Easter Cupcakes!

This was a very time consuming dessert but it was well worth it! So prepare to set a day aside for these!

Ingredients
1 box of White cake mix (and needed ingredients)
2 cups Butter cream icing (approx)
50 Regular Tootsie rolls
1 bag of Flavored Tootsie rolls (Vanilla, Cherry)
1 pack of Starburst (Strawberry)
1 bag of SweetTart jelly beans
Green icing dye
Food coloring (I used 4 neon colors)
Black edible ink pen
Icing bag
Grass icing tip
Toothpick

Mix the cake mix according to the package directions. Pour the mixture evenly into 4 containers. Die each container a different color and mix until the color is consistent.

Spoon the first color evenly into 24 cupcake liners. Start with very small amounts until you know how far each color will take you. I would say about a tsp per cupcake per color. Continue will all colors.

Bake according to package directions. The results are awesome! You don't have to use all the colors, but I liked the added surprise :)

While the cupcakes are baking you can get the icing ready. You can either buy the icing already made or make your own. Either way, take about 2 cups of white icing and dye it green using icing dye. I use Wilton brand because Wilton is just awesome like that :) Once it is mixed well put all the icing in an icing bag with a grass tip and once the cupcakes are finished and cooled you can dab away until your cupcake is nice and green. Set them aside until later.

Now for all the prep work... rolling out the Tootsie rolls. I am giving you the instructions to make 12 bunny heads and 12 bunny butts. If you want all heads or all butts then you'll need to edit the instructions a bit.

For the Head:
You will need 24 balls using the entire Tootsie roll (chocolate ones). This will be the head. Set half of them aside for the butts. You only need 12 for the heads.

You will need to roll 24 cylinders using 1/3 of the Tootsie roll. These will be the ears. You can roll into balls but I find it easier to just flatten the cylinders into ears when it comes time to decorate.

You will need 48 cylinders using 1/4 of the Tootsie roll. These will be the front paws. Set half of them aside for the feet of the Butt version. You only need 24 to make the Heads.

Roll out a piece of Starburst for the pink in the ears (also used for feet on the the butt version). You will have to knead it a bit first to loosen it up. Afterwards just roll it out into a thin "worm." You want it to be a little thicker than a tooth pick and a little less than an inch long. You will need 24 of these.

Before you put this aside tear off tiny amounts to roll into 1mm balls. Once flattened these will be the nose. You will need 12. I switched half way through and made the noses out of the Cherry Tootsie rolls instead. They stood out a little more but I think I prefer the softer look of the Starburst better. Try them both out to see what you prefer.

Next take a Vanilla Tootsie roll and tear off enough to roll a ball 3mm in diameter. When you flatten these out later it will be used to define the nose portion of the face. You will need 12 of these.


For the Butts:
You should already have 12 large balls set aside from the heads. These will be the butts.

You should also already have 24 cylinders made using 1/4 the Tootsie roll that were set aside. These will be the feet.

Grab the Starburst that you rolled out earlier. We will be making some more. Make sure it is a little thicker than the width of a tooth pick. This time instead of cutting 1inch pieces we will be cutting half inch pieces. You will need 24 of these.

Finally, grab the Vanilla Tootsie rolls. Roll out 12 balls. Each should be about a centimeter in diameter. About the width of your pinky finger. These will be the tails.

After getting half way through making these I discovered it is a LOT easier if you refrigerate the large balls first. All 24 of them them. They tend to lose their form when you're adding the other parts to it. Refrigerating them keeps them harder longer. Only take them out 2 at a time if you use this technique. Otherwise they soften before you get to them.

For the Heads:

Lightly flatten out four 1inch pink "worms", and two small white balls.

Slightly wet the back of the flattened pink worms and stick them to the cylinder ears, flattening and shaping the cylinders into ears in the process. The bottom of the ears should be a little thinner and narrower than the top.

Shape 4 of the feet into long flat rectangles, allowing for one of the ends to be thicker and wider than the other. This will be the front end. Take a tooth pick and lightly press into the large end to make toe impressions. You should make 2 impressions, which will give the look of 3 toes.

Finally take out 2 refrigerated heads and attach one of the ears by pressing and carefully spreading the thinner portion of the ear to the back of the head. Repeat with the second ear. 

Next add the feet using the same technique.

Take the flattened white ball and place it on the face just above the feet and press lightly around the edges to make sure it won't come loose.

Grab one of the noses and press it on the white portion you just added. Now you're almost there!

Finally, grab the black edible ink pen and draw to black dots for eyes.

Repeat this until you have made 12 Bunny heads.

