Cake Balls

I am so excited to try this recipe for Cake Balls from an article in the Dallas Morning Newspaper that my mom sent me last year. I'm thinking these are going to make awesome Christmas presents this year. The article can still be found online HERE.

Cake Balls

1 box of cake mix
Ingredients needed on cake mix: water, eggs, oil
1 can of prepared frosting
Almond Bark

Optional Items:
lollipop sticks
oil based candy dye
Decorative items like: chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc

First, make and bake the cake as directed on the box.

Once baked, I removed it from the pan immediately to start cooling. [Side note: And, wouldn't you know that the cake came out perfect, but if I had really needed the cake to come out perfectly for some time when I wasn't going to mutilate it, then you know it wouldn't have! okay, I'm done...back to cake balls...]



While the cake is still warm, crumble it up into a large bowl. You can use your fingers or an electric hand mixer. (The hand mixer is easier because you want the cake to be a fine texture, but be forewarned that the cake tends to jump out of the bowl!)



Then add 3/4 to 1 full can of frosting apparently depending on taste. What?! According to taste?! Just do the whole can and be done with it. Stirring well until thoroughly combined. Chill the mixture for a couple of hours or speed up this process by placing it in the freezer.



Using your hands or a small cookie scoop (think melon baller size), roll the mixture into balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Recommended ball size is 1 1/2 inches--smaller balls rather than large ones are easier to eat later. This makes about 30-35 cake balls.



Gotta get your kiddos into it!



Finished rolling...whew!


Side note: I had to rearrange all the cake balls into straighter lines BEFORE I could take a picture. LOL!

My Personal Notes about Rolling the Balls:
Use a cookie scoop. Mash it in there. Peel off the excess around the edges. Release the cake ball from the scoop into your hand. Admire the almost perfectly round cake ball. Place it on wax paper and be done.





Optional Step for Cake Pops:
After rolling all the balls, insert sticks into each ball. Then, resume with the following directions.

Back to Everyone:
Chill for several hours in the fridge. Or if you are in a hurry, then place in the freezer. I do not have room in my freezer AT ALL, so I used the fridge. *Note: I had them in the fridge for 6 hours before I felt like they were firm enough!

About 15 minutes before the balls are ready, melt almond bark in a container that is tall and narrow. I don't really have a container like that so I used a measuring cup.



When the almond bark is ready you can stir in 1 tablespoon of shortening until melted. The shortening makes the almond bark more smooth and easier to dip. If you used the freezer, then make sure the cake balls aren't frozen solid when you begin working with them.

Working in small batches, remove some cake balls from the fridge/freezer and dip in the melted almond bark. Use tongs, forks, toothpicks or candy forks to manage the balls and get them completely covered. Place each ball on waxed paper to harden. I had to twist, twirl, tap and beg them to get the excess chocolate off and make them *somewhat* smooth. I don't know how professionals do it, but I'd love to sneak in and watch them!



And, now you are finished! OR...you can decorate the outside of the cake balls with almond bark that has been dyed with oil based candy dye or roll the cake balls (before hardening) in coconut, chopped nuts, sprinkles, chopped candy bars etc. The ideas are endless...

Most recipes and blogs say to keep them at room temperature once completed and I tried that. But, I'm telling you, they are WAY better cold. (I think the concern is that the chocolate coating will crack in the fridge but mine didn't.) Plus, they really don't last that long...truly!

I did attempt to dye the white almond bark to see if that would cover up my chocolate cake better. So, I used red paste dye stuff:



But, I think I need to thin it out more because it was way more gloppy. See?



I also put a couple on some sticks I had and it was actually much easier to smooth the chocolate on the cake balls when they were on the stick. I guess because I didn't have to touch them at all with anything...just twirled and tapped. When I do these again at Christmas, I'll definitely be using the sticks.



