Ding Dong Cake

 Ding Dong Cake

You will need:

1 box devils food cake mix (or your own favorite chocolate cake)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

 8 oz. cool whip

2 cups milk chocolate icing

• Prepare and bake cake as directed on box. (Using 2 round cake pans.)

• To make the filling: Mix and cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and then fold in the cool whip.

• After cake is completely cooled, split the layers to make 4 cake rounds. (TIP: you can place the uncut cakes on plates in a freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting to help you make a cleaner cut.)

• Spread filling on each layer and stack, but do not spread filling all the way to the edge of the cake. You will be able to put a thick layer of filling between the layers. The weight of the cake will press it out to the edge once you are finished. This keeps the filling from mixing with the icing. 

• Now, if you have any filling left over, you can mix it with the icing. Then ice entire cake with the chocolate icing.

I made this cake awhile ago, and now it is one of my kids' most requested cakes.  When it was my 6 year old little girl's birthday she said, "Mommy, can you make me a Ding Dong cake with three little ducks on it?".  How can a mommy refuse such a sweet little request with big brown eyes staring up at her?  So, the task began.....

 I used a cooked frosting instead of a chocolate icing.  This gave it a unique look.

 Then, rather than using the extra filling mixed in with the icing, I spread it on top of the cake. 

Next, I put a couple of drops of blue gel food coloring on it and spread it around to give it a 'watery' look.

To finish it off....I put the requested little ducks on top!

All the hard work paid off!  I had one happy little girl! :)

Homemade Waffles

Okay, so I know that waffles are one of those things that you can easily whip up with very basic ingredients. Whether or not they taste great is another thing. My husband and I both like waffles, but we don't make them that often. Mostly because I haven't found a recipe that is worth the effort. Usually they are pretty bland, sometimes soft and wilty, other times they are so crispy you can barely cut them. 

My little sister gave me a waffle maker for Christmas, so I pulled it out last weekend and decided to attempt waffles again. I used a different variety of ingredients than what I normally do, and we both loved them.

They were soft and fluffy on the inside, while still being crisp (but not TOO crisp) on the outside. They were sweeter than regular waffles, and went perfectly with a spoonful of slightly sweetened strawberries!

Ingredients

3/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 c. vanilla almond milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Turn your waffle maker on to let it heat up.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg until light and frothy.

Stir in almond milk, oil, and vanilla.

Gradually stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

Spray your preheated waffle iron with non-stick spray.

Pour batter in and close.

Let cook 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. (Time varies with each waffle iron.)

*This recipe makes about 5-6 waffles.

***************************************************************

(Directions with Photos)

In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Turn your waffle maker on to let it heat up.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg until light and frothy.

Stir in almond milk, oil, and vanilla.

Gradually stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

Spray your preheated waffle iron with non-stick spray.

Pour batter in and close.

{I thought the batter would expand a bit more than it did. Next time I won't leave little gaps like this.}

Let cook 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. (Time varies with each waffle iron.)

Obviously I need a little more practice with my new waffle iron to get perfect looking waffles, but they still tasted great! :) 

Serve with your favorite syrup or fruit. Maybe even a dollop of fresh whipped cream! :)

Homemade Soft Caramels

I am a sucker for caramel. And chocolate. Put them together and I'm pretty much out of control. Not good.

Silly me got it in my head that I was going to try to make homemade soft caramels. They turned out great, but I didn't stop. I started getting all these ideas in my head on what else I could do with them. 

This recipe makes a 9x13 inch pan of soft caramels (and believe me, a little goes a long way!), and I used them a few different ways. You can leave them plain if you'd like. Just be sure to wrap them in parchment or wax paper, otherwise they will spread and stick to each other.

For our batch, I left some plain.

Sprinkled sea salt on others.

Melted dark chocolate baking chips and dunked some in, then topped with sea salt.

Stuffed pecans in the bottom of the rest, dunked them in the chocolate and topped it off with another pecan.

The possibilities are endless! (Not to mention hazardous for my health. Eek.)

Just be sure that when you make these babies, you have a place to bring them to share, or people you can give them away to. They also keep well in the freezer if you can make them last long enough. :)

Ingredients

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

2 c. sugar

1 c. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. corn syrup

(Optional ingredients: sea salt, dark chocolate, pecans)

Directions

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.

Stir all ingredients in a large, heavy bottomed pot and turn to medium heat.

Stir often until small bubbles begin to form.

Attach your candy thermometer and stir constantly (but do NOT scrape the sides) until mixture reaches 240 degrees (soft ball stage).

Immediately pour into buttered pan and let cool completely.

Once caramels are cooled, you can coat them in your favorite chocolate, or wrap them individually in wax/parchment paper.

****************************************************************

(Directions with Photos)

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.

Stir all ingredients in a large, heavy bottomed pot.

Begin heating over medium heat.

Stir often until small bubbles begin to form.

Attach your candy thermometer and begin stirring constantly.

