By Sheri Hopkins,
Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! I hope nobody got hail damage. I was coming home from Branson and when I got off on the Van Buren, Ft. Smith exit, I got hammered by hail. It was crazy. It was hitting my car so hard I just knew it was going to break my windshield.
Jacob, Loren, Ethan, Evan, Ella and I went to Branson over the weekend. Loren booked us a nice condo and we went to see Esther at the Sight and Sound Theater. Let me tell ya, I thought Esther was so good. I have never seen anything there that I don’t like, they are just awesome.
By the way, note to self, don’t take trips with your son who is a grouch and says to me and Loren as we are waiting to see Esther play, “I feel like I am taking care of five kids and myself.” Hold on a minute buster, you don’t take of me. He didn’t have to babysit us, I had my own car. He is rotten to the core and I reckon it’s my fault. The next time I go to Branson, I’m not going with Groucho.
Ok, just so ya know I’m going to be 60 in July. The big 6-0 is staring me in the face. I’ve been asked if I’m 70. Well, this weekend topped it off, we were all at the Branson Landing shopping around and the kids had went one way and Jacob and Loren another way and I was alone. So, I’m going to all the places I like and this man at this booth starts talking to me and he wants me to sit in this chair, and like a dummy I sit down and yes, I did stumble a bit when I went to sit down. He asks, “do you use a walker or a cane?” Just a FYI he lost his sale on me because that done it. I politely said, “noooo!” Ok, so I’m sitting in the chair, and he has my shoes off and is messing with the bottom of my foot before I could shake a stick. If you know me, you know I can’t stand my feet touched or my hair. I am the most tender headed person around. I inherited that from my Aunt Lou. So, he’s rubbing the bottom of my sweaty food asking me if I had pain here and there. Then, he tries to sell me these inserts for my shoes that were miracle workers for any pain you have. Feet, hips, knees, just about anywhere you had pain, these inserts were the miracle you needed. I told ya’ll he lost his sale at the walker and cane. So, about that time another “old” person stops and he starts in on him. Let me tell ya, I had those shoes on and was gone faster than they could change a tire at Daytona 500. That all being said, I reckon I’m looking a lot older than my mind thinks I am.
This week’s recipe is for a banana split dump cake. Ya’ll know I love a dump cake of any kind. They are easy and fast for a quick dessert anytime.
BANANA SPLIT DUMP CAKE
1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1 21 oz. can of strawberry pie filling (You can use cherry if you prefer. You can also use two cans if you have it, it just makes it better!)
1 package of vanilla cake mix
1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine sliced up
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of chopped nuts
2-3 medium bananas
Handful of chocolate chips (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9×13 pan. I always spray with Pam. Spread the pineapple evenly in the bottom of the pan. Then, spread the strawberry pie filling, then slice the bananas over the top of the pie filling. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of that. Pour the dry vanilla cake mix on top and sprinkle the nuts and coconut on top. Place the sliced butter on top of the dry cake. Bake for 40 minutes and let cool before eating. It’s good with whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy and have a wonderful week!