And, here's my silly attempt at "decorating" them with sprinkles. LOL. You can laugh...I did. And, that's why there's only ONE of these. :)



Finished plate of them for my little family. They are SO good! My meat-eating husband couldn't stop praising them, but it was slightly hard to understand him with his mouth so full. However, I did hear him say that they are his new favorite dessert and maybe even better than steak. Nah, that can't be right, but he did LOVE them.



There's a fabulous website called Bakerella.com with MANY ideas for these cake balls including making them into cake pops HERE. They also have wonderful pictures of holiday themed cake balls that are so beyond my abilities right now, but I can still drool over them! One of my favorites is this Christmas themed reindeer cake pop HERE. I am just in awe of hers!

Ciao,
J

Our attempt at a viral video...

Just kidding on the viral part, but we did post an amusing video about couponing called "A Tale of $2.99" HERE. Feel free to take a look and add a comment if you like it.

There's also a blooper reel HERE if you are interested.

Thanks, TheThriftyMama for posting this on your awesome blog for us!

Fun times!

My Mama's Apple Crisp

This Fall recipe is beyond good AND so easy! I look forward to it all year long and I am so thankful that my sweet husband loves it as much as I do because I get to make it a LOT in these last few weeks before CHRISTmas season comes!

Mama's Apple Crisp

Filling:
7-8 large Granny Smith apples (or Jonathan's)
Cinnamon...lots!

Crust:
2 cups AP flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks of butter

Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices. Place them in a 9x13 pan and generously cover them with cinnamon; shaking or mixing them to cover thoroughly. Smooth out the apples in the pan so they are even.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour and butter. Use a pastry blender (or knife and fork) to blend the mixture until crumbly.

Pour the flour mixture over the top of the pan and cover the apples completely. Gently pat the crust down.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The crisp is done when it's golden brown but not too dark.



Wash your few dishes and enjoy the smell of warm apples throughout your house! Heavenly!

Cool as much as you can stand before inhaling enjoying! Also, excellent with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream!



And, here's a picture of my official taste-tester of "everything yummy"...



And, when he was tired of trying to pose for the perfect picture that didn't show my dirty dishes, the mounds of laundry waiting to be folded, the stacks of blocks my children still haven't put away and couldn't make the most wonderous, enraptured expression that would fully encompass the magnificent taste of THE apple crisp, he does this...



[Oh yes, ladies, he's taken!]

Ciao,
J

Fingers and Toes and Polish, Oh My!

My daughter (2 years old) wavers between wanting to do everything her older brother does including getting dirty, wrestling, football, obstacle courses and jumping off of everything to being a girlie girl by wearing pretty dresses, having her hair up in a ponytail with a cute bow, helping mommy cook in the kitchen, and playing with her babies.

Today, she wanted to be in true form of feminine awareness. I decided to paint my toenails (with free polish from CVS, of course!) during the football game. My daughter came in from playing football in the backyard with her brother and saw my toes. She immediately sat down and extended her feet saying, "Mommy, me too, please!"

My toes are dark blue (I'm pretending I'm young enough to pull that off, but notice I refrained from painting my fingernails blue too) and I knew that Daddy would not love the idea of his two year old with blue nails, so I remembered that I had a pale pink bottle of polish (also free from CVS) in the bathroom. After convincing Sarah that pink would be so much prettier on her than blue, I painted her itty bitty teeny tiny nails for the very first time. So fun!



So, here's our beautiful results...(ignore the fact that my skin tone is already winter death white even though it's only November 1st):



And, of course, she liked it and wanted her fingers painted too.



These days give me glimpses of fun bonding in the years ahead...

Ciao,
J

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

This is my family's favorite bread recipe (made into rolls). And, it freezes wonderfully--see directions at the end! (This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Beth, who has a slightly different variation on her blog HERE.)

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 T salt
2 packages of regular or quick acting dry yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
3-4 cups oat flour blend (or AP flour)
Butter/margarine, softened
Oats for sprinkling (optional for loaf)

Mix whole wheat flour, honey, molasses, vegetable oil, salt and yeast.



Add warm water and mix.



