Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Let us raise our glasses.

by

Hi, my friends!

I hope that you all had a very merry holiday season.

I missed you all so much in these past few days–

it’s so good to be back.

I had a really lovely, long holiday weekend full of:

biking riding along the beach, sunbathing on the front porch,

wine drinking, and hanging out with friends and family.

Life is good when you live in Southern California.

The rumor is true.

There is nothing in me that thinks,

“You know what’s missing?

I really wish there was some snow on the ground.”

Noooooo way.

The only snow I want is the kind I have on my blog.

I’ll take dolphin watching while riding my bike at the beach

in December any day.

But enough about me and rubbing in the warm weather,

tell me how your Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivus was?

But the celebrating is yet to be over with!

We have one more big day to get through

and do I have a special week planned for you

to ring the New Year in with!

Let’s start the first day of our countdown with a little glass of bubbly, shall we?

Who would have guessed that dressed underneathe

the chocolate is nothing but a…

BANANA!

Chocolate-covered Champagne Bottle Pop Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 bottle

  • 1 banana, cut 2 ways: 1 for the body; 1 for the neck
  • melted Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • non-dairy icing
  • lollipop stick
  • 1 small pail filled with “ice cube” marbles

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the banana onto the lollipop stick.
  2. Dip into the melted chocolate chips. Allow to set for 20 minutes.
  3. Decorate with icing.
  4. Place in pail filled with “ice cubes” and adorn your place settings with an individual champagne bottle.

Let’s countdown the days to a year full of taking care of US.

Here’s to:

New health.

New love.

New life.

New beginnings.

I’ll drink to that!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. As I sit here in New England wearing my wool sweater, long johns, 3 pairs of Socks and cabella slippers I am thinking how jealous i just might be of your California, Dolphin watching, bike riding in the middle of December beautiful life- do you have an extra room at your house, a couch would even work 🙂 I would make a fantastic roomate!

  2. Ahhh! Frozen chocolate covered bananas? Actually my favorite thing in the world…yes the weather has been so beautiful. Farmers market trips, dog walks, hikes 🙂 I find part of me yearning to be ice skating in New Y–who am I kidding? I’ll take beach bike ride instead.

    • I was about to make my way over to you and slap some sense into you. Thank God you came back to your mind, Maddy! 🙂

  3. I’d love to have one of your banana champagne bottles to celebrate the New Year – how clever, and tasty too! What a great party idea!
    We woke up to snow today and it was pretty heavy for awhile this morning but much of it melted into mush by this afternoon with the hi about 36 degrees.
    Funny, no one here can understand it when I tell them I would have worn the same thing at home in 62 degrees as I do here in 35 degrees! XOXOXOXO

    • It’s true though! 62 degrees here is the equivalent of 35 degrees there. Brrrrrrrr, makes me wanna bundle up and put my scarf on just thinking about it. So glad you got my gift, spoiled little girl 🙂 xoxo

  4. love it! and those ice cubes are super cool! and stop rubbing in your warm dolphin watching, beach surfing, sun beaming december 😛 we are stuck in the low 30s and no snow, just ridiculous drizzle and clouds.. i dont want snow either.. but i can do with some of those clouds just venturing a bit south;) so we can get some sun!
    we just ate lots of random food and rum soaked fruit cake the past few days.. hubbs version was poured with another 1/2 cup of rum.. i dont think he remembers how the fruit cake tasted..or even felt any other taste on tongue with that much rum!
    A very wonderful New year to you too.. love this countdown!

    • Low 30s = freezing cold winter, despite no snow. No thank you 🙂 At 62 degrees, I have my heavy coat on (I’m a wuss!)
      Happy New Year to you and the rum-filled husband 🙂

  7. Go ahead. Rub it in that you live in sunny Southern California. See if we care. Those of us in Texas will just freeze in winter and boil in summer. It is no biggie.

    • Okay, you got it! 🙂
      hahaha.
      Hey, you chose to live in horrible weather conditions. It’s all about choices, sissy.
      P.S. Thought of you last night while reading that horrendous story on yahoo about the shooting. So sad that you knew them! Do they know the motive yet?

  8. Awww, Merry Christmas! Yours sounds lovely.

    I grew up on the east coast and went to school in Massachusetts and while I occasionally see snow on TV or something and think “awww, that looks pretty”… mostly I’m also in the camp of “dude! it’s Christmas day and we can go to the BEACH!”

    Mmmm… champagne bananas. Thanks for reminding me that it’s snack time!

    • It is my duty to remind you of your hunger! 🙂 And you are right, Christmas *is* for the beach. We should make up our own California Christmas carols involving sand, sun and tans 🙂 Are you off of work this week or are you on maternity leave already?

  9. Very adorable. We don’t have snow either. Lot of good those skis I got for the kiddo are going to do this winter. But, I’m not complaining. Nope. Still biking to work in December in Wisconsin? I’ll take it.

    • WHAT?! Biking in Wisconsin in December? Now that is something to definitely be happy about! I can’t even believe it, still. Time to sunbathe 🙂

  10. Thanks for rubbing it in!!! 🙂 Jk so glad you had a wonderful holiday!!! I missed you too – lots and lots so I’m happy you’re back in action! Can’t believe it’s almost 2012- love ur creativity, as always!

    • Yay–so happy to see your face around these parts again. I don’t like being away from my friends for too long 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the snow. hehe

  11. Only you would think of chocolate covered champagne banana bottles. I love it! Seriously what goes better with champagne anyway? And Cara, thanks for rubbing in the whole sunny California bike riding beach thing, I don’t think I could have gotten through another cold, wet day without it. Ta. 🙂

    • Oh shucks, Laurel, thank you!
      And you are always welcome to come visit the beautiful sunny southern cali weather. Just bring your own bike. I will introduce you to my dolphin friends 🙂