New Recipe Day!

Today I woke up and decided it was the day to try a new recipe.  Like most people I have tons of recipes saved on Pinterest, waiting for me to try them...  most of them are only saved on my Board because of the perfect picture! :) They say a picture is worth a thousand words... well, today was the day to find out if the recipe I saved for Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting, were as scrumptious as the picture made them appear!  This recipe came from LifeSimpleMeasures, who tweaked it just slightly.

The Brown Butter Frosting is what makes these bars special.  They stand out to your taste buds all because of the brown butter flavor which is rich, almost like a homemade caramel or brown sugar taste... mmmm.... the banana bread bar is dense and perfect in my opinion.  I will say that my frosting hardened quickly.  Like, I wasn't sure I would be able to spread it on the bars.  But with a nice spatula and sticking them back in the oven to help melt the frosting... ta da!!  Here are my Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting:




Banana Bread Bars+Brown Butter Frosting
What you will need:

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed (I used 4)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

a special little helper (see picture to follow)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan--I used a cookie sheet (same thing?)

I fold a paper towel and swipe it through my Crisco, then spread! No slimy hands.

 In a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts (I skipped this step).

Posing with my bananas...

This seriously grossed me out.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately. Well, this was my first time to ever "brown" butter...so, I got nervous, removed it from the heat a little too early, then stuck it back over the burner to get darker...  this may be why my frosting hardened so quickly?  I don't know!

my frosting in the saucepan. It really thickened and hardened FAST.

Just frosted.

Ta-Da!!!  And, do you see that adorable baby in the background? : )

Just know--these are not good to make if you are starting a diet.  Also, try not to eat too many before bed... you may wake up in the night with a tummy ache... not that I would know.
We would love to know how you like this recipe. So, if you try these delicious bars let us know how you like them!!!

Lookin For Junk In All The Right Places...

…have we ever told you how much we truly love junk? I mean, really. There is something about walking up to a thrift store, or a barn sale, or a flea market- that absolutely makes our hearts sing. The chippier, the dirtier, the more junky- the better. Jules and I have been gearing up talking about participating in Denison’s annual Fall Festival this year (that’s right ladies and gents- be on the lookout, re-fabulous comin to a town near you!), so since I was off work today we decided it would be the perfect day to do a little of what I like to call  junkin’. Now folks, this wasn’t just some ordinary junk barn. Oh no. This was the real deal. We set out lookin for the perfect projects, and honey, we FOUND THEM. Gems… DIAMONDS, just sittin in the Texas dirt, waiting for us to come pick them up and love them. After about three hours of walking around literally praying for good deals, floating on cloud nine, and just about dying of dehydration in this heat- we went up front, totaled our haul, loaded the jeep up and had to go back to get the truck so we could take two loads home. Days like these are just good for the soul. Enough talk- lets get to the pictures.

 

This is what true love looks like.

 

Headin home with our goodies.. let the fun begin!

-Dani :)