Angel Food Cake

My husband's birthday was yesterday and he loves this angel food cake with cool whip and heath bar. My grandmother shared this recipe with me and I am so glad she did! It's so easy to make and so good! I decided to surprise him and make one. I've made this several times and would like to make the angel food cake from scratch, but yesterday wasn't the day! I was short on time and that is why there are not as many step-by-step pictures.

Here's what you need:

• Box angel food cake mix (or what you would need to make one from scratch)
• 16 ounces of cool whip
• 1 package of heath bar bits (found by the chocolate chips at Walmart or any candy topping you want!)

First, you make the angel food cake by following the instructions on the box. I have an angel food cake pan but you can also use two 9 inch loaf pans or 3 smaller loaf pans (not sure the size but it says it on the box). I have done it both ways and both ways the cakes turn out great! If you are using the angel food pan as soon as you remove the cake from the oven, you have to turn it upside down on a glass bottle, like so...

If you use the loaf pans, you have to immediately turn them on their sides on a heat safe surface. (sorry no picture)

You have to wait until the cake is completely cool before you do anything with it. While the cake is cooling I would get the cool whip out of the freezer and set it in the refrigerator to thaw. This will make the icing of the cake a lot faster!

Once the cake has cooled completely, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Then, tip the pan over and plop the cake on a plate (or whatever you will be using to store it). 

If you used the angel food cake pan: cut the cake so that it has three layers (cut twice)

If you used the loaf pans: cut the cake in half

Now it's time to put the candy of your choice in the thawed out cool whip. Save some to put on the top on the cake once it has been iced. Stir it up real good.

Ice the angel food cake just like you would any other cake.

Put some in-between the layers and then around the outside.

Finally, top off the cake with the bits of candy you set aside. Enjoy!

You will need to keep the cake in the refrigerator because of the cool whip. Otherwise, it will end up a runny mess.

Buckeyes

The tasty treat, not the team.

As you can tell, with two food posts in a row, I've been cooking during my absence. Cooking is my stress outlet. I am student teaching right now and although I love it - it can be very stressful!

Every Christmas my Aunt Toey and cousin Polly make buckeyes. This Christmas, due to our vacation, I missed our family Christmas and the buckeyes. I started craving them and decided to try to make them myself. It's not very difficult to make but takes some time.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl you need to mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. I used a natural peanut from Whole Foods - one where the oil sit on the top - and I found that it make this mixture very thin. I would recommend using a peanut butter that does not require you to stir.

Then, you will roll the dough into balls - whatever size you'd like - and place them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Place a toothpick into the top of each ball - this will be used for dipping - and then put the cookie sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes. I would recommend making sure your cookie sheet fits into your freezer BEFORE you put the peanut butter balls on there...just a word of advice from someone whose cookie sheet did not fit.

Before you take out your peanut butter balls you will want to melt your chocolate. I've always been told a double broiler works best but I think melting the chocolate in the microwave works just fine. Then, all you have to do is take the balls out of the freezer and dip them in the chocolate. Leave a little peanut butter showing at the top so it looks like a buckeye. Let them cool of course before eating and I suggest storing them in the fridge.

I used white chocolate because my husband isn't supposed to have caffeine - and well milk chocolate has some caffeine in it. They taste good either way!

Crock-pot Cake

Have you ever heard of making a cake in the crock-pot? Well, I hadn't until a teacher at school had her 4th grade make some. Ohhhh boy is it good and easy!

Here's what you will need:

• 1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 8 ounces of sour cream
• 12 ounces of chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
• 1 package of chocolate pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of water
• 3/4 cup of vegetable oil

The first thing you want to do is spray your crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray. Then, you combine all of your ingredients in a mixing bowl. I used my stand mixer and would suggest mixing all the ingredients expect the chocolate chips together first and add those last. 

Then, all you have to do it put the mix in your crock-pot

And cook on low for 4 hours with the lid on - don't take the lid off if you can help it.

Once finished, serve with ice cream and enjoy! It's a very rich and tasty cake! My husband had a large bowl...

...and literally 5 minutes later it looked like this:

And then he asked for another!

I think next time I make this I'm going to try making a vanilla or strawberry cake - I'll let you know how it turns out!

Pomegranate Lemonade

You know how I gave up Coke? I gave that up only to succumb to a new addiction (or two)...

My favorite new drinks are:

1. Peach tea (I strongly dislike the taste of plain tea - it taste like leaves)
2. Cranberry Grape Juice
3. And.....Pomegranate Lemonade!

There it is in all its' pom-lemony goodness. I use Countytime lemonade (yellow) and Pom Pomegranate-Blueberry Juice. I know, I know, that stuff is expensive but a little goes a long way. I probably used two tablespoons-ish to make this glass and this is what I would like to call perfection.

That's what I've been sipping on lately, but now a paint update....Our trim was brown and little did I know how many coats of white semi-gloss trim paint it would take. I think on Monday I had talked about doing all the trim in the whole house, and today I'm thinking I'll be lucky if I get the living room. Ugh...I guess my husband will be finishing his surprise!

Berry Tasty

I've been shopping at The Fresh Market lately and while waiting for my meat to be packaged, I wandered over to the pastry section...bad idea. There, right before my eyes was the most delectable looking dessert I've seen, a fruit tart. Oh man, I wish I would have taken a picture. The dessert looked delish, but the price was unappetizing and since we're on a budget I decided to make one myself.

The tart I saw on display had at least 5 different fruits but I chose two of my favorites for my version, along with some whip cream and a tray of sponge cakes.

Are you drooling yet? Here's my ingredient list:

6 large strawberries
20ish blueberries
2 sponge cakes
1 cup of whipped cream

First I took the cup of whipped cream and put half in each of the cakes. Next, I cut each strawberry into 4 pieces. The pieces don't have to be exactly the same size and you might not use all of them. Then, I arranged the pieces around the outside of the sponge cake, using the whipped cream as "glue". Lastly, I placed the blueberries in the center of the cake.

 Doesn't it look divine! I made this one first and I'm glad a got a picture of it when I did because in less than an minute is was devoured by my hungry husband!

I plan to make several smaller versions for an upcoming bridal shower. And I'll probably mix up the fruit as well. The possibilities are endless! Hope you enjoy eating making these as much as I did.