Carina Bean Creations

Check out my lil sister's new blog!  I told her she should do it and like all little sisters should, she listened to her big sister. :-)  She has a great love for baking, but unfortunately has a gluten intolerance, so she's had to really search for good gluten-free recipes.  I've tried her stuff...its deeeee-lish!

German Sweet Chocolate Cake

Wow, can you believe 2 posts in a week?  I haven't done that for months!  Like I said in my last post, we recently found out that my son is allergic to wheat, milk, & peanuts, so we've been looking for tasty alternatives to what we're used to.  And I'm not willing to compromise good taste in the process.  I'm determined that eating allergy-free can be just as good as eating normal, so I'm on the hunt for good recipes.  This one was introduced to me by my little sis.  She has a gluten intolerance, so she has a little more experience in the gluten-free world.  She's been on the hunt for tasty gluten-free goodness and stumbled across this.  The original recipe is from the back of the Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Bar box.  She simply substituted the flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour and I would go further and substitute the buttermilk with any non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, coconut) with vinegar added.  So far it really is the BEST gluten-free, dairy-free cake I've tested so far.  I honestly can't tell the difference.

• 1 pkg (4oz) Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate
• 1/2 c water
• 2 c flour (for gluten-free, use 2 c Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour...we've only used Bob's Red Mill brand so far)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened (if making dairy-free, use 1 c dairy-free substitute...we've used Nucoa dairy-free margarine)
• 2 c sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla (make sure its gluten-free...vanilla w/alcohol can contain alcohol w/gluten in it, so watch out)
• 1 c buttermilk (dairy free option: 1 c milk substitute (soy, rice, coconut, almond milk) plus 1 Tbsp vinegar...let it sit for 10 minutes to sour up a little)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare pans.  If using cake pans, cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans.  If using cupcake tins, place cupcake paper cups in tins.

Microwave chocolate and water in large microwavable bowl on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Gently stir into batter.  Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Immediately run small metal spatula around cake layers.  Cool in pans for 15 minutes; remove layers from pans to wire racks.  Discard wax paper.  Cool cake layers completely.  Frost & enjoy!

Makes 16 servings.

Dairy Free Whipped Cream

I can't believe its been SO long since I last posted...okay, maybe I can believe it.  In the last couple of months I've had a baby (now making my husband I proud parents of 3 very busy boys!), started homeschooling my oldest son, and, well lots more has been going on, but those are my biggest distractions these days.  A month or so ago we had our 2 oldest sons tested for food allergies, in which we discovered my oldest was allergic to just about everything.  Poor kid!  The major culprits were wheat, milk, and peanuts.  So our way of eating is going through quite a metamorphosis these days.  In some ways its more challenging than I thought and in others its actually easier.  I am finding it a lot easier for him to adjust then it would be for myself or my husband.  While I think most of the prepackaged cookies and breads and such are pretty much nasty, he loves them.  Go figure.  For once in his life he's actually being easy about something :-)  But through all of the hard work, its been worth it!  He feels better and acts so much better.  The point of my whole rambling is that my recipes may be changing a bit.  Not necessarily entirely, but be on the lookout for new gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, and even some vegan recipes.  

To start off with, I've found that coconuts are my new best friend.  It can be really healthy for you.  Coconut oil is a great alternative to other oils in baking and cooking.  Coconut milk can be substituted for milk in lots of stuff.  Although its more expensive, coconut milk yogurt and ice cream are tasty alternatives.  But if you make it yourself (I'll post when I try it), then it won't be so expensive.  Curries with coconut milk are always wonderful.  You can even make coconut flour (and coconut milk) from unsweetened coconut flakes (haven't tried it yet, but looks tasty).  Recently we tried out whipped cream using coconut milk.  It was actually tasty!  My son LOVED it and better yet we all liked it!  Try it out!

PS...if you don't like coconut flavor, you can still use coconut milk and oil in recipes (usually you can't taste it), but I wouldn't recommend this recipe or yogurt or ice cream made from coconut milk!

