Happy Valentine's Day and an Award!

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!!! Secondly, I would like to thank Angie, from "Angie's Kitchen" for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award! It means so very much to know that she thought highly enough of my blog to acknowledge it, especially with all of the wonderful blogs out there! This is my second year blogging...I started as somewhat of a hobby and as I've mentioned before, it's been very therapeutic for me. When I'm stressed out, I either cook or clean--you can likely guess what my preference is! All kidding aside, I have "met" some very outstanding and inspirational people and have had so much fun experimenting in my kitchen! I've even been able to probably quadruple what my husband would eat when we initially started dating! I thank all of you for sharing your wonderful recipes/posts! I am new to Angie's blog, but have already bookmarked several recipes that I intend to try and thank her, again, for thinking of me!

Here is how the award works:

-Thank and link back to the person who awarded this to you.
-Share 7 (random) things about yourself.
-Pay it forward to 10 bloggers whom you feel are deserving.
-Contact those bloggers and let them know about their award.

Seven Random things about myself:

1.) I am addicted to coupons...seriously! I have a HUGE binder filled with hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of coupons, all categorized nicely and I will spend HOURS at the grocery store, going up and down each aisle trying to find bargains!

2.) I worked two part-time jobs in high school, one of which was at McDonald's. They would NOT "promote" me to drive-thru or to work the counter...I was the "fry girl" and despised it! It wasn't so funny at the time, but I have to laugh now when I think back to the day I called in and quit, letting them know that I wasn't coming in that night or EVER again! The manager said "for future reference, you may want to give your employer a little bit of notice". Sorry, being a "fry girl" wasn't really my thing and I didn't plan to use McDonald's on my future resume, when I applied for my first job as a nurse! (Especially since my job description would have stated "made fries"!)

3.) My husband and I grew up living about 20 minutes apart, but didn't meet until we were both down at IU Bloomington. (Small world!)

4.) I save every greeting card that I'm given...I'm not joking when I say that I probably have about 4-5 HUGE storage containers filled with cards. I'm very sentimental!

5.) I am so very blessed to be able to stay home with my kids as much as I do! My husband and I have always been able to work it out so that one of us can be home with the kids, avoiding daycare/babysitters altogether. Wouldn't trade it for the world!

6.) I apparently am "left-brain dominant"...I discovered this after taking a little quiz last week! Not surprising at all!

7.) I'm a huge fan of online shopping...and I LOVE Ebates! I just received a free $10 and change for this past quarter ($85 total), just for going to their site before starting my shopping! (If you want more info, contact me...it's great!!!)

I would now like to pass this award on to some of my favorite blogs that I read routinely--the first 9 are cooking blogs and the last is my dear friend, Devonay, who has a little bit of everything!

1) For the Love of Cooking
2) Lynda's Recipe Box
3) Finding Joy in My Kitchen
4) Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi
5) Indigo's Sugar Spectrum
6) Recipe Shoebox
7) Amanda's Cookin'
8) One Perfect Bite
9) Macaroni and Cheesecake
10) Lumpkin and Me

Triple Layer Banana Cake and an Award!

"Biting off more than I can chew" is something I tend to do rather frequently! As I was multitasking yesterday, my husband happened to notice one of my cookbooks open on the desk in the kitchen. I had some pretty ripe bananas and had found a recipe to utilize them...I wanted something a little different than traditional banana bread or muffins. Realizing that I was a little overwhelmed, he set out to make this cake--I always get a kick out of watching him make things, because he's so "methodical" and does not deviate the slightest bit from the recipe :) (Not to mention the fact that he always seems to use ten times more pans/dishes than I do!) I'm fairly certain this was the first layer cake he's ever made and he did a great job! The cake was baked perfectly...it was so moist and the frosting was a nice change! I honestly don't know that I have ever had peanut butter frosting, but it was very good! I'm actually planning to have a slice here shortly, with my cup of coffee...hopefully I can accomplish that before the kiddos wake up!

Triple Layer Banana Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

FROSTING:
6 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
5-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 to 10 tablespoons milk
Peanut halves, optional

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost between layers and over top and sides of cake. Garnish with peanuts if desired.
(Here's a picture of him diligently working and another of his finished cake!)



Source: Taste of Home

And now...onto the award! Kathy from Three on Food put a smile on my face this morning when I saw that she had passed along this award to me! I would highly encourage you to check out their blog, as they post fantastic recipes...the latest is a pizza casserole that would be very kid friendly!

There are rules to this award, so here they are:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Seven things about myself that you may (or may not) find interesting!

1) I make lists for EVERYTHING and find it extremely therapeutic to cross things off!
2) I am a nurse and have no problem giving shots, but am TERRIFIED of receiving them! Don't get me wrong...I don't like to inflict pain on people, but the needle itself doesn't bother me if it's not going into me, personally!
3) I worked as a server at BW3's when I was in nursing school.
4) I'm a "retired" BeautiControl consultant and a "semi-retired" Pampered Chef consultant. Along with that, I own probably every product ever made by Pampered Chef!
5) I love boardgames...Scattergories and Loaded Questions are probably two of my favorites!
6) I'm one of three sisters and we each had a boy first!
7) I love romance and all things "romantic"...movies, gestures, etc!

I would now like to pass this award onto the following bloggers:

1) Latest Addictions
2) girlichef
3) This Stop Willoughby
4) Krista's Kitchen
5) Lynda's Recipe Box
6) "A Thrifty Home"
7) Keeper Worthy Recipes

Spinach Dip

There's nothing particularly "fancy" about this recipe--I found it on the back of the Knorr Vegetable Soup, Dip, Recipe Mix box and it is now one of my favorite spinach dip recipes! I'm always looking for new appetizer ideas, because it never fails that I need something quick to take to someone's home for whatever gathering it may be and spinach dip is certainly one of those things that always goes over well!

