How to Smooth Out Frosting {Princess Barbie Cake}

For the cake itself I baked an entire cake mix in a 9" Pyrex bowl. It took close to an hour to bake. Then I made 3- 9" round cakes. All together it took about 2 1/2 cake mixes. Cut circles in the middle of all the cakes, stack layers with frosting in between, wrap Barbie in plastic wrap then drop her down into the center. Pretty easy and much cheaper than those princess cake pans you buy at a craft store

Smooth Frosting

Start by making your own butter cream frosting. Here's the recipe I used:

In a mixer combine - 

1 cup butter

1 pound powdered sugar (add just a little at a time)

1 teaspoon vanilla

a couple teaspoons water (or milk) until you  reach the desired consistency

I needed about 4X the recipe for this cake.

 Smooth frosting out the best you can. I used upward strokes with a spatula.

Now refrigerate until it's crusted over. About 10-15 minutes.

Place a paper towel onto the frosting and smooth your hands over it. You can feel the lumps and gently apply just a little extra pressure to those areas. Gently peel off the paper towel. It shouldn't stick too much. If it does, you either pressed too hard or didn't refrigerate it enough.

Refrigerate it again then apply your piped designs.

A perfect princess cake for your princess!

Chocolate Cake Cookie

Last week I had an unexplainable craving for cake mix cookies. They are gloriously easy, cheap, and quick to make. I simply followed the directions on the back of the cake mix box except I omitted the water. We also added 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips. Then I dropped the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and baked at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Easy to make with kids. 

Easy to eat. 

Easy to remember next time you have a craving!

Gluten-Free Crepe Recipe

I love crepes, I love honey and I love fresh fruit. So this little breakfast is one of my favorites. We have family and friends with Celiac so I've adapted an easy crepe recipe to accommodate a gluten-free diet

1 1/4 cup rice flour
3 eggs
2 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cup milk (or however much it takes to make a thin batter. I usually eyeball it.)
Optional: 3 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla (for dessert crepes)

Mix all ingredients together. You can put them in the blender so there are absolutely no lumps if you want.
Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter in the bottom of a preheated non-stick skillet and swirl it around until you have a thin layer. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides.
Top it with butter, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit, Nutella or anything else your heart desires!

Spring and Smoothies

I'm so excited that spring is here! Summer follows spring and I'm one of those crazy people who love the heat. So really this time of year is just a stepping stone to a few of my favorite months.
Now that we are no longer freezing, I don't feel like a complete weirdo making smoothies. That and my daughter won't be shivering when I offer her one. Smoothies are among my favorite food items so I thought I'd share a couple of my recipes. I'm no where close to being a talented chef, but who needs skill to whirl some fruit up in a blender?

This one is a Cherry Vanilla smoothie.
I used:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup Apple Cherry frozen juice concentrate
1-12oz bag frozen cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Makes 2-3 servings.

I poured some into a cup for my three year old then I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the rest for myself.

My all time favorite is Mango and Orange. It's really refreshing and is full of vitamin C.

1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1 cup water
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup frozen mango
This makes 2 servings.

I hope you whip up a little fruity goodness for yourself as well during this glorious season! Enjoy!