so i know i've been mia from the blog, but i promise i have been busy in my kitchen! here's one of my favorites, especially as the weather begins to get chilly (haha, get it?). i know you midwesterners are expecting your first snowfall tomorrow, so here's a recipe to snuggle down with on those cold winter nights :o)
equipment:
frying pan
can opener
crockpot or dutch oven with lid
ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. corn (or 1 can--i used the southwest mix canned whole kernel corn)
1/2 c. red pepper, chopped
1/2 an onion (i used red), chopped
2 t. minced garlic
1 t. chili powder
1 t. dried cilantro
1 T. worcestershire sauce
3/4 t. salt
1 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 16 oz. can chili beans
1/4 c. chipotle tobasco sauce
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
4-6 oz. water
steps:
1.) cook ground beef in oil and add in corn, red pepper, onion, garlic, chili powder, cilantro, worcestershire, and salt when almost done. cook until beef is done and onions are transparent.
2.) while the beef mixture is cooking, cut the canned whole tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add the beef mixture, tomatoes (without the remaining juice), chili beans (with all remaining sauce), chipotle tobasco sauce, tomato paste and water into a crockpot or dutch oven. cover and cook on low or simmer for about 8 hours
time:20-30 minutes prep, 8 hours to let it simmaaaahh difficulty: 1.5 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: serve it with sour cream and/or cheese. try eating it with tortilla chips or nachos instead of a spoon.
hello there! i know this is delayed, but trust me, that does NOT mean i haven't been busy creating in my new kitchen! it just means i've had a lack of time to post to you fine people about it. anyway, this creation was tonight's dinner, and delicious it was. the flavors are creole-inspired (what, i live in the south now), and i put it on rice, though you could feasibly do it over noodles as well. the result was an easy (and yummy) tomato and turkey saute that took me about half an hour to make.
equipment:
frying pan/skillet with cover
heat-proof spoon/spatula
knife and cutting board
can opener
medium mixing bowl
rice cooker or pot in which to cook it
ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
2/3 to 3/4 lb. turkey (though i wanted to use tenderloins cut into bite-sized pieces, i ended up using ground breast due to lack of variety at my local supermarket)
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. sriracha sauce
1/4 t. cilantro
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 t. chili powder
1/2 red pepper cut into strips
1/4 red onion cut into strips
rice and water to make 1 c. cooked rice
steps:
1.) heat olive oil in frying pan/skillet. add turkey and garlic and cook fully. in the meantime, begin cooking rice, either in cooker or pot.
2.) while turkey is cooking, cut onion and pepper. in medium mixing bowl, mix together stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, cilantro, crushed red pepper, and chili powder.
3.) when turkey is cooked, add onion and red pepper and saute for about a minute. add tomato sauce mixture, and simmer about 5 minutes. cover and simmer another 15 minutes or so. serve hot over rice.
time:about half an hour difficulty: 1.5 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: try it over noodles instead of rice. try it with different meats.
so yesterday was my wonderful boyfriend's 22nd birthday (happy birthday, darlin!), so of course i had to make him a cake (as well as his banana pudding--it was a party, after all!). anyway, james's favorite baseball team is the los angeles dodgers, and so what better way to celebrate than by making a cake in the shape of a dodgers jersey? i do, however, have to credit his mom with this perfect idea. thanks annette! and happy birthday, james!
equipment:
mixing bowl
measuring cups and spoons
9x13" pan
cutting board
sharp knife
frosting knife
food coloring
frosting tips
candles
ingredients:
1 box (you know i cheat) cake mix (i used devil's food--james's favorite) and the ingredients on the box
2 cans frosting (i used cream cheese)
steps:
1.) make cake according to box instructions and bake in a 9x13" pan. i also pulled out 1 cupcake's worth of batter and baked it in a silicone cupcake liner (which is awesome cuz you can let it bake freestanding in the oven and it took the same time as the rest of the cake) to use for the baseball. let everything cool completely, and the flip it onto a cutting board by placing the cutting board upside down on top of the pan and turning it over. freeze this until cake is hard.
2.) cut the cake into the shape of a jersey. i cut out the neckline and then only about an inch off the sides underneath the sleeves. i then added some of this cut out cake to the sleeves to make them proportional, connecting them with some of the frosting.
