My son's 12th Birthday Cake!!

This is my son's birthday cake that my hubby and I made together!! Its not a recipe or a tutorial, I just wanted to show you what we did!! Because, I'm pretty proud of it!! This was a orange and vanilla 12 inch square 2 layer cake that I torted, and the top was coffee flavored 8 inch rounds that I torted. This took about a 6 days start to finish, I baked the cakes on Sunday and froze them, then I made the fondant on Tuesday. frosted, stacked, and covered in fondant on Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we decorated..(party was on saturday)..whoo...A LOT of work!! My hubby who is very artistic did most of the detail work and I think it turned out awesome!! My son was very happy and now my daughter is trying to figure out what she wants for her Birthday in July...uh oh...I think we started something!!!!

I promise that as soon as I figure out the photography issues I'm having I will start posting more!! please be patient!!!!



All edible except the toothpicks holding the towers on, Oreo cookies and ice cream cones for the towers.

Does he look happy?? I think so!!!!!

Banana Spice Muffins

I love my house to smell like something freshly baked!! Because for 1. I have animals and they stink!!hehe...so I need to smell something besides that!! Plus, we love baked goodies...well at least my kids do!! I'm wanting to step out of my comfort zone pretty soon and start trying things that I have never tried before like pastrys and tarts but I'm on the lookout for some tart pans and when I do I'll try one!! But I love simple sweet breads and I LOVE to make muffins and cupcakes!! Besides there easy to throw together and soo yummy and comforting, I hope you try these and enjoy!!


These are not the best pictures obviously!! But,its all I've got!!! These are a recipe I changed up a bit by adding some spices...so I call them banana spice muffins!! I bought some jumbo muffin pans and it made enough for 6 muffins...there so cool looking!! Just like the ones at the grocery stores!!! I always have to ripe bananas laying around too...so its a easy thing to throw together for breakfast once in awhile!!!


-1 1/2 C. flour
-1/2 C. sugar
-1/2 C. Brown sugar
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1 tsp vanilla
-3 large very ripe bananas pureed(I just smashed them with a fork to keep them a little chunky)
-1 egg
-1/3 C. oil


Crumb topping
-1/3 C. brown sugar
-1 T. flour
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1 T. butter

For topping just mix in small bowl and crumb together with fork until crumbly set aside.


Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle. Prepare muffin pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the oil and banana puree. Add the sugars and whisk to combine. Add the egg followed by the vanilla extract and water.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Divide among muffin pans if using regular size should make about 12, if using jumbo makes about 6 very large muffins.

Sprinkle the tops with topping and bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean. Don't get to carried away with the topping because mine sank of a little in the middle because I did!!!

caramel and ganache cupcakes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! So far my year has been pretty good except for...............

Having camera difficulties so the posts on here might be few and far between for a while, I have 1 more recipe ready to post but until I get a new camera it may be a while..:( also I wasn't really planning on posting this one so my pictures aren't very good..but these were really cute and yummy!!! They do not need the little gingerbread man but when I was making these I had these little guys sitting around and I thought they would be so cute sitting on top of my yummy cupcakes..and well they were!!! This is a cake mix recipe but its very doctored up..I kind of think that by the time I'm done doctoring a mix up its probably better than anything completely scratch.

I filled these with chocolate ganache, I filled a pastry bag with the ganache and a big star tip, insert it into cupcake and squeeze filling until it kinda slides back up to the top..does that make sense?? if not let me know and I'll try to help you figure it out!! the frosting was also using a large star tip. 1A I believe.



caramel cupcake
-1 box white cake mix
-1 c flour
-1 pkg butterscotch pudding
-1 c loosely packed light brown sugar
-1/2 c caramel sauce(like the ice cream topping kind)
-1 c water
-1 c sour cream
-3 eggs
-2 tbsp oil
mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined fill cupcakes about 2/3 full bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes

chocolate ganache
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 T sugar
microwave until melted and creamy about 1 minute at a time, let cool until thick enough to frost a cake without running all over...put it in the fridge for awhile or it will take forever at room temp..

butter creme frosting...
-1 cup shortening
-2 sticks softened real butter
-1 T. vanilla
-1 tsp butter flavoring(optional)
-2 lbs powdered sugar
-6-8 T. milk
-caramel syrup to taste

beat in mixer or with handheld until light and fluffy..this makes a TON of frosting.. I took about half of the frosting and put in separate bowl and added the caramel till I thought it tasted good, then I put the rest of the frosting in the fridge. It should last quite a long while. With the remaining frosting just bring it back to room temperature before you use it and whip it again to make it light and fluffy.

after I put the cupcakes together I drizzled the frosting with a little more of the caramel sauce, just for presentation, they really don't need it!!!! yummy!!!!

pumpkin roll

These are something that my family makes every year for Christmas and New years!! They are a perfect addition to your "snacky" new years meal!! my mom is the first one that started these and then my sister and I both now make them every year!! They are so yummy!! If you decide to give these a try, make sure you have the recipe on hand to give everyone, because they will want to have it!!!!