You're done with your first Tootsie roll bunny! Now add a dot if icing to the center of a cupcake and stick him in place and put him back in the fridge. I find if they sit out too long the ears get floppy if they were made too heavy. I kept mine refrigerated until I needed them.

For the Butts:

These are a lot easier than the heads. So these will go a lot quicker.

Lightly flatten out four of the half inch pink worms. 

Lightly wet the back side and stick it to one of the smaller cylinders, slightly flattening as you go. These feet shouldn't be as long as the others. So make these short. Make one end of the foot slightly wider than the other. This is the end with the toes. There is no need to add the toothpick indentions to these. Do this will all four worms.

Take out two of the refrigerated balls and place the feet on the top with the toes pointing down. Take one of the larger white balls you rolled out earlier and place at the heel of the feet. It's okay if it's not perfectly round anymore. I flatten the tip of my tails just a little on purpose. But it's a preference.

Finally, add a dot of green icing to the center of a cupcake and stick him on there. And you have now completed your first Bunny Butt! Congrats! Haha. Now keep going. You have plenty more to do!

Once all is finished take the jelly beans and place three different color beans on each cupcake for eggs. I use the SweetTart jelly beans because most of the others are either transparent or too large and makes the bunny look out of proportion. You can use what you like.

Monkey Bread

This is a fun and simple dessert. Some people use it for breakfast, either way works! This is what you need...

Ingredients:
4 8-count rolls of Pillsbury Biscuits
4 cups Sugar (more or less, depending)
3 sticks of Butter (more or less, depending)
Cinnamon
Cooking Spray
Bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by cutting each biscuit into quarters.

Melt one stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl. In a separate bowl add approx 2 cups of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Mix well. Grease a bundt pan well with cooking spray and set to the side. Starting coating each biscuit quarter in butter, then in the sugar mixture, melting more butter as needed.

Place in the Bundt pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and Bundt pan is full. Add more sugar and cinnamon as needed using 1 tablespoon of cinnamon per cup of sugar.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until dark brown.

Note: The last two times I made this according to these directions the biscuits didn't cook at the bottom and I ended up dumping them out onto a cooking sheet to finish baking. I didn't actually use a bundt pan but a similar pan and that may or may not have had something to do with it. Every recipe I find has the same baking temperature and time as this one, so the pan may be the problem. I will update this post once I figure out the error. Below is the pan you should use for this recipe.

Cake Pops

These are the most miraculous desserts around! At least I think so. They are so cute and very sweet. They are simple to make, just take a little time. If you try these get back to me and let me know how they turned out!

Ingredients:
1 Cake mix, cooked as directed, completely cooled
1 16oz can of Frosting
2 14oz bags of Wilton Candy Melts
Wax paper
Cookie Sheet
Lollipop sticks
2 Styrofoam blocks (2x18)
Sprinkles (optional)

Crumble the cake. Yes, crumble it. It works best if you take two pieces of cake and rub them together. If there are chunks left crumble them by hand. It needs to be a fine consistency. Once crumbled, add 3/4 the can of Frosting. Mix well. If you put too much icing it, it will be mush and won't stay on the stick. If you don't put enough then it won't hold the form of a ball. It takes practice but you will get it right. Roll the mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. It should make 48 balls. Refrigerate for hours or freeze for 15 minutes. You don't want them frozen because when it melts it will ruin the candy coating. You just want it cooled. I don't recommend using the freezer. Prepping for this part a day in advance is what I would suggest.

Once cooled, microwave the melts as directed on the package. Don't microwave too much or it will ruin the candy. Heat and stir in 30 second intervals until completely melted. I recommend using a tall, narrow, microwave safe bowl so that the balls can be covered completely when dipped. Dip sticks into candy coating and then 1/4 of the way into the cake ball. Refrigerate until hardened. About 15 minutes. Reheat candy coating. Carefully hold the stick and dunk the cake ball into the candy and remove. Rotate the stick and gently tap your WRIST, not the stick to assist the excess candy coating to drip off. If you hit the stick it may cause too much vibration and knock the ball off. I've had it happen :) Turning the stick helps to evenly distribute the coating so one end isn't thicker than the other and it retains the ball shape. Once satisfied, immediately sprinkle or decorate as desired and punch it in a Styrofoam block to dry. I recommend pre-punching the holes with a stick before starting. It's a lot easier.