• Can of Whole Fat (NOT low-fat) Coconut Milk
• Sugar
• Vanilla (optional)

Refrigerate the coconut milk for a minimum of 4 hours...I'd recommend at least overnight, if not for a couple days.  DO NOT shake can!  After it has been refrigerated for preferably a couple of days, open the can.  You will find that all the fat will have risen to the top with the liquid at the bottom.  For this recipe you will not the liquid, so scoop out all of the coconut fat and place into a medium-sized mixing bowl (you can discard the liquid or save it to drink or use in smoothies or something)

With a mixer, blend the coconut on high speed.  After a few minutes it will start to get fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla (optional) to taste.  Continue mixing until it becomes very light and creamy, much like regular whipped cream.

Bakerella Goes Pixar

Bakerella has done it again - she just keeps on coming up with genius cake pop ideas!  My kids (especially my middle child) would LOVE any and all of these!  And seeing as they're planning on going to see Toy Story 3 tomorrow, I thought it only appropriate to share these links with you!  Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today being St. Patrick's Day, I, of course, had to make something somewhat festive. When I was a kid my mom would make everything green. She would make cookies and bread and dye the dough green, so we'd have green sandwiches and green cookies. In the morning she'd dye the milk green (those were the powdered milk days, so it only made the milk even nastier than it already was - why is it that no matter how cold powdered milk is, it always tastes like warm milk? Ug...gross!). Then for dinner we'd always have corned beef and hash. I'm not such a corned beef fan, so I avoid it at all costs (much to my husband's dismay!). So this year I pretty much made the same thing as last year, switching things up a little. The jigglers were green this year and I bought bread rather than made it. I didn't like the Irish Soda bread much, so I was going to attempt some Beer Bread (Sprite works great in replacing the beer!), but didn't end up having the time. So here's my menu:

For Dinner:

• Oven Baked Fish (I used Wild Alaskan Cod this time...mmm)
• Colcannon (via Martha Stewart - see recipe below)
• Green (Lime) Jello Jigglers
• Garlic & Asiago Bread (from T.J.'s)
• Homemade Ginger Ale (See Recipe below)

For Dessert:

• Pistachio pudding with homemade whipped cream

Here's the recipes for Colcannon & Homemade Ginger Ale:

Colcannon

(photo and recipe via Martha Stewart)

• 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
• 1 savoy cabbage, tripped pale-green leaves finely shredded (4 cups)
• 1 leek, pale-green and white parts only, cut into 1/2" dice
• 1 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Coarse salt

Preheat broiler. Peel and quarter potatoes, and place in a medium saucepan; add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to saucepan. Mash with a potato masher or pass through a ricer; cover pan to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine cabbage, leek, milk, 2 Tbsp butter, and nutmeg; season with salt. Cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage and leek is soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir into potatoes.

Spread mixture in an 8" square baking dish. Make a small well in the center, and place under the broiler until lightly browned on top, about 5 minutes.

Remove from broiler. Place remaining 2 Tbsp butter in well. Serve immediately, spooning melted butter from well onto each serving, if desired.

Homemade Ginger Ale

(photo & recipe via Berlin's Whimsy)

• 2 cups rough chopped fresh ginger (about 3 large pieces)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• Large bottle of sparkling water
• Fresh limes (each beverage requires one half)

To make the Ginger Syrup Mix:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the water and ginger pieces until barely simmering. Simmer for five minutes, turn off heat, cover and let steep for one hour. Drain the ginger water over a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Discard the ginger pieces. Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan, add the sugar and gently heat this mixture until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and store this Ginger Syrup in the fridge.

To make a Ginger Ale:

In each tall glass, add ice, 2 parts ginger syrup, 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice, 3 parts sparkling water. Stir and taste. Adjust amounts to your liking (I added more sparkling water).

Lemon Bars #2

Way back in July I posted a recipe for Lemon Bars and said that I was going to follow up with more lemon bar recipes. Well I never did (hmm, big surprise, huh?). Tonight (only 6 months later), I tried yet another lemon bar recipe, this time it being Bakerella's. Everything she makes is delicious, so I figured these mustn't be any different. These turned out great. These had a much better crust to topping ratio than the last lemon bar recipe I tried. My little boys loved them, so they must be tasty :)

For the Crust:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup confectionary sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 whole eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

To make crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until combined and crumbly. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

While crust is baking, prepare topping. In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice. Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen.

