Baking Adventures! Cake Bites!

I don't know about you, but this past month has been crazy with birthday parties, end of the school year parties, end of the soccer season parties, school performances and promotion ceremonies.  I swear we have had not had a quiet day in over a month.  With all of these parties and potlucks, I took it as an opportunity to try my hand at making a version of cake balls and treats on a stick which seem to be all the rage in blogland these days.

First let me say this, Bakerella is pure genius and I love the inspiration from this incredible site.  I love all of her pops and bites and the many variations that others have done out there.  The decorating of these is so fun and so much can be done.  For our end of the season soccer party I decided I wanted to try my hand at these.  A couple of years ago I tried to make some cake ball pumpkins and failed miserably with the cake simply falling off the sticks while I tried to dip them, I decided to try the bites.

I headed to Michaels with my 40% off coupons in hand and picked up some candy melts and a couple of molds for making your own peanut butter cups. 

Following the directions from Bakerella, I baked my cake, let it cool, mixed it with the frosting (and yes, this is very messy but very fun at the same time).  I formed my balls and stuck them in the freezer for a couple of hours but I will say, they really didn't freeze as hard as I thought they would.

I then melted my chocolate candy melts according to the package directions by placing them in a freezer Ziploc bag.  Once the chocolate was to the desired consistency, I simply snipped a small corner of the bag and carefully filled my molds a little less than half full and placed the balls in by twisting them gently to make sure that the chocolate reached the top of the mold.  It took a bit to get my rhythm down but this part went easier than I thought.  These set up pretty quickly, however I was glad I had picked up 2 of the molds as it would have taken forever to finish the over 60 balls I had made.

The next part was really easy, I simply melted the red candy melts in a small, deep bowl and dipped the balls in so that the red met with the chocolate.  I dusted them with a pinch of sprinkles and then my 4 yr old son placed a mini-M&M on top.  I know he ate as many as he placed but that was okay as he so wanted to help.

One of my daughter's friends has Celiacs Disease (and while I looked at making gluten-free cake, I  just couldn't bring myself to paying $5 for a box cake mix so I decided to try using marshmallows instead.  Using the same "bite" concept, I replaced the cake ball with a marshmallow.  I had to pinch the bottom of the marshmallow to make sure that it fin in the mold.  I think they turned out great and she was so excited to get her very own special treat!

My daughter has a summer birthday but her school designates a day at the end of the school year for each child who has a summer birthday where they get to go on stage during their flag ceremony to be recognized.  They also get the opportunity to bring treats for their class.  My daughter's day was the same day as their Kindergarten promotion ceremony and breakfast potluck so I was concerned about sending cupcakes.  The kids were loaded with donuts, muffins and bagels in the morning.  To keep it simple, fun and something that everyone in class could enjoy (her friend with celiac's is also in her calls and her teacher has a gluten allergy as well) we made marshmallow pops.

I let the kids help make these.  I put the marshmallows on a stick and gave each kid a small bowl of sprinkles.  They dipped the marshmallows so they were covered about halfway up and then dipped them in their bowl of sprinkles.  I used my silicone mini-muffin pan and when they finished covering them, they simply placed them back in the whole to set.  This worked great so that they did not stick together.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  They were cute and were a big hit at school.  The kids loved them and her teacher loved the simplicity of it as well as cupcakes in the classroom can be VERY messy.

Kitchen Adventures - Canning Edition

Back in the day, when I was in school, every student was required to take Home Economics and Shop.  In shop we learned to use power tools, built a few projects using wood, metal and even resin and learned a few things about cars as well.  Note, this was at a time when it was easy for anyone to do their own basic car repairs and oil changes.  Today's vehicles are not so simple.  Home Economics taught us how to sew, cook, bake and "run a household".  If I recall, we even learned how to care for a child (i.e. change a diaper).  These were all life skills that everyone should know and understand at least on the basic level. 

It appears that this Spring I am in the midst of my own little Home Ec class.  I am experimenting with my sewing machine as witnessed with my daughter's dress in my last POST.  I look forward to sharing some new projects in the weeks to come as I gain confidence with my new friend the sewing machine.  I have also been trying some new things in the kitchen.  So here is the story of my first canning party!

