*{Let Them Eat Cake}*

I finally did it.  I had been wanting to make the cake balls and cake pops that I had seen on Bakerella's website for an eternity (or so it seemed!).

They are fabulous!  I had never seen such a thing before and was excited to try them.  My friend Leslie was just as excited and next time I want to make them together. Baking + Friends = *FUN*

Anyway, after hearing about a  mexican dinner fundraiser for my friend Steven, who has bone cancer, I decided to make the cake balls/pops for the bake sale portion. Steven has to travel to Chicago (about a 3-4 hour drive) for treatments, so this fundraiser was to help with those expenses.  I was hoping they might fetch a little higher price than a chocolate chip cookie so that we could gather as much donation money as we could for Steven & his family. From what I heard later, the fundraiser was a complete success!  A lot of people spent many hours planning it and they pulled it off beautifully. I enjoyed cooking, baking and serving for this event. It really feels good to serve others in their time of need. Heaven knows I've had friends and family serving my own family in our time of need, so I'm glad that I was able to repay a little of what was done in the past for myself.

Anyway,I didn't make the cake balls/pops too fancy, but I hear they flew off the table, so I must have done something right! Next time I would like to make different fun pops. Maybe flower shaped or Hello Kitty shaped. That would be fun! Aren't they cute?  Bakerella is the queen of baking!

Anyway, if you're wondering what a cake ball/pop is, here is the low-down.

I baked a boxed cake mix in a 13x9 pan. Let it cool and then broke it all up into pieces.  I thought that might feel liberating, but truthfully, it just felt....wrong. I felt like I ruined the cake! Haha.

Next, I mixed all the cake crumbles with a can of cream cheese frosting.  This is a messy process, but nonetheless FUN.  I rolled most of them into quarter sized balls.  Some I made extra big. The small ones where pop in your mouth-able, while the larger ones were meant to be eaten with a fork.  Well, actually, you could just take a big 'ol bite out of those too. Doesn't matter when it's so tasty!

Next, I put them in the fridge to firm them up. To go faster, I froze some of them (I'm always behind and late for events!).  For the cake pops, lollipop sticks were inserted and then dipped in melted chocolate or white chocolate coating.  They turned out cute!  I wrapped them in cellophane tied with a twisty and they were ready to sell.

The cake balls were dipped, finished off and placed into a small cupcake liner. Or a big liner for the monster ones.

I made double chocolate balls and pops. And red velvet balls dipped in white chocolate. Next time I might use a home made cake mix instead of a store bought one. I think they would be tastier made from scratch.

Of course I HAD to try one....

....or 5.

 Mmm....delicious!

Try it Tuesday.....Hockey Dessert Recipes!

You probably have forgotten all about my need for recipes when we were feeding the San Antonio Rampage back in March right? I was begging for dessert ideas because I thought I had to make the one and only dessert for the whole team and their coaches. Well, as it turns out, we had several desserts there..not just mine. Whew. What a load off my mind. I thought I was a goner when thinking they would only have MY desserts to choose from! Beep, beep, back up. In case you forgot, my nephew Michael, is the head athletic trainer for the Rampage and since they were coming to MI to play the Grand Rapids Griffins, he asked us to help with a meal for the whole team and coaches.

Anyway, I ended up making Neiman Marcus Cookies, Peanut Butter Fudge, Baby Food Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and 2 Texas Sheet Cakes with Hot Fudge Icing. Besides that, there was also Cherry Crisp, Pistachio Salad, Snicker Salad (also called Caramel Apple Salad), German Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie as well as several other things. So do you think these big boys had a lot to choose from? Oh yeah they did. But do you think they actually ate much?! No! I was shocked. Perhaps it was because they had just lost a hard fought game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Or maybe it was because the season wasn't done and they didn't want to gorge themselves on sweets. I dunno. But one thing I DO know...it wasn't because the desserts SUCKED.....because they totally ROCKED!