Martian Cookies

I am adding these two recipes by special request.... :)

First, one more (yummy) thing to do with zucchini and great frozen to be used in school lunches. (I often freeze treats to keep from eating them all at once--but not usually very successfully because they taste great frozen too!) This recipe comes from the BH&G cookbook "Cookies for Kids" that I have used so much over the years when my kids were growing up that it is now held together with a giant clip! :)

Martian Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (regular works fine too)

1 cup coarsely shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips (can use all choc. if you don't have/like butterscotch)

Preheat oven to 350.

In large mix. bowl beat butter with mixer till soft. Add sugar and beat till fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.

In a medium mix. bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating till well mixed.

Stir in oats, zucchini, nuts, and chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Lift onto cooling rack to cool. Makes about 48 cookies.

Chewy-Gooey Bars

This recipe is another delicious Tasty Kitchen find. It is oh so chewy and gooey...just the way I like it! And oh the smell when the oven is first opened...simply heavenly!

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 12 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) chocolate chips (asks for semi-sweet, but I'm a milk chocolate girl!)
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened, condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, baking soda, oats, and flour. Add egg and butter. Combine mixture using a pastry blender or two forks. Press about 2/3 of the mixture in a 9x13" pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, and then drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the top. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let cool slightly before cooling.

Vegan Chocolate Balsamic Cookies

I don't know what really possessed, inspired, caused me to make these cookies. I'm not a Vegan. Heck, I'm not even a Vegetarian. Although I really don't eat all that much meat on a regular basis and my hubby and I did go through a faze of our lives where we stuck to tofu, ate no red meat, and drank soy milk. We're still not big meat eaters, but really, I could NEVER give up my dairy! This was another one of my Tasty Kitchen finds. I guess I was just curious as to what they'd taste like. They were surprisingly good. The balsamic vinegar gave it somewhat of a fruity taste to it. I would be lying if I said they were the best cookies I've ever tasted, but I really do think I will make these again. I think next time, though, I might add a touch of cinnamon...that would kick it up a notch! I just gave my 6 year old one and he came back and snuck 3 more...he loved them!

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup chopped walnut or other nut, optional (I don't like nuts in my food, so I skipped this!)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil or coconut oil (I used coconut)
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp milk substitute (I used vanilla soy milk)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, flax meal, cocoa powder, nuts (optional), and baking soda in one bowl and the sugar, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and milk substitute in another. Combine the two; mix well. Dough should be slightly dry (mine wasn't, so I added about a Tbsp more of sugar and flour). Roll dough into small balls and then flatten. Place on cookie sheet (line with parchment paper if you'd like). Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Only makes about 1 dozen medium-sized cookies.

Lemon Bars #1

We have a plethora of lemons here at our house and I feel so bad watching them just drop to the ground and rot (although the chickens do enjoy them), but I have too many things I'd rather be doing than picking lemons just to pick lemons. So I've decided I need to utilize them more (we can only drink so much lemonade before we get sick of it!). So I've decided to discover the best lemon bars. This was recipe #1. It was quite delicious, had the lemony tart, but something was missing. If you like lemon curd or lemon preserves, this is great. It has a little crust with a LOT of lemony filling. I like my lemon bars a little chewier, but I can't say I didn't like them. I pretty much downed a whole row by myself (somewhat to my credit - the short row, not the long one). So if you have (or know of) a good lemon bar (or any other lemony) recipe, let me know! Beware, this recipe makes a LOT. Next time I will definitely 1/2 it!

For the crust:

• 1 cup butter, softened (supposed to be unsalted, but I like salt, so I don't bother)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup flour

• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light. Combine the flour and salt and with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a greased 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust (crust does not need to be completely cooled) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Graduation Fun!

We've had lots of graduations in our family this month.  My little sister graduated from college, my youngest sister graduated from high school and my son is graduating from kindergarten this week.  Exciting times.  So here's a fun little snack (courtesy of Bakerella) for the grads.

