Frozen Chocolate and Almond Covered Bananas

This recipe was my own however it was inspired by The Sleepover Cookbook. This is very kid friendly and fun to make! and also very very simple but the result (if dont right) could look gorgeous! mine didnt turn out super pretty but hey no big deal there for eating not for looking :) ok well all you need is:

1 pkg. chocolate chips (any kind works i used semi-sweet)
1 c. water
1 pkg. chopped almonds (peanuts, walnuts, any kind of nut you like, hey even coconut)
2-3 bananas


-cut up bananas into 1 inch pieces
-poor chopped nuts onto a place or a sheet of waxed paper
-put hot water in the bottom of a double boiler (if you dont have one thats ok put it in a saucepan but you need 2 about equal size the place onto of eachother or just a stainless steel bowl)
-place chocolate chips into the other bowl of choice
-after water is boiling turn off heat and stir the chocolate chips until melted
-dip banana pieces into chocolate then roll in nuts
-place a tooth pick in each banana and place on baking sheet coved in waxed paper
-freeze for 1 hour
-ENJOY!

these are incredible and great for a some-what healthy snack on a hot summer day. if your or you family like bananas they will LOVE these! they only take a total of about an hour and a half so you can enjoy them quickly! if you like getting your hands messy in baking this is a must try for you!

Tip of the day: go out and find an apron that you love and cant live with out! it will inspire you to want to cook and also want to wear it while cooking and bonus you wont get as messy! some people may think there silly and i used to agree until i found my polka-dot apron! they are pretty cheap and will keep your more expense clothes clean!

Original Coffee Cake

This recipe comes from a family cookbook i have and was donated by Anyssa Campbell-Espinoza so thank you for the recipe :) Even though it is still the first day and i already made Shortbread cookies i decided to make this coffee cake because to be honest i just really wanted to bake more and it puts me in a better mood, releases bad energy. and so the recipe for this evening:

2 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

-mix together butter, sugar and egg
-add milk
-combined dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture

Topping

2 T. butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. flour
1 t. cinnamon

-mix together
-sprinkle on top of cake batter
-bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25min in greased glass 9x9 pan.

drum roll please...wow surprisingly i am 2 for 2 this evening it was great! very moist and buttery! and i am not going to lie very unexpected it is a family recipe and you never know how those are going to turn out :P but im sorry to doubt you Anyssa it was spectacular to say the least. the appeance was not the because because of the fact that the cinnamon topping made holes in the top of the cake but it was still incredible and this is not only coming from me but my family as well!

Tip of the day: Dont i repeat dont touch the pan after if comes out of the oven, yes it is hot even for the slightest second. dont try to turn it with your fingers or even to see how warm the cake is. just leave it alone and everything will turn out just great without you burning your finger in the process. trust me on this one it hurts to touch!

The Classic Shortbread

For my first day i decided to make shortbread cookies. keep in mind i have never made them previous to this day. the recipe i used was from Mary Engelbreit's Cookies Cookbook:

1 c. unsalted butter; room temp
2/3 c. powdered sugar; sifted
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
2 c. all-purpose flour

-Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt. gradually beat in flour
-divide dough into 3 pieces, shape as a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, put in fridge for 45min
-preheat oven to 325 degrees F
-place one piece of dough between floured plastic wrap. roll out 8in round. Cut into 12 equal pie pieces. create desired pattern with a fork (or just mess around with a fork till you think it looks good). repeat for the other pieces of dough.
-bake for 15 min or until edges are lightly golden. let cool.
-ENJOY!

The long awaited answer....how did it taste...Great! if you like shortbread this is a great recipe to try! They were flaky yet moist at the same time a delicious combination when making and eating shortbread! However they are a little tricky to actually bake. I chose to use a mold instead of cutting into the triangles because that way i knew they would be more uniform. However if you do not have a mold the triangles would work and turn out just the same just try and make sure they are atleast 1/4 in think or they will turn out very thin. All in all a very successful first bake i thought :)

Tip of the day: you have to love the clean up just as much as you love the baking or you will always have a dirty kitchen...if you dont (and i certainly dont) then find a great man who will clean up after you, or a willing mother :) both work