Mmm-Mmm Mondays: Last Minute Strawberry Shortcake

I know I've got a winner recipe when my kids taste it and say, "Mom, you should put this on your blog!"  This super quick and easy Strawberry Shortcake was one my daughter and I thought up as a last minute dessert for our family night. 

 15-Minute Strawberry Shortcake

 1 can of large refrigerator biscuits (we used butter-flavored)

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

strawberry jam

Directions: Bake biscuits as directed on can.  Mix pudding as directed on box. Open jar of jam like your common sense tells you to. Cut each biscuit in half, then put pudding and jam on top.  Couldn't be simpler, right?

Everyone in my family loved the way this tasted, and I loved how easy it was to put together--      only 15 minutes total!!

Mmm-Mmm Mondays: Frosted Banana Bars

Whenever I get burned out on the domestic-baking side of my life, I go out in search of a fabulous blog with awesome new recipes to experiment with.  I was not disappointed when I found this little gem.  Send some blogging-love over to Kentucky Girl, because she's got some really good recipes you'll want to try.  I know I'll be making this one for my kids after-school snack today.

FROSTED BANANA BARS

(source: allrecipes.com)

(the following is for the actual bars. cream cheese frosting recipe will follow below)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar 

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (which is roughly 2 large bananas)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. (I wanted to save myself a bit of clean up time so I just lined my pan with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed it with cooking spray.)

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

5. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla.

6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Once combined stir this into the batter mixture.

7. Mix in the mashed bananas.

8. Spread evenly onto the prepared pan.

9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (at 350 degrees) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

10. Allow bars to cool before frosting. 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

(the original recipe suggests using store bought frosting but I'm not a big fan of store bought frosting but you do have that option if you prefer it. You can use any cream cheese frosting recipe you have....below is the one I used.)

***This frosting is courtesy of one of the reviewers of the banana bars on allrecipes.com. Thanks Laura Jean for the suggestion!***



1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
splash of milk (just enough to thin out the frosting)



1. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Mix in a splash of milk (enough to just thin it out).
4. Frost the banana bars once they have cooled (again, frosting the bars is optional)


You can store these in the refrigerator and they're great cold!

Thanks again, Kentucky Girl, for sharing this delish recipe with us today. I mean, really. Who doesn't love the welcoming smell of homemade banana bread when you come in the door? 

Making Memories: Recipe for Play-dough Day!

 Lately it seems like life is flying by so fast! I feel like I need to slow down and enjoy those little moments everyday with my children.  So I decided to make our Thursdays a Play-doh Day! We clean off the kitchen counter, gather ingredients, make homemade play-doh, then spend the next hour or so getting creative with our hands.  You'd be surprised at the age range of children (and adults) that can't resist a huge glob of the stuff.  

This recipe is quick and easy, and so fun to do with kids or grandkids!

What you need:   

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup salt (any kind will work)

2 envelopes Kool-aid (your choice of color)

3 T. oil

2 cups boiling water (if it isn't hot enough, the dough gets too sticky to work with)

Mix dry ingredients together in mixing bowl.

Add boiling water and oil. 

Mix together until dough pulls away from sides and forms a ball.

Put onto the counter and knead by hand until smooth.  My little guy is checking to see if it's cooled off enough to play with!

Is that easy or what?  Now get out those ingredients and make some memories!

Mmm-Mmm Mondays: Back-to-School Breadsticks

• My kiddos and I had so much fun making this recipe--and it was educational, too!  So easy with only 3 ingredients and keeps the kids busy for at least 30 minutes.  All I can say is it was worth the mess!

 Here is all you need for the fun to begin!

• • 1 Loaf RHODES Bread Dough, thawed but still cold
  • 1 egg, beaten or melted butter
  • coarse salt, sugar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or parmesan cheese and garlic salt

• coarse sugar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or parmesan cheese and garlic salt

Added To Shopping List!

With a knife or scissors, cut thawed loaves into 4 long strips.

 

 Roll each piece into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter and form letters by cutting and overlapping where necessary.  

 

Place letters on a sprayed baking sheet. Brush with egg or melted butter. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap.

Let rise 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse sugar ,seeds or parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Bake at

350 deg. F 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Now wasn't that easy?  Not only did my preschooler get to practice his alphabet, but we also made some great memories that my children will never forget.

Mmm-Mmm Monday: Easy Toffee Treat

Hi my friends! Sorry I'm a little late today--just trying to get in those last magical memories of summer before the kiddos go back to school this week!
And now onto the sugar rush....I first had these yummy treats about a decade ago at my sister-in-law's house.  I was thrilled last week when I saw the recipe posted on C.R.A.F.T.  A perfect recipe to do with kiddos, I had to try it!  It is so simple to do, and takes just a few minutes to bake.

Ingredients

4 ounces saltine crackers 1 cup butter 1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup toffee chips

4 ounces saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup toffee chips

Melt butter and brown sugar together in saucepan. Bring to boil, then boil for 3 minutes.

Pour butter mixture over saltines that are laid out on cookie sheet. Spread evenly over crackers.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers and let sit for 5 minutes.  Spread over crackers and swirl a little, just for fun!

Sprinkle toffee pieces over the chocolate.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, then break up into pieces.  

I think I gained 5 pounds last week from the chocolate-toffee-buttery-goodness.  Gonna have to run a few extra miles this week to make up for it!

Mmm-Mmm Monday: Wacky Watermelon

Did you know that August 3rd was National Watermelon Day?  I guess I missed the "watermelon boat" on that one this year!!  But designated day or not, we are always watermelon fiends at my house, and we eat it several times a week during the summer. 

One summer day I thought, let's get a little wacky with it and cut some up with cookie cutters.  Let me tell you, it is so much faster to make watermelon cookies than sugar cookies, there is a lot less mess, and it is still super fun for the kiddos!  Here's what we tried this time....

While we were eating, one of my kids said, "Hey, Mom, these are really cool.  You should put them on your blog!"  Children don't miss much, do they?

Mmm-Mmm-Monday: Butterflies and Caterpillars for Dinner??

 No, we're not eating this for dinner! 

Does this look more appetizing?!

One of my kids' favorite meals is a combination of Rotini (caterpillars) and Farfalle (butterflies). Just cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. 

  

 We eat our meal pasta-bar style, with several different toppings 

( I use 3 sauces, chopped ham or chicken, peas, broccoli, cheese and butter).  

Kids love using their imaginations to make their own pasta creation. If you know any picky eaters this is a fun and easy meal they are sure to enjoy!




Oh, by the way......

Today I'm announcing a fabulous ShadowCase Giveaway with Kelsey over at Vanilla Joy.  If you have always wanted one, this is your chance--it's so easy to enter.  Just head over HERE to learn how to enter and see what they've created with their ShadowCases.   
Good luck to all my awesome readers!

Cool off Kiddos with Applesauce Popsicles

In our family, we are always on the look-out for healthier alternatives for kids snacks.  I can't take the credit for this one--my 12-yr-old invented "Popplesauce-icles". Super easy for kids to make, and moms can feel good about giving their kids this 

tasty summer treat.  

 Popsicle molds are getting ever more popular these days--you can find them in your local grocery store or look online for lots more creative styles!

We filled these with unsweetened applesauce, but cinnamon applesauce is also yummy.

Just pop the tops on and freeze for a few hours...

Cooling off with a Popplesauce-icle in the backyard!