Cake Recipe/Idea

Confounded Crafter: Goings On of Late

Just wanted to post this idea for a cake that I NEED to make!!

Here are some others, same idea...






Basically, it's a white cake (use a mix if you'd like), use food coloring, do whatever colors you want. Layer and frost and you're done! Looks so pretty!

Slacking....

Sorry I slacked a bit this weekend. Hubby was on call for work, so he's been all over the state of Maine and I've just been relaxing....I really have no excuse!!

So, I skipped the What I wanna Try Fridays and the Snack Time Saturdays. Sorry about that! Today I will combine both posts, but I'm going to do them out of order. Sound fair?

Snack Time Saturday

This week I made the best snack ever! And, I do believe it was the easiest to date!

Microwave Chocolate Cake
(with Strawberries and Cool Whip)

1 box chocolate cake mix
Oil, water and eggs as directed on box
Chocolate Chips
Cool Whip
Fresh Strawberries
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix batter for chocolate as directed on box (or make one from scratch, but what makes this easy is using the box mix). Now, using a Vent and Serve Container from Tupperware or the Heat and Serve Container, add either all of your mix or part of your mix, depending on the size of your container. Add chocolate chips to batter top, but don't stir in. Place cover on and cook in microwave 5 minutes, then 1 minute longer until cake pulls away from sides of dish. (I divided my batter so I made 2 cakes, each one took 6 minutes.)

While cake is cooking, slice strawberries and add sugar. Stir and let sit to create juices. Once cake is done, invert onto a dish and let cool. Add cool whip and strawberries before serving. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired.


Hubby's Rating: Love it!

My Take: This is so simple and tasty there really isn't any complaint I can think of!! I wish I had a bigger Heat and Serve dish. I got mine as a hostess gift for holding a party. I am trying to work with my Tupperware Consultant to see if she can get me a bigger one!! As you can see from the post below, I really love this use for it!


What I Wanna Try Fridays

Microwave Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 yellow cake mix, mixed as directed
1 small can pineapple rings
1 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
Maraschino cherries

Melt butter in bottom of Tupperware dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place the pineapple rings around bottom of the pan and place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. Pour in prepared cake mix and microwave 7 minutes on high. Reduce heat to medium power and microwave an additional 7 minutes. Take out of the microwave and let set about 5 -15 minutes. Invert onto plate, eat and enjoy!

Of Course, divide the recipe if you don't have the large container (and then go and bug your Tupperware consultant to see if she/he will let you buy a bigger one!).

Italian Themed Dinner Night Version 2

Here's the second part of my italian themed dinner party. In the last installment, I covered our dessert and one of our drinks. You can find that entry here.

Tonight, I'll tell you about the appetizers.

Fried Ravioli and Stuffed Mushrooms

Fried Ravioli
1 pound frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 Cups italian bread crumbs
vegetable oil

Whisk eggs with milk. Dip raviolis in egg wash, then into bread crumbs. Heat 2 inches of oil in a dutch oven at 300 degrees. Place ravioli in oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve with marinara sauce.

(Recipe adapted from Culinary cafe)

Hubby's Rating:
Love it! Everyone loved these.

My Take:
I made about 1/4-1/2 pound for everyone, but we could have eaten more! So if you have a large crowd, plan on at least the full recipe or double it! It took a really long time to thaw out the ravioli and I didn't plan on that. So make sure you give yourself adequate time.


Stuffed Mushrooms
4-6 strips of bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 tsp spicy mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
15-18 large mushrooms, stems removed and saved

Brown bacon in a skillet, drain on a paper towel. Mix all ingredients except mushrooms. Add mushroom stems to the mix if desired. Stuff mushrooms. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

(recipe adapted from startcooking.com)

Hubby's Rating:
Like it. He doesn't care for mushrooms, but he liked these. Everyone liked them, but not as much as the fried ravioli.

My Take:
These were really easy to make. I have been looking for a stuffed mushroom recipe that did not contain shellfish for a while and this fit the bill! The original recipe called for a full POUND of bacon...I didn't feel the need to use all of that and it wasn't needed! No one missed all that bacon!

Italian Themed Dinner Night

Tonight we had over friends and I did the Italian themed dinner night that I had been planning. It went off without a hitch and was fabulous! I am so pleased with the results...the food was great and the company was awesome!

Here is the menu:
Appetizers
Stuffed Mushrooms
Fried Raviolis
1st Course
Tossed Salad
Main Course
Spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread

Dessert
Chocolate Trifle
Drinks
Strawberry Lemonade
Sweet Tea

I will spread the different recipes out over this week so as to not overwhelm my readers with recipes!

I'm going to go backwards and start with dessert and strawberry lemonade!

Chocolate Trifle
1 package brownie mix
1 large package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup heavy cream
1 large container of cool-whip
toffee chips, chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, etc. for garnish (optional)

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, cool completely. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Whip heavy cream until peaks form. Fold cream into pudding. Start layering the trifle by putting crumbled brownies on bottom of dish, top with pudding mixture, then cool-whip. Repeat layers 2-4 times, depending on how big your trifle dish is. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Top with toffee chips (or another garnish) before serving.

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Hubby's Rating:
Love it! I'm making this again for a birthday party next week. I hope to get some good feedback!

My Take:
Really easy, but looks complicated. Tastes delicious! Everyone loved it, which makes me happy!


Strawberry Lemonade
1-12 ounce package of frozen strawberries, no sugar added, thawed
1-12 ounce package frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 Cup vanilla simple syrup (recipe follows)
2 liters seltzer water
ice

Vanilla Simple Syrup
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 Cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, over medium heat combine the sugar, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, combine the berries, lemonade concentrate and syrup. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before serving, add seltzer water and ice. Garnish with a fresh strawberry or lime wedge if desired.