Bakerella's Candy Cake Pops

Strawberry Sandwiches

We've been enjoying strawberry season here in sunny California for a couple weeks now.  And man, do we have some GOOD strawberries in our area.  We are lucky enough to live where they grow, so we get berries straight from the field...can't beat that!  One day we bought a 1/2 flat of strawberries (that's at least 6 baskets) and they were gone in less than 24 hours...mainly eaten by our 2 year old, but we all are berry lovers.  Anyway, one day I asked my 5 year old what he wanted for lunch and he said "a strawberry sandwich."  Being in the good mood that I was, I thought, "what the heck, why not?," ignoring my motherly intuition that was telling me not to let my son have a sugar filled lunch.  He told me what to do and I did it.  He said the cake would be the bread, the whipped cream the mayo, and the strawberries the meat.  Sounds good to me!  When it was all made (its basically a strawberry shortcake) he said that I needed to take a picture for my blog, but "make sure you tell everyone that it was MY idea!"  So, yes, this was my 5 year old son's idea :)

• Loaf of angel food cake
• Whipped Cream (homemade is the best!)
• Strawberries

Cut 2 slices of angel food cake.  Cut the strawberries into slices.  Spread whipped cream on one side of each slice of cake.  Top on slice (whipped cream side) with sliced strawberries.  Put the remaining slice whipped cream side down over the strawberries.  Mmmmm.

Cocoa Crispy Treats

I made these a couple days ago and they're so good.  They're the same as making regular rice crispy treats, but you use cocoa rice crispies instead.  They're the perfect gooeyness and the cocoa makes them even better.

• 1 (10 oz) pkg regular marshmallows (or 4 cups mini marshmallows)
• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 6 cups cocoa rice crispy cereal

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat butter or margarine and marshmallows on High for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.  Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.  Add cocoa rice crispy cereal.  Stir until well coated (I recommend stirring with a buttered spoon).  Using a buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into a 9"x13" pan coated with cooking spray.  Cool.  Cut into 2" squares and serve.

Makes 24.

Marshmallow Fondant

Yesterday we had a birthday party for our 2 year old son.  The theme was Pixar (since he's OBSESSED with all things Pixar), so I made him a Mack truck cake (from Cars).  I'm huge into making fun cakes for my boys (including my hubby's) b-days and this was definitely fun to make (and much more fun to watch his reaction when he saw it!).  This was my first experience working with fondant and of course I chose to go the more difficult route and make my own fondant instead of buying it pre-made.  I took a bunch of different recipes for Marshmallow Fondant and kind of came up with my own, but mainly from the Cake Journal.  It turned out really good, but I do have to say I was VERY sore!  I didn't know what I was doing at first so I added the sugar little by little by little, not wanting it to be too dry or something.  Well that meant for me to knead fondant for over an hour...not a good idea!  Now that I've done it I know better, so hopefully you'll follow the directions (unlike me) and you won't get stuck like I did!  Oh, and marshmallow fondant tastes much better than normal fondant!  It's actually edible.

Note:  For the tires, the number on top, and the Rust-eze on the back, I printed a mirrored copy of each, placed them under parchment/waxed paper, melted chocolate, placed it in a piping bag, then traced it.  I was gonna get fancier, but I wasn't feeling well.

• 1 (8 oz) bag white marshmallows
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 (2 lb) bag powdered sugar, sifted
  
• Crisco
• Food coloring or cocoa powder
• Flavoring (optional)

Place the marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and add the water.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until the marshmallows puff up.  Stir the marshmallows until they're smooth.  If you are adding coloring or flavoring, add now, mixing thoroughly.  You might want to color the marshmallows a bit stronger than you'd like it to end up as, since you'll be adding lots of sugar to the mix.  

Add about 1/2 of the powdered sugar and stir with a greased spoon.  Continue to add sugar until it looks like dough (or until you can't stir any more).  (You can use a mixer if you want, but I found it didn't really work well)  Grease your counter or dough mat and place marshmallow dough on it.  Grease your hands up real good and knead the dough.  Continue to add sugar a little bit at a time until the dough isn't sticky anymore.  If you put too much sugar and it gets dry, knead in some Crisco.  If its too sticky, add more sugar.  

Your fondant is ready when it is no longer sticky and feels pliable and ready to roll.  I used the fondant right away, but it probably would be better if it sits for a bit so that if there are any chunks of sugar they'll settle and absorb in.  If you choose to do this, rub some Crisco on it and wrap it in plastic wrap and store in an air-tight container.  If your fondant is too hard when you go to use it, heat it up in the microwave a few seconds at a time.

