Sweet Pops!

Here is another idea I got from the Bakerella - this is a seriously sweet blog that you have to check out!!!

Taking the left over brownies and cupcakes from the "hamburgers" that I made for Father's Day, Connor and I made yummy cake pops -- bite size pieces of heaven!

Connor ~ who is almost 8 ~ loved this project. To the leftover cake and brownies, we added one can of vanilla frosting. After washing his hands - this is a very important step - Connor "squished it all together until the mixture looked like a cookie dough. Then, we rolled the cake into 1 inch balls and placed them on a lined plate.

Next, we melted a small amount of chocolate in a bowl. We dipped lolly pop sticks into the chocolate and then into the balls, inserting the sticks about half way through. Then we put the pops into the freezer to set.




After looking at the many cake pop ideas on Bakerella, Connor decided he wanted to make eyeballs. We bought some white chocolate and melted it in a big bowl. Be sure to stir the melted chocolate several times to create a smoother finish. We dipped the cake pops into the chocolate and let them dry for an hour.




Once dry, Connor created a dozen eyeballs!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Sweet or Savory - You Guess

After finding this fun idea here, I just had to try it. The paper templates for the burger basket and french fry holder pulled the whole project together!

With help from my kids, we made "traditional" burgers and fries for my husband for Father's Day! This was easier than I thought. Make yellow cupcakes, thin brownies, and sugar cookies - I used all mixes and they tasted great!

Next, unwrap the cupcakes and cut then in half. I actually took out and discarded the middle third of the cupcake so the "buns" would be more realistic. Using one of the cupcakes as my guide, I cut circles from the brownies (I saved the scraps and leftover cupcakes for another sweet food project!). And then I colored three bowls of frosting - one red (catsup), one yellow (mustard), and one green (lettuce).




The final step is the assembly. They were almost too cool to eat!

Sweet Talking: I got a new phone!

Our contract with Verizon was up in May and I have been dying to get a new phone for the past few weeks ~ not to mention that I lost my original phone in March and bought a used razor on Craigslist until we renewed our contract. I picked out the Blackberry Curve and I love it. I know it's not the touch screen that everyone loves, but I have heard mixed reviews on that version and wanted something that was going to survive the jungle that lives in my purse! I really like the look and feel of this one. It is my first venture into the email/internet by phone. I am looking forward to being able to access email more quickly, especially as I move forward with my job search.

I also love the calendar feature. I just wish I could color code the appointments since I am listing my son and daughter's activities here too.

Now I just have to figure out all of the features. If anyone wants to offer some tips, please be sure to send me an email or leave a comment!

And in case you haven't guessed ~ I got the pink one ;-)

Sweets Melt in Your Mouth ~ Not in Your Hands

Who can resist the taste of free chocolate. Not me. Visit Mars Chocolate every Friday and get a coupon for a free bar of chocolate!

Sweet Temptations: Chocolate Cake

I love this chocolate cake. It is so moist and delicious! I found the recipe a few years ago (I can't remember where) and make it all the time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


Ingredients:


For the Cake:

3 eggs
1 cup full fat yogurt (whole milk)
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup hot water

For the Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and yogurt together. Beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, an salt until homogeneous.

Mix the dry ingredients into wet in two steps, alternating with the hot water.

Divide the batter between two grease and floured 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pans. Bake 25 minutes, until set. Allow to cool fully.

Make the ganache: Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan an remove from the heat. Add the chocolate pieces and whisk until disolved into the cream and the texture is creamy and thick. Allow to cool.

Remove one of the cake layers from the pan an place on a large serving plate. Pour half the ganache into the middle of the cake an use a spatula to spread the ganache out, allowing some ganache to fall own the sides of the cake.

Remove the other layer from its pan an place it on top of the first layer. Pour the remaining ganache on top to create a smooth, even coating. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the ganache sets fully.

My First Post!

This is it. I am now an official blogger. This is a first for me ~ and very SWEET.


So I will start with listing a few of the most beautiful websites/blogs that I have found since I discovered the blogging world. I absolutely love Style Me Pretty. They have great DIY projects for events/weddings and beautiful pictures and postings of real weddings (two of my husband's brothers are getting married next year, so I have weddings on my mind.) One is getting married here in San Francisco and the other is tying the knot in Ireland. I am going to make this for one of the weddings!


I also love Smiley's Sweets and Creations and Bakerella. Both blogs have some great cupcake ideas that I am dying to try during Project: Sweet Treats! I really want to make these with my kids to give to my husband for Father's Day this weekend.



And how can I forget one of the best blogs out there: Daily Candy. They have daily listings of all that is happening and what is hot. I subscribe to all the SF newsletters, but they have blogs for most major cities in the US.