Banana Split Brownies #AddCoolWhip #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AddCoolWhip #shop #cbias

I have been making these for our family for almost 14 years and they're always a hit! My husband loves them, especially, and even cheered when I told him the other day that I was making them for this post. My family regularly thanks me for being a foodie blogger, since that means they always get to try out delicious recipes! 

When I was in grade school, my mom liked to make my brother and I after school snacks. Often times, there would be brownies waiting for us. Other times, there was Jell-O with Cool Whip. Since my kids stay home for school, I don't always have an after school snack for them---but we often have evening desserts with Daddy.

These Banana Split Brownies are a fun choice for either after school or evening dessert time, as they can be made ahead and refrigerated until time to serve. With just a couple seconds of prep before serving, they're a pretty treat to serve any time! They incorporate two of my favorite after school dessert ingredients: Jell-O and Cool Whip, and they're easy to prepare.

I bought my ingredients at Walmart last Sunday afternoon. The Cool Whip was easy to find here in the freezer aisle marked, "Desserts & Toppings".

The dessert starts with a brownie base. I just use whatever boxed brownie mix is on sale. Make sure to get the 13x9 pan size.

Then you add sliced bananas. I like to use an egg slicer to quickly and evenly slice them. Then add the Cool Whip/pudding mix. I love to mix Cool Whip with pudding for several kinds of desserts. It creates a nice mousse when mixed with chocolate.

With a spoonful of Cool Whip and a strawberry on top, you've got a pretty and fun treat for your family--even on the busiest of days. 

Banana Split Brownies

1 pkg. brownie mix (plus ingredients to make them) 

3 bananas 

1 1/4 c. milk 

3.4 oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding 

16 oz. Cool Whip 

strawberries to garnish

Bake brownies according to package instructions. Cool completely. Slice bananas and spread out in one layer over the brownie. Whisk pudding mix and milk together in a bowl, just until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in 2 1/2 c. of the Cool Whip and spread over the bananas. Refrigerate for at least an hour and serve with more Cool Whip and sliced strawberries.

Secrets of Sloane House by Shelley Gray -- Giveaway and Book Review

I received a copy of this book from Family Christian, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Description: Against the backdrop of the 1893 World's Fair, a young woman finds employment with an illustrious Chicago family--a family who may guard the secret of her sister's happiness.

I'm the first to admit that I'm picky about my tastes in historical fiction, but with a Mount TBR the size of mine, I can't waste my time on less than the best. I can handle a few fact discrepancies, ill-chosen words, or underdeveloped characters, here and there, but when the novel is so saturated that I find myself tripping over them, that's when I'm ready to call it quits.

I was put off from the very beginning by the context of the story's beginning. It starts right in the middle of a scene with little back story or character development. I was still lost on the relationship between Reid and the Sloanes at the third chapter and finding myself having to reread the first two chapters because I thought they were step-siblings.  The lack of character development was a theme throughout and made the story very difficult to follow.

Another distraction was that the author, unfortunately, chose to use uncommon words in odd places. The staff's accents were also inconsistent and irritating. It was very frustrating to read over them. I much rather prefer when an author alludes to the accent but writes it legibly, using terms like, "he drawled" or "she answered in her clipped way of speaking".

Finally, it's very difficult to take a historical story seriously when the history is glaringly off. The hymn, How Great Thou Art, is referenced as an "old hymn" and "dear to her heart". However, the very first English version of the hymn was not published until 1925! Also, the term "pipe dream" wasn't even used for the first time until just three years before this, and a young girl of limited means had likely never heard it by 1893. In addition, since the book is marketed as centered around the World's Fair, (a fact that should make it unique among other historicals) it would have been nice to find more details and curiosities about the Fair, rather than surface allusions.

All in all, I was disappointed in the story and remain a bit embarrassed for the author. However, you've got a chance to read it for yourself and see what you think. Family Christian is giving away one copy to a US reader. Enter to win on the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Awesome Back to School Stationery Designs from Minted.com

This article is sponsored by Minted and I have received compensation for my review. All opinions are honest and are my own.

I am so in love with paper. I always have been. From books to stationery to weird little scraps of whatever, I've collected paper my whole life. I am so excited to have discovered Minted.com, an online stationery store that collaborates with designers from all over the world to create gorgeous products for us to play with!

You can find wedding, baby, and birthday invitations, holiday cards, art prints, and more at Minted.com---all created by fantastic indie designers. Since I'm in back to school mode, I've been looking at all the cute designs for kids. Many of these stationery items can be personalized with the name of your child for a special gift that's uniquely theirs.

I totally love all the notebook designs---especially this astronaut one. You can get them as day planners or address books, as well, and add a name to the cover.

There are lots of cute designs for kids' thank you cards and stationery that can also be personalized. What a sweet way to help your child show appreciation!

One thing I've got on my wish list is a set of mommy calling cards. That is just such an awesome idea! How many times do we introduce ourselves to other moms and talk about meeting up, but then forget the name and never follow through? With a calling card, you've got an easy way to make sure your new friend has your info for getting together at a later time.

I think Minted.com is definitely going to be one of my new favorite places to shop for fun and unique paper designs. What are some of your favorite Minted products?

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