(Recipe Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Hubby's Rating:
Like it. My man drinks coke exclusively. I can hardly get him to drink water, let alone lemonade or iced tea. Once in a blue moon he'll drink gatorade. So getting him to drink a pink girly drink and admitting that he likes it is a big feat! I think he even had seconds!

My Take:
This was gone real fast, which is a great sign! The original recipe called for only 3 cups of water, but it was too sweet. My friend helped prepare it and she ended up adding all 2 liters of seltzer water--I think it was perfect that way! I am going to try this again but with raspberries!

What I Wanna Try Fridays & Saturday Snack Time (combined post)

I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so one post was all I could muster. Today I'm combining the What I wanna Try Fridays and Saturday Snack Time.

First, Friday....

I want to try to make Sweet Tea and I have wanted to for a long time. The thing is, I'm not from the south, so it's kind of daunting to me. But, I finally found a simple recipe that I am going to attempt today. Tonight is the Italian themed dinner night, so I'll have reviews from others (seeing as my husband doesn't care for iced tea).

Smooth Sweet Tea
1 pinch baking soda
2 cups boiling water
6 tea bags
3/4 cup white sugar
6 cups cool water

Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a heat-proof pitcher. Pour in boiling water and add tea bags. Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold. Add ice if desired!

Recipe Adapted from: allrecipes.com


Now, Saturday....

Garlic Butter
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a small bowl (I used my Tupperware Quick Chef), combine softened butter, minced garlic and parmesan cheese, mix well. Season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a bowl to refrigerate until ready to use. Use on bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
Note: I followed the directions form the allrecipes version and it was too salty. I had to add about 1 1/2 tsp of sugar to help cut down on the salt taste. Next time, I will follow the above recipe to a T.

Hubby's Rating:
BEFORE adding the sugar: Not for me.
AFTER adding the sugar: Love it.

My Take:
Simple and sooo good! I LOOOVEEE garlic and this has the right amount! Can't wait to try it on some garlic bread this evening!

Korean BBQ Marinade

I made the marinade for this Wednesday, then let it sit in the fridge overnight by itself. Thursday mid afternoon I poured about 3/4 Cup over 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (in my Season and Serve container from Tupperware), flipped the container a few times, then placed back in the fridge until it was time to cook! I served the finished chicken over a bed of noodles.

I tried my hand at searing once again. This time, after reading this article. Then, I baked the chicken breast for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F (using convection--350 for 30 minutes using conventional).

Here's the recipe!

Korean BBQ Marinade

1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Cup water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp chopped scallions
1 Tbsp lemon juice

In a medium saucepan over high heat, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove mixture from heat, let cool. Whisk in lemon juice. Use as a marinade for chicken or as a sauce for stir fry, etc.

This recipe made enough for us to have it probably 2-3 times. I do not know how long it will keep in the fridge, but I suspect quite a while. I want to try it in a chicken stir fry next!

Hubby's Rating:
LOVE it! I was surprised by his rating. He's a really simple guy and isn't into the gourmet or ethnic foods. He could literally eat pizza every day of the week and he'd be happy. Not sure if he loved it because it was 10 o'clock at night and he hadn't eaten most of the day, or because he really did love it!

My Take: It was soooo good! The outside of the chicken was a bit crisp, but the instead was moist and wonderful. I can't wait to try it as a sauce for stir fry. I have been looking for a good stir fry sauce FOREVER!!

Pancakes and Blueberry Sauce

We had breakfast for dinner tonight, which is one of my favorite meals to cook. Tonight it was pancakes, hash browns and breakfast sausage. I also made blueberry sauce to go on the pancakes. If you've ever been to Maine, you know we use blueberries in a lot of different dishes, I think blueberry pancakes are a universal thing. I just wanted to put a twist on it. I know I'm not the first one that has made a blueberry sauce or syrup, but I still want to share it with you.
Also, you should know...this was my first time making pancakes by scratch--and they came out pretty darn good! The batter seemed a bit thick, but it worked!

Easy Pancakes
1 Cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 Cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp melted butter

Mix together all dry ingredients and make a well in the middle for the liquids. Mix the beaten egg with the rest of the liquids, pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Heat a griddle or a frying pan on medium high heat. Use a ladle to pour batter into pan (use about 1/4-1/2 Cup batter for each pancake). Flip once and allow to brown on both sides.

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Blueberry Sauce
2 1/2 Cups frozen wild blueberries (I use Wyman's brand)
1/2 Cup white sugar2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with cool water (optional)

Heat blueberries, sugar and water in a saucepan, stir often to prevent burning. Heat to boiling, let boil 2 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes to thicken slightly. If you'd like your sauce thicker, bring back to boiling and add cornstarch and water (as directed on the package). Let cool 15 minutes, then transfer to storage container. Serve over hot pancakes for a true Maine breakfast!

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Hubby's Rating:
Pancakes--Love it! I think we'll put these into our rotation for our weekend breakfasts. My husband is a French Toast man, so if he loves pancakes, they're good pancakes!
Blueberry Sauce--Like it. He isn't a huge blueberry fan, so he had his pancakes with Maine made maple syrup, but he tried the blueberry sauce from my stack.

My Take: I will definitely be making both again! I am surprised by how easy the pancakes were to make! I know they're super easy to cook, but like I said, I had never tried a recipe from scratch for them. I had everything on hand in the pantry, which makes the recipe even more appealing! The blueberry sauce was awesome! Now I am just trying to figure out what else I can use the recipe on! I have about 1 and 3/4 Cup left of the sauce....any ideas?