However, do NOT scrape the sides while stirring, only touch the bottom! 

(Believe me, you will want to, but don't do it. If you begin scraping the sides, the sugars crystalize and you will have hard chunks in your caramels instead of nice smooth pieces of candy.)

.

Continue stirring until mixture reaches 240 degrees (soft ball stage).

Immediately pour into buttered pan and let cool completely.

Once caramels are cooled, you can coat them in your favorite chocolate, or wrap them individually in wax/parchment paper.

Enjoy!! 

If you have any other ideas on what to do with these caramels, I would love to hear it! :)

D.I.Y. Imitation Starbursts

My husband isn't much of a sweets eater.  He would much rather have chips over dessert.  Only once in awhile, thank goodness, he gets his sugar craving.  That usually ends up with us taking a trip to Kroger to buy Heath bars, Starbursts, and some type of M&Ms.  I know...bad...don't judge us. :)

Well, the other night, after we had turned in for the evening, I was doing some crocheting and he was playing 2005 Tiger Woods (because he's awesome like that), when all of a sudden he wanted Starbursts.  Because I told him we would be stupid to get out of bed for Starbursts, he decided to go to the "Google Machine" and see if we could make our own.  Obviously, we didn't make them that night, but the idea entertained him enough to distract him from his craving and it also cemented a future project.

The next day we were at the Amish store, found all the ingredients we needed  (other than citric acid- check the canning section at Walmart), and went home and made these yummy treats. 

*In the recipe, I just wrote extract.  The recipe called for lemon but Mikey wanted to try banana.  We all know that there isn't a banana Starbursts but the texture of this candy was very similar to the original.  We also bought lemon extract and strawberry and we are excited to try those because they will be even more like the yummy Starbursts we all know. :)

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. citric acid

2 drops yellow fool coloring

Line a 9x5 pan with foil.  The recipe I have says to spray with nonstick cooking spray but I didn't have any so I lightly buttered it. 

- Melt butter, corn syrup, and sugar on medium high heat.  Stir until the combination is dissolved.  Be sure to scrape the sides well so the sugar doesn't crystallize. 

-When dissolved, add candy thermometer.

- Stir occasionally until mixture reaches 245 degrees.  (DO NOT OVERCOOK or your candy with not have the chewy texture you want.)

-As soon as it reaches the appropriate temperature, remove from heat.

-Add extract, citric acid, and food coloring.  Stir until well combined.

-Leave candy to set for at least 4 hours. (My husband and I were too impatient to wait that long.  We cut it after 3 hours. :/ )

-After completely cooled, cut into small squares.

-Wrap with small pieces of wax paper. 

These can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

As I have mentioned before, appetizer night is a big deal in our home! When the word "appetizer" is mentioned, everyone is excited! So I decided to share one of our favorites!

Bacon Wrapped Jalepeno Poppers

You will need:

10 fresh jalepenos

8 oz cream cheese

Ranch dip mix (optional)

12 oz bacon (not thick sliced)

A foil-lined pan, cooling rack, and disposable gloves make the process much easier!

Yum! Am I right?? :)

Step one:

Combine one 8 oz block of  softened cream cheese with 1 Tablespoon Ranch dip mix.  This step is not necessary.  If you prefer to omit the ranch seasoning, I promise the results will still be fantastic!!

Step 2:  Wash the jalepenos. Slice in half, length-wise, and scrape 

all the seeds out.  It is best to wear gloves when working with spicy peppers.  Be sure to wash your hands when finished and keep your hands away from your eyes.  Do I sound like I am speaking from experience??...I am! Ouch! 

 

Step 3:  Rinse well, making sure to rinse all the seeds off. 

Step 4:  Next you will need to fill the jalepeno

 halves with the ranch and cream cheese mix.  

Step 5:  Slice the raw bacon in half. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and 

place a cooling rack on the pan.  A lined pan makes clean up a breeze!!

Step 6:  Wrap the cream cheese-filled jalepeno with the half slice bacon.  It should look something like this. 

I always recruit my hubby to help with this step and in just a few minutes I have an entire pan full. :)

The last step is placing them under the broiler.  When the broiler setting is on high, it takes about 20-25 minutes for them to be done.  Your eyes and nose are the best test.  When they start smelling like crispy bacon and they appear to be fully cooked , it is time to remove them from the oven.  Let them set for a few minutes and serve them up! :)

Note:  These can easily be assembled ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator 

until you are ready to broil them.  

Healthy Stove-top Popcorn

Popcorn is one of those things that I absolutely love, but rarely have. Every time I make it, I wonder why I waited so long. It's nice that it's a healthy snack, but unfortunately, most people prefer their popcorn drizzled with an entire stick of melted butter. That's not so healthy.

I have an air popper, but since it's so dry, the salt never sticks. I've heard you can spray it with butter flavored spray first, but that doesn't sound very appetizing to me. Personally, I like my popcorn best when it's made on the stove-top with a good oil, but sometimes I still have a hard time getting the salt to stick unless we drizzle it with a little butter afterwards.

