cakes and such

Here are a couple cakes and things I have done over the past couple months...

Barbie Cake: I used a medium sized Pyrex bowl to bake the "base" and then put a naked doll upper body on top, frosted the entire thing (the doll too).

Yankee's cake: Freehanded the logo.

US Capitol: One rectangle pan, one square pan, one mug of cake shaved/shaped post baking.

For the elephants, I simply piped on the ears and nose, chocolate chips for the eyes and used the birthday candles for the tusks.

and here is the "doctored" up cupcake recipe that I always use:

1 box cake mix

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup oil

Mix Master- Gingerbread Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Sorry, no picture, but you can imagine...

This recipe was easy to throw together and tasted "homemade".

Let me preface: I don't love pre-made cookie dough, at all. But I do love those betty crocker cookie pouches. Often they are on sale for less then 2 bucks and you just add a few things. Easy.

This was the method to the mix madness:

One pouch gingerbread cookie mix

One Egg

One Stick (1/2 cup) butter

One very large apple (I used honeycrisp, but any would work)

Approx. 1 1/2 cup of ready made philadelphia cheesecake filling (found in dairy section in tub)

Cinnamon

Sugar

Prepare one pouch of gingerbread cookie mix according to directions (egg, butter). I threw in a dash of orange juice instead of the water it called for and then splashed some real vanilla in the mix too.

Press into bottom of pam-sprayed cake pan.

Peel & dice apple. Press apple bits onto gingerbread layer. Sprinkle cinnamon over top and then dust sugar (brown sugar would be best, but I used white) covering the apples and then bake for 7 min on 350 degrees.

Take half baked thing out of oven and top with a layer of the cheesecake stuff. I stirred it around in another bowl first to make spreading it over easier. With the warmth of the half baked gingerbread/apples it was able to smooth on fairly easily.

Put the thing back into oven and bake for another 20 min or until gingerbread is done.

Fall in a bar. Enjoy!

Take

Fennel Seed

The secret to making great Italian food is Fennel Seed.

That is all.

Pineapple Mango Angel Food Cake with Ginger Whipcream

Ok, here is the important things to know:

*I made this in about 3 minutes

*It is fat free (cake alone)

*It tastes delicious

This is how it works:

Use a boxed Angel Food Cake Mix (make sure its a one bag mix, not egg seperate one)

Add one 20 oz can of crushed pineapple with the juice

Bake as directed. Enjoy!

Now, here are my variations to the basic recipe above:

- I used the drained pineapple plus 8 oz of Mango Nectar

-I also made a simple whipped topping by mixing heavy cream and a few shakes of ginger together. I used 16 oz of heavy cream, a few shakes of ginger and about 3 tablespoons of powder sugar. (obviously, this makes it un-fat free)

Open Faced Veggie Panini's

cooked & ready to devour

uncooked/raw without the cheese

Hey look, sometimes I actually make healthy things. This is so easy, so nutritious and so good. 

Sliced Sourdough Bread

Diced Tomatoes (I used canned with basil in it already)

Diced mushrooms

Diced Zucchini

Diced Olives

Italian Seasonings (I used onion powder, garlic powder, a touch of thyme and oregano)

Shredded Cheese (I used a six cheese light italian blend- parm, asagio, mozz, etc- but whatever you like would work)

TIPS:

Cook on bake for about 10 min on 375 and then broil the last 3 min to crisp the bread

Line your pan with non-stick foil to catch the burnt cheese and easy clean up

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

 Oh so simple. Oh so delicious. Oh so impressive. 

Large Fresh Strawberries

Ready to eat Cheesecake (found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, near the cookie dough and pudding and cream cheese, its in a tub)

"Almond Bark" or "Dipping Chocolate" 

Directions & Tips:

Core the berries with a pairing knife

Dip the strawberries in the melted chocolate (follow directions on the bag, I microwaved the chocolate for a minute, stirred it and it was ready to go). Lay dipped berries on wax paper to harden.

Once hardened fill the centers with the cheesecake stuff (I used a disposable pastry bag, but you could easily just use a plastic baggie with the corner cut off to pipe it in the center)

I found this idea online here. 

Easy Donuts

All you need is:

Hot Oil

Cans of biscuit dough

Any toppings you want

TIPS:

Flatten biscuit doughs and pull open a hole in the center

Slowly put in hot oil in a shallow sauce pan of oil (about 1 inch deep)

The oil temp is fickle. I set my stove to Med-High, but you must wait about 15 min for the oil to heat up- the oil needs to be hot enough to cook the dough quickly, but not too hot to burn the outside and leave the inside doughy.

Flip the donut after about 2 min using metal tongs or a metal strainer spoon

Lay the donuts onto a towel right after pulling out of grease and let sit for a couple min. This allows the excess oil to be absorbed and the donut to cool down. 

I use frosting, cinnamon sugar, powder sugar & sprinkles to top them, but anything goes. Get creative!

Key Lime Coconut Cookies

1 Cup Butter Flavored Shortening

Add 1 Cup White Sugar

3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Sweetened Lime Juice

1 tablespoon Vanilla 

2 1/4 Cup Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

2 cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut

2 Cups White Chocolate Chips

TIPS:

Whip the butter shortening first

Add the sugars, eggs, juice and vanilla

Then add the rest of the dry ingredients slowly, blend in the coconut and chocolate last with a spoon. 

Bake on 325 for 8 min. 

I use a pre greased stone for my cookies, the next best thing is a cooking sheet sprayed with the Pam that has flour in it, or a spray of "Bakers Joy"

The Lime Juice is pre-sweetened bought from the Mixers section near the alcohol in the grocery store. 

 

Santa Fe Pasta

1 Box Mini Bow-tie (Farfalle) Pasta, cooked al dente 

1 pound Ground Spicy Turkey Sausage, scrambled & cooked

1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips & sautéed 

1 Can White Northern Beans (or black beans), strained & rinsed 

1 Can Chile Mexican Style Diced Tomatoes, strained 

3/4 Packet Taco Seasoning Packet

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tbs. Janes Crazy Mixed Up Lime Salt & Pepper

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Optional add ins: Olives, Onion, other color peppers, whatever else you like

TIPS: 

Cook pasta according to directions on box, but add about 1 tablespoon of table salt to the water before boiling). 

De-case (peel) the sausage from the casings if needed, scramble in a saucepan over med heat until cooked through (about 10 min). Strain meat, getting rid of any excess fat/juices. 

Using the empty pan that the sausage was made in, sauté green pepper strips until edges start to black. 

Combine everything into a large empty pot and keep covered on the lowest setting for about 1/2 after everything is together to get the flavors to mix.

ENJOY!