I made enough cookies to feed the team about 10 times over, so I shipped the leftovers off with them (after I pried them from my nephew and brother in-laws hands first). I also gave the fudge to a player, only to see them left on the table. Ouch. Maybe those kind of did suck. I also walked out to their big 'ol bus with the steepest stairs imaginable, with 1 of the left over Texas Sheet Cakes. So I'm hoping that some of our hard work paid off when they ate them on the road.

Ok, so who DID eat a ton of desserts?? The tubby old coaches! Ok, they aren't tubby or old. But they could be by the way the enjoyed the desserts! The highlight of my night (besides seeing my much missed nephew) was when I over-heard one coach say how moist and delicious my Baby Food Bars were! Yesssss. Mission accomplished.

Oh, and are professional hockey players from outer space? One guy was really having a hard time opening a jug of milk! He was fumbling with the plastic ring around the cap. Leanne comes along and quickly twists the sucker open for him. There ya go dude. -Smirk-

Ok, I'm rambling aren't I? Sorry. Not only is this a Try It Tuesday post, but it's a journal entry about the meal we provided. My sister (my nephew Michael's Mother) outdid herself. She bought and cooked about 13 pot roasts! She also made the best yeast rolls (about 100 of them or MORE). She worked really hard and I'm proud of her. Her roasts were tender and perfect. With some friends and family help, she also had mashed potatoes and gravy plus veggies etc. It was all a lot of work (mostly for my sister), but I know it was worth it. We all had a good time and loved watching the game and being able to cheer for BOTH teams. I'm sure we will be hosting a dinner for them again next season.

Here are a few pictures of the day, but don't expect much. We took lots, but they accidently got deleted off the memory card. I had to snag these off Facebook. Here are a couple of hopefuls that were on a trial basis for the team. The girls were especially happy to get their pictures taken with them because the player on the right is Justin Kinnunen. He used to play for our local hockey team, The Muskegon Fury. Plus, he is from the upper penninsula of Michigan where my family lives. Surprisingly he had my older brother for his High School art teacher! Small world.

This is just a picture of the scoreboard (is that the right word?) showing the Rampage & the Griffins scores during a break.

This is NOT a Rampage player! We're traitors! lol. We still love the Griffins, but this player especially. This is Justin Abdelkader. He is Macie's science teacher's son. He learned to play in our town at the same rink that Brycen is learning to play in right now, so we are very proud of our local boy. Especially since right now he is playing for the Detroit Red Wings! He was called up to play during the play-offs. Go Red Wings!

Ok, that's all I have to show. Lucky you because it would have bored you to see more pictures.

So are you finally ready for a couple recipes to, "try"? I'll post some of mine (minus the pb fudge) and my nieces recipe for her Snicker salad. By the way, she HAS to make this for every family event or she gets a tongue lashing! It's the best. Not healthy, but nevertheless, the best dessert! She uses a huge bowl. Imagine the biggest bowl that Tupperware has to offer. Even with a bowl that big, there usually isn't too much left over at family events. For THIS event, however, I was able to take some home and savor the flavor the next day. Mmm.

Here is her recipe. (Thanks Michelle for posting this on Facebook for me to snag for my readers)

Snicker Salad/Caramel Apple Salad

5-6 apples (cut into bite sized chunks)
5-6 Snickers full-sized candy bars
1 lrg. pkg. dry vanilla pudding mix
1 lrg. tub Cool Whip, thawed

Chop up the 5-6 apples into bite size chunks. My sister likes to do red and green apples at Christmas. Cut up 5-6 Snickers full-size candy bars into bite sized chunks. The cutting will take longer than you think! Add the large package of dry vanilla pudding mix to a large tub of thawed Cool Whip topping. Don't make the pudding, just dump it in and stir it well. (...some people I've talked to make the pudding, but Christi's mom-in-law told me specifically not to!) Then you fold in the apples and chunks of Snickers. Chill and serve. Refrigerate any left overs - not likely there will be any though!
Note: this recipe will not make enough to fill the big Tupperware bowl, but it's still a lot of salad.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

(You know this recipe....it's from the urban legend story about the lady who was forced to pay $250 for the recipe at the store....this isn't the recipe for the cookies that the store actually DOES sell, but it's a darn good recipe regardless....read the silly fabricated story here.)

