Memorial Day or Fourth of July Cupcakes

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I knew I had to make this cake when I realized that my daughter's birthday would land on Memorial Day this year. Who wouldn't love all the fun candy and, of course, the cupcakes! I found this idea in the book Hello, Cupcake which I won a long time ago on the blog, Perry's Plate. This was my first time attempting anything from that book.

What a headache! Everything just seemed to go wrong. Here's the short list:

1. The red frosting tasted like chemicals after I used the gel dye, so I had to throw away some of the red cupcakes. I then made pink frosting and dipped the tops in red sprinkles.

2. Because I ruined some of the red cupcakes, I had to make more and I had no more red liners. Had to go out and buy some.

3. Had to buy more cake mix too. And bake. Again.

4. Put the 1/2 finished product in the basement overnight and the frosting started to melt and mini cupcakes were slipping and sliding. It wouldn't fit in the fridge so I had to put it in front of a window AC unit to harden up.

CAN"T WAIT TO BE DONE WITH THIS!

Despite all the headache, I think it turned out cute. Just don't look too closely!!!!

And in the long run, who cares? It's just cake.

And on this Memorial Day, I want to thank the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice that has allowed us to have the freedoms that we have today. May we always remember them and honor the Country and Constitution for which they fought.

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Snowballs

These don't look like your normal snowballs because I don't really like white chocolate. I think they turned out very tasty and they also look festive with the crushed peppermint on top. I adapted this recipe from Taste of Home so click here to see the original.

Candy Cane Snowballs

30 ServingsPrep: 25 + chilling Bake: 20 min.

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 8 ounces white candy coating, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate. Not a big fan of white chocolate)
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until easy to handle.
• Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. Apart on ungreased baking sheets.Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
  
• In a microwave, melt candy coating at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
  
• Dip the top of each cookie into the candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Dip into peppermint candy. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Yield: 5 dozen.

Kids Corner: Corn Flake Wreaths

These are a fun little treat to make with the kids. Even the youngest can have fun putting the red hots on the little wreaths. These are a fun and tasty variation on the classic rice crispy treats.

Corn Flake Wreaths

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 16

Ingredients

1/3	cup margarine or butter
1	package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows
	- or -
4	cups miniature marshmallows
1	teaspoon green food coloring
6 cups	Kellogg's Corn Flakes®
	- or -
6 cups	Ready-To-Eat Cereal Kellogg's Frosted Flakes®
	Red cinnamon candies
	Prepared vanilla frosting

Directions
1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.

2. Add KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Portion warm cereal mixture evenly by using a 1/4 cup dry measure coated with cooking spray. Using sprayed fingers, quickly shape into individual wreaths. Dot with cinnamon candies, using prepared frosting to hold candies in place. Store in single layer in airtight container.

Note

Use fresh marshmallows for best results. Children should be supervised. Green paste food coloring makes the best color for wreaths

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Microwave margarine and marshmallows at HIGH 2 minutes in microwave-safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute longer. Stir until smooth, then add food coloring. Follow steps 2 and 3 above.

TO MAKE ONE LARGE WREATH: Press warm cereal mixture in 5 1/2-cup ring mold coated with cooking spray or shape in ring on serving plate. Remove from mold and dot with red candies. Slice to serve.

Pretzel Scotchmallow

I grew up in Southern California. I now live in the East. Do you know one of the things I miss?

I miss going to the mall with my parents and them saying that they "need" something at See's Candies. Have you ever tried See's? Oh....it is perfection!

We would go in the bright white and black shop and choose a piece of chocolate to take home. When I was much younger, I would always get a chocolate or butterscotch lollipop. But as my taste buds matured and I branched out, I discovered the Scotchmallow. Chewy caramel and fluffy marshmallow enveloped in thick dark or milk chocolate. Heaven!

So, since I don't get to See's very easily anymore, I decided that I better learn to make my own scotchmallows.

What you need if you want to make the whole recipe: (100 +)

I just made the caramel and made the pretzel scotchmallows, chocolate caramel pretzel bites, and with the extra caramel I cut it in bite size pieces and wrapped them in wax paper. This caramel goes a long way!

caramel ingredients

small pretzels (1 bag)

2 bags of big marshmallows cut in half (stood them up and cut with scissors through the middle)

(5 bags) chocolate candy coating like Wilton or melted chocolate chips

Decorations to put on top

Here is how it is done:

1. Make a batch of this caramel.

2. Pour it into (2) 9"X13" glass casserole dishes and put in refrigerator to cool completely.

3. Place pretzels on wax paper on cookie sheet.

4. Cut a piece of caramel to fit on top of the the pretzel. The caramel is soft, so the pretzel is needed to corral it and keep it from spreading as it softens.

