Gum ball fun

Ingredients
This sounds super good hope you enjoy  

• 1 cake baked in a 1-quart Pyrex bowl

• 1 (3 by 5-inch) loaf cake
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• Red paste food coloring
• ¾ cup M&M's, mixed colors
• 4 red licorice twists
• 1 tube (4.25 ounces) black decorating icing
• 1 red lollipop (Tootsie Pop)

Things You Need

• A bread knife
• A serving platter

Trimming the cake:

1. Trim the top of the bowl cake to make level.
2. Cut the (3 by 5-inch) loaf cake as pictured in the diagram below. Arrange the cakes as pictured.

Frosting the cake:

1. Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting red with the food coloring. Set aside.
2. Spread the remaining plain white frosting over the bowl cake and make smooth. Attach the colored candies all over the cake starting from the base for the "gumballs".
3. Spread the red frosting all over the rectangular cakes and make smooth.

To complete the decoration:

1. Trim the red licorice twists and place along the red base cake and bottom edge of top red cake, as pictured.
2. Insert the lollipop into the top cake.
3. Pipe a black line on the bottom red cake for the gumball machine's opening.

To mind more about this awesome cake go to http://www.parenting.com/article/how-to-make-a-gumball-machine-birthday-cake

Have a birthday coming up? Here is a easy to make cake/cup cake snake. Hope you enjoy. 
Ingredients:

• Green food coloring
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• 1 graham-cracker square
• 10 unfrosted cupcakes baked in green paper liners*
• 1 large bag (21 oz) M&M's Minis
• 1 large bag (21 oz) M&M's
• 1 (2-inch) piece red fruit leather

What you'll need:

• A serving platter

For the frosting:

Add a few drops of the food coloring to the vanilla frosting to tint it a very pale green.

For the snake's head:

1. Cut the graham cracker into a 1 ½-inch triangle.
2. Spread a small amount of frosting on top of one of the cupcakes.
3. For the snake's snout, attach the graham-cracker triangle so one corner hangs over the side.
4. Completely cover the cupcake and graham cracker with more frosting.
5. Spread the remaining frosting over the other cupcakes.

Assembling the snake:

1. Decorate the top of the cupcakes with the M&M's, as pictured.
2. Arrange the cupcakes into an S-shape on a serving platter.
3. Cut the fruit leather into a forked-tongue shape.
4. Insert fruit leather under the graham cracker for the snake's tongue.

 to see more go to http://www.parenting.com/article/how-to-make-a-snake-cake

 

Fried bananas

For a homework assignment I have to make a traditional Mexican meal and I am going to make this for dessert.  I think it sounds and looks good, plus I like bananas.  Hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe plantains
¼ cup safflower or corn oil

TO PREPARE
The skin of the plantain should be almost entirely black when it is mature and ready to use. Peel the plantain and slice diagonally into about ¼ inch slices.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan until hot but not smoking. Add slices of plantain and sauté for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned, but not blackened. Flip to other side and sauté for another minute or two.

Place the fried plantain sliced on a plate covered with paper towel, so as to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot over rice and eat as a side.

Already cooked plantains may be reheated on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 5 minutes or so.

Love Cookies

I picked this recipe because my uncle takes photos of some of these recipes. It looked very good and it's ready to go for Valentines day.  Hope you give it a try.  Hope You Like It.    

Cookie

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of butter, softened

2 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons whipping cream

1 (1-ounce) square unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled sugar

Filling

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry-flavored coffee drink syrup (you can also substitute the raspberry-flavored coffee drink syrup with  1/2 teaspoons strawberry syrup.)

Directions

Combine flour, 1/2 cup butter, sugar and whipping cream in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Add melted chocolate; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1 to 2 hours).

Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on well-floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Dip both sides of each cookie in sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets; prick several times with fork.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until set. Let stand 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and raspberry-flavor syrup in small bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy.

For each sandwich cookie, place 1 teaspoon filling onto 1 cookie, bottom-side up. Top with second cookie, bottom-side down; press down lightly.

To see more delicious recipes go to:

http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1227/cream-filled-wafer-hearts

 

One of the best of 2011 (red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting)

I love red velvet cakes and cupcakes and if you tried my last recipe you should know that cream cheese frosting is delicious on almost anything.  Hope you enjoy you cupcakes and Happy belayed New Year!   

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.
Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.