3.) crumb coat the cake and freeze it again (this just makes it all easier to work with).
4.) frost the cake in the colors of the team of your choice. obviously for james this was the dodgers. i used the most awesome frosting tool of all time that i inherited from my mom (thanks mom!) who inherited it from her grandmother. it is a metal tube that holds frosting and the end pushes down to push frosting out of one of 12 tips that go with it (pictured above). it made frosting control soooo much easier! love it. i then decorated the cupcake into the shape of a baseball and put candles on (as buttons). easy, fun, done.
time:less than 10 minutes prep time, 35 minutes bake time, cool and freeze time, about an hour to crumb coat then decorate difficulty: 1.5 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: try different jerseys and teams. have fun with it!
anyway, happy 22nd birthday, james! i love you!
-kl
why hello there! yes, i know it's been forEVer since i've posted, but i have been sooo busy (yes, i know i always say this, too). but this time i think my excuse is pretty legit--i moved to florida and have been establishing my new kitchen. it's super cute with yellow and black tiling on the counters and tons of cabinet/cupboard space--i love it! also, my AMAZING housewarming gift from my wonderful parents was an electric 12 speed cuisinart standing mixer with a whip, dough hook, paddle, and splash guard and places to put on attachments such as a meat grinder, pasta maker, blender, food processor, juicer, and etc. loooooovvvvveeee it!!!! anyway, i am loving florida life and my job, and of course being able to see my fantastic boyfriend everyday. in fact, yesterday was his birthday (happy 22, love!). to celebrate, i made his favorite dessert of all time (which i had never even heard of til i moved to the south last summer): banana pudding. it was easy and delicious AND i got to use my new mixer! all in all it only took about half an hour. i hope you northerners give it a try and that all enjoy!
equipment:
mixer (handheld or standing)
spatula
mixing bowl
measuring cups and spoons
9x13" pan
knife
ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package instant banana cream pudding mix (dry)
2 c. milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 carton cool whip
6 bananas, sliced
1 box vanilla wafer cookies
steps:
1.) beat softened cream cheese on medium until fluffy.
2.) in a separate bowl, whisk instant pudding mix with milk. add pudding mixture, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to cream cheese. beat all together on medium until smooth. fold in cool whip until smooth.
3.) in a 9x13" pan layer pudding mixture, vanilla wafer cookies, and sliced bananas. chill and serve cold.
time:about 30 minutes difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: i wanted to try this with adding some banana liqueur and/or rum to the mix, but i didn't have time to run to the liquor store. next time, though!
SPAIN WINS THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! ESPANA ES EL CAMPEON DEL MUNDO!!!! anyway... can you guess who i was rooting for in the world cup?? to celebrate the occasion (just that they made it into the finals! their victory made this treat even sweeter), i made a world cup cake. just thought i'd share :o)
i made this cake (the recipe is written for a 9x13" pan) in an 11x7" pan with 6 cupcakes. i frosted it green and piped it with white to resemble a soccer pitch, then made the corner flags out of toothpicks and colored mailing labels, and finally the goals out of toothpicks and string. the cupcakes i then frosted white and piped with chocolate to resemble soccer balls, and i made the flags again out of toothpicks and colored mailing labels. anyway, it was fun, well-liked, and delicious (though, of course, victory always tastes sweet!). VIVA LA FURIA ROJA!!!
-kl :o)
hello there! sorry for my absence--i had reconstructive bone surgery on both feet a few weeks ago and have only recently been able to stand for any length of time. so! what do i do when i can stand again? get back in my kitchen, of course! in order to celebrate the world cup and my LOVE for spain (and fernando torres!) and all things spanish, i decided to make some salmorejo (sal-more-AY-hoe)--a tomato and garlic spanish soup that is served cold. it's great for summer, and it's so easy!
equipment:
chef's knife
measuring cups and spoons
serrated knife
food processor or blender
ingredients:
1 lb. ripe tomatoes
2 cloves minced garlic, or to taste (i used about 3)
1/4 c. olive oil (spanish if you can get it)
1 T. + 1 t. vinegar
french bread baguette
salt to taste
hard boiled eggs for garnish
iberian ham or bacon bits for garnish
cilantro for garnish
steps:
1.) cut about half of the french bread baguette into slices and leave out to stale a bit (an hour or two will be fine).