Add oat flour blend (or AP flour) 1 cup at a time and mix by hand or a heavy duty spoon until you can knead it on a floured surface. Continue adding flour as you knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Or you can skip the whole "by hand" and go straight to the electric mixer to mix and knead with dough hook attachments. You add flour slowly just like normal.)



NOTE ON USING AN ELECTRIC MIXER:
When the dough starts climbing up your regular beaters like this (for me it's right after the first cup of flour):



Then clean them off like this:



And replace them with the dough hook attachments like this:



and proceed as normal. :)



I generally wash the dishes I've dirtied thus far while my mixer is doing all the hard work. Or hug my kiddos or type on my blog or listen to Pandora (LOVE IT!) or...you get the idea. When your dough looks something like this:



then place in an oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a clean dish towel and rise in a warm, draft free place for 40-60 minutes until doubled. I LOVE rising my bread in a warm oven that is OFF--I warm it first to the lowest temperature and then turn it off before adding my dough. It works like a charm and then I don't have to find some mystical warm place in my house to rise the dough.

Now, you need to decide if you are making loaves or rolls...have you decided?

LOAVES:
Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Punch down dough and divide in half. Place one half in each pan. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with oats (optional). Let dough rise in a warm, draft free place again for 35-50 minutes or until doubled.

Move oven rack to lowest position. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-40 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans. Brush with butter to keep from getting a tough crust and cool on a wire rack. Eat.

ROLLS:
Spray cookie sheets or 9X13 pans with nonstick spray. (cookie sheets = little harder rolls; 9X13 pans = softer, tender, yummier rolls...can you tell which I prefer?)

Punch down dough. Roll into balls and place in pans (I do about 4 rows of three rolls = 12 rolls per pan in a 9X13 pan.) Keep rolling and placing onto greased pans. You want your rolls to be a little larger than a golf ball--but I don't ever take the time to make them THAT round.



Rise in a warm, draft free place for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown but not overcooked. Brush with butter. YUM!



Ummmm, something seems to have happened to one of them. I better keep an eye on that problem.

TO FREEZE ROLLS:
After the dough rises for the first time, roll into balls like I explained above. And, then INSTEAD of letting the dough rise again, place the rolls onto a cookie sheet and put in your freezer until hardened. Don't let it completely freeze, but hard enough that you can move them to a freezer bag and they will retain their shape.



Place them in a freezer bag (not touching each other) and seal. Freeze until you are ready for them. Remove from freezer, place in a greased pan, let them thaw on the counter (usually about an hour or so), then let them rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, and bake as instructed above. It's really mindless work at this point and you can frequently have fresh, homemade rolls any time you want! (And, you've only had to "make" them once!)



ENJOY!

Ciao,
J

"I once was lost but now am found..."

says My Blog. I've been looking for my blog for awhile now and I've finally found it! Hooray!

Or maybe I've just been too busy reading MANY other blogs to find the time to write in mine. OR maybe I've been too busy homeschooling...nah that can't be it. OH! Maybe it's because I've had nothing to say. Okay, stop laughing. Seriously, you can stop now. Really. Stop. :)

On a slightly serious note, I'm not entirely sure why I haven't written much lately...not motivated enough, I guess. But, that could describe my entire life right now. I haven't been motivated to do much lately--kind of in a funk, but that's not a good place to sit in, so I am working on getting out of it.

Our family has dealt with several colds/flu bugs the last couple of weeks and it's been beyond draining for me. I really like to sleep when I don't feel well and as many of you Mama's out there can testify as well, sleep is a non-existent entity sometimes. But, the "lack-of-sleep" excuse doesn't really clean the bathrooms, buy groceries, teach my son how to add or encourage my daughter to use a big girl voice without whining or screaming or throwing a fit or flopping herself in a pathetic pile on the floor refusing to get up or ... Anyone else have a two year old?

