Cake Pops

A friend of mine asked me for this method, and I told her I'd blog it for her, so here goes. This is *THE* most forgiving "recipe" EVER. I seriously cannot think of a single way to mess it up that cannot be fixed.

Oh, and this is TOTALLY Bakerella's thing, not my own. I just *do* it...I didn't come up with it and mine are in no way as cute as hers, even when I go to the effort to decorate them. haha!

So here goes. You'll need: Cake, frosting, chocolate of some kind, sticks. That's it, really. You can make your own cake, or use a boxed mix. You'll need about half a cup of frosting--I figure half a can per box when I use store bought, but you could totally make your own as long as it was a buttercream of some kind for consistency. For the chocolate, anything will work, really, and unless you're great at tempering chocolate, and you have all the patience in the world to do it, I recommend almond bark. I know it's not real chocolate, but no one will ever know. You cannot taste the difference once it's ON the cake pop, I promise. I'm a chocolate snob, but they taste just fine dipped in almond bark. Add to it that Almond bark runs about $4 for 24 ounces, where candy melts (which are the same darn thing, but in disc form) run about $2.50-$3 for 12 ounces.....just buy the Almond Bark. Sticks...well, Bakerella uses lollipop sticks, and that is WONDERFUL, really....assuming you plan ahead and order them online, because those little suckers are expensive at Walmart and the like when you're gonna make a ton of cake pops. I use short little popcicle sticks, and if I can't find those on the shelf, I get regular ones. They run about a penny a piece no matter which size I want. haha! So there ya go: cake, frosting, chocolate, sticks.

So, bake the cake per the directions on the box or recipe for a 13x9" cake. No one will care if it's a little dry or if it collapsed in the oven because your kid went stomping through the room or anything else, I promise. Let it cool completely, then break it into pieces and put it in a bowl and go to town shredding it into crumbs.

Throw a couple good spoons full of frosting into your crumbs, then just roll up your sleeves and dig in because nothing will mix this as well as your hands. Start with a little less frosting than you think you'll need, and add as you go. You want the "dough" to be Play-Doh consistency, if that helps. If you get it too wet, it'll be gloppy, and if it's too dry, it will not hold itself together. Just keep adding a bit, mixing it all in, adding more, etc. If you get too much frosting into it and it's sticky and gloppy, sprinkle on a few tablespoons of flour and work it in, repeating as necessary until the dough is the right consistency. No one will know, I promise.

Insurance. ;)

Here's the dough, "just right," in both my lemon and red velvet from last night:

It'll be a little springy, if that makes sense. You'll see.

Then just portion it out into balls and roll them up. I used a cookie scoop last night since these were for a pot luck and I wanted them all the same size, but you really don't have to go to that extreme. Just grab a bit, roll them into balls about the size of a walnut, and put a stick in them.

You can see the ones in the back that I haven't rolled smooth yet. Don't stress too much about the shape as long as they are reasonably round. The chocolate coating will 'fix' that for you. No one will notice. At this point, just throw a stick in the balls and put them in the freezer for a couple hours to firm up.

When you're ready to dunk them, melt your chocolate. You might want to add a little bit of vegetable oil to your candy coating to thin it out a bit. Don't add too much because then it won't set up, but it's better than zapping it in the microwave to remelt it every 15 dunks. haha! Dunk them and tap off the excess. If the stick falls out? Dunk it in the chocolate and put it back...can't find the spot it came out of? Poke it into a different spot, chocolate will fill the hole where it came out of. See? Forgiving.

Set them on a parchment lined tray (I put the ones for the pot luck in mini cupcake cups, but that is seriously not necessary). They'll set up in less than 5 mins if you used Almond Bark. :)

SEE? FORGIVING! Most forgiving recipe EVER.

Chicken Tacos

One of many, many, many, MANY things I do with my crock pot Taco Chicken.

No big deal....fajita size flour tortillas piled high with my taco chicken, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato and onion (and sour cream if you like that sorta thing).

Memorial Day BBQ

Looks like I'm going all out for a BBQ tonight after all! Nothing like last minute planning! haha!

Here's tonight's menu:

Sirloin steaks on the grill--simple, just pat dry and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning and grill to your liking. If you haven't been properly introduced to Montreal Steak Seasoning....do so. I tend to avoid spice mixes in favor of making my own, but this stuff is awesome. :)

Grilled chicken breast--I just butterfly the chicken breast, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, and then grill it. Sometimes I baste it with BBQ sauce, but I probably won't do that tonight.