You will want to prepare a cookie sheet that has a rim around the edges, so none of those flat cookie pans will work for this...line your pan with either aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with non stick cooking spray.
-3 eggs
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup pumpkin
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 Cup flour
-2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp ginger
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1 tsp baking powder

in separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients except sugar, in mixer bowl beat eggs for 5 minutes on high. slowly add sugar, stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Fold in dry ingredients, bake at 375on prepared cookie sheet making sure to get your batter into corners of cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes.
When its done it will be spongy to the touch but not to brown. immediately remove from cookie sheet and roll up in the parchment paper jelly roll style. I used to roll it up in a kitchen towel covered in powdered sugar, but I felt that this was kinda unsanitary even though it was a clean towel it still had fuzzes that I was worried would make it into the roll, so this time I used the parchment paper. I also dusted it with powdered sugar, it worked fine but next time I will not use the powdered sugar as it created condensation and made the cake a little wet, it was fine in the end though. When its cooled completely unroll from paper and fill with the cream cheese filling, then roll back up and cut with dental floss or thread. Dust again with a little powdered sugar..yum!!!!


Cream Cheese Filling recipe
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 T. butter softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
cream together with mixer until smooth and creamy

orange cranberry bread

One of my favorite things is cranberry and orange together, I love it in breads and muffins especially!! I found this recipe online, sorry I can't remember where and I can't give credit!! oops...but its yummy!!! I made 4 little loafs, you could made probly 2 large loafs or 1 bundt pan..



-1 stick softend butter
-1 C. sugar
-2 eggs
-zest from 1 orange
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 C. flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2/3 cup butter milk
-1 C. dried cranberrys

in separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar together on low till fluffy, add eggs 1 at a time, add zest,vanilla and buttermilk. Slowly add dry ingredients. fold in cranberrys. bake at 350 for about 35 minutes if using the small pans like I did.
Bundt pan about 45 minutes

Let cool, after its cooled I poked them with tooth picks to create holes for the glaze to seep into. then I just poured it equally over all 4 pans, it looked like to much but it soaked in and it was soo good!! I could have drank that glaze!! haha...may have been a little sick afterwards but its good stuff!!!

glaze
-zest of 1 orange
-juice of 1 orange
-1 C. powdered sugar
whisk till combined and silky

gingerbread girls and boys

What describes Christmas more than Gingerbread cookies?? There so cute!!! I have to admit that I've never actually made them before!! I usually just make sugar cookies, but I've seen these all over this year that I thought I really needed to try to do my own!! I really love the taste of these cookies too. Depending on your preference you can either make them a little thicker and get a softer cookie or thinner and get a crispier cookie, I preferred the crispier ones especially with coffee!!! yum!!

This recipe is from Martha Stewart, that woman knows her recipes!! Shes not my favorite person to watch on t.v. but I love her website and her recipes.




1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Sanding sugar and miniature candies, for decorating

Directions
1.In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg; mix well. Beat in molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add flour a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated.
2.Divide dough into quarters; shape into disks, and wrap into plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
3.Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in top and bottom third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a dough disk to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies, rolling out any scraps and additional disks as needed until you have about 20 kids. Transfer to parchment-paper-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between cookies. With remaining dough, cut out additional kids to make clothes, jewelry, and hair as desired. Dress cookies, and refrigerate 20 minutes.
4.Bake cookies, two sheets at a time, 7 minutes; rotate pans top to bottom and front to back, and continue baking until cookies are firm when touched, about 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Decorate cookies as desired.




Thats her exact recipe word for word, I didn't refridgerate mine after I got them cut out, they seemed to work fine for me, I added suspenders and aprons to my girls. I also used Royal Icing for the decorations, I have discovered that the taste of Royal Icing is kinda lacking, but its great for cookies like these that you aren't using a ton of icing and you can stack them without worrying about your decorations, I added some lemon extract to the royal icing to add a tiny bit of flavor!!
-3 T. Meringue Powder
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 3 T. water(or more depending on the consistency you want
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
with you whip attachment on your stand mixer beat for about 15 minutes on medium, until its glossy and forms peaks.








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oreo magic bars

WATER!!!! Oh sweet water!!!! yes, I do have it again!! 6 whole days without water, makes me realize how much we miss the simpler things in life until there gone...I have soo much laundry its insane!! lol..cause yeah I'm to lazy to go to the laundry mat. Although, I was on the verge that last day!!

I can bake again!! woohoo!!



I've seen this recipe on the back of the eagle brand sweetened condensed milk for a very long time!! But, I've never made them before!! I changed one thing, it calls for 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs but I had Oreo cookies on hand so that's what I used!! here's my adapted recipe


-1 1/2 cups crushed oreos
-1 stick of butter(melted)
-1(14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
-2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
-1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
-1 cup chopped nuts

preheat oven to 350(324 for glass dish) in small bowl combine crushed oreos with the melted butter, mix well and pour into 9x13 dish patting down into a crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly. layer evenly with remaining ingredients, press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes.cool.

These were really good!! One thing I didn't do was to press down with the fork when I layered it all on, and my peanuts didn't stick to the top very well, But, These did not last long in my house!! try it and mix it up a bit!! I think you could really play around with these, maybe m&m's instead of chocolate chips, or maybe some dried fruit instead of the coconut. I think white chocolate with dried cranberry's on the graham cracker crust would be divine!!!! yumm...I am so trying that next time!!! enjoy!!!