CANNING

My first "new" kitchen adventure was in the world of canning.  As I kid, I remember helping my Mom in the kitchen as she canned many of the vegetables from our family garden.  Oh how I wish I could have a lush garden like my Mothers, however Arizona soil and heat make gardening a challenge that is bigger than me at this time - maybe someday!  Alas, we have an awesome sources for fresh produce including a great cooperative called Bountiful Baskets (if you are on the West coast, check them out).

A couple of weeks ago they had an awesome deal on Organic Tomatoes so I ordered them, called some friends and we had a "first-timers" canning party.  None of had really canned before so we were learning as we went and had fun morning chatting and canning.  I also ordered the Mexican Pack which included some delicious treats like peppers, tomatillos, cilantro, key limes, avocado, garlic, tomatoes and more.  The day before the ladies arrived, I whipped up a large batch of tomatillo salsa and canned them to make sure I knew what we were supposed to do.  It worked and they all sealed!

I researched a few different recipes for Tomatillo Salsa online and ended up improvising with my own version which was essentially just a few steps.

Step 1 - Roast the Veggies - I removed the husks from the tomatillos, sliced them in half, cut up a couple of onions, broke open a head of garlic and through a few green chili and jalapeno peppers on a sheet pan and placed them under the broiler.  I let them roast and char under the broiler, occasionally turning them so that they got a nice char on all sides. 

Step 2 - Blend - Once the veggies were roasted and had a nice char, I placed them all in the blender along with the large bunch of cilantro that came in my pack.  I blended them until everything was smooth.  If necessary, you can add a touch of water but mine was plenty juicy without.  I didn't bother to remove the seeds from my chilis as we like it a bit hot and I was using rather mild green chilis and only a couple of spicier ones.  TIP:  Make sure you hold the lid down with a towel when blending hot liquids.  The heat adds a fair amount of pressure to the lid and you don't want to spray hot liquid everywhere.

Step 3 - Season & Can - At this point you need to taste your salsa and add your desired seasonings.  I added a palm full of cumin, a heaping tablespoon of cayenne pepper, black pepper and some garlic salt until it tasted the way I wanted.  At this point I placed them in my pint jars (which I warmed up by dipping them in a pot of boiling water - you never want to put hot liquid into a cold glass jar as it can make the jar crack).  I left about a 1/2" headroom, cleaned my seal and placed on my lids.  I lowered the jars into a deep pot of boiling water and boiled them for approximately 25 minutes (adjusted slightly since we are a higher altitude).  When done, I removed the jars and waited to see if they sealed, and yeah, they did.  Success!

The next day, my friends came over and we made our way through approximately 50 lbs of tomatoes.

    

Thanks Evita, Keri, Cathy & Heather!



After briefly blanching the tomatoes in water, we peeled the skins off and placed them in the pot.  We began to simmer the tomatoes and used an immersion blender to chop them up to make a smooth sauce.  Our tomatoes were pretty juicy so we allowed them to simmer a while in order to reduce the amount of liquid.

With so many tomatoes, we decided to do one small batch with some roasted green chili peppers in it. Overall it was a great day - all of our tomatoes sealed and we were all able to take home 3 quarts of tomatoes and 3 pints of tomatoes with chili.

Since a party isn't a party without swag - I picked up the ingredients to mix up a simple Sugar Scrub using olive oil, sugar, lemon zest and essential oil.  There have been so many blogs out there offering variations of this scrub but essentially it is 1 part oil to 2 parts sugar plus scent as desired.  Next time I would love to try a brown sugar scrub and I will try a less fragrant oil.  One note with scrubs - they make your skin really soft and the bottom of your shower very slick so be careful.

I look forward to getting together with the ladies again in the future and try our hand at some fruit and jams.  I am partial to freezer jams as I think they maintain the best flavor of the fruit.  My Mom makes an incredible strawberry freezer jam - granted, I think her secret weapon is that she can go out to her patch in the backyard in the morning, fill a big bowl with fresh-picked strawberries and make a batch.

