A cat cake....

Typically, when we celebrate during the Halloween season, we focus on All Saints Day and All Souls day. We will, of course, be still celebrating those two days this year and attending Mass on All Saints day for sure.

However - this year our two older girls, who are still at home, were attending a youth group activity that required them being a away all night. Noah was also considering attending this function but at the last minute decided to stay home. When Bethany learned of the upcoming absence of her three siblings she began planning a party - and since we were on the heels of Halloween she chose that as her theme.

She leaned towards the softer, more innocent side of the Halloween decorations and for weeks was drawing ghosts and bats while her little minions siblings colored them. On the day of the party, we were busy baking and putting last minute details on costumes and decorations with my contribution to the party being a cat cake, and I have included the directions for creating one here.

You begin by mixing your favourite cake recipe, scratch or boxed matters not. You simply need to make sure you have sufficient batter to fill two 8 or 9 inch round pans. (If using a boxed cake this requires two boxes.) Our favourite kind of cake is the white cake which requires egg whites rather than whole eggs.

I use the Wiltons Cake Release Product to grease my pans and as I rarely make round cakes I accidentally used too much so the picture below is of how much is TOO much, rather than the optimal amount. Why you ask? Well, the cake baked in this pan, crumbled like sand when I tried to move it from the cooling rack to the tray. As I have used this boxed cake multiple times and never experienced this before and the only difference was that I accidentally greased it too heavily - I think that was the culprit to my losing the whole cake!

Too much of the Wilton's Cake Release product: as it looked before I spread it evenly about the bottom and side of the pan. Next time I will apply about half this amount.

Once the cake is baked. allow it to cool. The cooler the better for cutting the required shapes. IN fact a slightly frozen cake is even better towork with and will produce less crumbs which can make icing much easier.

Using a sharp knife cut two rabbit ear shapes of both the top and bottom of one of the round cakes.

Then you cut one of these smaller shapes in half to create your cat ears.

Assemble your pieces as in this picture.

Ice the whole cake with your favourite icing. We love chocolate, but you can use (white) buttercream icing and colour it - or top it with coloured coconut.

I use a knife dipped in very hot, almost boiling water, to smooth the face of the cat. This is not necessary and is really a personal choice.

I bought large gum drops and cut two in half, using the upper half for the eyes (And ate the bottom halves!YUM!) Then I used a full one for the nose with small slices of black shoe string licorice for the whiskers and mouth. I toped the bow with fall coloured sprinkles and voila, one chocolate pussy cat ready to join the fun!

IGNORE
Read more!

Anna's chocolate chip cookies... with a twist

A long, long time ago - while hunting for a chocolate chip cookie recipe I came across a wonderful recipe on Allrecipes.com. They were absolutely delicious. Recently Bethany (10) has taken over making chocolate chip cookies but I was suspecting, as good as they were, she could not be using the Anna recipe. So I checked and my suspicions were confirmed. I know not where she got the recipe but it just was not "the one." So I suggested she try to find the other recipe, intending to help her. But before I could she had gone online, found it, and printed it. Not only that but like all the good bakers in our house, she had already decided to experiment with it. The last trip out with her father - she got him to buy a LARGE bag of M&M chocolate covered peanuts. ( About a 400 gm sized bag - I need to confirm this.) Was her plan to replace the chocolate chips with the peanuts or add them in addition to the chocolate chips? To find out just click on the

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cup butter ***
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 eggs
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
(And for a really yummy and unique change add one LARGE bag on M&M chocolate covered peanuts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. (And M&M peanuts at this time) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.

Depending on the size of cookies that one bakes you can have several dozen cookies and the cook time can vary from 8 to 15 minutes - again depending on size.
*** when I made this recipe last week, I accidentally left 1 of the 2 cups of butter out - and it made NO discernible difference. We only realized it when we discovered the two butter sticks I had put in the microwave to soften - still in the microwave and the cookies already half gone!)



Read more!

Strawberry Fiesta

Today is Baking Monday, but in this heat who wants to bake? (Our high was about 39 c or 102 f) However, I have discovered a most delicious, cold, smooth, and refreshing drink I have been making almost daily. Feast your eyes on the details of this delicious combo that I will admit I have ripped off from watching closely how a national franchise makes their yummy strawberry drinks.

Now this franchise uses a processed strawberry mix that has, who knows, how many calories. They add it to a cup full of ice until the cup is filled to the brim with both the ice and this liquid berry mix. I on the other hand do not use ice cubes - opting instead for individual frozen strawberries that I have purchased in bulk from my nearest and dearest Aldi.

So here is my version of a delicious Strawberry smoothie!

Choose a large cup or mug. I like to use my Got Monks travel mug.

Fill to the brim (loosely, not packed tight) with frozen strawberries

Then add milk (2 %, whole or half and half or variation there of, essentially to your liking. I often use half and half) until the cup is filled.

Pour the strawberry milk combo into your blender.

Add to this 1/2 cup low fat (huh and she is adding half and half?) organic vanilla yogurt.
(I use a soup ladle to scoop the yogurt out of the plastic container. This measure 1/2 a cup)

Most days I have added less than a 1/4 cup of raw cane sugar - not processed white sugar. (Originally I was measuring this as two small fistfuls but finally measured those fistfuls and now know for certain that it is less than a 1/4 of a cup.)

