Cake Blog

No more heating up the house with the hot oven during summer time to obtain tasty sweet potatoes.  Microwave sweet potatoes are okay, but you do not get the sweet candy taste that can be obtained by baking in a regular oven or a crock pot.

A smal lcrock pot works great for 1 or 2 large potatoes or 3 or more smaller ones.

Before leaving for work in the morning, just place the raw , unpeeled, sweet potatoes into the crock pot and cover with a lid. Turn the crock pot on to low heat and allow to cook until you return home in the evening.

Need your sweet potatoes quicker? Just turn the crock pot temperatur to high! Yoru potatoes should be cooked in about 2 to 3 hhours.

You can wrap the uncooked potatoes in foil before placing into the crock pot.  This makes clean up a breeze.

Cook and enjoy the delicious and healthy benefits of sweet potatoes!

I purchased a box of the plastic eggs you boil perfect eggs . Not so!


First you wash and dry the plastic egg containers.  Second you rub,not spray, cooking oil on the inside of the containers. Crack you raw eggs shells and place the york and white of the eggs into the oils container.   After securing the screw on tops, you place the raw egg filled containers into a boiler of cool water, bring to a boil, and boil up to 20 minutes depending on the size of the eggs. 

While boiling, some of the egg white leaked out into the water. Once the eggs have reached the hard boil stage, removed the containers and cool slightly with cold water.  Open the plastic container and remove the eggs.


Surprise!  We ended up with eggs that are flat on one side!!  We can use these as egg salad or in potato salad. 



Now I see why these Eggies were being sold at the Dollar Tree Store.  So glad I did not purchase these when they were advertised on TV at a much higher price than $1 a box!!!

IT IS SO MUCH EASIER to place eggs in their own shells into cool water, bring water to boiling point, place a lid on, remove from heat, and let set 15-20 minutes until cooked.

``Preparing for my Son's, Scott, and a friend's, JenJen, birthday party dinner at my house tomorrow.  Trying USC McCutchen's House  recipe for Tomato Pie.  It is my favorite at this restaurant.  All the flavors in this dish is heaven to your taste buds!  Sweet, tangy, sour, salty! Not to mention all the delightful feelings your mouth experiences with crunchy, chewy, creamy ~~~UUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!

I could not find any sweet pastry shells as the recipe suggests.  I ended up buying pie dough in the dairy section.  I unrolled the pie pastry onto wax paper that had been sprinkled with granulated sugar and sprinkled sugar on top of the dough..  I used a glass as a make shift rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough. I cut circles out using the open end of the large glass (like a cookie cutter).  The circles were then pressed into cupcake tins and baked as per instructions on the package.  Tomorrow I will fill with the other ingredients and re-bake.

I am,also, creating milk free tomato pie for a friend.  Tomorrow I will substitute veggie cheese for the regular cheees. The veggie chedder and jack cheese flavor is very tasty!  I will crumbled up Tofu with salt, pepper, garlic powder, salt, and a little liquid from the Tofu pack to use in place of the sour cream.  WE WILL FIND OUT TOMORROW HOW THIS TASTES~

1 pound confectionery powder sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dry cocoa
1 1/2 sticks solid Blue Bonnet Margarine (allow to soften at room temperature)
3/4  teaspoon clear Wilton Vanilla
3/4  teaspoon clear Happy Home Vanilla
3/4  teaspoons clear McCormick Vanilla

Beat soften margarine and vanilla. Stir in dry cocoa and powder sugar. Beat on high for several minutes. Scrap sides and bottom of the bowl often.  If icing is too thick, add a teaspoon of cool water at a time to obtain the consistency who prefer.  Beat until smooth. 

My easy recipe for chocolate cake. The combination of the two chocolate flavors plus the specific ingredients completely changes the taste of a box mix cake. A homemade taste from a box mix!!    I will post the icing recipe tomorrow.


DOUBLE RECIPE:
1 box Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box Betty Crocker Devils Food or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
2 sticks solid Blue Bonnet Margarine
2 cups cold or cool water
6 large eggs
2 large egg whites

SINGLE RECIPE:
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons Betty Crocker Devils Food or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 stick solid Blue Bonnet Margarine
1 cup cold or cool water
 3 large eggs
 1 large egg whites


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the solid margarine into a microwavable container. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add the cold water.  Allow mixture to set until cool to the touch or at least lukewarm temperature. You can place the mixture into the freezer to 30 seconds or more to cool quicker.  DO NOT USE HOT WATER AND MARGARINE as this can create problems with your cake.

Add the 2 different flavors of Betty Crocker Cake mixes into a large bowl.

Add the cooled melted margarine and water to the cake mixes.

Stir the ingredients to blend the all the dry cake mix with the liquid.

Beat on high with an electrical mixer for 2 minutes scrapping sides and bottom of bowl.

Add the eggs to the mixture.

Beat on high an additional 2 minutes scrapping sides and bottom of bowl.

Pour mixture into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees according to the time on the cake mix boxes.

A couple of ways to check the cake for completion of baking is to insert a toothpick or sharp knife into the center of the cake and remove. If no wet cake batter is on the toothpick or knife, the cake is done. Another way it to gently press the top of the cake with your fingers. If the cake springs back, it is ready to remove from the oven. 

If you are looking for a particular wedding dress style, The search box below will provide you will vintage patterns.  You can search by year or name of style such as 1920 vintage wedding dress pattern.  Look for the search block in this blog's right column.

Have fun with different wedding outfits for this couple! Look for the game in the far right column of this blog.

Your wedding cake is a reflection of you and your life.  Selecting the perfect wedding cake takes time.   You need to decide on your the style of the cake design and colors. If you plan to have flowers on your cake, please provide the cake designer with the type of flowers and a sample of the color.  Your sample can be a ribbon, napkin, or picture.   A lot of bakeries book wedding cakes a year or more in advance, so do not wait too late.