by Sharon | Jul 16, 2014
Image Compliments of http://www.tasteofhome.com
Here’s a simple cake recipe to make with that wonderful root beer float taste your family will love.
Let’s begin with the Ingredients:
1 package of your favorite white cake mix
1 3/4 cups cold root beer
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 envelope whipped topping mix
Now to mix it up and pop it in the oven:
1. You’re going to need a large bowl to combine the cake mix, 1 1/4 cups of root beer, oil and eggs. You can beat it at low speed with your mixer for 2 minutes or whisk by hand for 3 minutes. I prefer to whisk these ingredients together by hand — less clean-up.
2. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
3. Pour the mixed ingredients into the baking pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes — check it by sticking a tooth pick into it. You know the drill, when the tooth pick comes out clean, then it’s done.
5. Now, you’re going to have to be careful handling the baking pan, because it’s going to be HOT!
6. Let it cool a bit in the baking pan before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Now you’re ready to make the frosting for this yummy cake:
1. Aw geez another bowl. This time a small one. You’re going to combine the whipped topping mix and the remaining root beer. What? You drank it! Well, you’re going to need about 1/2 cup of root beer to mix with the package of whipped topping mix. So pop open another can.
2. You’re going to have to use the mixer for this. You’ll beat it until soft peaks are formed. Now, I’d taste it to make sure I can taste the root beer and it has that ice creamy foamy taste.
3. Frost the cake. Pop it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
While you’re cleaning up the kitchen, you can enjoy your remaining root beer.
This cake recipe should serve between 12 and 15, depending upon the size of each piece, of course.
Enjoy.
by Sharon | Jul 15, 2014
Image Courtesy of http://www.tasteofhome.com
It may seem unbelievable, but you can make this Root Beer Float Pie without baking, you just need your refrigerator.
The ingredients are simple enough as is the process. Are you ready to begin?
You’re going to need:
9 inch graham cracker crust which you can find in your grocery freezer section or you can make your own:
8 ounces of frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup cold root beer
1/2 cup milk could be low-fat
Let’s get this mixed up:
1. In a large bowl you’re going to whisk the root beer, milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes.
2. You’ll need 1/2 a cup of whipped topping for garnish, so set that aside and refrigerate.
3. Fold in half of the remaining whipped topping into the root beer, milk and pudding mix mixture.
4. Spread into the graham cracker crust.
5. Spread the remaining 1/2 of the whipped topping over the pie.
6. Refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.
When serving you’ll need the 1/2 cup of whipped topping you set aside to put a spoonful or so on each piece and top with a maraschino cherry.
This recipe makes 8 servings more or less depending upon how large or small you cut the pieces.
No bake recipes are fun and refreshing. Absolutely great for National Root Beer Float Day August 6!
But this is a great recipe you may want to make at another time of the year.
by Sharon | Jul 13, 2014
Look what we have here! This is a definite taste sensation! My only question is How do you eat it? From the marshmallow head, skeleton body to the brownie base, I’m thinking some dismantling may be in order to get a really good bite out of this. Or, you may want to eat it piece by piece from the bottom to the top. It would be interesting to present these at a party and watch how others go at it and devour it. I know some who will save the brownie for last and others will eat it first, then try to trade you their skeleton for your brownie.
This image is compliments of http://www.wantsandwishesdesign.com
As mentioned above, this happy skeleton is sitting on a brownie. He’s made from mini pretzels dipped in white chocolate with a marshmallow head decorated with black frosting gel.
I don’t think you really need a recipe, but I’ll do my best to satisfy your sweet tooth — and you know this is going to be sweet. It will also satisfy those who love, love, love chocolate.
Here’s a Brownie Recipe inspired from http://www.allrecipes.com that isn’t too thick nor too thin which I think would be perfect for this project. You can frost them or not.
Ingredients for making 16 Brownies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
- In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.
- Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
To Make Frosting:
- Combine 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar.
- Stir until smooth.
- Frost brownies while they are still warm.
Now we have the base for the skeleton.