5. Place a cut marshmallow on top of the caramel topped pretzel.

6. Repeat with as many pretzels and marshmallows as you need.

7. Place cookie sheets in freezer or fridge to firm up again.

8. Melt chocolate until smooth in a deep bowl. I use my Pyrex 4 cup class measuring cup.

9. Use a toothpick to pierce the top of a marshmallow and pick up the candy. Dip in the melted chocolate. Don't worry about getting the top completely covered.

10. Have some wax paper laid out on another cookie sheet.

11. Use another toothpick to help free the candy and place it on the waxed paper to harden.

12. Dip a spoon in some chocolate and use it to cover the top of the marshmallow.

13. Decorate immediately if you are using sprinkles so the chocolate doesn't harden.

14. Store in the refrigerator.

This looks like a lot of steps, but believe me. They are worth it! It's nice too, to be able to use one recipe to make a variety of things. I'm going to make the caramel one more time to make this awesome gooey popcorn.

Happy candy making!!!!

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites

I just love this basic caramel recipe.

Caramel

1c. Karo syrup
1c. Brown sugar
1c. White sugar
1 stick of butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Put ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Bring to a boil and stir for five minutes. Be careful to keep stirring so that it doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pan.

Here is a variation on these chocolate caramel pretzel rods. Instead of rods, I sandwiched the caramel between two of the "snap" pretzels that look like rectangles.


I put the caramel in a squirt bottle for condiments to make it less messy.

After loading the pretzels with caramel, put on a top pretzel and place the cookie sheets in the fridge to set up for at least 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate and dip the pretzel sandwiches and place on wax paper and set.

This batch of caramel will make A TON of pretzel bites! You can also use it to make gooey popcorn balls.

And see those other candies with the red, white and green candy discs on top? I'll show you those in a day or so. They are worth the wait!

Thanksgiving M&M Turkeys

I have many memories of making these cute turkeys for Thanksgiving. They look so bright and cheerful on the table as place settings. Just put the names on the feet so everyone knows where they are sitting.

Using one big handful of M&Ms for each, I was able to make 22 turkeys. You can make the turkeys much bigger if you like. I think everyone likes fat turkeys!!!!


Here is what you need:

3 medium bags of M&Ms- I do a mix of peanut and regular
orange card stock or construction paper
orange netting found at fabric stores (1 yard)
pipe cleaners
googly eyes
thread
scissors
hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Combine M&Ms into a bowl. Try not to eat. :)
2. Cut netting into 8 inch by 8 inch squares. Make them bigger if you want the turkeys fatter with more M&Ms.
3. Put a big handful of M&Ms in the center of the toile square.
4. Gather the corners and hold tightly close to the M&Ms. The tighter the better.
5. Have a partner double some thread and tie a tight knot at the base of the gather. Make sure that it is nice and tight so that there isn't much give around the candy. Now the body is done.

6. Take a pipe cleaner and at about an inch down, bend it and twist. Open the hole that you just made. This is the neck and head.
7. Take red pipe cleaner and cut an inch off. Twist that red pipe cleaner around the bottom of the hole that you made with the other pipe cleaner. This is the red hangy thing.
8. Apply googly eyes above the red red pipe cleaner. Yeah! The neck and head are done!

9. Now, just cut the long pipe cleaner so the turkeys neck is about 4 inches long and put the end close to tied part of the body and push in in through the netting.

10. Get your orange paper and make a foot pattern similar to the one I have shown. Place your turkey on top to see if it is proportional. Is so, cut it out with scissors and use it as a pattern for as many feet as you need to draw and cut out.
11. Cut the feet out and apply to the bottom on the turkeys with a dot of hot glue.

You're done! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Be sure to visit my review blog, Cheat Day News and Reviews, for my review of Pepperidge Farm New Petite Treats and the recipe for my guilt free, deconstructed apple pie. Leave a comment for your chance to win a $150 spa gift card!

Walnut Crunch Pumpkin Pie

This is a yummy variation to the traditional Libby's pumpkin pie recipe. The walnuts and brown sugar give it a nice flavor and a different texture.

I wish I could have cut the pie and had a picture of the inside, but it wasn't mine to cut. I made it for the teachers at my kid's school. The hospitality committee makes a Thanksgiving dinner for the teachers during parent teacher conferences and I brought desserts. Nice huh?

So go ahead...give it a try! Mix things up a little this year!


Walnut Crunch Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch deep-dish pie shell, unbaked
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 425° F.

COMBINE walnuts and brown sugar in small bowl. Place 3/4 cup nut-sugar mixture on bottom of pie shell. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl; mix well. Pour into pie shell.

BAKE for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

COMBINE butter and remaining nut-sugar mixture; stir until moistened. Sprinkle over cooled pie. Broil about 5 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly. Cool before serving.