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to try to make it with the salt already in the oil before I pop it.....

.....holy buckets, it works!

This popcorn is so yummy, and salty, and absolutely addicting.

I will tell you the ratios I used for my popcorn, but you may want to add more or less, depending on how you like your popcorn. Guess you'll just have to make a few batches to find out what you like most. ;)

(Before you begin, you will want to set aside a large bowl, so it's ready when you are.)

I started with a large pot and began heating it over medium heat.

Then I added 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of coconut oil and let it melt.

Once the oil was melted, I poured in about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.

(Keep in mind that you are basically "infusing" your popcorn with the salt, that's why I used so much. 

Most of it will stay in the pan after you're done.)

Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of your favorite popcorn kernels.

Cover the pot and, using potholders to protect your hands, hold the cover down and gently shake the pan back and forth, and side to side. (Don't shake it up and down...you want to keep the kernels at the bottom.)

Once it really starts going, continue shaking and listening for the popping to slow down.

When it sounds like there aren't too many kernels left at the bottom, turn off the heat, quickly remove the cover, and dump it into the bowl you have waiting.

That's it.

You have now made the best popcorn you have ever tasted. :)

So...grab a blanket, a movie, and someone to cuddle.....and enjoy!

Fantastic Homemade Fries

  

Here is one of those things that are so simple but I never make them....homemade french fries!  Probably a good thing that it's not on the menu too often but for a treat once in awhile, I have to remember them. My husband wanted to make his delicious wings the other night and I thought these would go great with them. They did. :)

After cleaning the potatoes, I cut them a little bigger than shoestring fries.  If you will be making them right away, preheat your oil to 350 degrees.  If you will be waiting for a bit, put them in a pan of cold water and preheat your oil when it's convenient.

When you are ready to fry, put your potatoes in the basket.  CAREFULLY lower your fries in the oil!  I left mine in for a good 10-15 minutes, depending how crispy you would like your potatoes. :) I like mine on the crispier side.

When your fries are done to your likeness, toss them in the sea salt and pepper mixture! That's it!

*If you are wondering what the little concoction is in the corner of my picture, these fries are not complete without a mixture of mayo and ketchup for dipping!  Yummy!!*

What you need:

 Fryer

Oil

Potatoes (we used 2 potatoes for 2 of us and it was the perfect amount)

Knife 

Cutting Board

Pan of water (optional)

Sea Salt

Pepper (just a little)

KETCHUP

MAYO

Valentine's for Kids (or Teachers)

The big day is almost here, and I am scrambling around to get my kiddo's Valentines ready! I thought I would share them with you as long as I am putting the hours in making them. ☺
Feel free to print them off and use them for your own kids!  They would also be great for teachers! :)

The Valentine below is used with a pencil as a gift.



Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

Valentine's Day Coupons

Flowers, chocolates, jewelry...you know the drill.  Valentine's day has become very commercialized.  So much so, it seems if you don't spend at least a paycheck on your significant other, you may as well just toss in the towel on that relationship!  I'm being serious.  I have heard people talk like that.  It's so frustrating. :(

I love Valentine's Day...not for gifts, flowers, etc. but I think it's nice to show your love a little extra attention.  Hopefully it's not too much more.  We all should be treating our better half well all the time.  Right? ;)

As much as I love Valentines Day, my husband hates it.  He detests what it has turned into.  He hates seeing those signs- "Get your dozen roses for only $90.00. If you buy today, we will give you the heart shape vase for FREE!" (which by the way, on a normal day those same roses would be $9.99. ) He hates the jewelry store adds that go on and on telling you how to show your "love".  You get the point. With that said, he always plans something special, maybe not a whole paycheck worth but something special. This year I told him I did not want to spend money on Valentine's Day.  We have been talking about saving for a trip so I suggested we put money towards that instead.  Being in agreement,  I still planned a nice dinner, some dessert, and I made THESE!  I think they are great. 

When I was growing up, my Mom did this for my Dad many times.  Not necessarily only on Valentine's Day.  Any occasion would work.  You just make up cute "coupons" that they can redeem any time they want.  I love it because it doesn't cost anything and it's something my husband would really enjoy!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!  

Date Jar!

Do you know what you're getting your Valentine this year? How about a Date Jar? This is a gift that can be customized for any couple. Pick and choose what you think would be fun and put it all together. We don't go to the movie theatre very often, so I thought it would be fun to use that for this date. 

The best part about giving a "date jar" is that it's already paid for, and all you have to do is pick a night! :)

If you need some date ideas, check out our 30 Date Ideas!

What I used:

a large jar

craft paper for a label

marker or pen

ribbon

2 movie tickets

$3 concession voucher

1 pkg. licorice

$25 gift card to Red Lobster

$10 cash (for extra expenses-tip, dessert, popcorn, etc.)

Put it all in the jar, and get ready for a fun night out (or in!*wink,wink*) with your sweetheart! :)