Chocolate Lover's Banana Bread

When the guys are around, this bread disappears right before my eyes!

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until mixed. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for 60-70 minutes.

Peanut Butter Krispies

Grab the kids, tie on the aprons and have fun in the kitchen with this simple recipe.  Surprise dad when he gets home from work with treats made with love.

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies 

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

One 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (milk or semi)

4 oz. white chocolate or almond bark

Nuts, coconut and sprinkles are optional (kids love sprinkles)

Mix powdered sugar and powdered milk thoroughly.  Add peanut butter and softened butter.  Stir in Rice Krispies.  With a little powdered sugar on your hands form the rice krispies into walnut size balls.  Place on a cookie sheet and freeze.  In a double boiler melt chocolate.  Insert a wooden skewer into the peanut butter krispies and dip in the chocolate until fully coated.  The more fun you have the bigger the mess will be.  Let the kids dip the balls in the chocolate and then dip in bowls full of sprinkles, nuts or coconut.  Place them on wax paper to dry.  When the chocolate has dried you can melt the white chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the cookies. You can also use a squeeze bottle to decorate the cookies with the melted white chocolate.  (You can buy squeeze bottles in the wedding section of Walmart)  My family loves these cookies frozen.

Paper Doll Quilt Pattern "Vacation"

       Paper Doll Quilt Pattern "Vacation".  Download the pattern HERE at Parties and Patterns.

Emily's Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Emily's Peanut Butter Kisses

What You Will Need:

48 Hershey’s Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Granulated sugar

Putting It All Together:

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Everyone loves Emily's Kisses!!!!!!!

Heath Bar Chocolate Trifle

Heath Bar 

Chocolate Trifle

One 9x13 pan of baked brownies cut into small squares
One 6 oz. package instant chocolate pudding
One 8 oz container  Cool Whip + 1 cup (if desired to garnish the top)
One package of mini Heath Bars (broken into small pieces--you can use a mallet to break up the candy bars).

Make the chocolate pudding according to package directions. Fold cool whip into the chocolate pudding.   In a large glass dessert bowl layer the brownies, pudding, Heath Bar. Repeat layers and top with  cool whip if desired. Garnish with small Heath Bars.

This recipe is great for parties, get-together s, and showers--we make it for practically every shower that we have! For more great ideas on throwing a shower, you can download invitations, games, favors, and ideas HERE.

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Music Quilt Patterns "Guitar"

Music Quilt Patterns "Guitar".  

I made this quilt for my son for Christmas who loves music and loves his guitars.  He was thrilled and couldn't wait to take it to college with him.  The quilt fits on a twin size bed.  You can download this music quilt pattern  

HERE on the Parties and Patterns website.  All quilt pattern packets come with full instructions and patterns, you simply download from your computer.

Oreo Balls

Fun and festive treats for any party, baby shower or occasion.  Have fun with different colors!  Be careful to not let your family know you are making them.  They disappear quickly.

        1 package oreo cookies
        One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

In your blender, blend the oreo cookies until they are really fine.  In a mixing bowl stir the cookies and cream cheese together until well blended.  Roll into balls the size of a walnut and refrigerate on a cookie sheet for a couple of hours.

        16 oz. of almond bark or white chocolate
        1 tbsp. shortening
        Food coloring (optional)
        Skewer sticks

Melt the almond bark and shortening together in a double boiler until melted.  Watch it so it melts but does not get too hot.   Be careful to not let any water get on the chocolate.  Add food coloring if desired.  If you are making white balls and colored balls then coat the white balls first and then add food coloring for the remaining balls.

        To coat the oreo balls in chocolate, carefully insert the pointed end of a skewer stick into a ball.  Dip the ball into the melted chocolate to coat.  Shake the ball gently as you rotate it to remove any excess chocolate.  With the skewer still in the oreo ball stick the other end of the skewer into a cup full of uncooked rice until the balls have set and hardened.  Serve them on the skewer or when the chocolate has hardened, gently twist and pull the stick out of the oreo ball.  Serve and enjoy.  My family loves to eat them frozen.

Pillowcase Patterns "Monster Truck"

Pillowcase Pattern "Monster Truck".  The pillowcase whips up quickly and will brighten up your little boy's room.  It is perfect for any boy that loves trucks.  I'm excited to give this to my grandson who is crazy about grandpa's truck.  

You can download this pillowcase pattern HERE at Parties and Patterns.

Delicious Homemade Bread

3 cups warm water
2 tbsp. Yeast

1/3 cup honey or 1/3 cup agave

5 cups flour

In a large bread bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. sugar over yeast.  Add 1/3 cup honey (or agave) and 5 cups of flour. Mix until blended. Cover with a dish towel and let sit until big and bubbly for about 30 minutes.

3 tbsp. dough enhancer (optional)

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1/3 cup honey or agave

1 tbsp. salt

3 ½ cups flour

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Add dough enhancer (optional), 3 tbsps. melted butter, salt, 1/3 cup honey and flour one cup at a time. Add flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If you add too much flour your dough will be too stiff. Knead for 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a buttered bowl. Butter dough with 2 tbsp. melted butter so that

it does not dry out. Cover dough and let rise until triple in bulk in a warm place.

Punch dough down and divide into 3 balls. Form balls into loaves of bread and place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover pans with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until 1” above pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not over bake. Brush the tops of the bread with butter, remove from pans and let cool. Fresh bread right out of the oven is hard to resist.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Short Cake Trifle

1 frozen pound cake, cut into small squares

1 qt. fresh strawberries cut into slices

1 pt. raspberries

One 16 oz. container of Cool  Whip

In a large glass dessert dish layer the pound cake, strawberries, raspberries and Cool Whip.  Repeat layers ending with the Cool Whip.  Garnish with a strawberry and some raspberries.

For the full Polka Dot Posy Bridal Shower instructions and printouts click HERE.

CARD TABLE PLAYHOUSE PATTERN "SERVICE GARAGE"

Card Table Playhouse Pattern "Service Garage".  This service garage is the latest in our collection of card table playhouse patterns.  Kids love the removable tools and gas pump because it creates realistic play. Moms love this card table playhouse because their kids disappear for hours. This playhouse fits over a standard size card table. 
You can download this pattern HERE along with many other great ideas for kids at
 Parties and Patterns.