My crock pot baked beans

Mixed green salad

Potato salad w/ eggs (I really hate potato salad, but everyone around me loves it, so I oblige...)

Corn on the cob w/ chili lime butter a la Tyler Florence (I'm doing my corn on the grill, though)

Garlic French Bread--just your basic french bread....cut it in half length-wise, smear it with softened butter or margarine whipped with garlic paste. You could also just sprinkle it with garlic powder after smearing it with regular softened butter. Wrap it in foil and throw it on the grill while you cook everything else.

Pico de Gallo & tortilla chips

Strawberry Shortcake and a mixed fruit salad (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, grapes) for dessert

Luscious Slush Punch (I have been making this forever....always makes my mouth hurt (I'm allergic to pineapple), but so worth it! LOL!...everyone always loves it, no exception)

I hope everyone has an amazing day surrounded by family and friends. Please take the time to give thanks and remembrance to a veteran or current military member and/or their family today.

I haven't cooked much lately...

Sorry for the lack of posts over here. There has been so much going on that I just haven't cooked much lately. Thursday night, we went to a carnival, and had awesomely fattening carnival food for dinner. Friday we grabbed Subway and headed for a concert in the park. And yesterday (Saturday), we walked through the festival vendors in the park and hard by far the worst festival vendor food I have ever put in my mouth. Literally threw almost everything we purchased all day in the trash after 2 or 3 bites between us. So, after another concert in the park, we treated ourselves to a late lunch/early dinner out at one of the nicer places in our small town. We sat on the deck and I had an awesome salad and my husband had what looked like an amazing cheeseburger. We'd earned it after suffering through the overpriced crap from vendors in the park (We seriously should have just walked into the carnival and gotten food from the vendors there again). LOL!

My husband has to work today and tomorrow, so we are likely not going to do the huge BBQ we always do for Memorial Day this year. :( I may throw some steaks on the grill, but will probably just serve them with salad and garlic bread, so I'm not sure I'll post that.

I will be cooking again this week, though, I promise! I hope you are all having an amazing Memorial Day weekend!!!

Hey...go follow...

my new music blog! :) I loved blogging what my son and I were listening to a few weeks ago and thought it'd make a great idea for a blog of its own! :)

Packaged Dinners

I'm all for from scratch cooking with whole ingredients and all that....but ya know, every few weeks, you just NEED the sodium and preservative fix that comes with a packaged dinner, right? No? Just me, then? Well, whatever. ;) Here are two of my favorites, and how I "tweak" them to my family's tastes. :)


Bear Creek Country Kitchens--well, anything, really. Specifically, though, we like their Cheddar Broccoli soup and their Chicken Vegetable pasta.

For the soup (they also make a pasta w/ the same flavor that is just as good that I prepare the same way), I chop up and brown a couple chicken breasts and a full pound of frozen broccoli (or fresh, if I think to grab it), and then cook as directed on the package, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan when I add the water.

For the pasta, I chop up and brown a couple chicken breasts, add about half a pound of whatever mixed veggies I happen to have in the freezer and cook as directed on the package. Sometimes I'll go as far as to mix up an egg and half a cup of plain yogurt or mayo and mix it into the sauce, and then pour the whole thing into a baking dish, top with cracker crumbs and bake like a casserole. Always awesome! :)

So there are two of my favorite "packaged dinners." Not much to them, but they are super simple and no one ever complains when I make them. :)

Chicken Enchiladas

*Disclaimer* I am in NO WAY going to pretend that this is healthy, and no, it will not fit in your diet. And no, these are in no way "traditional." Like everything else on my blog, you'll have to look elsewhere if you want traditional.

