with dry ingredients.Add bananas and pecans,mixing until just blended.

Spoon batter into a greased and floured 13x9x2 inch pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.Mine gets done around 35.Cool and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Alterations of my recipe...
I use 1 cup of white sugar and 1/3 cup of brown sugar,instead of 1 1/3 cup of white sugar and I add 1 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) box of powdered sugar
1 (4 oz) cream cheese (recipe calls for the whole 8 oz)
1 stick of softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 -3 tablespoons milk

You can use half a stick of butter,but I add the whole thing and after it's mixed up I add a little powdered sugar to thicken it up.Just a little bit at a time,though.

The photo above is telling you why I got inspired to cook an old recipe today,just seeing the ginger,cocoa,sugars,cloves,molasses and corn syrup.I had to do it,I had to pull out an old recipe for the day.I am going to make some gingerbread this week,the banana bread aroma filled the house,but that gingerbread is so so so my favorite smell.

July Morning and Weekend...

COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE

I love our Little Molly...

I had to redo some of my plants today,as they are growing so well in the summer,they needed to be in bigger flowerpots.You can tell some I did,because the clay is still wet.

I was rummaging around and found my little ladybug twinklelights,so they had to come up.

Okay,can you Find The Little Bunny...hee hee

Click on the photos to enlarge...

June Things...

I've been making some July 4th things for around the house,finished one americana washcloth and started the other.Plus a little colorful afghan I've started,I'm just all about color lately.
As usual Molly is loving my yarn and wherever there's yarn,she'll be laying on it or next to it. :)

The baby bunnies are running around and we caught one of them peeping at us from within the flower bed in front yard.

I needed a couch cover and goodness they are expensive.I started looking around,found this King Size Egyptian Cotton bedspread,$25 at Target...Yay!!!

Yarn Yarn Yarn

I went to Joanne's today to pick up some yarn and saw that a container I've wanted for some time,but was too much,was on sale.Yay!!!So,I got my daughter one for her writings and me one for what I'm working on and can just carry it around with me. I wanted to also show you a pic of a 9 point afghan I've started,just testing to see how I'd like it.I like it,it reminds me of ice cream,a great summer afghan.

9 point afghan round Ripple

Beg:
CH 4 and join with a SL ST to form a loop.
Row 1:
CH4 (to stand as 1DC and CH1) *1DC into loop, CH1*, Repeat * to * 7 times more. Join
with a SL ST into 3rd CH.
Row 2:
SL ST into first SP, CH3, 1DC into same SP, *CH2, 2DC into next CH SP*, Repeat * to *
7 times more, CH2, Join with a SL ST as before.
Row 3:
SL ST into next DC and into next SP, CH3, 1DC, CH2, 2DC into the same SP, [2DC, CH2,
2DC] (Shell made) into each SP to end of the row. Join as before.
Row 4:
SL ST into next DC, CH3, Shell into next SP, 1DC into next DC, *SK next 2DC, 1DC into
next DC, Shell into next SP, 1DC into next DC* repeat * to * to end of row. Join as
before.
Row 4 forms pattern so repeat this row as many times as you need to,if it starts to not lay flat, then do a round with just 1DC, CH2, 1DC into the point.I use my trusty old G size hook,but you can use whatever size hook you want.

June Things to do..

Johnny Rockets...

We went to eat at a really neat restaurant today,Johnny Rockets.It's decked out in a 50's style decor.We caught it at a good time,weekday,between lunch and dinner.On the weekends,it's packed.It was such a novelty to go there,but the thing is,it was clean with good food.It was fun,reminded me of the old fountains where when I was a kid would get a grilled cheese sandwich,fries and hot fudge sundae.Today I got the same thing,except a chocolate malt,mm.I had to take pictures of it,so when some customers had left,I quickly grabbed some pics. :) It made me want to start collecting 50's red chairs,appliances and some more kitchen accessories,fun.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php