Sour Cream Banana Bars

Sour Cream Banana Bars

1 1/2 C. white sugar

1. c. sour cream

1/2 c. butter/margarine (softened)

2 eggs

******MIX******

1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (Usually about 3)

2 tsp. vanilla

******MIX******

2 c. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

******MIX*****

This recipe can be used in either a 9x13 pan or jelly roll cooking sheet.

Grease your pan.

BAKE@@ at 375 for 20-23 minutes

(OR till the top begins to get golden brown)

Browned Butter Glaze

1/4 c. butter

*******HEAT in pan till golden brown*******

Then, remove from heat and add:

2 c. Powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 tBs Milk

use whisk to beat till smooth.  Immediately pour onto banana bars and spread evenly.

These are great with a tall glass of milk!

Brynn's Secrets/Tips

*I prefer to use yellow bananas, not sure why, but I like the "blonder" bar.  You can use any ripe banana though...

*For the glaze, use real butter, the flavor is MUCH better.

*I usually end up baking them at about 20 minutes, I like to take them out just BEFORE they start to turn golden.  It Makes the bars a little more dense.

*I prefer this recipe on a jelly roll cookie sheet.  I like the size of the bars better and the glaze is "just" enough.

*If you dont want the little "brown" thingys in your bar, remove the seeds from your bananas.

(PICTURES SOON TO COME)

THEY WERE EATEN TOO FAST SO I COULDN'T SNAP A PHOTO!!! :)

Who Likes Snickerdoodles?!?

Snickerdoodles!

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

****************************

2 tablespoons white sugar         

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

**Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

**Mix together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups of white sugar until smooth (Very Important).

**Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each.

**Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the batter until blended.

**Roll the dough into balls the size of small walnuts.(I make mine slightly larger:))

**Roll in a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

**Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

**Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Brynn's tips & secrets!

*These cookies are hard to know when they are done, like sugar cookies, if you wait till they are brown, they will be crunchy, which some people like.  If you want them more chewy, you want to take them out just before they start to brown.  Sometimes this takes some trial and error practice with your oven.

*If you do NOT want the bottoms of your cookies to be kind of crunchy, then do NOT roll the bottoms of your cookies in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

*Make sure that they have the "signiture" snickerdoodle look. (Meaning a crackled look on top)---see photo

CREPES!

Strawberry Crepes

**1 1/2 c. flour

**1 tBs Sugar

**1/2 tsp baking powder

**1/2 tsp salt

2 c. Milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp Vanilla

2tBs butter, melted.

** Do First

Add the first 4 dry ingredients together, mix well.  Then add your liquids.  Batter should be runny.  In a frying pan, griddle, or pan of your choice, grease bottom of pan, heat between 4-5.  Pour your batter into a circle(like a pancake) and help it spread to be a thin circle.  These do not NEED to brown in order to be done, keep a close eye on them. 

Other ingredients: 

Diced fruit (I prefer strawberries and bananas) but you can do this with ANY fruit.

 --I usually add a little bit of white sugar to my fruit and stir it up!

Whipped Cream

--I usually make mine from scratch, I think it tastes better!

Powdered sugar (if desired.)

Softened butter

Assembly Instructions:

First, lay out your fresh hot crepe.  Spread a small amount of butter over crepe, and either sprinkle powdered sugar or white sugar over it, then add your fruit.  Next, add a dollop of whipped cream, and roll up!  Add a few more spoonfuls of fruit and whipped topping on top and you are SET!  Enjoy!

This Recipe makes about 12 crepes.

Salsa and More Salsa!

I like to say,  Salsa.

Over the break, Ricky's parents were able to make it up for a nice visit.  Of course, we decided to make Mexican one night, and I had to snag some photos of the salsa. 

Here are some tips when making fresh salsa:

*Be sure to use a nice, sharp knife when dicing ingredients

*The smaller you are able to dice & chop everything, the better.

*Using a food processor WILL work, but the texture is not the same.  If you have the time, chop by hand.

*Be careful when dicing Jalapeños, to not touch the seeds(that is the hottest part) or itch your eyes.

Recipe soon to come!

Free Giveaway @ Strawberry Pearl Studios!

Hey Everyone, Check this Out!

I love Lacey and everything she creates!  She has done a lot of things for me, and I think she is fabulous!  Her studio is having a giveaway, and thought you all might be interested!!!

Check out the link below!

http://strawberrypearlstudios.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-year-giveaway.html

Fast, Easy, Semi-Homemade Meal in Minutes!

Bear Creek Soup(My new found love!)

SO I am sure that a lot of you have heard of the soup mix brand called "Bear Creek."  And if you haven't, well continue to read.  I have recently discovered the simplicity of these soups and how you can make them taste "homemade." 

In my pressure cooker I add 1 Bear Creek soup mix and 8-10 cups of water. 

(Here is where the fun begins)

Then, I add anything else I would like to supplement the soup with.  For example, chopped carrots, can of peas, celery, potatoes, meat, etc.....to give it a more "hearty" consistency. 

Pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with quick pressure release and WALLLLA dinner is DONE! 

DONE!!!

OF course soup is always great with a nice fluffy roll to go with it!

(bread recipes soon to come!)

My Tips & Secrets!

And of course add a dollop of my favorite ingredient for nearly EVERYTHING, sour cream, 15 minutes before serving. 

Add a few more spices to make up for the extra ingredients you add.

If you have a chicken or beef base soup, add some extra bouillon cubes for flavor.

These soups work out great for leftover roast or chicken.  Just shred and add to the soup!

Perfect Sugar Cookie

Soft Roll Out Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

**Cream shortening, butter and sugar REALLY well.

**Add eggs and vanilla; mix.

**Add dry ingredients

Bake @ 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Tips & Secrets!

*With sugar cookies, you want to cook them just before they start to brown, in other words, you don't want them browned at all.  They will still be cooked all the way through.  So keep a close eye, you may have to run a batch for experimental purposes only.  Every oven cooks differently.

*CREAM CREAM CREAM, this is a VERY important step.

*Chill dough for at least 45-60 minutes if you plan to roll out.

*Roll out on a very floured surface to your desired thickness.