ZOO Animals ... in the Kitchen

These are Kid Friendly Recipes that are fun to make and perfect for any kids party, any time.

To make the foods even more fun for the kids, re-name the recipes to match the party theme. For example, Pigs in a Blanket can be called, "Piglets in a Blanket" for a Winnie the Pooh Party or Colorful Fruit Parfaits can be called, "Jungle Fruits" for a Zoo, Safari or Madagascar party.

Silly Face Pizza

You will need: English muffins (one half per guest), pizza sauce, shredded American or Mozzarella cheese; assorted pizza toppings. Split the English Muffins in half and give each child one half. Let each child add pizza sauce, cheese and the toppings of their choice. Bake pizzas on cookie sheet at 375 degrees F. for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Crunchy Snacks

Combine your favorite treats in a large bowl (dried fruit, coconut, pretzels, raisins, candy coated chocolates, etc)... let your guests scoop out small cupfuls to snack on.

Pigs in a Blanket

Slice hot dogs lengthwise and cut cheese into strips. Unroll refrigerated croissants and stuff them with the hot dogs and cheese. Roll croissants back up and bake as directed, or until golden brown.

Design your own Teddy Bear Cookie

Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe or purchase refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Roll out dough and cut with a teddy bear cookie cutter. Cook as directed. Once cookies are cooled - let the children decorate with icing and different candies to make faces, buttons, etc.

Colorful Fruit Parfait

In a parfait cup, layer yogurt, granola and fresh fruit (make it colorful!!!). Top it with whipped topping and serve with long handled spoons.

Lunch on a Stick

Cooked turkey, chopped sliced cheese, chopped cherry tomatoes, squares of bread. Using a skewer, add on bits of each of the above!

Dessert on a Stick

Same as above but use fruits on the skewer instead of lunch food.

Enjoy these fun projects with your children by letting your imagination be your guide... be an "un-grownup", it's fun! The author has been an 'un-grown-up' for all of her adult years, way too many to brag about!

E N J O Y !!!!

Country Meal On a Budget

Chef Robert Carter is this week's 'Chef on a Shoestring'. Carter will prepare a three course southern meal of southern eggs benedict, shrimp with pimento cheese grits and coconut cake.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hvTXC_MOwk&hl=en

KandiliciousDiva

So a GREAT friend of mine had a birthday celebration about a week ago. She had to study for finals and wasnt going to do anything for her ACTUAL birthday... So i Made her a gift that i thought would lift her spirits, and make her birthday EXTRA special... The Cake is German chocolate, with pecan coconut filling and chocolate buttercream frosting all from Scratch.. The tissue, lid, and shoe are all made from Gumpaste... Everything on the board is completely edible, including the letters which were made from chocolate.... Buon Appetito!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcLqBKS2wG4&hl=en

Haul: Mad City Sue on etsy

www.etsy.com 2 oz whipped sugar body scrubs: (not in order in the video) -Italian Cream Cake -Coconut Pear -Berry Brulee -Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough -Daiquiri Luxe -Lush Island Retreat Necklace name: "If It's not Rough it isn't fun" www.etsy.com Disclaimer: All products in the video were bought with my own money, except for the samples. I share my honest opinion and am not affiliated with the seller mentioned. This is not a paid review.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR3b0J23NYg&hl=en

Cupcake Ideas For First Time Decorators

When you search the web for great cupcake ideas, you will find that there are thousands of remarkable and creative designs out there to choose from. For beginning decorators, however, many of the ideas are simply too elaborate and detailed to get right on the first try. Much like any other hobby, cupcake decorating takes a bit of practice to perfect. Fondant doesn't always come out as pliable as you'd hoped, and mastering creating tiny letters and details out of icing is usually not accomplished on the very first day. Today we will take a look at some cupcake ideas that are great fun to eat and look at but that can be easily created by novice decorators.

Decorating cupcakes for the first time or seeking out ideas that can be created by children as well as adults isn't as hard as you might think. In fact, you will find that there are many ideas that can be perfected by almost anyone. A great idea can be to use templates or cookie cutters to cut shapes out of fondant. This will provide a uniform decoration that is as delicious as it is attractive.

When you are looking to decorate entirely by hand, you will need to think of the theme you are working with. Birthday cupcakes can offer much more than sprinkles and frosting and still be easy enough to create with your kids. One idea that works for many parents is to allow kids to paint the icing on each cupcake using a paintbrush. When the icing is dry, creating faces using candies and treats can provide a whimsical design that everyone will enjoy. The same idea can be applied to seasonal cupcakes, building snowmen, bunnies, or any other creatures that fit the occasion.