Spinach Dip

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (they suggest using Hellmann's, which I am partial to anyway!)
1 package Knorr vegetable soup, dip & recipe mix (I'm sure you could substitute another brand!)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions until well mixed. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Stir well. If desired, spoon into round bread bowl and serve with cut up vegetables or chips.

Variations: (I have not tried either, but thought I'd include them!)

Spinach & Cheese Dip: Add 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese with spinach.

Yogurt Spinach Dip: Substitute 1 container (16 oz) plain lowfat yogurt for sour cream.

NOTE: I keep meaning to thank two fellow bloggers (Project Mommyhood and Jonas Family) for passing along an award to me! I apologize that it's taken me so long to make mention of it on my blog, but I've just been so preoccupied lately with different personal issues...PLEASE know that I sincerely appreciated you both thinking of me!!!


Source: Knorr Vegetable Soup, Dip & Recipe Mix Box

Another award...thank you, Heidi!!!

Heidi from Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi passed along an award to me and I can't begin to tell you how much it meant! This has been one of those weeks in which anything and everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, so I very much appreciated the little "pick me up". I just found out this evening that my grandfather's health is declining, which is extremely difficult for me to come to terms with. Being a nurse, I'm forced to deal with patients passing away, but it's a whole different story when it affects you personally. It certainly puts everything into perspective and makes you realize just how precious life is and that every day truly is a gift.

On a happier note, I now have the privilege of passing this award onto seven other bloggers...several are blogs I have only recently started following, but greatly enjoy!

1) Elyse at Elyse's Confectionery Creations
2) Denise at Keeper Worthy Recipes
3) Teresa at A Blog About Food
4) Chrissy at A Lil' Dash of Diva
5) Jen at A Thrifty Home
6) Lara at Recipe Shoebox
7) Risa at Baked Perfection

Make sure you check out all of these blogs...they're all wonderful! I'm now off to bed... :)

A very thoughtful blog award...thank you Chrissy!

Do you ever have one of those "blah" days and then all of a sudden something happens that turns it around?!? Well, my husband is out running errands with my son and I'm just home, hanging out with my daughter and decided to pull up my blog while my daughter is practicing walking with her cute little pink walker :) I was pleasantly surprised to see that Chrissy, from A Lil' Dash of Diva had left me a sweet message, letting me know that she had an award waiting for me at her blog. I don't say this enough, but I really appreciate everyone taking the time to look at my blog and for all of the comments that you guys leave! It really meant a lot to me that she thought enough of my blog to make mention of it and pass this award on to me. I, in turn, would like to pass it along to a handful of fellow bloggers! I really do love each and every one of your blogs for different reasons and I apologize that I've been so horrible about leaving comments lately--my computer has been SO slow and when I finally do have a chance to get online, it seems as if one (if not both) of my little rugrats distracts me before I have time to remember to comment! Please don't think it's because I don't care or enjoy your blogs!

Now, onto the awards...

1) Sarah at Delectable Dining--my dear sister who also is currently having a giveaway that I would encourage you all to check out! She is VERY talented (as is her friend, Christy, who is co-hosting this giveaway) and they are EACH giving away 9 hand painted, personalized Father's Day cookies. Trust me...they're very cute!

2) Heidi at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi--she's going through a rough time now and while this obviously won't take away her troubles, I was hoping it might cheer her up a bit :) I visit her blog regularly...she has great recipes that are typically easy and economical--two things I really appreciate!

3) Donna at My Tasty Treasures--talk about entertainment value! Her blog always keeps me intrigued--by both her recipes and her commentary! You're always in for a surprise when you visit Donna's blog!

4) Katy from Food for a Hungry Soul--I actually feel like an absolute jerk, because I just realized that I hadn't signed up to publicly follow her blog! I check it often, but she must think I'm the most rude person EVER! I love your blog, Katy and greatly appreciate the fact that you always take the time not only to comment, but to offer suggestions regarding my recipes!

Premio Meme Award...

Kathy from Three on Food passed along this award to me this morning...what a nice surprise on such a gloomy day! (Thank you SO much, Kathy!) Along with this award, I'm supposed to share seven things about my personality and then pass along the award and meme on to seven other bloggers for them to do the same. I've really enjoyed "meeting" new people from all over the country and am excited to learn even more about some of my fellow bloggers!

1. Family-Oriented--I LOVE my family more than life itself!

2. Determined--I set goals and can't stand when I am unable to achieve them. I swear by my "lists"--I write lists for everything and nothing makes me happier than being able to cross items off as I accomplish different tasks!

3. Patient--I think I've developed a great deal of patience since having my children. Having a rambunctious four year old little boy can be rather challenging at times!

4. Honest--I pride myself on being a very honest individual and expect nothing less from others! Lying is one thing I absolutely despise!

5. Forgiving--I feel as if I've been "tested" plenty over the years, yet I always tend to have a forgiving heart.

6. Concerned--I worry about everything/everyone! This tends to pose a challenge in my line of work, because I find myself getting very emotionally involved with patients and their families.

7. Reserved/Easy-Going--I'm very laid back and tend to come across as being more on the shy side until I get to know people. I typically find that I get along with everyone...well, most everyone! (Do in-laws count?!?!)

I am passing this meme along to the following bloggers:

Sarah from Delectable Dining
Christy from Christy's Kitchen Creations
Amanda from Amanda's Cookin'
Donna from My Tasty Treasures
"Nana" from Nana's Kitchen
Joyce from JustJoycee
Jaime and Jennifer from Jamie and Jen Dish