So, one thing I pride myself on is that I am creative. Every year I take pound cake and transform it into a cool creation my children dream up. This year, for my son's 9th birthday he requested a "Minecraft" birthday cake. Ok, this was going to be a challenge... a "Creeper" he wanted... ok. This year was going to be pretty easy because he wanted a Laser tag party and the hostess would be setting up and cleaning everything! So the cake could take the bulk of the extra time... it would be worth it! The cake: I bought 2 packages of pound cake mix and bake according to the directions for 2 9x13 cake pans. Frosting: Basic Buttercream 1 cup butter 1 cup butter flavored Crisco 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tsp Cream cheese flavoring 8 cups confectioners sugar Whip until smooth. When the cake itself is cool, Cut into a rectangle and a square and a smaller rectangle for the feet. Cover with the frosting. To make Green Fondant 1/4 cup butter flavored crisco 1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows 1/8 cup water 1 tbl green food color paste 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, with the water and vanilla extract, coloring into the marshmallows, microwave 30 second intervals sturing until melted. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff. Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes. Form the fondant into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Transfer fondant to cake and shape. Repeat steps for fondant using black coloring in place of green! Enjoy! |
My son just celebrated his 9th birthday last Saturday. We have a tradition in our family, its something my mother used to do for us; the individual celebrating their birthday gets to choose dinner. Chris' pick was Orange Chicken! Even though it was going to be a long day for me (a dear friend was getting married that afternoon- it was a beautiful ceremony!) I still was able to make this recipe, plus some fried rice in less than an hour! Take Out Chinese Orange Chicken
8 servings The Chicken 2-2 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 4 eggs 1-1½ cups cornstarch Salt and pepper, to taste Oil (to fry in) Orange Sauce 1 1/2 cup orange juice zest of 1 large orange ½ cup soy sauce ½ cup sugar ½ cup rice vinegar 2 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or adjust to your taste) 3 cloves garlic, minced 5-6 tsp. cornstarch Heat oil in a fryer to 375°F. In a shallow dish mix the eggs. Place the cornstarch in a large closable container season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces into the cornstarch, close lid and shake. Place the chicken into the egg mixture coat, allowing excess to drip off. Place the chicken back into the cornstarch, close lid and shake well to coat. Shake off the excess cornstarch and place the chicken pieces into the hot oil. Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces until they are all golden brown and no longer pink. To prepare the Orange Sauce; combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, constantly stirring, until the mixture has thickened and reduced. Set aside. Once all of the chicken is cooked, coat with the prepared Orange Sauce, coating all of the pieces. Serve. Can be served with Rice or Lo Mein. This weekend our time was limited for a fun family activity, so we decided to visit a local orchard and pick up some peaches and apples. I ended up with almost a bushel of peaches. Not just any peaches these were MONSTER peaches!
I thought about making peach butter, but I also had a bunch of beautiful jalapenos. That's when I had the idea to make a sweet/savory salsa. This is the result: 6 Monster peaches (or probably 12 of the standard variety) peel, pit and dice. 2-3 jalapenos diced 1/2 small onion diced 1 Tbl. (or to taste) Cumin 1/2 cup fresh cilantro cut small 1/2 Tbl. kosher salt (more or less to taste) 2-3 limes juiced Mix together. Let sit in fridge for 1 hour or more for tastes to meld. Enjoy! |
Author- Kellyanne
I'm a wife and mother of 2 young children. My love of cooking came from my mother who authored a cookbook and recipe newsletter. This blog is meant to share the love of cooking she had in a new medium. Had she lived to see the possibilities of the internet, this would be her page and not mine. Happy cooking! Archives
March 2015
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