Today I made it sans sugar. It was good but not as tasty as with it - in my humble taste buds opinion.

Hit the grate ice button until the strawberries are well broken up and barely discernible. Then blends for a few more seconds. Pour into your cup - and you will have more than you can fill the cup with. Just as this national franchise always does!

Pick up your favorite magazine, current novel you are reading, sit back and enjoy. YUM! Read more!

Cranberry Muffins

We enjoyed these muffins last week. They were absolutely scrumptious! I have been dreaming about them all week. Anna discovered the recipe as she wanted cranberry muffins but was not crazy about the recipe we usually baked. The creme le creme is the streusel-toping. It just makes these to die for muffins! Now Anna made a slight change in the recipe as you should be able to tell by the title. We used cranberries instead of blue berries and, drum roll please... we used canned cranberry whole berry jelly.

Now, if only Anna was feeling like baking again despite the 27 degree (celcius) temperatures and the fact that I have only just turned on the AC in an effort to conserve money. I don't know about you - but my tummy is grumbling. A little later a picture of these muffins will be added. (Only five on the plate as I was barely able to snap a photo of them!) Behind the plate of muffins is a bouquet that was the joint efforts of Noah (13) and Bethany (10). It was created out of plants found growing around the yard.

Berries and Yogurt Muffins

• 1/2 cup plain, vanilla, or lemon yogurt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup fresh red raspberries or blueberries ( OR substitute this cup of fresh berries with 1 cup of whole cranberry sauce)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (We did not add nuts due to allergies)
  
• .
• Topping:
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• Dash cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons softened butter

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease and flour muffin cups or line with paper or foil liners.

In bowl combine yogurt, milk, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, melted butter, and egg. In separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Combine the mixtures, stirring only until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in berries. Spoon into muffin cups.

In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Top muffins with crumb topping.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.
Makes about 12 to 15 muffins.

_____________________________________________________________
Anna used our Texas muffin tins and had to bake the muffins longer. (We went the grease and flour route.) We find muffins of this size extremely filling and a great way to serve an easy breakfast., especially when planning an early morning departure. Of course, she doubled the recipe as well. Read more!

Advent Carnival

Advent Baking Carnival

Danielle has asked for some recipes for an advent baking carnival. This recipe is a great tradition for us and one that was started, like so many of our traditions have been, by the iniative of one my oldest children, in this case - my oldest daughter, Amanda.

We were living on Patterson Lake in Canada and she decided it would be fun to bake some cookies to leave for St. Nickolas, in honour of his feast day on the sixth of December. All children were banished from the kitchen, and when she was done a most festive picture was unveiled. Yet, I was dubious as she had decorated molasses cookies that have a hint of ginger to them with chocolate candies that in Canada are what we call Smarties, but resemble what here in the States are called M&Ms.

I was made to wait until the next morning when I was presented with one of the largest and most colourful cookies with a hot cup of coffee and I was immeadiatly addicted. I humbly apologized to my daughter for have doubted her culinary abilities, and then consumed another two or three.

Saint Nickolas day for us as well as Christmas morning, just isn't complete without these delicious cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 F

1/2 c White Sugar
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c shortening
1 egg

1/3 c HOT water

2 tsp baking Soda
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 - 2 cups M&M

Cream the first four ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the HOT water to these creamed ingredients. They will appear to have curdled but don't worry all is right!
Then mix all the dry ingredients in a seperate bowl. Slowly blend this flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
You may need to add more than 2 1/2 cups depending on the humidity. You want a soft dough that you can easily roll out on a floured board or counter.

Roll about 1/3 inch thick and then cut with you favourtie cookie cutters and decorate with the M&M's

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

ENJOY!!! Read more!

Tomorrow is Saint Nicholas Day...

...and normally I would have made these ahead of time. This year we will make them as a Saint Nicholas Day activity, together as a family. I hope to be able to post a picture of them tomorrow but it rather depends on my camera, which has not been co-operating of late. My oldest daughter Amanda, introduced the idea of mixing ginger and chocolate together to our family. I will always remember her words like it was yesterday: "I know it sounds weird Mummy, but trust me - they will be delicious. Really!"

And she was right - they were delicious and the start to a new tradition. I don't think we have missed a single year yet without these delicious cookies on St Nicholas' special day.

Marlene’s Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 f

Single

½ cup white sugar (If you double use only ¾ c white sugar)

½ cup molasses

½ cup shortening (butter etc)

1/3 cup HOT water

1 egg

2 level teaspoons baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

2 ½ cups white flour

Chocolate M&Ms (Emmmm – delish!)

Cream the sugar molasses and shortening together and then add the hot water stir until smooth and then add the egg(s).

Add salt, soda and ginger to the flour and then slowly mix the flour into the wet ingredients. When the dough is well mixed you can roll it out on a slightly floured surface and then begin to cut your cookies out.

Decorate the cookies with your M&Ms, bake at 350 until lightly browned, typically 20 minutes.

Store in a safe place until St Nicholas day and try not to sneak too many yourselves!

(I don't remember if you grease the cookie sheets or not... Will let you all know tomorrow!)

Read more!