Cake Pops

I tested out making some cake pops last week with Emily, and we had so much fun! The possibilities are truly endless. While I will admit to it all being a labor intensive project, we were enjoying ourselves, and I'm looking forward to making a new batch later this week to set out at Emily's birthday party. They've been a huge hit so far with everyone who's tried them (minus my mother), and I've gotten some really cute ideas online for future attempts!!


We also made blue butterflies, but I guess I never got around to photographing them!

The bulk of the batch of cake pops went out to the kids' teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week, but we also passed some out to guests who came by, and I took some to set at each place setting at the birthay luncheon my aunt hosted for Emily, myself, my cousin Haylee, and her son, Russell.

I think the ones I'm going to do for Emily will be cake BALLS instead of cake POPS. I'll use chocolate cake inside, dipped in white chocolate, and topped with bright pink sugar sprinkles on top, each set into a tiny cupcake liner (we have tiny yellow liners with bright colored flowers on them). I think they'll be pretty cute. I'm debating doing some lamb-shaped ones in honor of Em's favorite stuffed lamb, but since none of us like black licorice, I have to come up with something else for the face and legs (and with less than a week until the party, I think I'll just attempt the lambs at another date, but seriously, aren't these lambs adorable??? I even found some TINY white nonpareils to combat the problem of them being too crunchy as mentioned in the recipe).

I suppose we'll see what I end up doing!!

If you're interested in making cake balls/pops of your own, simply bake a 9X13 sized cake of your choice of flavor. Let cool completely. Once cooled, break apart into fine crumbs in a large bowl, then mix with half a can of frosting of your choice (the recipe I used online called for the whole can, and while it does add a bit more sweetness to the finished result, it also makes the "dough" a lot harder to work with, because it needs to keep being put back into the fridge or freezer to chill--using half a can of frosting leaves the dough stiff enough that it doesn't need to be chilled repeatedly throughout the process of forming the desired shape, AND I personally think they come out quite sweet as it is). If you think the "dough" needs it, freeze for 15 minutes or so, then start forming your shapes. I used tiny cookie cutters (1.25 inch wide or so??), and smooshed the dough into the shape until it filled completely, then carefully pushed it loose, and set aside on wax paper.

Once you have all the dough shaped as you want, start dipping into your melted chocolate (I used the melting chocolates from the baking section at JoAnn Fabrics and they worked fabulously). If you're making cake POPS, instert the sticks before dipping, and make sure the chocolate partially covers the stick where it inserts into the shape, or the stick will easily fall out.

I have yet to make cake BALLS, but I heard using a wooden skewer iserted into each ball long enough to dip works really well. I guess I'll find out later this week!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

5 things:

1. I had the deep fryer out.
2. I had an onion.
3. I decided to treat Dan and the kids to onion rings with dinner.
4. I found a recipe online and got to work.
5. The onion rings were a huge success, and here's the BIG NEWS:
I tried one, and liked it!!!!

(I cut them a little skinny, and I didn't have a wire rack to let them drip for a few minutes, so they're funky looking, but they were YUMMY!)


My mother just fainted from shock...

Onions were not allowed to touch my lips as a child (not for lack of trying on her part!), and while I've introduced onions into my life in small amounts as an adult (tiny chopped onions in home-made soups and whatnot), I wasn't willing to do any large pieces/bites. But you know what?? They smelled SOOOOO good, and I couldn't resist one bite. They were good! Big pain in the hiney to make, though, and then I had dirty, onion smelling oil to dispose of afterwards, so ME making them will probably never happen again, but I will partake in the eating of onion rings at restaurants in the future (assuming they taste as good as my home-made ones did).

The End.

Blackberry Pie

A few weeks ago, I attempted to bake my first blackberry pie ever, using the easiest recipe I could find online. I didn't end up with quite enough blackberries (the kids had been out picking with my IL's and they visually guaged whether they had enough), and partway into making the crust, I realized I didn't have enough all-purpose flour and had to substitute part of it with self-rising flour.

My neighbor claimed it was the best blackberry pie he'd ever had.

A week later, Dan requested that I make another blackberry pie, because the first one had been so good. This time, I used the correct amount of blackberries, and had enough flour to correctly make the crust, and I worried that it was just a fluke that the first one got such rave reviews. Dan and my neighbor both claimed the 2nd pie was even better than the first! (my neighbor might lie to be nice, but Dan wouldn't!)