I love my kids. And, I really love my husband. He's amazing. Truly. And, that's what puts a smile on my face. Most days. :)

Balancing Act

I love teaching and I love my kiddos, so homeschooling is perfect for us. My son is loving school and wants to do it most days. I like it too, but I'm still working on getting into a routine with it. Some days/weeks are great...everything works according to plan and goes smoothly. Other weeks...look out! I suppose that's the benefit of homeschooling, but I am an orderly, list following, organized person that likes to be on schedule and on time. So, sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and go with the flow. Hmmm...still working on that one.

I am having trouble finding things to occupy my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She does do "school" type activities with us, but there are times that I need one-on-one with my son. I generally have her in the kitchen with us during school, so that I can keep an eye on her and so she feels included. She loves to pass things out like manipulatives for math or collect the colors and put them away. I have several tubs of manipulatives just for her like large stringing beads, linking cubes, lacing animals etc. And, I spend time with her when my son is working on individual work.

I suppose my problem would be solved if I did school during her nap time, but alas, I like the quietness of our home during naps/rest time. I'm not quite ready to give that up just yet, although the time is fast approaching that it will all end.

So, this whole rambling post is to ask fellow homeschooling parents what you do with younger, non-school aged children during school? I eagerly await your genius ideas that I will make my own! :)

Ciao,
J

Red dye #40

A couple of months ago, my sweet parents gave my son a Sunkist Orange soda and he was completely hyped up that night, which made for a miserable evening for the rest of us. My parents were then told to never under any circumstances give him that soda again. (It has caffeine in it apparently and we don't give our kiddos caffeine. Mommy can't live without it, but not for the kids.) Anyway, this past weekend, our son had a Cherry 7Up and had the same reaction. We were on our way home from East Texas and he didn't stop chattering or moving for the first two hours we were in the car. I knew that there had to be something in common with these two drinks, so my sister-in-law looked it up for me while I was talking to her on the phone today. She found that the most probable culprit is red dye #40. So, I swagged it (http://swagbucks.com/refer/GraceisSufficient) and I found a great site that detailed reactions people have with this dye and foods that it is found in etc. The link is: http://www.red40.com/

And, apparently TONS of food that we personally consume have this dye in it. From obvious things like fruit snacks, colored cereals like Trix, and these sodas to not so obvious things like pudding, Nacho Cheese Doritos and Hamburger Helper. Luckily, I have never seen a reaction in my son with any food items other than the two sodas mentioned above. However, there are so many symptoms that people have found like hyperactivity, inability to sit still or concentrate, crying, screaming, aggressive behavior etc. Perhaps he does have these symptoms but they aren't off the charts like when he has the sodas. I'm not sure--we are going to try some observatory testing on him at home to see what we notice etc.

So, my question to you is have you ever encountered this or experienced it? Do you have tips or advice? It's a little overwhelming looking at all the food that has red 40 in it! We will continue to pray for guidance on this matter, but I look forward to hearing from anyone who has information on this! Thanks!

Ciao,
J

The GGP $10 Mall Gift Card Giveaway!

The GGP $10 Mall Gift Card Giveaway!

Click this link above and get a $10 Mall Gift Card for participating malls. According to their officials rules, you do NOT need to purchase anything to get the $10 mall gc. :)

Note: click on the bottom right of the website for "CHANGE MALL" if the one showing isn't for you. Then, enter your zipcode and find participating malls in your area.

Thanks, TheThriftyMama for this deal!


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Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam

I love jam. And, Joey Tribbiani loves jam. So, if he ever comes over, then I will now have a supply ready. [Friends tv show reference]

I grew up with my grandma and mom making homemade jam--the kind you slave over a boiling hot stove for hours and have to make sure everything is sterilized. You know...the kind I don't want to make and thus never have made. But, then, I found this recipe for freezer jam that does NOT involve heat or slaving or even sterilization. I'm beyond giddy. :)

This recipe can be found on the pectin package or at www.freshpreserving.com

Ingredients:

1 pkg of Freezer Jam Pectin (I used Ball's)

1 1/2 cups of sugar or Splenda

4 cups of fruit--I used 2 1/2 pounds of strawberries and it measured to 4 cups crushed; however the directions say to use 4-1lb containers of strawberries.