First Attempt at Sewing = Success!!!

JUST DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSE! 

Thanks in advance to my friend Heather for inspiring me!  She is an awesome seamstress and crafter!  I love to talk all things craft, homemade and blog with her.  I keep telling her she needs to start a blog to share some of the incredible work she does!  You would be amazed by her talent!  I am.  My other inspiration is my Mother.  Growing up my Mom made a lot of my clothes and I loved it - even though we give her a hard time about the amount of double knit we wore as kids!  I really just blame it on the 70s!

For the past several months I have toyed with the idea of trying to sew a dress for my daughter.  I have seen numerous posts about the pillowcase dress and how easy it is.  My husband gave me a sewing machine a few years ago (after extensive hinting by me).  Up to this point I have sewed exactly 2 things - pillowcases for a couple of giant floor pillows in our living room and a pillowcase for the body pillow on my daughters bed.  So why not give a pillowcase dress a try - I mean, I have proven I can sew a pillow case!  Hee hee!

So I headed to JoAnn's and found this awesome floral fabric and picked up a great pink and green ribbon.

I pulled out that sewing machine that is collecting dust and set out on my journey.  On a side note, I think I need a name for my sewing machine.  I have big plans for lifelong friendship and my besties all have names.  I guess that will have to wait as I can't wait to share my dressmaking skills!

Here's the fabric!

I had archived a couple of patterns for pillowcase dresses and found that the guidelines provided by Sew Delightful was perfect because it helped me size it for my almost 6 year old.  Then this week over at The CSI Project Sarah from This Crazy, Blessed Life shared her version of a similar dress that included an elastic waist.  This was exactly what I was looking for as I was concerned that making a pillowcase dress for an older girl might look a bit big and bulky.

I have no sewing education, no really experience but a desire to give it a try.  Straight lines are great so I decided to just go for it.  At best I would be out $5 in materials.  Much to my delight, the project turned out wonderful.  My daughter loves it and so do I.  I can't wait to go back to the fabric store.  I have my eye on this awesome madras plaid and want to make another dress for my daughter and even attempt to make a pair of matching shorts for my son (although I will try with a cheaper piece of fabric first).  I found a great pattern for a simple pair of flat front shorts from Made.

Wish me luck!

Easter Tradition: Orange Bow Rolls

Easter is Sunday and my sister is coming to celebrate with us!  It is going to be sooo much fun!  What is it about holidays that brings back memories from our childhoods?  Some of my favorite memories are the foods that I now associate with certain holidays.  For instance, cut up oranges and grapefruit reminds me of Christmas.  We would eat this simple fruit salad (sprinkled with sugar) served in these disposable plastic Christmas cups with a holly print on them -- my Mom would make us wash them after each breakfast and we litterally reused these SAME cups every year for YEARS!  (She was an environmentalist before being earth concious was cool for sure!)

Another fond holiday memory is Orange Bow Rolls on Easter.  These yummy, fruity rolls remind me of spring.  I especially love pulling out the handwritten family cookbook that my Mom gave me when I went off to college!  The cookbook has since been typed (on an old school typewriter no less) with many additional recipes added, but the original, with my Mom's own handwriting is a treasure for sure.  This recipe, from my Grandmother Haupert is a treasure too!  I love these rolls and just had to share.

I have only made these a few times by myself, as I have to admit, they kind of intimidated me.  However, this time it went really well so maybe I don't have anything to be afraid of afterall.  The scary part was always tying the knot.  So here is a simple picture tutorial. 

NOTE:  I cut my pieces a bit shorter than the recipe calls for and stretched them a bit as I tied them.  It made a slightly smaller roll but I kind of like them.

Cut strips

Fold over

Tuck end thru opening

Pull thru to form not

Lay gently on greased baking sheet

KITCHEN TIP 

EVERY kitchen needs a microplane - this handy, super sharp tool once only found in your tool box is awesome for zesting citrus in a jif!

 

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!