I stink at making pie edges look pretty, but it was edible and got multiple thumbs up. Yay me! My neighbor even called and wanted my recipe because he liked it so much. Dan wanted me to mess with the recipe (anyone remember seeing that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where Raymond's mom puts a fake label over a spice so when Ray's wife tries to follow the recipe, it doesn't turn out right?? LOL), so when he typed it out in an email for them (since I was one-handed due to the brace), he put in C degree temps in the directions instead of F degree temps just to mess with them. LOL

I labeled this post under recipes so it would be filed with my other food-related posts, but if my pie is truly that good, I'm going to be tight-lipped with "my" recipe and you'll all just have to come over sometime and give it a taste-test! *grin*

SMILE!

I don't remember where I saw this food idea, but it was a HUGE (HUGE!) hit with my kids!


Cute, huh??

Two apple slices, and a glob of PB spread thickly enough to wedge the apple slices apart to form the lips and to support the marshmallow "teeth". Seriously simple. Brownie points!

It's that time of year again!

Something about the holiday season brings about the baker in me, and I find myself happily baking things I wouldn't normally feel like tackling. Like "PW Rolls" (so dubbed by several of us faithful Pioneer Woman blog readers).

Take a look at the deliciousness:


Your mouth is watering now, right? NO? Well, it should be!! PW Rolls are amazing. And the recipe makes lots. Emily and I ended up with 7 trays of 7 rolls each tray. That's 49 cinnamon rolls people! The benefit? We got to drive around and thrill the heck out of some family and neighbors/friends by surprising them with a tray of cinnamon rolls.

I think we'll make a yearly tradition out of making these. It was a big, all-day job, but it was fun to spend time with my Emily Grace, and it was fun to deliver the delicious goodness to people we love!

For the recipe and pictures, click HERE

Mummy food

I wish I could properly give credit where credit is due, but I'm lacking the proper information! The kids and I were at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and Emily pointed to a cover of a magazine at the register that depicted hotdogs baked in bread dough to resemble mummies. They were adorable, the kids were fascinated, and I was in a huge hurry to finish unloading the cart onto the conveyer belt and hardly gave the magazine a second glance, or even a second though.

Until, that is, I found a thing of refridgerated pizza dough in my fridge that needed to be used, and came across a package of frozen hotdogs in the freezer, and the image came into my head.

And so, the kids had mummy hotdogs for lunch last Friday, and they LOVED THEM. Now instead of asking for octopus hotdogs (which Connor calls "opopussy" dogs, btw!!!), they're asking for mummy hotdogs. Prep time was a little tedious, but nothing major. The ones on the magazine cover were done up much nicer, but my kids didn't complain. (I can't help but envision newborn babies swaddled with little hats on their heads when I see these, though...LOL)



It's amazing what a person can create with hotdogs...

What's Cooking Wednesday

Shan hosts a weekly "What's Cooking Wednesday" segment on her blog and while I hardly thing that this "recipe" fits in with her geniusness, it's a HUGE hit with the kids, and I was in need of a blog post!

Octopus Hotdogs

you will need:
*as many hotdogs as you plan to serve
*a sharp knife
*pot of boiling water
*mac and cheese to serve them on, if desired

First, slice into 4-8 sections, only going about 3/4 of the way up the hotdog (cutting into 4 sections is much faster, much easier, and MY kids, at least, don't make issue that there aren't enough legs...)

example of 4 legs:


example of 8 legs:


Second, cut wedges for the eyes


Third, add hotdogs into boiling water (I only added one for picture purposes) and watch the legs begin to curl up


Last, serve them up! We like to put ours on top of Kraft Mac and Cheese...


Here is a closer picture of the final product (notice the eyes!)

Chicken Tetrazzini

This is one of my all-time favorite meals, but it's a bit of work the first time or two you make it following the recipe in it's original form. I'm going to type up the recipe how I follow it so that you should have great luck the first time around!!

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES

16 oz spaghetti (thin or angel hair work best because they boil up so quickly!)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
greased 9X13 pan

sauce:
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne or black pepper
2 tsp salt
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

mushroom:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lb sliced mushrooms

AT THE SAME TIME, have a large pot of water heating in order to boil the noodles, AND heat a pan with 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp lemon juice in it. Add pasta to boiling water and cook al dente (I just cook it the time listed on the package). Add sliced mushrooms to the heated butter/lemon juice. Stir frequently until cooked through and most of the juices are cooked off. (I generally have the three chicken breasts boiling in another pot at this same time to cook them through, but some people don't like to cook chicken this way. I think it's easy and it tastes just fine and dandy in the finished dish!)