To roll out fondant, lightly powder your work surface and rolling pin with corn starch or powdered sugar, then roll until it is to the right thickness and size.  You don't want to roll it out too thin or it will tear.  Fold fondant over your rolling pin and place onto lightly frosted cake (its best if you frost the cake, then let it sit in the fridge for a bit until the frosting isn't so sticky).  Be sure to leave about an inch around the edges to give yourself leeway.  Smooth out the fondant until it fully forms to your cake (you can use your hands, a fondant roller, or even a clean, new foam paint roller).  Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the remainder of the fondant on the edges.

Good luck!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Other than wearing green so I wouldn't get pinched, I've never been big on celebrating St. Patrick's day.  My mom used to bake green bread and die our milk green and all that fun stuff, but thats about it.  I guess I just never really knew why we celebrated it in the first place.  Now that I have kids old enough to care, I'm big on holiday celebrations, so today I thought I'd find the real reason why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and since I'm not Catholic or a beer drinker, it might be a good idea).  Here's a few of the facts I found, so I'll pass them on to you.  You can go here or here or even here.  There's fun facts like the color of St. Patrick used to be blue not green (I personally think the green came from Ireland being so green...took a lot to figure that one out!) or that the shamrock was St. Patrick's way of teaching the people about the holy Trinity or that St. Patrick was said to have rid Ireland of all snakes (did you know that Ireland has NO snakes?), but really they think that the snakes meant Druids, who's symbol was the snake.  Anyhow, St. Patricks Day is (obviously) big in Ireland, but it seems that it came to the good ol' USA with the Irish settlers here.  I guess its a good thing I've got some Irish in me (I think) and that I like Ireland - I'd really LOVE to visit there some day and even though I can't understand 1/2 of what they say, I LOVE their accents! ;)

Alright, enough of the trivia and on with the food.  Of course I had to throw in some green food for the kids, but I wanted to make some good ol' Irish food.  I opted out of the Corned Beef & Cabbage because (gasp) I can't stand corned beef.  I know, I know.  My husband loves it, but everything about it just grosses me out.  Soooo, instead we had the following (oh and I didn't mention that we had green eggs for breakfast):

• Oven Baked Fish
• Colcannon - a traditional Irish potato dish.
• Pot O' Gold Jello - lemon (yellow) jello jigglers made in ice cube trays and stacked like gold bars.
• Irish Soda Bread
• Ginger Beer for my hubby (I can't stand the stuff).  It's not Irish, in fact its Caribbean, but the bottle was green and it gave us the feel for the Irish beer tradition without actually drinking beer...silly us!
• Sprite for the kiddies - those mini green cans were perfect!

For dessert we enjoyed:

• Shamrock Truffles from Bakerella of course!  I couldn't find Double Stuffed Mint Oreos, so I just used Mint Joe-Joes from Trader Joes and they turned out excellent!
• Leprechaun Pudding - Pistachio pudding topped with homemade whip cream.

I hope all of you had as tasty of a St. Patrick's day as we did!  

The Best Jello Jigglers

What would a family gathering or a church function or a summer bbq be without jello?  I'm not huge on the jello casseroles or whatever they're called, but I DO love my jello jigglers!  But here's the thing, I don't like them the way they say to make them on the box.  I like them my mother-in-laws way.  You've never had a jello jiggler until you've eaten one Ma's way!  So I'm spilling the beans and sharing her secret with all of you (sorry Ma, it had to be done!).  

• 1 (6 oz) pkg of jello (any flavor of your choice!)
• 1 pkg unflavored gelatin (yes, you heard me right, extra gelatin!)
• 1 cup boiling water (you heard me right, that's 1/2 of what normal jigglers use!)

Boil water.  While water is boiling, pour jello and gelatin into square baking dish (I prefer glass, but you can also pour them into molds or ice cube trays).  Stir in boiling water, but be sure to do it slowly so you don't create foam on the top!  Stir until everything is COMPLETELY dissolved, otherwise you'll get weird crystals forming on the top and bottom of your jigglers!  This may take a couple minutes.  When the jello and gelatin are completely dissolved, place dish in refrigerator for a couple hours until they're solid and nice and chewy!  

To serve, cut them into squares or whip out your cookie cutters and make 'em into shapes!

