Strawberry Cake Balls!!!!!!!

• This time I made Strawberry Cake Balls for my husbands solo art opening. You can see his work here.
• Trust me they are delicious.
• Here are the steps to make them:

1. Make a strawberry cake according to the instructions on the box.
2. Let cool.
3. Break the cake in a medium sized bowl. I use a Mix and Chop from Pampered Chef to do this part.



4. Add 1 container of frosting. I used strawberry frosting, but you could use vanilla if you'd prefer.
5. I used a Medium Scoop from Pampered Chef to scoop the mix up to make 1/2 balls.

6. Put in the freezer for at least an hour.
7. Melt Almond Bark or Candy Melts in a double boiler slowly.

8. Get the cake mix out of the freezer, wash your hands, roll the 1/2 balls in the palm of your hand to as close to perfect balls as you can.
9. Dip them into the melted chocolate.
10. Place them on a sheet of waxed paper.
11. Let cool.
12. Trim off excess of chocolate with kitchen shears to put back into the double boiler.
13. Touch up uncovered spots with the melted chocolate.
14. Freeze or just put in a covered container.
**If you want them on a stick, you can buy sucker sticks at any craft store. Dip the tip of the stick in the candy melt. Place the stick into the cake ball and dip it. Lightly tap it on the side of the pan. I found it very helpful to have a fake flower Styrofoam block to stick the sticks into. This makes them set up so much easier.

Tips on Making Banana Bread

• Problem: Do you ever crave Banana Bread, but do not have any ripe banana's to make it? I do!

Solution: I have taken green banana's, peeled them and put them into the microwave until they are mushed. They are ready for Banana Bread, or Banana Muffin's after being nuked.

You also don't get the fruit flies flying around in your kitchen.

Problem: Do you ever crave chocolate chips with your banana bread, and have problems with them sticking to the pan? I have! The loaf usually comes out in pieces too!

Solution: Spray you pan(s) with flour spray. Put enough batter in to fill the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Put in the rest of the batter in the pan. Again sprinkle with chocolate chips.

I used to mix my chocolate chips in with the batter. Bad idea! If the chocolate chips are hitting the pan the bread gets stuck. I like my chocolate dispersed; that's why I sprinkle them on twice. ;)

Helping Mama in the Kitchen

I have the boys help me in the kitchen sometimes. They love dumping in the ingredients into the bowl!

The problems I have are:

1. The boys fighting over who is going to help me. Usually I make them take turns. This time Mica was happily watching TV.
2. Spilling the ingredients outside the mixing bowl. I've learned to guide them instead of let them have the power.
3. They want to eat what's in the bowl; I place raisins, walnuts, or chocolate chips on the counter.
4. The apron Isaak is wearing is sized more for a 4 year old, so I put an extra knot in the back. Don't you just love his skulls and cross bone underwear?

• I have to tell you; I don't care about those problems.
• I love help in the kitchen.
• It makes it much more fun when I have them in there. Except when I'm frosting cookies. I get a little anal about my decorating. ;)

A wilton Giveway!

• J. Leigh Design is giving away something GREAT for people that love to bake!
• One winner will win a spot for themselves and one guest to attend a Wilton Method Course (Decorating Basics, Gum Paste & Fondant, or Flowers & Cake Design) at a local retailer. 
• The winner and their guest will each receive a $50 gift card to cover the cost of the Wilton Method Course tuition, a student kit for the Wilton Method Course chosen, and a package containing many class supplies needed for the course. 

Fun Follow Friday

• Fun Follow Friday is a chance to get to see other blogs out there, and have other blogger's see your blog.
• All you have to do is go to these great sites: My Wee View and Simple Stacie to link up your blog on Fun Follow Friday.
• Join in on the fun!

Dove Chocolate Discoveries {Review & Giveaway} From Mommy Mandy

• Mommy Mandy is giving away to one reader both the Cinnamon Dusted Milk Chocolate Almonds and Chardonnay Wine Brittle from Dove Chocolate Discoveries.
• My mouth is watering just thinking about this giveaway!

Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer Express {Review & Giveaway} From Jolly Mom

• Jolly Mom is giving away to one of her readers a Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer Express.  
• I've always wanted a juicer. 
• Not only can you use it to make juice from fruit, there are also recipes that go along with the juicer that I'd like to try.

