BUNCO

I recently made cake pops for a family friend's BUNCO get together.  I thought it would be fun to make dice cake pops to go with the BUNCO theme. This was somewhat of a challenge as I have never made cube cake pops before.

 Start by mixing your cake crumbs with 3/4 can of frosting.

Press the cake mixture into an 8x8" pan.  I wanted my dice to be approximately one inch in size, so I pressed the mixture into the pan so that it was one inch thick.

 To compact the cake mixture and get a smooth top, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and roll with a small rolling pin.

 Place the pan into the freezer for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove the pan and cut into cube shapes.  Or if you live in Minnesota, like I do, place the pan outside in the freezing cold winter.

 Place a stick into the center of each cube.  Dip the stick into melted chocolate first.  This will help keep the cake pop on the stick when dipping the entire cake pop into the melted chocolate.

 Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate and let dry.

 Use sprinkles or frosting to decorate the dice.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie

So, I meant to post this before Thanksgiving but never got around to it.  I was intrigued when I saw this Sweet Potato Pie recipe in the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.  Try it out for one of your holiday gatherings.

 Start by steaming or microwaving the Sweet Potatoes until soft.

Pulse the Sweet Potatoes with a food processor until smooth.

 Blend in the buttermilk...

 eggs...

 brown sugar, and salt.

 Pour the mixture into a prepared pie crust.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 50min.

 Now, here comes the fun part!  Pile large and small marshmallows onto the top of the pie.  Place under the broiler for approximately 3 minutes until the marshmallows puff up and are lightly browned.  Then enjoy!

The Sweet Potato Pie tasted great.  It was  very similar to a pumpkin pie, but I really liked the addition of the marshmallow topping.  It gave the pie an extra kick.  

ONE!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, baby boy!  I can't believe a whole year has already gone by.  It has been the most wonderful, exhilarating, and exhausting year of my life.  I wouldn't change one thing about it.  In honor of my baby's birthday we celebrated with a Peanuts themed dessert table. 

 Happy Birthday Charlie!

 Candy jars filled with  lemon drops, Hershey Kisses - Cookies n' Cream , and licorice.

Cake Push Pops  These push pops are simple to make and were a hit at the party.  Simply bake a cake, cut into small cubes, and alternate with layers of cool whip or frosting.  Top with a garnish.  I ordered my push pops from Sweet Lulu.  Sweet Lulu is a great place to order party supplies. 

Charlie Brown inspired sugar cookies.

 Lucy football truffles.  Remember in the Peanuts comics how Lucy always "holds" the ball for Charlie to kick?  These are so de-lish and easy to make.  You can find the "How To" from Bakerella. 

Beverages in the theme colors; red, blue, and yellow.  In addition, paper drinking straws from Sweet Lulu.

 And last, but not least the Snoopy Cake!  This took me hours to make but I was very happy with how it turned out.  The cake was alternating layers of white and chocolate cake filled with buttercream frosting.  Unfortunately, my little guy was not a fan of cake this year!

Another view of the cake.

Snoopy and Woodstock.

I love you Charlie!  Here's to another year of amazing memories.