(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips ( I use Ghirardelli!)
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies

Leanne's Notes: I do not use the nuts because my hubby is slightly allergic. They are fine without them. DO NOT and I mean it...DO NOT forget to blend the oatmeal to a fine powder! This is the ingredient that makes this cookie fabulous! I tend to keep blended oatmeal in my pantry at all times to add to any chocolate chip cookie recipe. Also, you can do it without the Hershey bar if you want. Sometimes I use it, some times I leave it out. They are still delicious.

Baby Food Cake

I was given this recipe a billion years ago from my sister in-law. It's always moist and the cream cheese frosting makes it especially delish.



Grease and dust with flour, a jelly roll pan or use half of the following ingredients for 13x9 pan.

Combine & beat:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil

Sift & add:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Add 1 medium jar of strained carrots, applesauce & apricots.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes using the toothpick method to check for doneness.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!



Texas Sheet Cake
This recipe is lightened up a bit. I found in the Cooking Light magazine, but don't let it fool you. It's still really fattening and high in WW points!

Grease and flour a jelly roll pan. You may also use a 13x9 pan instead. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preparation:

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 22-27 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.

Hot Fudge Icing

Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 1/3 c. fat-free milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in 3 c. powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread over hot cake. Sprinkle cake with pecans. Cool completely on wire rack.


Leanne's Notes: The cake recipe also calls for 1 tsp. cinnamon, but I don't care for it that way, so I omit it. The pecans are optional for the icing also. I never use them because of my hubby's pesky allergic reaction. Plus, Brycen hates nuts!

Well, if you're still with me, you deserve a medal. This was a looooong post. Sorry! If you are interested in making any of these desserts, please let me know how well you liked them. I promise I will post a much shorter Try It Tuesday next time!

Try it Tuesday.....Fiber One Toaster Pastries

Finally! I can write a review about these things! I've wanted to, but they just sat in my cupboard while I was sick. I'm still not up to par, but I finally did get to try the new pastries.

It seems like Fiber One is always coming out with new products doesn't it? I've already reviewed the bars and the muffin mix. I still need to review the yogurt, which I will do soon.

The Fiber One toaster pastries are found just about everywhere now. I found mine at Target for $1.99. Not too shabby. Wish I had a coupon tho.

I bought the strawberry flavored, but they also come in blueberry, brown sugar & cinnamon and chocolate.

How do they taste? Not too bad if I do say so myself. They have just the right amount of the frosting. Truthfully, I was expecting them to go cheap on that part. They are darker than regular Pop Tarts (because of the whole grain I'm assuming). They have about the same amount of filling in my opinion. I don't like the dryness of Pop Tarts and these Fiber One pastries are the same. I just eat the middle :) On the bright side, they don't fall apart like some store-brand toaster pastries do.

The Fiber One toaster pastries are 3 WW points for ONE pastry(in case you are counting).

These toaster pastries have 20% of the daily recommended value of fiber. I've been reading that Fiber One doesn't provide a natural fiber. Of course I knew that already. I wonder if it still does the same job as regular fiber tho? Some websites insist that it's not as effective as natural fiber. With fiber listed in the ingredients of my favorite foods, I get less Weight Watcher points, so I guess I don't care if it's not natural. :) If it's filling, then it works for me. (And no, I don't cheat and use fiber supplements or powders to lower my points in foods).