Once you get your pasta and mushrooms going, heat a sauce pan with 6 Tbsp butter. Once melted, add your 6 Tbsp all purpose flour and stir for a few minutes. Add pepper and salt, then slowly add broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened. Once slightly thickened, add 1 1/2 cups half and half and 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (we buy pre-grated for ease).

While your sauce is simmering, you can be dicing your chicken breasts.

When the pasta is done, drain the water and return to the large pot. Add the sauce and stir well. Put half the pasta/sauce mixture into a greased 9X13 dish. Layer with half the mushrooms and all of the diced chicken (I find adding the chicken as a layer instead of mixing it into the pasta/sauce mixture allows you to more evenly distribute it in the baking dish). Add remaining noodles/sauce. Pour any remaining sauce from the pot evenly over the dish. Add remaining mushrooms, then sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Your 9X13 pan will be FULL, and will probably appear a bit soupy (the pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid during baking).

Place in 375 degree oven for about a half hour (parmesan cheese should be browned and entire dish should be bubbly and hot when finished).

Cut and serve. YUM!!!!!!!!!!


This is also something that can be made ahead of time and then baked when it's needed. And don't let the large number of dirtied pots/pans detour you from attempting this dish. I promise you that when you taste the end result, you will find it all well worth the effort!!

Pumpkin Pancakes

We are testing out a recipe I found online this morning. Dan's eating the first batch and has given his approval. The kids are just getting ready to get started (Dan started first so he could head outside to do yardwork)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk *see notes at bottom
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS


In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*NOTES*

I ended up adding at least an additional 1/2 cup of milk. The batter turned out REALLY THICK and the pancakes weren't cooking properly in the middle, so I used the extra milk to thin the batter a bit.

Grab a rag to mop up your drool...

Consider yourself warned, this lasagna is heavenly...


The recipe is from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld and it gets two thumbs up from Dan and I, and all three kids as well. It was also relatively simple to make, ESPECIALLY considering I've NEVER MADE LASAGNA before (Costco does a good job of that for me, usually). And with sweet potato and cauliflower purees, cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese, ground turkey instead of beef, it's a relatively healthy meal. It sounds like a LOT of flavors mixed into one meal, but it all comes together very very nicely. Dan talked about it for days afterwards. Emily had three helpings!

I'm not sure about copyright infringements so I won't post the recipe, but I do HIGHLY recommend getting your hands on this book and testing it out for yourself!

"PW Rolls"

If you don't follow "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman" and haven't seen her AMAZINGLY delicious looking cinnamon roll recipe, and you don't have a friend Jen who's followed the recipe several times and RAVED about the "PW Rolls" (as we call them) and nudged you into making them yourself, then let me be the person to introduce you to "PW Rolls":

PW ROLLS

I'll warn you the recipe makes A LOT of PW Rolls; they're meant to share with friends and family. They use a lot of ingredients. They make a major mess. They take a lot of time. THEY ARE SOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!! (I'm mad at myself for fighting to urge to make them for so long!)

(I made SEVEN pans of cinnamon rolls, and only thought to take a picture of my hard-work after I'd given a pan to my parents)


Did I mention these are soooooooooooooooooooooo worth it??? YOU MUST MAKE THESE. NOW!!!

Go forth and purchase supplies, clear your calendar for the day, clean your kitchen for an hour afterwards, EAT EAT EAT and realize you've died and gone to heaven. YES, they're THAT good.

Perfect Porkchops

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

6 thin cut pork chops (fat cut off)
4 eggs (lightly whipped)
1 box pork flavored stuffing (finely ground)
4tbsp melted butter

Place 4tbsp melted butter in a 9X13 baking pan. Spread evenly across the bottom. Dip porkchops, one at a time, in the egg, then coat with a layer of the stuffing crumbs. We do this TWICE to each pork chop. Place in pan. Bake for 10min, turn over, and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

YUMMY!

I don't have a picture to share, because the idea to use the recipe as a blog entry came to me once we'd already started eating and my children (ALL THREE OF THEM!) were DEVOURING the meat. Emily ate a WHOLE pork chop... I'd love feedback on this entry if anyone tries the recipe!! It's a huge hit with my family.