2.) cut the tomatoes into chunks and put them into food processor or blender. then add garlic, olive oil, and vinegar and blend until smooth.
3.) peel the bread part of the french bread baguette away from the crusts. add it to the tomato mixture one piece at a time and blend (also one piece at a time). continue adding pieces of bread until the mixture has about the same viscosity as pudding (or a little thinner).
4.) chill for a half an hour or more. as the soup chills, hard boil about 1 egg for every 2 people being served. put eggs into a saucepan and cover in cold water. add about 1 T. of vinegar and 1 t. of salt to the water. bring to a rolling boil, and as soon as it boils, turn the heat down and simmer for about 1 minute. then take it off the heat and cover and let stand for about 10 minutes. the eggs are done when you spin them on the counter and they stay upright. cool them down by putting them in cold water or ice, depending on how quickly you need to serve them. peel and chop into small pieces.
5.) ladle or spoon into bowls, and garnish with cut up hard boiled eggs, iberian ham/bacon bits, and/or cilantro. add salt to taste. serve with slices of the rest of the baguette of french bread (i even like to use these as edible spoons and never actually touch a real utensil!).
time:1-2 hours for bread to stale, 30 minutes to prepare, 30+ minutes to chill difficulty: 1.5 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: play around with the proportions of everything until you find the combination that works best for you.
this time it was my mom's birthday, and she loves her garden. so what more fun could be had than a flower-themed birthday cake? or, rather, cupcakes. this was fun, and easy, and absolutely adorable. i got compliments all night long on these sunflowers :o)
equipment:
knife
plastic bag
scissors
frosting tips if you have them (petal and point)
small flower post (i used really fun colored 3.3" plastic pots from the hardware store (washed, of course!) and stuffed the bottom)
paper to stuff the bottom of your flower pots
indredients:
cupcakes (i used my red velvet cupcake recipe)
frosting (i used chocolate cream cheese on top of the cupcakes and dyed vanilla for the flowers)
food coloring
oreo or oreo style cookies
steps:
1.) frost your cupcakes with frosting (i used chocolate cream cheese, as it's brown, which looks more like dirt than regular cream cheese frosting to pair with red velvet cupcakes).
2.) place a small daub of the same frosting on the back of an oreo-style cookie and put either one or two cookies on top of each cupcake.
3.) use either colored or dyed frosting for the next part (i used vanilla and colored it yellow with food coloring). if you don't have frosting tips, place your frosting into a plastic bag and cut one of the corners off (make sure it's small! frosting comes out quickly, and you can always make it bigger if necessary). if you do have frosting tips, do the same using the petal tip.
4.) draw petals around the edges of each oreo-style cookie.
5.) repeat step 3 with green frosting, this time using the pointed tip for drawing the leaves. draw the leaves straight onto the top of the cupcakes.
6.) it might be prudent at this point to freeze your cupcakes, covering them very lightly with plastic cling wrap. this will harden the frosting and make it easier to handle for the next part.
7.) stuff the bottom of your flower pots with some kind of paper (given the birthday theme i used tissue-style paper) so that the new bottom of the pot is about 2 inches from the top.
8.) place your cupcakes into the pots!
time:about an hour for decorating and finishing time difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: play around with different cupcake and frosting combos, different cookies, and different kinds of flowers. just have fun with it!
these are the most moist and fluffy cupcakes i've ever eaten in my life. and i didn't even manage to get a picture of one! but i used the finished product for my sunflower cupcakes. prep time was about 10 minutes, and bake time was around 20.
equipment:
cupcake/muffin tins
cupcake/muffin liners
mixing bowl
spoon
measuring equipment
ingredients:
devil's food cake mix (and ingredients the box recipe calls for)
1 package dry pudding mix (i used vanilla)
2 t. vanilla
2 T. instant hot chocolate powder mix
red food coloring
chocolate cream cheese frosting
steps:
1.) preheat your oven according to the instructions on the box.
2.) make the devil's food cake mix according to the box instructions. add pudding mix (vanilla actually emphasizes the flavor of chocolate, but you could easily use chocolate, too), vanilla, and hot chocolate mix to the batter. mix until well blended. add the red food coloring until the batter has a red-ish tint.
3.) fill your cupcake/muffin tins with cupcake/muffin liners, or grease your tins. fill the tins about 2/3 full and bake according to the box instructions.
