Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
cream cheese frosting

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, once mixed add sour cream and vanilla.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and then add to butter mixture.  Finally, mix in the mashed bananas.  Spread evenly in a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan (I used a 9x13 and baked them longer, more of a cake than a bar).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow bars to cool completely then top with cream cheese frosting or some fresh whip cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Easy as ... Pie

Pie Dough/Crust
1 c. Butter Crisco
2 c. Flour
2/3 c. water

Add crisco and flour in a bowl, use a fork or a pastry cutter and cut in the crisco with the flour. When it is mostly combined add the water. Use you hands and give it a couple kneads. This recipe makes 3 pie shells (bottoms only) or 2 bottoms and 1 top. If baking an empty shell (for banana or other cream pie) don't forget to take a fork and stab a few holes around dough (to avoid bubbles).

If you are first time pie maker, try this recipe:

Easy Banana Cream Pie

Make the crust recipe, bake 1 empty pie crust.
Mix 1 large box vanilla pudding (you can also use banana, but I think it tastes very artificial) using the instructions on the box for pie.
Layer the bottom of the cooked pie crust with sliced bananas, cover the bananas with pudding, do another layer of sliced bananas and cover with a thin layer of whipping cream.

You can dress this up as desired. Example: bananas, pudding, bananas, 1/2 pudding + 1/2 whipping cream (mixed), bananas, whipping cream, a few bananas around edges for garnish.

See you did it and now you know why it's Easy As Pie!