Banana Split Dessert Recipe

Hello dear friends ~ I am sharing my aunt's recipe today. It's easy and delicious for a special occasion, a church supper, or just a special treat at home with your loved ones.

Banana Split Dessert

Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam.

Crust
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter

Cream Cheese Layer

12 oz cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 cup sugar
8 oz Cool Whip

Fruit and Toppings
4 bananas
1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained well
20 strawberries, hulled and sliced
8 - 12 oz Cool Whip
1/2 cup crushed peanuts {optional}
Chocolate syrup 
Stemmed maraschino cheeries

 In a medium bowl, combine crumbs and melted butter, stirring till all of the crumbs are moistened. Dump the crumbs into the greased pan and press evenly. Refrigerate.

Mix together the cream cheese and sugar for three minutes until light and fluffy. Fold the Cool Whip into the cheese until combined then spread evenly over the graham crumb base.

Arrange banana slices in a single layer over the cheese filling 

and top with an even layer of drained crushed pineapple. 

Then add an even layer of sliced strawberries over the pineapple.

Cover with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with the crushed peanuts if using them and then drizzle with the chocolate syrup and top with the stemmed cherries. My aunt's original recipe called for cherry pie filling on top instead of the nuts, chocolate, and stemmed cherries. You may see a piece of it in my header above. But I opted to do the chocolate syrup and stemmed cherries. Either way the dessert is wonderful!

Refrigerate for at least five to six hours or overnight. Yield about fourteen servings.

A lovely desert with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

I am joining the following parties as well~ 

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea
Home Sweet Home
Share Your Cup


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Celebrating the Season with Teatime and Treats

At Easter time the flowers bloom
The skies are bright and blue
The world's as joyous as can be
So is my thought of you. ~ Author unknown


Hello dear friends and welcome to my Easter Tea! I have some pretty china and dessert for you to enjoy today. 

Today's dessert is a recipe my aunt gave me years ago but I have made a couple of changes to it. At one time she did a lot of entertaining, as did I, and this dessert was always a big hit. Hers called for a layer which I replaced with a different layer of yumminess. Hers also had cherry pie filling on top which I changed.

Do you like a banana split? When I was a young girl, they made banana splits differently than they do today. I remember they gave you scoops of hard serve vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream snuggled in between a split banana and a different topping poured over each scoop. There was pineapple or caramel on the vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup on the chocolate, and strawberries on the strawberry ice cream. They finished it off with whipped cream, and a bright red stemmed cherry. And nuts if you wanted them. What a treat it was and a little girl's eyes would grow as big as saucers looking at the confection!

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They don't make banana splits like that any more, at least not around here. Well this Banana Split dessert is a little different twist on the ice cream confection and it is made with a lovely cream cheese layer, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, and finished off with whipped cream, cherries, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Yum! I hate to break it to you but this is going to wreck any diet you may be on. But, it's Easter and one should have a pretty delectable dessert to enjoy for the holiday. Easter after all, only comes once a year, doesn't it? I will share the recipe later this week.

Pretty tulips.

Since Spring has sprung and Easter is just a few days away, I have set my table accordingly with pretty china and a bunny. I like a little whimsy this time of year, don't you? Earth is beginning to come alive after its long winter slumber and what a better time to share some whimsy?

My bunny, basket, and sparkly egg were a giveaway win several years ago from blogger friend, Celeste, who is a beautiful artist, and now is the perfect time to share them. I love her delicate roses!

I love chocolate but sometimes I want just a little something so I have these Hershey's Eggies to satisfy the craving. I have loaded up my pink and green depression glass cup.

My tea is Lady Grey and I am using a lovely green Colclough teacup and one of my Lavender Rose teacups. 

The Royal Albert Lavender Rose once belonged to my mother and when she downsized she gave it to me. I love its delicate pattern of deep pink roses with sprigs of lavender leaves. 

Alas, when I was taking the cups down, one cup slid off the saucer and the handle broke off. I was distressed at first but decided I will use it in a teacup wreath some day. I'm glad I have several cups in this pattern.

I actually had a couple of accidents while preparing this post. 

While I was transporting a piece of the dessert from the pan to the plate, it slid off the spatula and landed upside down on some Easter eggs I had on the counter. What a mess! So that piece went back into the pan and later I enjoyed the piece filled with Easter eggs. *smiles*

The pretty table cloth you see is one of my treasures. It was a very thoughtful gift from Bernideen last year when I was going through all my health issues. I love every old-fashioned inch of it and every time I look at it, I think of my good friend.

