Picture yourself happy inside a cold oven - then in the blink of an eye the oven goes from cold to 350 degrees - and the door is slammed shut, locked tight and you can't get out. That my friends is what a hot flash is like. The mister and I were driving down the road, he's yammering about his latest deal at work and I'm pretending to listen. All is going swimmingly until I find myself in that oven, being cooked to death. I turn the air vents to blow onto my face but the mister has the air coming out the floor vents...I change it so the air will blow on me and explain that I feel like a scud missile has just exploded in my head and, in my nicest, sweetest voice I tell him to BACK OFF! (Side effects to hot flashes may include violent outbursts, verbal diarrhea, excessive sweating, and sanity issues; doctor consultation is advised.) The mister cannot leave well enough alone...not only does he smirk, he continues to blather on only now he tells me that, "IT'S A WELL DOCUMENTED FACT THAT COLD AIR ON YOUR ANKLES MAKES YOUR ENTIRE BODY COOLER." Has anyone ever heard of this?!?!? Documented?? Where?? The mister has an aversion to air blowing directly in his face - which is funny as he has no problem dispensing hot air...which is even funnier because his core body temperature is a constant 66.6 degrees. (666...need I say more?) The upshot is this...cold air on the ankles makes your ankles cold and cold ankles, in the middle of a hot flash will only tick you off even more - if that's possible and yes, it's very weird that someone as YOUNG as me can have hot flashes - thank you for thinking that!
Banana Bars are the ultimate de-stresser...comfort food in a single bite. It doesn't matter what your body temperature is either, hot, cold or embalmed, these banana bars are the perfect food. Perfect. As in 5 dangs...because folks, these are, with out a doubt, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good.
This recipe is my mom's and she makes these for almost every family gathering. But you'll never see them there - they disappear the minute they're put out. They are so good, the banana flavor really shines plus they have a cream cheese frosting. Yes, thought you might like that!
Banana Bars - From The Best Mom in the World, Carol Wagner
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 package cream cheese (8 oz.) softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan**. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bars test done when a toothpick is inserted into the center. Cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat well. Spread over pan. Cut into bars. Yield: 2 to 3 dozen bars, depending on how big you cut them. IF you have any bars that are not eaten right away, keep in refrigerator.
**If you don't have a 15x10x1-inch baking pan you can use a 9x13-inch baking pan - but the bars will be thicker and will require a bit longer baking time. The advantage to using the right size pan is the bars will seem more like bars, not cake. Using a larger baking sheet will make the bars too thin, too skimpy and really, why would you bother?
"Nothing is politically right that is morally wrong." ~ Abraham Lincoln
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One year ago today: Sloppy Joes (I just reread this post and I'd like to report that this past weekend, once again, the yuppies in my neighborhood dragged their kidlets and their NEW tents to camp in the neighborhood park - behind my house...they take their kids camping in a neighborhood park!!! At 5:00 am the little ones wake up asking to go potty...POTTY! All I'm saying here is a person should not be wakened with a kid screaming he has to pee!)