Disaster in the Kitchen

• Usually I do well in the kitchen. I try making cute things, and usually they turn out. 
• I was making Pudding Cups once again. This time for my birthday treats for work.
• They turned out really good the first time when I made them for Mother's Day, except I got comments to make them a little smaller. 
• I bought water balloons, hoping they would work. They are so thin that when you plop them into the melted almond bark they pop right away. I even tried cooling the melted almond bark a little before dumping them in. Chocolate was squirted all over the stove and me.

• The few that I did get to work, would not peel off the cooled chocolate.
• That evening my husband went to 3 stores trying to get regular small balloon's with no luck. They either had 12" balloons, or water balloons.  Bless his heart.
• Today I went to Factory Card Outlet and found some 5" balloons. They were a perfect size. On Mother's Day I used 9".  Everything went smooth with them!
• I took the cute treat into work, and got to show off my boy's as well.

This time I filled most of the pudding cups with chocolate pudding, but a few had vanilla.
The boy's got a vanilla filled one.

Fruit Pizza

• We had a potluck at work today.
• I was just going to bring fruit, but decided to go an extra step to make a fruit pizza.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree's.
  
• The crust is from my sugar cookie recipe. You can use any one batch of sugar cookie dough, or even buy a mix from the grocery store.
  
• I used a fork to make a hatching pattern on the crust before I baked it. Bake it until it is a slight brown. I found that it did take a little longer cooking it then when I make cookies. It's just thicker. For cookies it takes 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, for Fruit Pizza it took double that. Watch it carefully!
  
• Let it cool.
• Set out one 8 ounce package of cream cheese ahead of time, so it has a chance to soften. Add a 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 Tablespoon of vanilla. Use a fork to mash up the cream cheese, stir it all together and spread it on the crust. I found that a rubber baby food spoon works great to spread the cream cheese mix out.
• Next is the fun part...adding the fruit!
• I like to use 3 or more fruits, but this part is entirely up to you. I think Kiwi in particular is a pretty fruit on the inside, so I like to add that.
• You can paint on frozen juice concentrate. Any juice is fine. I skipped this. I find that adding this on top is fine if you know it's all going to be eaten. But...if there is left overs, the frozen juice concentrate starts to seep into the crust making it mushy.
  

Blog Award

• I won my very first blogging award!
• I'd like to thank Foodie Mommie for the award! I'm now following her blog and have her button on my side bar. I love how her blog is geared towards whole foods and making things from scratch! Thank you Elizabeth Porter from Foodie Mommie!

I'm supposed to tell my readers 7 things about myself...

1. I have 2 boys: Mica is almost 5 years old and Isaak is 2 years old. Mica is the outgoing one and Isaak's the shy one (at least around people he doesn't know).
   
2. I really didn't know what to do with boys. I was raised with all sister's and a dad that didn't get into sports. My mom has all sister's as well. I thought my first son was going to be a girl for sure. I do love my boy's. Building Thomas train tracks are fun and my youngest loves dolls, so we have something in common.
   
3. I have a family full of nurses and artists. 8 nurses in all (I think I counted right) ;) and 3 artists.
4. I like to decorate my baked things, more then the baking part.
5. I'm a college art instructor.
6. I'm a doll lover. I have 4 of the American Girl dolls, and they are the reason I got into reading when I was a kid. I love the illustrations in their books!
7. I love decorating rooms. From the painting down to the items that go in it. It's fun!

The next cool thing about winning this award, I get to pass it on to 15 bloggers whom I recently discovered and think are fantastic! (I picked blogs that most inspire me;)

1. The Jolly Kitchen
2. Nie and You
3. Color Outside the Lines
4. A Fanciful Twist
5. Thoughtful Day
6. Today's Creative Blog
7. Poppy Talk
8. Sweetopia
9. Bakerella
10. Mel's Sweet Treats
11. Annie Eats
12. 2Modern Design Talk
13. Happy Little Studio
14. Fifi Lapin
15. Le Chateau des fleurs by Frenchy
    

Tie Cakes

• I got an email from Matt, he has a blog named tiepedia.
• Recently he put together a post that included tie cakes.
• I included a few pictures of these cakes that are very fun!
• After looking at these go to Matt's blog to read more.
  

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Original Source Here

Hungry Jack?

• Jolly Mom is giving away a whole breakfast package from Hungry Jack.
• My favorite thing in the package is the pan with the faces!