Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Pour into greased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.
   
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool thoroughly.
6. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Spread over bars.
   

This recipe makes me think of Thursday Group meetings. A group of friends met every other Thursday to talk about what was going on in our hearts. The only rule we had was that when one person was sharing, everyone else had to listen silently. We laughed, cried, and prayed together. We usually met at Jenny's house, and if we were lucky, she'd bring out some banana bars from her freezer.

Cold, almost frozen bars are just about as good as fresh, warm ones. Put your leftover bars (if you have any!) on a paper plate and put that inside a large freezer bag. Take them out about an hour before you plan to serve them. They'll keep for months if your kids don't get to them.