Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

If you love pumpkin and cream cheese, you are going to adore these pretty pumpkin cake balls. These do take a little time and effort, but the result is well worth it!

Ingredients

Dump ingredients into a bowl and mix well on medium speed until blended.

 

Pour into a greased cake pan or baking dish and bake at 350 until lightly browned and edges pull away from the pan.

 

Once the cake is done, remove from oven and let cool completely. Spoon in half a can of frosting and mix well.

 

As in completely obliterate the cake while mixing in the frosting. When you are done with this, you’re ready to form the mix into balls.

 

Roll into balls (or scoop) about 1 inch in diameter (or make bigger ones if you want to dip less). If the balls seem a little smooshy, pop in the freezer for a few minutes.

 

Use a pretzel stick, dipped in almond bark, as a handle.

 

Dip away then decorate with edible glitter, sprinkles or food gel!

Pumpkin Cake Balls

 

1 vanilla cake mix

1 egg

1 small can of pumpkin

½ cup evaporated milk

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 can cream cheese frosting

1 package candy coating (Almond Bark)

Sprinkles or other decoration

Pretzel sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cake mix, egg, pumpkin, milk, sugar and spices until well blended. Pour into a greased 11 x 176 baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cake is lightly browned and a finger poked in the top bounces bake. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, break up entire cake then mix in 1/2 the can of frosting. You may have to get your hands into the project to get it thoroughly mixed and you most definitely will get hands-on- involvement when you form the balls. The size is totally dependent on how big you want to make them. I’d stick in the ballpark of between one to two inches diameter.

If the cake seems too moist, pop in the freezer for a few minutes and the balls will be easy to form. If you are more talented than I am with a melon baller you can use it or form them by hand. Once they are formed, melt the candy coating, a little at a time. Pop it in the microwave in 20-second intervals until it is melted. Do not reheat it as it gets gunky and icky very quickly. Use it up then melt the next round.

When  the candy coating is ready, dip in the ends of the pretzel sticks then stab them into the balls. Let them sit until the coating is nice and firm. This is very important. If you don’t do this, your sticks may fall out.

Once the balls are ready for dipping, use a spoon to swirl coating over the balls. Tap the edge of the stick lightly on the bowl to get off excess coating. Cover the ball in sprinkles, food glitter, whatever sounds good and looks tasty. Rest the balls on a wire rack sprayed with non-stick sprayt until the coating is good and firm.

Repeat until all balls are coated. You can put these in the freezer, wrap in individual cellophane bags or share them as soon as you are finished.

Read Full Post »

If, like me, you love to look at photos of gorgeous kitchens and bathrooms and dream about what could be at your own home, there’s an amazing new magazine you need to see.

Hearst Publications recently introduced  Kitchens & Baths, a new collection with the best of the best from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living, and Woman’s Day, that gives you all the information you need to make your dream room a reality. A variety of style options – from classic and country to contemporary and eclectic – are covered as well as ideas on everything from complete renovations to some easy touch-ups. Kitchens & Baths is a great resource to help you get the look you want.

 The magazine offers a plethora of ideas and inspiration as well as photos showcasing how real homeowners turned their formerly drab spaces into beautiful places with step-by-step makeover tips.

A product guide offers tips in the latest and greatest home appliances, cabinets, tiles and more.

 Bright pops of color bring a touch of whimsy to this kitchen.

Clean and simple lines make even the smallest bathrooms look airy and open.

My favorite photo in the magazine was this kitchen with the barnwood island. It looks exactly like something one of my Grass Valley characters would have in their kitchen. I absolutely love it!

From glorious kitchen makeovers to beautiful bathrooms that made me want to say “Calgon, take me away,” Kitchens & Baths is a wonderful escape, a fabulous planning tool, and fantastic resource for ideas.

Some articles include topics such as “how to make the most of every square inch in your kitchen” and “simple solutions for a clean, clutter-free vanity.”

The last page offers a timeline for what to do and when to do it if you are planning a project (be it remodel, construction, etc.)

If you love home ideas and beautiful photography of kitchen and baths, definitely check out this latest Hearst Publication.

Kitchens & Baths is available for $9.99 and can be purchased at your local supermarket, newsstand or bookstore. A digital edition is also available at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com. For even more photos and inspiration, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hearstspecials and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/hearstspecials.

Read Full Post »

Captain Cavedweller likes to make breakfast burritos.

They are not for the faint of heart.

Yesterday he whipped one up so I took a few quick photos of the process. Start to finish, takes less than five minutes and they are pretty tasty (but don’t tell him I said that!).

Ingredients

Slice pre-cooked sausage thinly and brown in a skillet.

While the sausage is browning, whisk eggs with milk.

Add in some spices. CC uses Mrs. Dash.

Pour eggs in with sausage and scramble.

Then scoop into a tortilla shell.

Sprinkle with olives and shredded cheese.

Wrap and devour! (Someone got in a hurry to eat their breakfast and wouldn’t let me take more photos, sorry!).

Breakfast Burrito

2 pre-cooked sausages

3 eggs

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup shredded cheese (CC used colby-jack)

1 tbsp. olives

salt, pepper to taste

seasoning to taste

Thinly slice sausage and warm in a skillet on medium heat. Whisk eggs with milk and seasoning then pour over sausage. Scramble until eggs are set. Scoop into a flour tortilla and top with olives and cheese. This will make three burritos (or two really big ones).

You can also add in sour cream, ranch dressing or salsa if you like. (CC doesn’t like, so his is the plain-jane model).

She Who Would Like One of These for Breakfast

Read Full Post »

My niece posted this photo on facebook yesterday. It shows not only her super-cool bed, but a bright colorful quilt.

A quilt my mother made for her birthday.

Nothing out of the ordinary there. A gift from a grandmother to a grandchild.

Except my mother is nearly blind.

Mom asked Amanda a year ago what fabric she’d like for a quilt and Amanda went to a fabric store where she lived and had them call the store where my Mom lives to make sure she got the right fabric. Then Mom set out on a year-long adventure of making this quilt.

It would be a daunting task for a lot of people, especially for one who is 80-years-young who can barely see. Mom had to give up driving about 20 years ago. She stopped being able to do a lot of handiwork about ten years ago and these days her vision is very limited.

But it didn’t stop her from tackling this quilt project. My other niece helped her cut out the quilt pieces, but Mom sewed them together, going more by feel than by sight. I happened to be there the day she pinned the top to the batting and bottom lining, reminded again of my inability to learn the art of quilting. Mom sat for months with a large hoop in her lap, quilting by hand the entire thing, one stitch at a time.

Is the quilt perfect? No. I think my dad was even recruited to help with it a bit to get it done in time for Amanda’s birthday.

But that’s okay. Amanda loves the quilt and knows, faults and all, that it was made by her grandma just for her.

A promise fulfilled.

Every stitch made with love.

And that is what really counts.

She Who Cherishes Her Own Quilts Made by Mom

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »