Black-Bottom Banana Bars

When the weather gets cold, I want to bake. What is it about a chilly autumn day that does that to me? Dylan and I tried a new banana bread recipe, and it turned out so well we thought we'd share.

Black-Bottom Banana Bars

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C baking cocoa

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half and spread it into a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen

Tagged

Annie tagged me, so here goes...

I am...April Nyman Larsen
I know...I need to spend more quality time with Izzy and Dylan.
I want...my car to be paid off.
I wish...I lived closer to my sisters.
I had...never eaten pesto until I married Luke.
I hate...being cold.
I miss...being cool.
I fear...something terrible happening to someone I love.
I feel...so grateful to be a mom!
I hear...cartoons.
I smell...black bottom banana bars baking in my oven.
I crave...pork salads from Cafe Rio.
I search...for my phone almost every day.
I wonder...what babies think before they know words.
I regret...not finishing college.
I love...Saturday nights with my kids.
I care...about my friends.
I always...have somewhere to be--I can hardly wait for a break during the holidays!
I am not...a good swimmer.
I believe...everything happens for a reason.
I could...work on being more organized.
I dance...almost every day. What a great job!
I sing...never. I even mouth the words at church just to make sure nobody hears me.
I don't always...make my bed.
I write...short stories.
I win...at Scrabble.
I lose...at trivia games.
I never...get in fights.
I never listen...to people who whine.
I can usually be found...at the Treehouse.
I am scared of...spiders.
I need...diet coke.
I am happy about...gas prices going down!

I tag anyone who is reading this. I am interested to see what your answers are!

Snow Day

It started snowing late last night, and it hasn't stopped yet. I just took a yardstick outside, and it looks like we have just over 7 inches of new snow. The kids were thrilled!

Until Dylan fell down...

I guess this means it's time to get some snow gear. And flannel sheets!

One More...

So sorry--I couldn't help posting this photo. In the video on my last post, you can't really see how cute the kids look. I shot the video with our regular camera, and I know it's pretty rough. Luke just sent this from work, though, and I love that I can see their darling faces.

Little Bears

Thanks to Luke for a fun night at the Jazz game. I think the little bears were the highlight, although I may have a biased opinion due to the fact that Izzy is the tallest little bear, and Dylan is the littlest little bear. Getting up in front of over 20,000 people is a hard thing for anyone, let alone a 7 or 4-year old. I was so proud of both of them!

Halloween 2008

Halloween started last Saturday at the annual "Boo at the Zoo", and then just kept on going. I have to admit, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, and this one seemed to drag out for. ev. er. The kids were wound up so tight! It was almost like they lost their minds for a week. However, it was a lot of fun to see them get dressed up and have fun. Here are a few pictures:

Boo at the Zoo

Dylan's preschool program. All of his little friends looked so cute and did such a good job singing. Dylan had to ditch his costume to go out to the playground, though. He was melting.

Isabelle had a costume parade at her school. My favorite was the kid who dressed up as the Geico caveman in tennis clothes. Hairy legs and all. I tried to get a photo, but no luck. It was a really funny costume!

Luke and I grabbed a quick picture after we got home from the trunk or treat at the church so we could go hit a few houses on our street. As we were leaving, it started to rain just a little bit, but that didn't bother the kids. They were all about the candy.

I thought this was a cute picture of them trick or treating at Bob and Dana's. It might be the only time Dylan looks wider than Izzy in his life!

The night ended with Luke trying to pull out Izzy's loose tooth. Several attempts were made, but the tooth is still there.

It's been a fun Halloween, and we are looking forward to the holidays. Halloween seems to be the kick-off to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the other fun stuff that comes with the end of the year. What a fun time!

Pumpkin Patch

This is the first year we have gone to a real pumpkin patch to choose pumpkins. Dylan really had his heart set on it. We got there when the pickins were pretty slim, but Izzy and Dylan both had a great time. The people who owned the place were very sweet, and we will definately go back next year.

You can guess for yourself why the kids thought this pumpkin was funny.