So, would you like to join me for some tea and banana split dessert? I do enjoy your company.

Life is like a teacup
       to be filled to the brim
and enjoyed with friends. ~ unknown

As much as we enjoy having the holiday, Easter is so much more than bunnies, chicks, and eggs. The most important reason for celebrating Easter is the incredible gift of life which was given to us by our heavenly Father through His Son, our Lord Jesus.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16

My life, my love, I give to Thee,
Thou Lamb of God who died for me;
Oh, may I ever faithful be,
My Savior and my God! ~ Hudson

I pray your Easter will be a blessed time to reflect upon the true meaning of this Holiday. Thank you for joining me for tea today and Happy Easter to you all!  



I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Home Sweet Home
Share Your Cup

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Welcome Spring!!

March

The month of cold mornings and warm afternoons
when the Fairies weave rugs with flowers
adorning the meadows and roadsides with color...
Edith Holden

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and I'm doing the happy dance! Although winter was a fairly good one on the Island this year, I'm glad the snow and ice will soon be behind us once again. Patches of grass are more visible and there is little snow around.

We looked out the back window this morning and the goldfinches were very busy at the feeder. Every perch had a birdie happily sitting on it, filling their beaks with sunflower seeds while below, the ground was covered with many more. What a happy sight! 


Pink Carnations just naturally look so pretty and make me feel good so they are gracing the table today. I have them in a vintage pink tumbler that is very delicate.

They are one of my favourite flowers. Love their spicy scent!

I brought out a teapot I haven't used in a while. 

Pink peonies adorn this pretty pot I found at the Anne of Green Gables Store a few years ago. The teapot has the marker Royal Elfreda on it.

The cup and saucer is Chantilly Lace made by Skye McGhie and the vintage plate underneath is made by Johnson Brothers.

The amber liquid being poured into the cup is Chai; a favourite tea.

Tea purifies spirit, removes anxiety and nervousness, brings ease and comfort, and is conducive to meditation.~ Author unknown

Although it's beautifully sunny outside, it is quite cold so while Hubby is at the gym, I'm sitting here with my cuppa and last year's Victoria Bliss TeaTime magazine. It is possibly my quietest day of the week as the next two weeks are filled with appointments.

This little bunny will be joining us next week so I hope you will stop by and say hello! Take care everyone and God bless you!

As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common, everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful.

They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -
just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it;
just the warmth and shelter and home folks; 
just plain food that gives us strength;
the bright sunshine on a cold day, and a cool breeze when the day is warm. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder



I am sharing this post with these parties:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea
Share Your Cup


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

It's Not Easy Being Green!

It's not that easy being green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves

When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold

Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're

Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water

Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of Spring

And green can be cool and friendly-like

And green can be big like an ocean, or important

Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be

It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful

And I think it's what I want to be 
- Lyrics: Kermit the frog; The Muppets

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Hello my lovely friends!
With St Patrick's Day coming up it's only proper that I share some green today. I do have a wee bit of Irish in me on my mother's side, so here goes...

What is it about green that grabs so many of us? Well, for me, it's always been a favourite colour. I actually have several favourite colours but green is a biggy, always has been. It reminds me of springtime and the freshness of newly budded trees and flowers. I have green eyes so it's a colour that I can wear fairly well. I am especially fond of a rich emerald green. I have always wanted an emerald green velvet dress. Who knows, with green making a come back on the colour wheel, perhaps I will find one.

My mother hates green! The other day Hubby and I visited her and he was wearing his favourite dark green shirt. She commented on his shirt and said she hates green, then she made a face! I laughed and opened up my jacket so she could see my dark green sweater. I said I love green and his shirt is my favourite on him. She was quite perplexed by it all. I have learned to not take her too seriously. 

In colour psychology, green symbolizes finding a balance between your head and your heart. In nature green means growth, renewal, and represents the season of Spring. Whenever your energy seems down-in-the-dumps, look to green for an uplifting spiritual refresher. This is particularly helpful to people living in the concrete jungle. 

So you see, green is good! It's very good.
Having said all that, here is my green today...


My little granddaughter and her daddy made a teapot holder. As you can see, it is green and pink. Just had to share that with you. I understand my son will be taking the potholder to work to set his coffee on. Now if you knew my son, you would get a kick out of that because he is what you would call, a man's man and pink is not one of his colours. He's tough as nails, does MMA, and you don't mess with him. But when it comes to the women in his family, he's a real softie!

Brother and sister enjoying a treat. My little guy is wearing green.