Eyes and Ears Pasta for Halloween

 Note: I found this recipe online about a year ago. I have yet to try it. If you get to it before I do let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

To Make the Ears:
1 1/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 drops Red food coloring

To Make the Eyeballs:
1 1/2 pounds of Ground Chicken or more
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper (white if you have it but black will do)
1/8 teaspoon
garlic pitted medium green olives
pitted medium black olives

To make the Blood/Sauce:
1 small jar marinara sauce (or your favorite homemade recipe -- see Releated Recipes below)
red food coloring

Instructions

To Make the Eyeballs:
Dump the ground chicken in a mixing bowl, add the spices, and mix well. Make little balls of chicken about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on a cookie sheet. To make the iris of the eye, take a green olive and cut in half and remove the pimento if you bought that type. To make the pupil, cut a black olive into small pieces. Now insert the black olive piece into the half of green olive. Stick the green olive onto the ground chicken eyeball. When you cook the eyeballs, you do not want them to brown, so steam them. Steam the eyeballs just like you would steam vegetables. It should take about 20 minutes over medium heat.

Prepare the Ears:
Roll out the dough on a floured counter with a rolling pin. The dough should end up about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out round pieces of dough using a glass about 3 inches in diameter. Cut a small hole in the middle of the 3 inch piece of dough to form the ear canal. Roll up the edge of the round piece of dough and form into an ear shape. It helps to have a picture of an ear since you cannot look at your own. I put my ear on the copy machine and made a copy.
Put the finished ears on a dishtowel and let dry overnight if possible. If you do not have time, an hour or two will suffice.
Cook the ears in boiling water and 1 tablespoon of olive for about 2 minutes or until they float to the top of the water. Drain the ears in a colander.

To Make the Blood:
Simply take a small jar of spaghetti sauce and mix in some red food coloring.

Assemble the Dish:
In a slow cooker or serving dish, pour the "blood" into bottom. Arrange the cooked "eyes" and "ears" and you're done. This dish can be easily reheated in a microwave or keep it warm in a slow cooker set on warm for the length of your party.

Deliciously Simple Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 2 cups Spaghetti sauce
• 1lb of Pasta
• 1/2 cup Ricotta
• 4 tablespoons Sour cream

Boil the pasta in salted water until tender. Drain. Add the sauce, ricotta and sour cream. Stir until well blended.

Meat Balls

• 1lb ground Beef
• 5 slices of Bread 
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 teaspoon Basil
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
• 6 tablespoons Olive oil or more

Preheat olive oil in a sauce pan on medium-high heat. In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, egg, parmesan, basil, oregano, pepper and garlic salt. Soak each slice of bread in water and ring out. Tear into pieces and add to bowl. Mix ingredients well. Spoon mixture into hot frying pan using about 2 tablespoons of mixture per meat ball. Cook thoroughly. Mix with spaghetti or top spaghetti with meat balls, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

Yield: 6 Servings

I didn't put much effort into the picture. It tastes great though!

Stir Fried Chicken and Veggies

Tonight was an easy night. Delicious, and very simple. Here is what you'll need. Note: You can substitute your own seasonings if you don't have mine.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless Chicken breast halves
• 1/2 lb Pasta
• 16-oz bag of frozen Mixed Vegetables of your choice, thawed and drained
• 4 tablespoons of Olive oil
• Greek seasoning
• Lemon and Pepper seasoning salt
• 4 teaspoons Butter
• Salt
• Pepper

In a sauce pan heat oil on medium-high heat. Slice the chicken breasts in half and then cut into 2 inch strips. Season with lemon and pepper seasoning salt and add to oil once hot. Cook, tossing chicken periodically. Once it has cooked thoroughly add the mixed vegetables and cook until the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Add the greek seasoning and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are starting to brown.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain and place back on burner. Add the butter and stir until it's melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the chicken and vegetables with the pasta and serve.

Yield: 5-6 servings

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. Sift flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl. Dredge the blueberries in the sifted ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the milk, butter and egg. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let muffins sit for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. 

 

 

Carrots and Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Broccoli bunch, chopped into individual bunches
• 8-oz baby Carrots
• 3 Pork chops, chopped
• 4 tablespoons Olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 4 tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Milk
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 lb. Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 lb. Pasta, cooked

Place broccoli and carrots in a pot with enough salted water to cover. Boil until tender; about 30 minutes. Set aside. In a sauce pan on medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Season pork as desired and add to sauce pan until cooked thoroughly and browned. Place with vegetables. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Add cheese, stirring to melt. Blend thoroughly. Mix with pork, vegetables and pasta. Serves 4.