Cake Balls

I keep seeing these cake balls and cake pops everywhere!  I don't know where they originated from, but Bakerella has popularized them.  She makes the most amazing creations!  I finally decided to make them.  I realized that I absolutely stink at dipping things in chocolate (just check out my green pop).  I also learned the hard way some tricks in melting chocolate in the microwave.  I know that you're supposed to melt it at 30 second intervals and I melted the green chocolate (for St. Patrick's Day) good.  It just seemed a little too thick, though so I put it back in...big mistake.  It totally dried out and was SO nasty looking.  So I had to chuck it and use my good ol' T.J. milk chocolate chips, which turned out to be awesome!  After a while I got the hang of it, so if I keep this up, I might not stink at dipping chocolate after all.  These turned out really yummy and I can't wait to try different flavors and actually try decorating some!

• 1 cake mix, any flavor (either box or from scratch)
• 1 tub of frosting (about 2 cups), at room temperature (I used Rainbow chip, but the Bakerella prefers Cream Cheese frosting)
• chocolate for melting (dipping chocolate, chocolate chips, chocolate bark, etc)
• sucker sticks

Bake 9"x13" cake according to package.  Cool thoroughly (can stick in fridge to speed up, but make sure dish has cooled first).  Crumble cake into large bowl (if needs be, use a food processor...you want it real small crumbs).  Poor in frosting and mix.  Form into balls and place on cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Place in fridge for a couple hours or in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  You want them nice and cold an solid or else they will crumble on ya.  Melt chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave checking at least every 30 seconds (Don't let it dry out like I did!).  If making cake balls, drop balls in chocolate and drizzle with chocolate with a spoon.  Remove with a spoon...tap the side of the bowl with the spoon to get extra chocolate off.  Place on wax paper to harden.  If you're making cake pops, place stick in cake ball and dip in chocolate, drizzling with a spoon as well.  When they've hardened, enjoy!  

If you really want to get creative, check out Bakerella's blog for great ideas and step-by-step directions.  Good luck!

Strawberry Cake from Scratch

I was going through my recipes the other day and came across this one.  It originated from All Recipes.  For my son's birthday last year he requested a strawberry "Sandman" cake and I believe from scratch is so much tastier than from a box (although a box is much more convenient!).  I frosted it with Cool Whip Cream Frosting (which was super yummy) and between the 2 layers of cake, I used some frosting and sliced fresh strawberries.  Since he wanted a Sandman cake, I sprinkled it with crushed vanilla wafers, but it would be oh so mighty tasty topped with the C.W.C frosting and fresh strawberries!  Mmm!

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 (3 oz) pkg strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Combine the flour and baking power; stir into the batter alternately with the milk.  Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

Serves 14.

Julie R.

Cool Whip Cream Frosting

This was great on Strawberry Cake!  I believe I originally got this from Recipe Zaar, but I'm not sure.  If you want to lower the calories and fat, you can use Cool Whip Lite and reduced fat cream cheese.

• 1 (12 oz) carton of  non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients until blended.  Whip well.  Spread on your choice of cake.

Makes 4 cups.

Julie. R.

Orange Dreamsicle Mousse

I've found that a lot of low cal/low fat desserts really aren't that great.  I'd really rather skip dessert than have a bad one (really, is it worth even the few calories?).  So I found this recipe a while back (I wish I knew where, so if this is your recipe, let me know so I can give you credit!).  I made it thinking it probably wouldn't be that great because its sugar free (you know how sugar free stuff has that funny fake sugar taste?), but it actually turned out really good.  My boys all LOVED it and it isn't even sugar filled!

• .44 oz pkg sugar-free orange gelatin
  
• 1 oz pkg sugar-free instant white chocolate pudding mix
  
• water
• 1 (8 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
  
• 1 (8 oz) container fat-free cool whip
  

Dissolve the gelatin in 1 cup boiling water.  Add 1 cup cold water and let it set up for 5 minutes.  Using an electric mixer, beat dry pudding mix into the jello until well blended.  You may have to let it set up for 5 minutes in the refrigerator.  Fold in mandarin oranges and cool whip.  Chill either in a bowl or in individual mousse dishes.

Serves 4.

Julie R.

AG, CA