For the skeleton you’ll need:
- A bag or two of White Chocolate Melts
- A bag of Mini Pretzels
- A bag of Marshmallows
- A tube of Black Frosting Gel
Directions are basically an assembly line process:
- Melt the white chocolate melts in the microwave (I don’t melt the whole bag at once. I prefer to use what I make and then melt a fresh batch.)
- Dip a mini pretzel into the melted white chocolate, place on wax paper
- Dip another mini pretzel and place it on top of the previously dipped pretzel
- Do this until you have a stack of 6 pretzels — you can have more or less, depending how you want your skeleton to look.
- You may want to add the marshmallow “head” — dip it in the white chocolate just to get the bottom to stick to the top pretzel
- You can either decorate the marshmallow faces before or after you set them on your stack of white chocolate pretzels
- Repeat this process until you have 16 skeletons to put on top of your brownie squares
- You can either stick the skeletons on your brownie squares with white chocolate or the brownie frosting.
There you have your Delicious Skeleton On A Brownie Halloween Treats.
You can put these in sandwich size zip lock bags or on a plate, however you prefer to serve them. If you bag them, you’ll need to print out something clever to staple to the bag, but I’m sure you’ll think of something or we’ll have something here you can use. To tell you the truth, I think homemade labels give more of a personal touch than something printed out, but I’ll see what I can find suitable for this project.
Here’s a Free Printable compliments of http://www.sherbetblossom.com
Or you may like a variety of labels for your various Halloween projects compliments of http://www.mygrafico.com/freebies/free-printable-halloween-party-kit/prod_5511.html
by Sharon | Jul 12, 2014
These Grape Caterpillars are good enough to eat . . . and a healthy snack, too. I don’t know why kids will eat creepy stuff, but refuse to eat ugly vegetables. It may definitely be the presentation. Maybe anything on a thin wooden skewer with eyes is the secret.
This is a simple recipe.
- Buy a bunch of grapes, thin wooden skewers, a small tube of white frosting gel and a bag of chocolate chips.
- Wash the grapes.
- Remove the stems.
- Place 12 green grapes on a thin wooden skewer.
- Squeeze out a bit of frosting gel for the whites of the eyes and put a chocolate chip in the center of the white frosting.
- Chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Now, wasn’t that easy!
There you have it — Grape Caterpillars!
by Sharon | Jul 11, 2014
She got a cupcake with green frosting dropped on her, of course.
Image and concept compliments of http://www.foodnetwork.com
I know, it’s not what happened in the Wizard of Oz, but that’s definitely what can happen on your plate when you make cupcakes, decorate them with green frosting and plunk one on orange fondant legs (2 3″ long rolls). You make the shoes with black fondant and use black decorating gel to finish off the witch’s stockings. It’s an upside-down decorated cupcake!
Kids will love them and your adult guests will, too.
They’re fun and make me laugh.
by Sharon | Jul 8, 2014
Have you ever made a S’Mores Dip? It does look messy, but what S’More treat isn’t.
You will soon find that this is a family favorite.
S’mores Dip
Ingredients:
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup marshmallow cream
graham crackers for serving
Directions:
1. You’re going to use the microwave to melt the chocolate chips into the sweetened condensed milk. Use a microwave safe bowl. This melting process takes about 1 to 2 minutes, but you’re going to have to stir the mixture every 30 seconds.
2. Once the chocolate chips have melted, pour the mixture into a 9 inch glass pie pan. You’ll then add the 1/2 cup marshmallow cream by the spoonful randomly placed throughout the chocolate mixture.
3. This goes into the microware for 20 to 30 seconds until the marshmallow cream has softened.
4. Next you want to create a marbled look throughout the mixture. I use a graham cracker to do this so I can get the first bite of this delicious dip.
5. Serve in a pretty bowl with graham crackers on the side.
This is a great summertime treat that will be enjoyed without a campfire or dropping your marshmallow into the fire or burning it to a crisp.
This is a popular treat for any time of year, but it does bring back memories of the traditional S’Mores.