ORANGE BOW ROLLS
Combine:
1 1/4 cup scalded milk (Here is a great video for how to do this)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt

Cool mixture and add:
1 package yeast
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
4-5 cups flour
2 Tbsp orange zest

Mix to soft dough.  Cover.  Let rest 10 minutes.  Knead.  Let rise until doubled.  punch down.  Roll to approximately 1/2" thick.  cut into 1/2" x 10" strips.  Tie in knots and put on greased baking sheets.  let rise until doubled. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Orange Frosting Glaze
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup powdered sugar

Frost while still warm to form a glaze on the rolls.

Linked up with...The CSI Project

Map Inspired!

I love to travel - WE love to travel.  I have been so inspired by the many wonderful map projects I have seen recently and realized I had the perfect room to put this idea to work.  We have a small powder room on our first floor that I have struggled with an idea for some decor in this room.

BEFORE - When we bought the house

Please ignore the open cabinet and toilet lid being open!

Step 1 - Paint & New Mirror

When we moved in, this room was beige, just like the rest of the house.  We found a gallon of Martha Stewart paint in a soft, earthy blue on the Oops! cart at Home Depot.  It was perfect.  I also found an awesome mirror at one of the grocery stores for a meer $8.99 which was the perfect replacement for the builder grade frameless mirror.  As a bonus, the finish on it matches the light fixture in this small bathroom. 

We decided to remove the large towel bar since we really only needed a hand towel in this small powder room. This left a big, open wall. With lots of cabinetry and storage in this room (which is awesome by the way), there is also a large counter that seems somewhat bare. This bathroom sits under the steps so it has an odd shape to it as well.

I made some $2 apothecary jars using candlesticks and vases from the dollar store and thrift stores.  I filled those with some homemade decor balls using beans, twine and spray paint.  I found this great little tray at Goodwill and spray-painted it with an oil rubbed bronze finish.

Before                                               After

Found this globe at a thrift store.  The base and frame were kind of a cheap tin so I pulled it apart.  I then grabbed my trusty ORB spray paint and it turned out phenominal.

I headed to the web and found some great maps that I simply enlarged and printed out on my home computer and framed them up.  They are great and I love how they reflect in the mirror.  The colors were perfect with the blue walls.

Next time I am at the used book store (we have an AWESOME one here) I will trade for some travel books to set under the globe!

I love our new travel inspired powder room.

Mmmmm! Pizza {on the grill}

Blog Shout Out:  I want to thank my big sister Janet for introducing us to the wonderful world of making pizza on the grill.  To be honest - we will NEVER make homemade pizza in the house again!  The grill is truly the only way to go.

Pizza {on the grill}

Pizza on the grill is by far one of our favorite treats since it is so entirely versatile, can be different every time we make it and is fun to get the kids involved in cooking.  Making it on the grill is a year-round treat for us living in Arizona where the weather is so cooperative.  However, we really fire up the grill in the summer since the thought of turning on the oven is frightful.

{the dough}
Up to this point, I have always purchased the premade pizza dough from Trader Joes.  They have a great dough in their refrigerator section that comes in plain, wheat and herb.  I usually purchase a bunch and keep it in the freezer for those evenings when we decide pizza is in order. I love this dough and it is relatively inexpensive, however I am a frugal girl.  So, I did a bit of research and decided to give making my own a try.  It turned out great and I will be making up a bunch for the freezer from here forward.

{homemade pizza dough}

     Ingredients:
     1 3/4 cups warm water (or more if needed)
     2 Tbsp honey
     2 1/2 tsp yeast (one packet)
     3 Tbsp olive oil
     5 cups flour (or more as needed)
     2 tsp salt
     Optional seasonings - basil, italian seasoning, garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.
    
With the water in a measuring cup, stir in the honey, then add the yeast and stir until dissolved. Let sit for approximately 10 minutes to proof.  The mixture will begin to bubble and grow which tells you that the yeast is active.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a little extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle the inside of a clean bowl with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough has doubled in size.