This cup was a gift from my youngest son a few years ago. He found it at the Botanical Gardens in MI one day when he was visiting there. It is an Irish cup as you can see and he's very proud of his Irish roots. Hubby is half Irish. 

One of my favourite colours of transferware is green and this was gifted to me by my hubby for Christmas one year. 

I have two cups and saucers and two dessert plates. The pastoral scene depicted on it just makes it that much more charming.

Tea is instant wisdom, just add water. ~ Astrid Alauda

My teapot is one I don't use very often and I should because it is such a cute pot. It's just a nice size for two or three cups of tea. Isn't the embossed green floral pretty on the bottom half of the pot?

The cream and sugar as well. The cream and sugar has beige on the bottom but they look like a tea set. There is no marker on any of the pieces.

Pretty pink tulips.

We are having Irish Breakfast tea today 

And some Irish Tea cake that I baked. 

This is a naked cake that would be perfect for a shortcake. 

It is actually very much like a cottage pudding I make and serve with brown sugar sauce but this recipe uses butter instead of shortening.

It would be prettier had I added the strawberry preserves, whipped cream, and strawberries on top of the cake before cutting it but real whipped cream doesn't keep well. So I opted to cut a couple of slices of the tea cake, spooned some homemade strawberry preserves over it, added a dollop of fresh whipped cream and placed a strawberry on top. Makes a lovely treat with tea or coffee. I may share the recipe later in the week if I receive requests.

Believe it or not, this is the first real dessert I have made since my fruit cake in November and it felt so good to make it!

Some of you are wondering how I'm doing so I will update you on my latest. I am going to physio twice a week for my arm/shoulder, wrist and hand and now I am able to go without the brace for long periods of time. I think I'm finally going to mend after being in pain with this for quite a long time. Surprisingly enough, I don't have carpal tunnel after all. Everyone thought I had CTS including the doctor but the EMG revealed I have tendinopathy. It is quite painful but I am hopeful that I will have the full use of my hand and arm in a few months.

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I hope you enjoyed my green. Happy St Patrick's Day to all you Irish ladies and to all those of you who are Irish on this holiday!

May the friendships you make,

Be those which endure,
And all of your grey clouds
Be small ones for sure.
And trusting in Him
To Whom we all pray,
May a song fill your heart,
Every step of the way.~ Irish Blessing


I am sharing this with the following parties ~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

March - ing Toward Springtime

March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine. ~ LM Montgomery

Welcome dear friends and welcome March! Didn't Lucy Maud have such a way with words?

A few more weeks and Spring will be here. Yay!

This past week was a sad one when one of the family pets had to be put down. I shared pictures of our family pets a couple of weeks ago, and Spike, the dear little miniature pincher hadn't been well since Christmas. I had a feeling his days were numbered. He was such a sweet little pup and he will be missed. This photo of him was taken last summer.

This is one reason why hubby and I don't have a fur baby. I couldn't bear it if something should happen to it.

My sweet hubby surprised me with some lovely soft pink tulips the other day but I waited too long to set my tea table and they're on their way out. 

Aren't they the prettiest shade of pink?

My flowers today are a beautiful bouquet that was presented to me at our elder's dinner the other night. Our elders have a dinner once a year and the wives are always given a bouquet of posies. 

I am using my pink Ganz teapot. 

A pretty cup made in France sits on a Bridal Rose saucer; a miss-matched set I found at a yard sale years ago. 

A teacup and saucer made in Germany, Bridal Rose. These are very dainty and so pretty. I haven't used them in a while so I thought I would use them today. The cup is so comfortable to hold.

A group of us are reading through the Mitford series written by Jan Karon. I'm supposed to be on the third book but I'm slow so I'm still in book two, A Light in the Window. 

The secret to a well balanced life is a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. ~ unknown

I love this quaint series set in a small community. Have any of you read them?

Quaint 
is a small wooden cottage
filled with snuggly nooks
a tablecloth your grandma sewed
dusty, well-loved books.- Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

It's a simple tea today to just simply relax and enjoy a quiet respite. It's been a busy week with appointments and other things that kept us running around. 

With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy? ~ Oscar Wilde 

Before I go, I want to ask a question. How do you translate a comment left on your blog in another language? I have tried over and over, searched the gadgets, and I can find nothing to translate a comment into English. Does anyone else have this problem?

PS- Thank you everyone for your comments on the translation thing. I have it figured out now.

Thank you for visiting Rose Chintz Cottage and have a lovely day. I wish you JOY!

I am joining the following parties as well~

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi