Chocolate Trifle Dessert Plus More Ideas for your Home

Here it is...One of the easiest elegant desserts
I know how to make! You can too!

Impress your guests with this "Chocolate Trifle
Dessert" We had it at our annual Christmas Party
& people were coming back for 2nds & 3rds...Yahoo!!...
I love it when people are eating, laughing, having a
great time...making wonderful memories...
(it was our 20th yr.) We have the best friends!!!
We feel so blessed....

It looks the best in a Trifle Bowl such as this
because you can see the layers better. You can get
the bowl @ Target, Walmart (places like that)

It's a really easy/fast recipe...so I wanted to
share it with all of you...Merry Christmas!

Recipe
1 pkg. Brownie mix
1 6oz. pkg. Chocolate Instant Pudding (Sugar Free)
(it's what I had on hand)
1 6oz. pkg. Vanilla Instant Pudding (Sugar Free)
(again it's what I had on hand)
3 Baby Ruth candy bars (sliced)
3 Heath candy bars (broken in pieces)
1 12oz. Cool Whip & 1 8oz. Cool Whip (or 2 8oz.)

Make brownies according to pkg. direction (set aside)

Make Chocolate Instant Pudding according to pkg.
(pour 1/2 into bottom of Trifle bowl to make
bottom layer)

Break up (in your hands) cooled brownies & put
1/2 on top of Chocolate pudding

Top that with 10oz. of Cool Whip
Put the rest of the Chocolate Pudding on top
of Cool Whip layer

Put (crushed or broken pieces of Heath bar) for
next layer (It won't cover all...that's OK)

Make Vanilla Instant Pudding (according to
pkg.) & put all of it in bowl as the next layer

Next...put (sliced) Baby Ruth Candy bars as the
next layer...Put the rest of the crumbled brownies
on top of that.....

Finish with the rest of the Cool Whip & put a
Christmas Flower on top & refrigerate for 3hrs.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

In the photo below is the easiest way to dress

up kitchen stools for the holidays....Just measure

across the top of the stool add a few inches to the

circle (or you could cut a square) & tie with ribbons!

This is our heart cross-stitch hutch..

I love it...I found a Red Kettle a long

time ago & love to pair it w/the

Red Christmas Swan...

This is a toy soldier (out of wood) I

made for Santa's Gift Shoppe Boutique

last year....Also below "And the

Stockings were hung" w/4 stockings
was @ Santa's Gift Shoppe, too last year!

And last.....is an idea on giving an

EASY/CUTE Gift Box along with

the gift inside!!!

These were what we gave to our Party

Guests last Friday...I love to dress

gifts up with a BIG Ribbon & BOW...

I got these cute gift boxes @ Oriental

Trading Co.....Santa's & Snowmen!!!!

Their so cute all together....I did a close up

so you could see the great detail in the faces...

Well....Hope you got some NEW IDEAS that

will brighten up your Christmas Holidays!!!!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

If you are anything like me, you find you have a lot
of bananas that never seem to get eaten up fast
enough before they get a little TOO RIPE. That's
where having a selection of recipes that need
bananas comes in handy...& maybe your tired of the
same old banana recipes (however I have one that
is fabulous & hope to share it with you closer to the
holidays)

Helpful Tip: You can put any over ripe bananas
in your freezer and use them when you are ready)
Make sure you peel them before you freeze
them..Then when you are ready to use them...
put them in the microwave for about 30-45 sec.
(depending on how many you have to defrost)
and mash them up....Really easy....


This one my daughter sent me, that she found on the
Internet....There are quite a few out there.....
The original comes from a magazine called Cooking
Pleasures....& this on is from the Sister's Cafe...
She told me she thought they tasted like the Big
Beautiful Chocolate Muffins from Costco....
She loved them....

If you like chocolate, with the taste of banana
bread, and some chocolaty chips thrown in
for good measure..then I think you might like these.

The Recipe says it makes 1 lg. loaf...but I prefer
to make 8 smaller loaves ( so I can give them to
friends & neighbors) It would be a great after-school
treat (for the kids) along with some milk as well.....

In making 8 smaller loaves I get to use one of my
"Favorite Kitchen Items"......My "8 small
loaves at once pan"......I think it was a Martha
Stewart pan that I found at Kmart.....
(SEE PHOTO BELOW)

I use this pan a lot....Especially with all the
Holiday Baking which I do for the "Santa's
Gift Shoppe Boutique," as well as my own
family holiday baking....(which I do a lot of)

Recipe
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. mashed bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350F. Spray loaf (8x4) or loaves pan
with cooking spray.

Beat sugar, eggs, & oil in large bowl at medium speed
until combined. Beat in banana & vanilla at low speed.

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt in a
medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed
just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into pan. For 1 loaf bake approx. 60-70
min. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan; Cool
completely on a wire rack.

******If you are using an 8 loaf pan (like

I was) then only have the bread in the oven

approx. 15-20 minutes (each oven is

different) so keep watch on them so they

don't burn....& check them with a toothpick.