4.) let cool completely. frost as desired, but chocolate cream cheese frosting was wonderful on them!
time:about half an hour difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 out of 5 stars)
see how easy that was? and they're so delicious! enjoy :o)
-kl
so for those of you who don't know, i recently graduated from college!!! i've been so busy finishing up my degree, that i haven't had time to post much. but! i did have time to make a few fun graduation-themed desserts for our grad party. fun, delicious, and super easy--i got compliments on these throughout the party :o)
both of these ideas are for graduation mortarboards that are edible and tons of fun! the first is for the one on the right.
027a: mini reece's peanut butter cup and hershey's chocolate mortarboard
equipment:
knife
ingredients:
mini reece's peanut butter cups (i used the 40 oz bag, which had approximately 60 cups in it)
hershey's milk chocolate bars (i bought 2 of the 8 pack bars, and used 15/16 bars)
mini m&ms (my school colors are blue and white, so i used just blue ones)
school colored frosting to make tassel
peanut butter (optional)
steps:
1.) unwrap your peanut butter cups and chocolate bars.
2.) flip peanut butter cups upside-down and put a small bit of either frosting or peanut butter on the now top of the peanut butter cups (i used peanut butter).
3.) break the chocolate bars into double-wide squares. given that each column is 3 squares, you will have extra single squares left. you can either use these singles together to make a double (as seen in the front of the picture above) or eat them :o)
4.) put a line of frosting on the top of your now mortarboard-shaped treats beginning at the center and working out to an edge or corner. place a mini m&m on the top in the middle.
time:about half an hour for all 60 or so difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 out of 5 stars)
the second recipe is a 3-4 biter instead of a 1 biter like the above, and is more chewy. in the very first picture, it is shown on the left.
027b: brownie cupcake mortarboards
supplies:
mixing bowl
measuring equipment
knife
ingredients:
mini brownie cupcake mix (i used this mix and made 2 boxes, or 4 total packages, to make a total of 24 cupcakes. an advantage of these is that they come with their own tiny cupcake pans).
chocolate covered graham crackers (i used these)
frosting (given that everything else was chocolate fudge, i used chocolate fudge frosting) (optional)
school colored frosting to make tassel
m&ms, reece's pieces, york pieces or other circular coated candy in school color (i used york pieces, given that they're blue and white and so are my school colors)
steps:
1.) bake mini brownie cupcakes according to package instructions.
2.) while your brownies are baking, cut some of your chocolate covered grahams in half. the ones i got were rectangles and looked awkward, so to make them square, i used a sharp knife and cut some of them in half and later fused the two together on top of the brownie. but i'm getting ahead of myself. since i made 24 brownies, i used 36 total cookies, and cut 12 of them in half.
3.) after they're done, let the brownies cool completely, and flip them over. put flavored frosting (or colored frosting) on the now top of the brownies.
4.) put the flavored frosting on the "raw" edge of one of the cut graham pieces and use the frosting to "glue" it to one of the whole ones. then, put this whole square on top of the frosting on top of the brownie cupcake.
5.) to finish, put a line of colored frosting on the top of the mortarboard-shaped dessert, starting at the middle and working toward and outside edge. to disguise the seam, perhaps draw it along part of the seam, as pictured above. end by putting the york pieces (or whatever candy suits your school's colors) in the middle.
time:5 minuets prep, about 20 minutes to bake, an hour for cooling, and half an hour for assembly and decoration, for a grand total of about 2 hours. difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars)
these treats really were the hit of the grad party. hope you enjoy them, too!
-kl
yes, i know, i know, another cake. but look at the name of it! how can you not want to know more?? well, i assure you it's quite simple, and i took it to a girls' night party, and it went quickly and got rave reviews. no, it's not an original recipe, but i did make a few modifications here and there. prep time is about 5 mins and total time around 2 hours.
equipment:
9 x 13 glass baking pan
medium bowl for mixing
liquid measuring cup
2 gallon-sized ziplock style bags
hammer
toothpick
ingredients:
1 box german chocolate cake mix (though you could also feasibly use devil's food if you were so inclined) and everything the box mix says you need to make the cake (usually oil, eggs, and water)
1 can (14oz, though you won't use the whole thing) sweetened condensed milk
caramel sauce (i bought a 12oz container, and only used about 8oz of it)
1 container (8oz) of whipped cream (i used the publix version of cool whip)
1 bag of fun sized heath bars or 8 king sized heath bars
chocolate sauce (you'll only need a bit, so the smallest size is fine if you don't have any ice cream to put the rest on)
steps:
1.) make the cake according to the directions on the box.
