Nicole Goodman Shared her magic with cake pops

How to make cake pops

· Bake cake and let cool completely

· Crumble cake into fine crumbs

· Slowly mix in frosting until crumbs stick together

o Be sure to not add too much frosting

· Roll mixture into small cake balls (balls should be about 1.25 inches in diameter)

o Do not roll cake balls too tight

o Do not make cake balls too large

· Place cake balls in refrigerator for 2-3 hours

o Cover to prevent them from drying out

o You can place cake balls into freezer for about 20 minutes, do not freeze

o Cake balls should be firm before moving on to next step

· Slowly melt chocolate/candy melts (coating) in microwave or double broiler

o Use a deep bowl

o Be sure to not overheat, keep below 100 degrees

o Keep any water or water-based products out of coating

· Remove cake balls from refrigerator

· Dip ½ inch of lollipop stick into coating

· Insert dipped end of stick halfway into cake ball

· Refrigerate cake balls with sticks for a few minutes until coating is firm

· Have your Styrofoam (or whatever you will be using to place your cake pop in to dry) and any decorations out and ready

· Remove only 2-3 cake pops at a time from the refrigerator, taking them all out will cause them to warm up too much

· Submerge the cake pop into the coating

o Do not let the cake pop touch the bottom of the bowl

· Hold cake pop above bowl until excess coating drips off

· Let coating set for a moment before adding sprinkles or other decorations

o If sprinkles are added while the coating is too warm, they will pull the coating off

· Place the cake pop in stand until the coating is set up

· ENJOY!

To see more of Nicole’s awesomeness go to www.sweetcakesbynicole.com

Choco-nut Dainties: Perfect for a special occasion but tasty enough for everyday.

This is a recipe I got years ago from the Family Circle Magazine.  It tastes almost like a short bread and is very pretty and nice for special occassions.   (submitted by Maureen Clegg)

CHOCO-NUT DAINTIES

2 1/4 Cups flour

1/2 t salt

3/4 c margarine, softened

3/4 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 t vanilla

1 pkg 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped walnuts

Chocolate Coating (recipe follows)

1.  Beat together margarine, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well mixed. Blend in salt and flour then add 6 oz choc. chips.

2.  Shape dough into logs ( 2" x 1/2").  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 -15 minutes, or until cookies are set.  Cool on wire racks.

3.Dip ends of cookies into Chocolate Coating; roll ends in chopped nuts. Place on wax paper until set.

Chocolate Coating:  Melt together 1 pkg (12 oz. chocolate chips and 1/4 cup margarine and stir until blended and smooth.  If mixture is too thick, add more margarine, 1 T. at a time, until it is a good coating consistency.  (I melt it in small increments of time in the microwave. When it is a good consistency I place that bowl in a larger bowl filled about half way with hot water  and it stays nice while  I dip cookies).



TACO SOUP-a quick and hearty dinner

TACO SOUP  submitted by Maureen Clegg

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion, or dried (reconstitute in a little hot water)

1/2 cup taco sauce or salsa

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can kidney beans (undrained)

1 can corn (undrained)

1-1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/3 tsp. garlic powder

Heat all ingredients together to blend flavors.

I buy the hamburger in the big packs at Costco and cook it all up.  I then divide it  into about 1 cup  portions,  place in  baggies and freeze.  They are then ready to pop into any dish.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This yummy soup was served at our Feast of Gratitude.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz size – southwest style, if possible I used petite diced tomatoes w/ sweet onion)

1 packet enchilada sauce mix (or if you can’t find this, mild taco seasoning works well too)

1 1/2 C water

1 can (8 oz)tomato sauce

1 can ( 10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

2 C milk

2-4 boneless chicken breasts

1. In crock pot, mix the enchilada packet together with the water and tomato sauce.

2. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and whisk together until smooth. Add chicken.

3. Pour drained black beans, drained corn and diced tomatoes on top of that. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

4. Before serving, take out chicken and shred or dice, then put back and stir it all together.

5. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, lime, avocado, or tortilla chips.

The chicken can also be baked separately and then shredded and added at the end

Hearty Granola

GRANOLA submitted by Leslie Coppin

12 cups regular oatmeal
3 c. nuts (slivered, sliced almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pepitas etc...)
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c shredded or flaked coconut

1 1/2 c.Olive oil
3/4 c. water
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. salt


Add craisins and/or raisins after it's baked and cooled.

Mix dry ingredients in extra large bowl. Combine rest of ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is melted. Don't boil. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until oats are coated. Place on 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir lightly and bake another 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Store in airtight container.

Zoom granola--packed full of goodness

 

Zoom Breakfast Granola 
                                         submitted by Alicia Gugliamo

1LB (approx 5 cups) Zoom
4 cups rolled oats
2 cups wheat germ or oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups flake coconut
1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I usually add more)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup honey
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease well, two baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl combine first seven ingredients. In a small pan, heat oil, honey and vanilla until mixture begins to bubble. Stir constantly. Thoroughly mix the liquid with the dry ingredients. Divide and spread evenly between prepared baking sheets; bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until coconut is browned. While baking stir 3-4 times, redistributing granola in an even layer. Remove from oven; Stir occasionally while cooling. Store thoroughly cooled granola in an airtight container. Serve in a bowl with milk or cream. Makes approx. 14 cups

Easy Pumpkin Crumble from Our Best Bites

This is the delicious Easy Pumpkin Crumble we had at our Thanksgiving Feast activity.  We found this recipe on the blog Our Best Bites.  Please go to their website here to get the recipe.