This has been a long time favorite in my house. I don't make it very often *BECAUSE* it is not all that good for you, and it's just not the same if you omit the cheese, but it is worth it once in a while. You could easily substitute low fat cheese if you know of one that melts and browns well, though. :)

It was late last night when I was making this, so I spaced and forgot to take a big ingredient shot. I did, however, take photos as I chopped things up....that counts, right? NO? Dang. Oh well....what is that phrase my kids are chanting these days? Ah, yes...."You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" ;)

You'll need: 1-2 bell peppers, whatever color you like (I used a whole green, half a yellow and half an orange since that's what I had on hand); one medium sized onion, white or yellow; 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts (you can use thighs if you prefer dark meat, which I do not); 1 can of sliced olives; approximately 12 small flour tortillas, give or take depending on the size of your pan, the size of the tortillas (I like 'fajita size' by Mission), and how full you stuff them; cheese--1 pound of monterey jack and half a pound of medium cheddar; 1 packet of Lawry's fajita seasoning and 1 packet of McCormick taco seasoning (I know, for SHAME....and I almost always use a home made mix for everything else....but I've been making these since I was about 15 or 16 and they just aren't the same without store bought sodium-laden sauce packets....you can use a homemade mix if you'd like since you have no emotional attachment to this recipe like I do....but you'll need 2-3 times as much as you'd normally use for tacos and the like); chicken broth (or chicken base and water...whatever); water. Optional: Sour cream.

Start by cutting up the peppers, onions and chicken. I like the chicken pieces to be about twice the size of the vegetables. Shred all the cheese (enlist your husband for this part....I always tell him if he WANTS lots of cheese he has to be the one to SHRED lots of cheese!).

(Note: I am *STILL* swooning over that vintage Corelle pattern. Those who know me on Facebook understand why. Maybe I should blog about it? Hrm....)

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat w/ a tablespoon or so of whatever oil you like. Add the peppers and onions. Cook them until they are translucent, but not browned. Don't worry if you cook them a little too long...you really can't screw it up.

Remove the peppers and onions from the pan (or most of them...don't stress getting every last one), and add the chicken to the pan (feel free to season it liberally w/ black pepper and whatnot...don't use much salt if you're opting for packet seasonings later, though...). Now, I SUPPOSE you could cook all of it together, but quite frankly, this is how I've always done it and it's hard to undo almost 15 years of habit. Plus I like the peppers and onions to not be browned and the chicken to be browned, so this is my way of making sure it's just to my liking. Shoot me. ;)

When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan. Set up a "station"--tortillas, cheese, olives, vegetables, chicken, pan (oh, and you should totally line your pan with pan lining paper so you don't have to scrub the pan afterwards....).

When you're ready to assemble....

3-4 pieces of chicken, a handful of veggies, a few olives...

Sprinkle with a handful of monterey jack cheese...

Roll them up tightly, and place it in the pan. Stuff as many as you can get into the pan. I probably could've put another 2-3 in this pan, but I ran out of tortillas because *SOMEONE-who-shall-remain-nameless* has been using the package I bought for this for breakfast burritos all week....

At this point....remember the pan you cooked everything in? Yeah, put that back on the burner and turn it up to medium high. Throw in your taco and fajita seasoning...add some garlic powder, some cayenne, whatever you like, really. Stir the seasonings all around a bit to toast them....then pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/2-3/4-ish cup of cold water to deglaze the pan (remember...browned chicken=yummy pan drippings!). Use a whisk to scrape all the good bits off the bottom of the pan and mix the seasonings with the water. Let it boil a few minutes to reduce slightly...not real necessary, but again, I've always done it, so I still do it. At this point, if you wish, you can mix in a few tablespoons of sour cream...I do it sometimes, but I'm not a huge fan of sour cream, so I didn't this time. Mix together about a tablespoon of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water in a cup with a fork and then pour it directly into your sauce and mix it up--this will help thicken it in the oven. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce directly over the pan of rolled up tortillas. I use a small measuring cup and pour it a little bit at a time to make sure the tops are all evenly covered, and then pour the rest into the baking pan.

It's going to look soupy, don't worry. Most of that liquid will be absorbed by the tortillas when you bake it.

Top with cheese--now, I prefer just a little bit of cheese on top, but my husband likes lots, so since these were for my husband by request....well....avert your eyes....

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. It won't kill it if it's a little over, and it won't kill YOU if it's a little under since everything inside is pre-cooked, but you want to give the cheese inside a chance to melt and the tortillas a chance to absorb the sauce. The last 3-5 minutes, turn the broiler on to thoroughly brown the top.

As you can see, it'll still be a little saucy when you take it out of the oven, but it's enchiladas...they're supposed to be saucy! ;) Plus, that sauce should have thickened up by now and not be super runny. It will thicken further upon standing as well. I cut them with a serrated knife and serve in squares like a casserole. If you want to, you could try to cut the individual enchiladas out of the pan....but that's more effort than I tend to want to take. :)

In a word, NOM!