2.) while the cake is baking, unwrap the heath bars, put them into one of the bags and that bag in the 2nd. on a safe surface use a hammer (or something equivalently hard) to crush them into small pieces.
3.) let the cake cool completely.
4.) poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick almost all the way down the height of the cake.
5.) generously pour the caramel and sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake (it's going to seep down into those holes you just made).
6.) frost it with whipped cream.
7.) sprinkle crushed heath bars over the top of the whipped cream and drizzle chocolate sauce over the top.
time:5 minuets prep, about 2 hours total bake, cool, and top time difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: mess around with the toppings you use. maybe try twix instead of heath bars? different kinds of cake? fudge instead of or in addition to caramel, sweetened condensed milk, and/or chocolate sauce? have fun playing around with it!
look! real, non-birthday festivity food! this is my mom's baked sweet potato recipe with my own personal spin. it's easy to make, and pretty much delicious. prep time is about 10-15 mins, and bake time was probably around half an hour to 45 minutes. the sweet potatoes are the dish on the left, and the cranberry recipe is coming up as soon as i revise it a little bit.
equipment:
vegetable peeler (optional)
knife
glass baking pan (i used a 9x13 for 4 potatoes)
small mixing bowl
ingredients:
as many sweet potatoes (yams) as people
butter (melted)
cinnamon
cayenne pepper
ginger
nutmeg
steps:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. wash and peel each sweet potato. then cut them into 1/4 inch thick slices so that they resemble chips or disks (see picture above).
mix together the topping, which consists of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ginger. i also added a few grates of fresh nutmeg. for 4 potatoes, i used about 2 T. of cinnamon, about 3/4 t of cayenne pepper, and 1/4 t. ginger as well as the nutmeg.
place the sliced potatoes in rows (almost like fallen dominoes) in a glass baking pan. the drizzle the melted butter over the top of the potatoes (this ensures that the topping will stick). sprinkle on the topping, and bake until the potatoes are soft. honestly, i think it's impossible to overcook a sweet potato, and i wasn't paying attention to how long i left them in the oven, but it was probably somewhere between half an hour and 45 minutes. let them cool a bit before serving, but do serve them warm.
time:10 minuets prep, 30-45 minutes bake difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: play around with the exact mix and proportion of your spices to best suit your tastes. i, for example, love cinnamon, but am not a big ginger gal, so my proportioning might be a little off for your tastes.
i know, i know, you're sick of birthdays. BUT i have a lot of awesome people i'm close to born right around the same time, sooo... deal with it. haha. anyway, today is my roommate's birthday. things rachel loves: ice cream, ice cream cones, cupcakes, funfetti cake, and frosting. so this idea combines alllllll of those in one fantastically delightful (and super easy) birthday cake.
ingredients:
cake mix (i used funfetti cuz it's rachel's favorite)
frosting (again, i cheated and used the canned stuff--it took me 2 cans)
cake cones (flat-bottomed ice cream cones)
sprinkles or other decorations
steps:
this was sooo easy it's unbelievable. mix up your cake mix and spoon it into the cupcake lined muffin tins. then, place the ice cream cones upside-down on top of the batter (it's best if you smoosh them down just slightly into the batter so the cupcakes rise right into the cone) and bake them. then let them cool completely, and remove the cupcake liner from the top of the ice cream cone. frost and decorate! i was also surprised to find that these did not require a crumb coating, and i just dipped the frosted cupcakes into the sprinkles, however you can probably use crushed nuts, candies, and etc. get creative! so easy and so fun, and a delightfully innovative way to eat a cupcake. the only tricksy part is storing them, as they're somewhat top-heavy and gooey with frosting. i ended up cutting rounds in old shoe boxes to store them upright.