Step 1: Crush the fruit. I used strawberries. Rinse them and cut off the stems. Put them in a bowl and mash them. You can use a potato masher, which after carefully searching my well organized drawers in the kitchen, I apparently do not have one. [My drawers are no longer organized.] So, I used my pastry blender but it was getting to be too much work. So, I pulled out my trusty food processor and just chopped them up in batches. Most people recommend that you do not puree them since jam is supposed to have chunks of fruit. However, I chopped them up small b/c my husband does not like chunky jam. :)



Step 2: Pour one package of pectin and the sugar into a bowl. Stir to mix.



Step 3: Add crushed fruit and stir for 3 minutes. Yes, three minutes. Set a timer...do not estimate. You can do it.



Step 4: Ladle into clean jars or freezable containers like Ziploc. Make sure that you leave at least a 1/2 inch of headspace in the containers. Put lids on the containers. I read some recommendations that you should not put them in huge containers because they will not set up well. Plus, you have to use the jam within 3 weeks of thawing, so use an appropriate size for your family's jam needs. :)



Step 5: Let sit for 3o minutes to thicken. Freeze for up to a year or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

This recipe yields about 5--8oz containers. [I did them in slightly larger containers because we eat a lot of jam and I didn't want a bunch of small containers in my freezer.]

That's it. It is super easy and based on the lick of my spoon--it's super tasty too. Plus, the price is not as bad as I would have thought compared to store bought jam. I already have lots of sugar from the sugar/koolaid coupon awhile back, got the berries at Sprouts for cheap, and the pectin was about $2 at Walmart. I used Ziploc containers that I bought with a coupon instead of canning jars--mostly because my Walmart only sells canning supplies at Christmas. Don't get me started. But, the Ziploc containers will be great and reuseable for anything.

So, now I need to make some more English Muffin Bread--I think I feel another post coming up soon! :)

Italian Herb Bread

Today's bread recipe is derived from a book entitled Breaking Bread with Father Dominic 2 by Father Dominic Garramone, OSB. [This book has amazing bread recipes in it including the Pizza Dough recipe I wrote about earlier.]

(Originally titled Italian Onion Herb Bread, however, much to the horror of my sister-in-law, Beth, I personally omit the onion step)

*This recipe make 2 loaves and also freezes well*

2 T vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion *optional*
1 cup milk
1-2 T dried Italian herb seasoning (use more or less to taste)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 T brown sugar
2 tsp salt
5 1/2 to 6 cups AP Flour

Optional Onion Step: Heat 1 T oil in skillet. Add onion. Cook until onion is translucent but not browned. Remove skillet from heat. Add remaining 1T oil, milk, and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Where I begin: Pour milk into a microwaveable measuring cup. Heat on high for roughly 45 seconds until warmed (roughly 110 degrees). Add 2 T oil and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix. Set aside.



Combine yeast, warm water and a pinch of the brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.



Combine milk mixture with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Stir in yeast mixture and the remaining brown sugar.

Add 2 cups of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add as much of the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, as needed to make a stiff dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.



Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth, shiny and slightly tacky. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. (You can use your mixing bowl once it's rinsed or just grab another one.)



Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until doubled. I like to let my dough rise in a warm oven (turned off after warming).



Punch down dough and knead in bowl for a minute. Form dough into 2 long loaves [if you are cooking both immediately] and place on greased baking sheets. Let rise 30-45 minutes or until nearly doubled.



If you only want to cook one loaf and save your other dough half for the next night, then double wrap the dough in plastic wrap, place in a container and refrigerate. The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, let it come to room temperature, shape into a loaf, and let it rise as stated above.



Preheat oven to 375 degrees (make sure you dough that is rising is NOT in there). Bake loaf for 15-20 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from baking pan and let cool on wire rack. Brush with butter if desired. Yum!



*Note: I place it on a wire rack after removing from the oven and brush with butter, so that the baking sheet I already used catches the butter drippings rather than my counter. And, yes, I learned that the messy hard way.