Be sure to visit my review blog, Cheat Day News and Reviews, for my review of Pepperidge Farm New Petite Treats and the recipe for my guilt free, deconstructed apple pie. Leave a comment for your chance to win a $150 spa gift card!

My Favorite Carrots

This is a carrot dish is a holiday tradition in my family. It is so delicious with the horseradish and toasted bread cubes on top. Sometimes I make a single serving just for me when I feel homesick for my family.

My Favorite Carrots

1 bag of baby carrots
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon grated onion
1 Tablespoon horseradish
1 Tablespoon and 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese divided
2 pieces of buttered bread, cubed

Cut carrots lengthwise. Boil carrots in water until not quite done. Drain and place in a 9x9 casserole dish.
Mix mayo, onion, horseradish and 1 Tablespoon of cheese together and spoon on top of carrots. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs and sprinkle with additional cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This is easily doubled. Enjoy!

Be sure to visit my review blog, Cheat Day News and Reviews, for my review of Pepperidge Farm New Petite Treats and the recipe for my guilt free, deconstructed apple pie. Leave a comment for your chance to win a $150 spa gift card!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Rods

I decided to repost this awesome treat since many of us are starting to plan the special homemade gifts we would like to give for holidays. Your friends and family will sing your praises when you make them these!

I have had some questions about the Candy Quick that I used to cover the pretzel rods. Candy Quick is a big hunk of chocolate that is great for melting. I found mine at Wal-Mart above the chocolate chips. It is in red packaging. You could also use any other chocolate to cover the pretzels such as chocolate chips or Wilton candy melts which is found at craft stores. If you use chocolate chips or the Wilton candy melts, I would buy two bags to be safe.

Also, if the chocolate seems kind of thick after it is melted, you can add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or shortening to thin it out. Just add the oil or shortening, put it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and then stir. If you want it thinner, add a bit more.

I hope that clears up any questions! :)




Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Rods

Things to get:
Pretzel rods (recipe makes about 50!)
Whole package of Chocolate candy quick (found at Wal-Mart)
Vanilla candy melts to drizzle (optional)
Caramel ingredients

First make a batch of caramel:

1c. Karo syrup
1c. Brown sugar
1c. White sugar
1 stick of butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk


Put first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Bring to a boil and stir for five minutes. Be careful to keep stirring so that it doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pan. Take caramel off the burner after 5 minutes.

Put the hot caramel in a deep container. I used my Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup.

Prepare a couple cookie sheets lined with wax paper.

Dip pretzel rod in caramel, about 3/4 of the way and let it drip off any excess caramel. Then lay the rod on the cookie sheet.

Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Put cookie sheets in the fridge to help set up caramel.

Once caramel is set, lift up each pretzel rod off the wax paper and mold caramel around the rod since it will puddle on the sides as it cools.

Prepare the cookie sheets again with new pieces of wax paper.

Melt chocolate in a deep container and dip caramel covered pretzel rods.

Place chocolate covered pretzel rods on cookie sheets and place in fridge to set up.

In a zip lock baggie, melt the vanilla candy melts in the microwave. When completely melted, cut a tiny hole in the corner and drizzle the chocolate on the rods.

Place back into the fridge to set up.

Tip: I ran out of pretzel rods before I ran out of caramel and chocolate. So I put the caramel in a greased glass 8x8 and made some yummy soft caramel squares. I also put some dry roasted peanuts in the leftover melted chocolate and spooned in out on wax paper for some yummy peanut clusters. I'm just like the Indians. I don't let anything go to waste. Especially chocolate!


Well, I hope these turn out for you. They are a lot of work but so very worth it! Enjoy!

Kid's Corner: Chocolate Covered Spider Legs

Who here loves Halloween?

Meeeeeeeeeee!

And it has nothing to do with the candy, and the treats and the caramel apples...

Not. A. Thing.

Who am I kidding? I have to wait to buy Halloween candy until the 31st so that I won't be tempted to eat it!!! Give me strength!

Here to kick off October is a fun little activity to do with the kids. I'm sure they will love making these little chocolate covered delights!

Don't they look like tarantula legs? Yuck! Kids love gross things though. I'm always reminded of that when they want to buy candy that you squirt out of a tube. Maybe I should buy some of that to pass out as Halloween candy this year. You'd never catch me sneaking that stuff!



Chocolate Covered Spider Legs

Here is what you need:

Chocolate: white, dark, milk or a mix of all three
thin pretzels (tied, not sticks) broken into large peices
peanuts (optional but a great addition)

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in an electric skillet on low heat or in the microwave in a large mixing bowl. Stir the chocolate as it melts. You can add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil or shortening to the melted chocolate to thin it out.

2. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the pretzels and peanuts. Stir until it is all coated. Continue to add pretzel pieces and peanuts until the chocolate is evenly distributed.

3. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

4. Place in refrigerator until hardened.



Happy Haunting!

Holiday Sweet Potato Cobbler

Do you smell that in the air? It's the holidays. They are coming up so quick on us aren't they?

Here is a recipe for a Sweet Potato Cobbler that will be at hit at your feast. It was given to me by a patient at work. She recently had knee replacement surgery and we talk recipes while I help her through her torture...I mean treatment. She is a trooper!


I made a half recipe this first time because I knew my kids wouldn't eat it. That was quite all right. More for my husband and me!

It has a layer of Granny Smiths and a spicy orange juice syrup that tastes just like an apple cobbler. It is delicious with the crumb topping I made or the pie crust that was suggested in the original recipe. Either way...it's a treat!


Sweet Potato Cobbler

• 4 medium-size sweet potatoes
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, divided
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork, and place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

Place apple slices in an even layer in a lightly greased 13- x- 9-inch baking dish; top with sweet potato slices.

Stir together 1 1/2 cups orange juice and next 6 ingredients. Pour over sweet potato mixture. Dot with 6 tablespoons butter.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on a cutting board. Unfold 1 pie crust, and place on pecans; gently roll pie crust dough into pecans. Cut with a leaf-shaped cookie cutter; place leaves over sweet potato mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans and pie crust.

Microwave remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 1-cup glass measuring cup at HIGH 20 to 30 seconds or until melted. Brush butter over crust, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons granulated sugar.

Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

For crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.

Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Rods

Awwwww yeah! Perfection!

I have been visualizing how to make the perfect chocolate covered caramel pretzel rods since the pretzel rod disaster of '08.

I was all ready to make some of these babies as Christmas gifts for friends and neighbors when I hit a major road block. The caramel I bought and melted became as hard a rock after it cooled on the pretzel rod. I couldn't have my friends and neighbors breaking their teeth on my gift! So I scrapped the project and made them cookies instead.

Ever since that fateful day, I have been going over my mistake. Store bought caramel! So I've been waiting for my opportunity to make these again to redeem myself.

I recently had a luncheon at church to show appreciation for all the teachers who teach the children each Sunday. I gave a little talk about how our teachers are like shepherds for these little lambs and how we can love them as the Good Shepherd has shown love to us. I made the pretzel rods to give to the teachers to represent a shepherd's rod.

Now, did I plan the gift around the lesson or the lesson around the gift. You decide!

Anyway, it turned out great and I wanted to share my caramel recipe so no one has to go through a caramel debacle!




Chocolate Covered Caramel Pretzel Rods

Things to get:
Pretzel rods (recipe makes about 50!)
Whole package of Chocolate candy quick (found at Wal-Mart) or 2-3 bags of chocolate candy melts
Vanilla candy melts to drizzle (optional)
Caramel ingredients

First make a batch of caramel:

1c. Karo syrup
1c. Brown sugar
1c. White sugar
1 stick of butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk


Put first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Bring to a boil and stir for five minutes. Be careful to keep stirring so that it doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pan. Take caramel off the burner after 5 minutes.

Put the hot caramel in a deep container. I used my Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup.

Prepare a couple cookie sheets lined with wax paper and spray the paper with PAM or coat with a thin layer of softened butter so caramel won't stick.

Dip pretzel rod in caramel, about 3/4 of the way and let it drip off any excess caramel. Then lay the rod on the cookie sheet.

Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Put cookie sheets in the fridge to help set up caramel.

Once caramel is set, lift up each pretzel rod off the wax paper and mold caramel around the rod since it will puddle on the sides as it cools.

Prepare the cookie sheets again with new pieces of wax paper. No PAM or butter needed this time.

Melt chocolate in a deep container and dip caramel covered pretzel rods.

Place chocolate covered pretzel rods on cookie sheets and place in fridge to set up.

In a zip lock baggie, melt the vanilla candy melts in the microwave. When completely melted, cut a tiny hole in the corner and drizzle the chocolate on the rods.

Place back into the fridge to set up.

Tip: I ran out of pretzel rods before I ran out of caramel and chocolate. So I put the caramel in a greased glass 8x8 and made some yummy soft caramel squares. I also put some dry roasted peanuts in the leftover melted chocolate and spooned in out on wax paper for some yummy peanut clusters. I'm just like the Indians. I don't let anything go to waste. Especially chocolate!


Well, I hope these turn out for you. They are a lot of work but so very worth it! Enjoy!

Sports Themed Cake and Cupcakes

About a year ago, I bought some football cupcake papers from Wilton that included football picks . They were on clearance and I thought they would be perfect for my birthday boy. I used a grass tip on the cupcakes and I was so happy with how they turned out. I'm trying to recover from hosting a party with a bunch of crazy kids, so I'm just posting pictures!!!!