boy oh BOY have i been busy! i have several recipes to upload, and i will get to them all when i can, but for now, this is just another fun cake i did for my dad's 50th birthday! he absolutely loves trains, so with a little help from betty crocker, i made this masterpiece for his surprise birthday party. this cake fed around 20 people with leftovers, so it's definitely possible to halve the recipe and make it on a much smaller (aka not table-sized) scale for your train lover. delicious AND fun :o)
equipment:
2-4 loaf pans
serrated knife
glass of hot water
cookie sheets or cutting boards
frosting knife
candles (optional)
ingredients:
cake (i cheated and used 2 boxes of cake mix)
frosting (this bad boy took 1 can of chocolate and 3 of vanilla)
food coloring
round candies
steps:
because we were feeding so many, 2 batches of cake mix were necessary (many thanks to my mom for making the cakes!). these were mixed into 2 loaf pans per batch (4 total loaf pans) and frozen after they cooled and were removed from the loaf pans
after they were frozen thoroughly, each cake was removed from the freezer individually and the rounded top cut off using a serrated knife. *hint: this process becomes much easier if you dip the knife in hot water between each cut! flip the cakes over so the part that used to be the top (now flat after cutting the rounded part off) is facing the counter and becomes the bottom. this makes the cakes much more structurally stable.
first, i made the engine. this is its own loaf pan, and is the biggest piece you'll be working with. cut off the sides the long way of the cake so the cake is about 3 inches wide. then cut 2 of the corners off so the shape is now a really awkward hexagon. then, about 2 inches back from the back edge of those cuts, cut halfway down the height of the cake in 2 strips about 2 inches apart, the across the bottom of those 2 incisions to remove a piece half as thick as the cake itself. "glue" this piece back onto the cake with chocolate icing so the back lines up with the first incision you just made. confused yet? check out the diagram below for some visual help and much needed clarification.
the rest of the cakes are really easy--just quarter them. again, be sure to have the side that you cut the rounded top off become the bottom. these quartered pieces become the "cars." place them the long way behind the engine piece. i just placed my pieces on cookie sheets, but you could also do it on cutting boards or whatever you have that is big enough to support the whole train. regardless, it should be something that you can put in the freezer. after all your pieces are cut, place them onto whatever surface you're using (from here on out, i'll just say cookie sheets) in a train-like shape, meaning the engine followed by the cars in whatever arrangement suits your location best. once arranged, put them back in the freezer, as this makes your decorating job MUCH easier.
the hard part is over! phew! now comes the tedious stuff--decorating. i used all chocolate frosting on the engine and all vanilla on the cars. take your cookie sheets out of the freezer one at a time, and crumb coat your pieces. this means that you cover the pieces using frosting and a knife just to seal the crumbs of the cake in so that they don't affect your final decorating. freeze each cookie sheet again after each piece on it is crumb coated.
then comes the actual decorating. i did the engine all in chocolate, but each car i dyed a different color by mixing food coloring into the vanilla icing. after each car was frosted, i added wheels by using round candies. i piped spokes on to these with colored frosting, and connected them to the cars using plain frosting. add whatever other decorations you like to your cars--be creative and have fun! add candles if you want, but above all, enjoy :o)
so my roommate bought bananas for her sick boyfriend, but somehow none of us ended up eating them. so what better to do with a bunch of overripe bananas than make banana bread?? so that is exactly what i did :o) prep time was about 20 minutes, and bake time is around an hour.
equipment:
measuring cups and spoons
3 mixing bowls (1 larger, 2 medium)
loaf pans (i used 3 of the little guys, but you could use one standard sized one, too)
ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 overripe bananas, smashed
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. softened margarine (1 stick)
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. softened butter
steps:
1.) preheat oven to 350F. grease your loaf pan(s)
2.) mix flour, baking soda, and baking soda in the largest of the mixing bowls.
3.) in one of the smaller mixing bowls, smash your bananas. i used a potato smasher, but you could easily use even just a fork
4.) in your third bowl, cream together your margarine and brown sugar. add the eggs and beat them in. add this mixture to the smashed bananas and mix well. add vanilla to this mix.
5.) add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until moistened.
6.) pour evenly into the loaf pans.
7.) mix together the streusel topping, by creaming together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and sugar with the butter. sprinkle over the top of the loaves.