Using a fist, deflate the dough in the center and knead again about 10-15 fold-overs.  Place back in the bowl to proof a second time.  Punch down the dough and cut it into 3-6 equal-sized pieces. (I like to make smaller pizzas so we can make a separate, more traditional flavor for the kids and a more fun, modern combonation for my husband and I).  If making pizza right away, form the dough pieces into balls and put each into an oiled bowl. Cover each bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic.

Refrigerate for up to 1 day or place in a plastic freezer bag, removing as much air as possible and freeze.  To thaw the dough, place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

{grilling pizza}
Now the fun part begins.  If using frozen or refrigerated dough, bring the dough to room temperature by setting on the counter for approximately 20 minutes.  Roll the dough out by pressing it out using your fingers and a rolling pin if desired.  We like to roll it to approximately 1/4" thick.  Place on the back of a baking sheet or pizza peel that has been lightly covered with corn meal to allow the dough to gently slide onto the grill.

Preheat your grill by turning on all of the burners and closing the lid.  You want the grill to be VERY hot.  Once hot, turn off half of the burners and place the rolled out dough on the side away from the flame. 

Close the lid and let grill for approximately 5 minutes.  The top of the dough should look dry but still raw when you remove it from the grill.  As long as your grill is super hot, the dough should not stick.  I generally use a large spatula and a pair of tongs to remove the pizza from the grill.  Gently slide the spatula underneath and pull the crust from the grill.  (I gave my husband a large metal pizza peel for Christmas that looks like an oversized spatual and it is awesome.  Highly recommend one of these if you eat pizza alot.  I got it from Amazon.)  Make sure that the lid to the grill is closed while you complete the next step so that the heat can build up inside the grill.

Flip the crust over onto your pizza peel or baking sheet and begin to place your toppings on the already cooked side.  You can use whatever toppings you would like (I will share some of our favorite combos below although the possibilities are limitless).  All meats should be pre-cooked for best results.  Carefully place the pizza back on the grill and close the lid.  The pizza should remain on the grill until the crust has finished baking and the toppings are warmed through and the cheese has melted.  This will vary based on the temperature of your grill.

{the toppings}
Oh, the toppings.  This is what makes me love, love, love homemade pizza so much.  We have tried some great pizzas.  It is fun to play with traditional ideas of pizza and then recreate some of the great flavors we have had or seen on restaurant menus.  So here are some of our favorites...

Traditional
• pepperoni and mushroom
• Hawaiian - ham and pineapple (especially good if you use fresh pineapple and grill the slices of pineapple before you chop them up to place on the pizza - really brings out the sweetness)
• vegetarian

Non-Traditional
• pesto, goat cheese, shrimp
• bbq chicken with bbq sauce instead of redsauce, chicken, onion and cheese
• cherry pie filling and mozzarella cheese
• cinnamon streussel and then drizzled with frosting
• thai chicken using a peanut sauce, chicken, cilantro and red onion

What do you like to put on your pizza?  I would love to hear your favorites!!!

Summer Eating Series

It is HOT here in Arizona and it is only April 2nd.  It is crazy.  As the heat is on, it makes me begin to think about transitioning to "summer eating".  I do not want to be slaving over a hot stove, or firing up the oven when the temp outside is over 100° and the AC is working overtime just to keep up.

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing my summer eating series.  This series will include a variety of recipes that are fun, delicious, quick and refreshing.

So what is summer eating?  When the heat kicks in, we tend to eat lighter and take advantage of the great fresh, seasonal produce.  These meals usually involve more made-in-advance ingredients that can be frozen and pulled out on a moments notice.  We tend to eat more cold meals like sandwiches and salads; meals made on the grill like meat, veggies and even pizza; meals that are made ahead and frozen like shredded pork, barbacoa and red sauce - essentially any meal that does not involve turning on the oven or slaving over a hot stove is a summer meal.

I will be sharing a few of our favorite recipes, go-to meals and freezer recipes that help our family navigate the crazy heat and hectic schedules of our Arizona summer.

Come back tomorrow for the first entry in this series...homemade pizza {on the grill} and homemade frozen pizza dough.