Potato Dumplings

Ingredients

• 6 large Potatos, boiled and mashed
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 3 eggs, beaten slightly
• 1/2 lb ground Beef

To cooled potatoes, add flour, salt, nutmeg and eggs. Roll ground beef into balls, 1/2 inch in diameter. Mold potato mixture around meatballs. Drop in boiling water. Cover tightly and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Do not lift lid. Serve with vegetable soup. Serves 6.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized Eggplants
• 1 cup Vegetable oil
• 2 6-oz cans Tomato paste
• 2 cups Water
• 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 3-oz can Mushrooms
• 1 lb Mozzarella cheese

Peel eggplant and slice into 1.2 inch slices. Fry in oil until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Cover bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch buttered pan with a layer of eggplant slices. Combine tomato paste and water, mixing well. Pour over eggplant. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Repeat laters, ending with mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Makes 10 servings.

Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 large White potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 small Onion, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup of Flour
• 1/2 cup of Bread Crumbs
• 2 cups Milk or more
• 4 to 5 tablespoons Butter or Margine

Grease a 2-quart casserole. Alternate layers of sliced potatoes and onion. Sprinle each later with salt, pepper and flour. Dot with butter. Repeat until casserole is full. Pour milk over, barely covering potatoes. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and dot with additional butter. Bake in a 375 degree over 45 to 60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serves 4.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken cutlets (cover chicken breast with plastic wrap and gently pound into cutlet to about 1/4 inch thick)
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup dry White wine
• 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh Lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons butter
• fresh Lemon slices
• Pasta

Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dust with flour.

Saute cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on one side. Flip cutlets over and saute the other side 1 to 2 minutes with pan covered. Transfer cutlets to warm plate.

Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slight brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes.

Add broth, lemon uice and caper. Return cutlet to pan and cook on each side 1 minute. Layer the plate with pasta and  place the chicken cutlets on top.

Finish with butter and lemon slice. Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets and pasta. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.


Pasta

• 1 1/2 cups Semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (optional)
• 2 Eggs or 3 Egg whites, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Water

Combine Semolina Flour and salt. Add beaten eggs (or egg whites), water and oil. Mix to make a stuff dough. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in a towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired. Bring large pot of water containing 1/2 tsp oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. When making lasagna, no need to boil noodles. Add directly to your recipe.

I have made this dish but never took a picture of it. Below is an image I found online. It's the same thing only they used store bought pasta.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 large head of Cabbage
• 1 cup of Rice, cooked and cooled
• 1lb ground Beef
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
• 1 can (10oz) Cream of tomato soup, undiluted, divided
• 1/2 cup Water

Cook cabbage in boiling water only until leaves fall off head. Reserve 14-16 large leaves for rolls and set remaining cabbage aside. Combine rice, beef, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of soup; mix well. Put 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture on each cabbage leaf. Fold insides, starting at an unfolded edge, and roll up leaf completely to enclose meat. Repeat with remaining meat and leaves. Line a Dutch oven  with leftover Cabbage. Combine remaining soup and water; pour over cabbage. Stack cabbage rolls on top of sauce. Cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer on low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until rolls are tender. Remove rolls and cabbage. If desired, sauce may be thickened buy boiling over high heat. Spoon sauce over rolls and cabbage and serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Oven Barbecued Ribs

Ingredients

• 4lbs Baby back ribs
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Cut the ribs in serving size portions. Place in large pan with enough salted water cover ribs. Cover with foil and simmer about 1 hour in over at 350 degrees.

• 1 1/2 cup Dark brown sugar
• 1 cup White Vingegar
• 1/2 Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Mustard

 Mix together and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Drain water off ribs and arrange ribs with meaty side up one later deep in large shallow roasting pans. Spoon sauce over ribs.

Bake in 350 degrees oven 25 minutes or until meat is tender or you can cook in slow over 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

When having a large picnic with another meat dish, I plan on 3 ribs per guest. If this is your only meat, plan on 5 ribs per person.

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1lb Ground beef, cooked and drained
• 30oz Ricotta cheese
• 2 Eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 cups (8oz) Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated divided
• 8oz (1/2) package Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Add ground beef to large skillet and combine with 4 cups of pasta sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, 1 1/2 mozzarella and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. In 9x13 inch baking dish spread 1 cup meat sauce. Place 1/3 of lasagna noodles over sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles and top with the 1/3 of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Pasta

• 1 1/2 cups Semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (optional)
• 2 Eggs or 3 Egg whites, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Water

Combine Semolina Flour and salt. Add beaten eggs (or egg whites), water and oil. Mix to make a stuff dough. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in a towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired. Bring large pot of water containing 1/2 tsp oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. When making lasagna, no need to boil noodles. Add directly to your recipe.

Sauce:

• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes before adding the meat to sauce.

You may use ready-made tomatoes sauce to save time, whatever sauce you prefer.