Another easy cupcake decorating idea is to create bug cupcakes. Using yellow and black frosting to create honeybees and placing frosting eyes on the cupcake can be fun and exciting, and painting black dots onto red cupcakes is an easy way to create adorable ladybugs. Icing kits also make it easy to add flowers and other designs to any cupcake. A small square of fondant placed atop a cupcake can easily become a present, a robot, or anything else you like with only a paintbrush and a small amount of icing. Keep in mind that sometimes the simplest designs can be the most fun to create.

When decorating cupcakes for the first time or working with kids, try to remember that your designs don't have to be overly elaborate. Simple frosting and icing patterns can be quite decorative and can create desserts that are fun and fantastic. There are plenty of ideas that can be created with nothing more than a paintbrush and some icing or even a small ball of fondant for each cupcake. Don't feel limited to ideas you read or see online, but using these ideas as a guide can be a great way to create unique and creative designs that everyone will enjoy.

Strawberry Cake Recipes

If you are looking for an excellent dessert recipe and love southern cooking, this is the recipe for you. This strawberry cake recipe is one of the favorites among the southern states and is perfect for any kind of occasion. This strawberry cake recipe can be made with either white or yellow cake mix and can also be used with any from scratch cake recipe.

Ingredients for Strawberry cake recipe:

o 1 package of white cake mix
o 1 package of strawberry flavored gelatin powder - 3 ounces
o 1 cup of vegetable oil
o 4 eggs, lightly beaten
o 1/4 cup of water
o 3/4 cup of mashed strawberries
o 1/2 cup of butter
o 1 pound of confection sugar
o 1/4 cup of mashed strawberries

Directions for Strawberry Cake Recipe:

o Combine the cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl
o Beat in oil, eggs, water and strawberries
o Pour into two 9 inch round and greased cake pans
o Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes
o Cool and frost with strawberry icing
o For the icing, beat the butter and confection sugar until smooth
o Add the strawberries
o Spread between the layers of cakes
o Frost the top and sides

If you would like to try a variety of the strawberry cake recipe, try this pecan strawberry cake recipe.

Ingredients:

o 1 box of white or yellow cake mix
o 1 cup of vegetable oil
o 4 large eggs
o 1 cup of flaked coconut
o 1 package of strawberry flavored gelatin
o 1/2 cup of milk
o 1 cup mashed fresh or frozen strawberries
o 1 cup chopped pecans
o 1 package of cream cheese, 8 ounces at room temperature
o 1/2 stick of margarine, 2 ounces at room temperature
o 1 teaspoon of vanilla
o 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
o 1/2 cup of strawberries mashed
o 5 to 6 cups of sifted powder sugar

Directions:

o Mix cake mix with the strawberry flavored gelatin
o Add the oil, eggs, coconut, gelatin and milk
o Beat until well blended
o Stir in one cup mashed strawberries and one cup of pecans
o Drizzle the cooled layers with reserved juice
o Spread with a layer of icing
o Ice the sides and top
o Store the cake and refrigerate

You can serve these delicious options of the strawberry cake recipe for any occasion. You can add in other ingredients such as rhubarb to add an extra tart flavor. You can also top with whipped cream or any other fruit topping you would like. Serve the cake right away or store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

How to Make a Low Fat Pumpkin Roll

If you have a sweet tooth, it can be very difficult saying no to sweet treats and desserts if you are watching your weight. Fortunately, there are some great low fat desserts, which you can treat yourself to without worrying about consuming too much fat.

We all need to eat some fat in order to be healthy, but some dessert recipes contain lots of fat and calories, both of which are unnecessary for a good flavor. Healthier alternatives can be just as flavorful, or sometimes more so, than the more calorie-laden snacks.

Take the following recipe for pumpkin roll, for example - the Splenda keeps the calorie count down and the pumpkin puree and walnuts give the cake all the great flavor it needs. You can use margarine instead of butter to make the filling if you want to, because the difference in taste will not be that noticeable. Use Splenda "baking sugar" in this recipe for all the flavor of sugar without the calories.

It is important to ensure you put enough powdered sugar on the towel so the cake does not stick to it. This recipe makes ten servings and you can serve it alone or with a cup of coffee for a satisfying mid-afternoon snack.

What you will need for the cake:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda, and baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup Splenda
1 cup chopped walnutsWhat you will need for the filling:

6 tablespoons softened butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnishHow to make it:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a ten by fifteen inch jelly roll pan and line it with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Sprinkle the powdered sugar over a thin towel.

Mix the flour with the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cloves and then beat in the Splenda and eggs. Beat in the pumpkin. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle the nuts over the top.

Bake it for about fourteen minutes or until the top of the cake is springy, then turn it on to the prepared towel. Peel off the wax paper and roll the cake up in the towel, beginning at the narrow end. Let it cool on a wire rack.

Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter to make the filling. Unroll the cake carefully and remove the towel. Spread the cream cheese and butter mixture over it and roll it up again. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for an hour or more, then sprinkle extra powdered sugar over it and serve.