Fiber One toaster pastries are made with whole grain wheat flour. That is the first ingredient listed on the box. What's the 2nd? Corn syrup. Then water. Then sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Ok, so it's sugary. It's not exactly what I would call a health food even with the whole grains and fiber. Personally, I wouldn't eat these as a breakfast food. They are more of a dessert to me. They do contain 4 grams of protein.

If you are comparing the Pop Tarts brand whole grain toaster pastries, you will see that the Fiber One pastries have less calories (by 10), less fat (by one gram), less protein(by 2 grams) and the same amount of fiber. I've never tried them, so I can't compare the taste.

Oh, and one last thing. Usually Fiber One items give my digestive system a bit of trouble (backdoor trumpet playing anyone?), but these toaster pastries DO NOT, thank goodness! That's another reason I'd buy them again sometime.

Guilty Pleasure

The Guilty Pleasure Snack Game seems to be over at Tip Junkie, but I thought I'd share my own dessert that brings me guilty pleasure! I don't eat it very often, actually, I can't remember the last time I did eat one, but when I do get to ...whoa. I'm in heaven.



I first got the idea for a Cookie Monster from Cheddars restaurant. They served a fresh hot chocolate chip cookie in a skillet with vanilla ice cream on top smothered in homemade hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry. The cookie is huge! I love that it's right out of the oven all warm and gooey. I haven't been to Cheddars in years, and I think the one in GR burned down, so I started to make my own at home. I make it super indulgent by using chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla. If I'm really feeling naughty, I add M&M's. They are my weakness.

I always made mine by just placing a warm chocolate chip cookie in a bowl and adding the rest of the ingredients, but look what I found!
A Skookie! Now I can make my cookies in a skillet just like the one at the restaurant. This one can be found at Amazon. or at The Lakeside Collection. You can get it with brownie mix (wouldn't that be yummy!) or cookie mix. Of course, just using Toll House cookie dough would be perfect. Mmm.

Another indulgence that I like (also not had in years) is brownie pizza.
Brownie baked in a pizza pan with vanilla frosting spread on top. Toppings include sliced strawberries and Hershey syrup or hot fudge drizzled all over. You can also add bananas. Mmmm.

Ok, now that I'm drooling all over my keyboard, I'll go eat my Vitatop since I can't really afford to indulge in my guilty pleasures any time soon. I already had a Volcano at Whippy Dip this past week. Ouch.

Do you have a guilty pleasure to share? I think some of you do! Brownies with caramel ring a bell? Mmm. Do share!

Try it Tuesday

Betty Crocker Warm Delights Mini's



I bet some of you have tried these little goodies already. I had always wanted to splurge on the regular sized versions of these desserts, but never could bring myself to do it since they are about 370 calories and 12 grams of fat (8 WW pts..ouch). Needless to say, I was excited when Betty came out with these smaller versions! At only 150 calories each (a more manageable 3 WW pts), I could afford to eat one finally. I tried the Molten chocolate cake. It was pretty good. I wouldn't eat it all the time, but I'd say it was worth trying. I'm a sucker for warm desserts, so the mini was a nice treat. They are easy to make too. The mix comes in a small bowl. Just add a bit of water, stir and heat for about 30 seconds in the microwave. As a bonus, I tossed the bowl in the dishwasher and now I will recycle it as a baby feeding dish! Perfectly sized to feed Ava her cereal.

Warm Delight Mini's come in these flavors:
Molten Chocolate Cake
Molten Caramel Cake
Chocolate Raspberry Decadence.

The full sized versions come in a bigger array of flavors such as....Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie, Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cinnamon Swirl Cake. I hope they decide to make a mini in Chocolate chip soon!



Seen in an Ad:
Famous Dave's BEEF JERKY
Can buy them from the Famous Dave's website. The Apricot Bourbon Beef Jerky sounds yummy to me. Being a bunch of jerkies ourselves, my family loves the stuff. We'll have to try this some day. I wish oh wish that Famous Dave's hadn't high-tailed it outta our town! I miss you sweet corn muffins!