Butter
That’s it – simple, easy, pure – BUTTER . We all use butter as an ingredient but how many of you have ever made it. Wait – what, you have never made butter!? It’s ok – don’t feel bad. It is so easy that you …
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Pork Fried Rice
Growing up I was always a Lo-Mein kinda girl. So much so that when my parents would order Chinese, I would never even look at the menu (and pretty soon they just stopped asking me and just knew what to get me – Lo-Mein and …
Sweet 16 Candy Bouquet
What better gift for a Sweet 16 than a Sweet Bouquet!? 
We have all seen the beautiful edible arrangements that you can buy (or make those on your own too – I have done that too and actually featured one as my first post!). Although those are beautiful – they only last moments before someone digs into one!
Since my ‘baby sister” was having her Sweet 16, I wanted to make her something sweet (just like her, haha). I have seen really cool Candy Bouquets before & figured it really couldn’t be that hard! Check out the AWESOME arrangements at Sweet Celebrations by Stacey – I was inspired by her Sweet 16 Bouquets and will be visiting that site again to figure out how to make all sorts of bouquets in the future.
Just think of all the times a Candy Bouquet would be perfect: Baby Showers, Secretaries Day, Teacher Presents, Get Well Soon – whatever you want!
HOW TO: Just pick your recipient’s favorite candy (or whatever matches the color scheme) get a container, some flower foam (the more dense one), bbq skewers, hot glue gun, & some taffeta or cellophane, your creativity/sense of adventure and have fun – happy crafting!!
More Detailed Directions:
- Hot Glue your sticks to the back of the candy (being sure to look at the direction and think about varying heights as you go
- (tightly) Fit the flower foam into your container (make sure its a stable container since this will get top heavy, pick a wide base & you’ll be fine)
- if you are using “grass” put that in before you start sticking in your candy
- Now just start sticking, work from the front back (thinking of a big triangle, you want to almost have just a single one in the front and then 2 next, then 3, etc so you build a big pyramid.
- Stick in your fillers for the empty space – I used taffeta this time, but think that a metallic cellophane would have worked better
- Experiment, have fun, your friends will love you for it!
I would love to see what you have done (will do) – send me a link to your creation & lets get crafting!
Fondant Fun for a Sweet 16
These may look really pretty (ok, really pretty for my first time – at least maybe give me that?) but the taste is just ‘eh’. I was not a fan of any of the “boxed” flavors and the fondant tastes like worn out bubble gum. I am usually a taste over looks kinda girl (you can’t just be a pretty face) so overall, I give these a thumb down… even though they did look nice on the dessert part of the table.
Cream of Asparagus Soup
This week I was craving some soup – so whipped up this Cream of Asparagus Soup. Putting some toasted garlic bread with fresh butter & parmesan on the side, we had a fresh, light, healthy, filling, quick, tasty dinner.
Chocolate Mug Cake
Microwave Chocolate Cake
5 – Minute Chocolate Cake
10 – Minute Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Mug Cake
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
How many of you love those Warm Delights by Betty Crocker, but cant’t bring yourself to spend the money to spoil yourself on them? (Or you just get them when they are on sale/you have a coupon & you wish you could have them more often since molten warm goey chocolate cake is too good to not have whenever you want it)…. Ok – thanks, put your hands down!
This is the make at home, do it yourself, whatever, whenever, whoever, version of those ‘instant’ cakes and they are just TOO GOOD! You are now just 10 minutes from warm Chocolate Cake.
Wait, let me repeat that… “You are now just 10 minutes away from fresh warm Chocolate Cake.” Did it sink in that time?
10 Minutes: the time it takes to put on your makeup, the time time it takes to make a pot of coffee, [less than] the time it takes to make a pot of pasta, the time it takes to walk a mile, OR the time it takes to make a fresh, from scratch chocolate cake!!
Remember, just because you can have something this delicious in just 10 minutes [every day] doesn’t mean that you should (that is a reminder from me to both of our waistlines, feel free to check out Calorie Count as a reminder as to why you do not need this every day & that yes, it is still cake).
A photo of the e-mail print-out my mom gave me…
RECIPE
- 4 Tablespoons Flour
- 4 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- splash of vanilla extract
- optional: 3 T chocolate chips
- 1 large mug
Add all your dry ingredients to the mug & mix well. Toss in your egg and mix thoroughly (you may want to mix your egg in another container before putting it into the mug). Then add your milk, applesauce, & oil to combine that. (I mix my wet in another container & then put them into the mug to make sure its mixed well) Once it’s all combined, add your vanilla and any mix-ins you are putting it.
If you are cooking just one mug at a time it should take about 3 minutes in a 1000-watt microwave. The mug will “explode” over the top but should not spill over, don’t worry! Allow to cool for a few minutes and enjoy right out of the mug (or make another dish dirty and spill it out onto another plate).
The “original” recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons of oil, but when I looked up the nutrition facts of it that way I almost died, so decided to do a 2 to 1 ratio of applesauce to oil: feel free to make this with whatever ratio of oil/applesauce you want!
Nutella Version – I’ll have to try this one! AND – while we are making variations on this dangerous cake… why not try adding a tablespoon or two of PEANUT BUTTER to change the flavor, or some CARAMEL, or add different flavored chocolate chips!?
Have fun – but just don’t eat this too often (there: I said it again – now I can’t be blamed for any weight gain for this easy to make cake!)
Oh yeah – HAPPY 100th POST TO ME: in honor of my 100th post, I made myself my own personal chocolate celebration cake!! And I made a 2nd one to treat my man & favorite photographer: Mr. Rich Alborn, NJ Wedding Photo!