8.) bake at 350F for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly. let cool before eating.
time:20 minuets prep, 60 minutes bake difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest) rating: ♦♦♦1/2◊◊ (3.5 out of 5 stars) suggestions for variation: i am not a big fan of crunchy surprises in my breads, but if you want to add crushed walnuts or something, i'm sure that would be an ok addition.
so today is my friend tyler's 20th birthday, and tyler is absolutely obsessed with all apple products. so what better way to celebrate his birthday than to make him an apple [logo shaped] cake?? well, maybe throw in a taco bar, playing super mario (super nes, of course) projected to take up an entire wall, some fantastic party games, and awesome friends and you've got yourself a party! happy 20th, bud :o) anyway, back to the CAKE!
now this baby was a double layered cake and took a 3 day process to make. despite that, it was not difficult at all, only time-consuming. i guess i cheated, because i used cake mixes and store-bought frosting. you are allowed to give up now and call me a fraud, but i hope you'll stick it out.
equipment: 9x13 pan cooling rack cutting boards sharp knife frosting (butter) knife cup of HOT water
ingredients: 2 boxes of cake mix (i used one chocolate and one yellow)and their respective mixing ingredients 3 cans of frosting (white) food coloring
steps:
the reason needed 2 boxes of cake mix is that tyler's favorite is marble cake. it is almost impossible to shape a marble cake, so to get the same marble taste, we went for 2 layered cake. i began with the chocolate on the bottom and added yellow cake to the top so as to mess up the coloring of the frosting less (yellow cake offers a more blank palate than does chocolate).
i began by making a 9x13 pan of chocolate and greased the WHOLE pan and sides really well. i baked it according to the instructions on the box, and let it cool for about an hour. i then put a cooling rack on top of the 9x13 pan, held it in place and flipped the whole cake pan over onto the cooling rack without the 2 ever losing contact. this makes it easier to flip onto another surface later, as well as serving to let it squash down a little bit so your cake isn't quite so tall. after this fully cooled, i used the same process to flip it back into the 9X13, and then again into a cutting board (i used white to be a blank palate). i just cut the cake to fit onto the cutting board without discarding too much cake. after this, i wrapped the cake and cutting board in saran wrap and refrigerated it overnight.
the exact same process was used for the yellow cake, and this went onto a second cutting board, though this one doesn't matter regarding color or material, as the cake will eventually get transferred on top of the chocolate one.
i then took both cakes out of the fridge and frosted the chocolate one (i just kept this frosting white) on top to act as the congealing layer between the two cakes. transferring the yellow cake on top of the chocolate one was probably the hardest part of the whole process, and i ended up using a slow slide and transfer process, though i think freezing the yellow cake might work better so as to be able to get a firm grip on it without fear of it breaking or crumbling apart, which is the trouble i was facing.
the final product, but for an idea of the layering involved
then i made a rough outline on the cake of an apple and mostly carved the corners away with a sharp knife, soaking it in a cup of HOT water in between every cut. this is a classic wedding cake trick to get the cleanest cut and get rid of any cake or frosting particles that you don't want in another area of your cake. so the apple shape was cut and all that remained was the leaf. i used the "bite" piece (cut after the whole apple shape was cut) as the leaf, as they are essentially the same shape. this i had to prop up with toothpicks, but i later frosted over them and warned the person who ate the leaf about them so they wouldn't choke and die, haha.
then it was time to frost. i did this in two layers--one as a rough covering and one as a finished layer. looking back on it, i could have done the first layer in white and not worried about the coloring yet, but i did not know at the time that it would take two layers to look good. so i just used food coloring to dye my white frosting and put it in the proper locations to cover both the sides and the top of the cake. *TIP: put the cake in the freezer for a few minutes (20 or so) before you start this process, as it will be much easier to frost, and also do this (10 minutes or so) in between every color change.* i also froze it for about half an hour before starting the second layer, and then kept it refrigerated until it was served. this was the time consuming part, but none of it was hard.
anyway, it was a major hit at the party. to cut it i again used my sharp knife and hot water and cut it like a wedding cake. everyone seemed to enjoy it, and the reaction was more than worth the tediousness of the effort!
hello! my name is kendra, and i am a recently married workaholic with never enough time or energy. one of the things i enjoy, however, is simple, fast, and inexpensive cooking. please feel free to comment on recipes or leave suggestions for existing or future recipes. thanks for visiting!
happy cooking :o)
