by lcreekmo on June 9, 2007
Here’s the cake! The 8yos at the party absolutely loved it. I didn’t even eat a bite, but look at the before photo, you’ll see why. I didn’t feel the same need to mainline sugar that the 8yos did.
I stole the idea to make the cake out of Rice Krispie treats from Just Baking. The 8yo had me add chocolate chips and multi-colored nonpareils. Making the cake of Rice Krispie treats did make frosting a bit of a challenge — it was harder to see the design and the edges than it normally is with a cake. But once I got the basic shape down, it was pretty easy going.
by lcreekmo on June 7, 2007
So my daughter turned 8 last week. This weekend, she’s hosting a few friends at her birthday party. By happy coincidence, our whole family will be in town — none really related to the birthday! I have procured these items for the birthday party:
- SpongeBob SquarePants cake pan
- Ingredients to make Rice Krispie Treats for the cake, an idea which I ripped off from The Well Fed Network
- These adorable little plates and napkins with the 8yo’s initial on them [I heart Target]
- What the hey, decorations were on sale.
- Cheetos, by special request
Still to procure:
- Pink lemonade mix [Target only had pink lemonade with artificial sweetener]
- Ice cream
What else? I know there’s more….
Here’s what I have not done: Figure out what to feed the family on Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and possibly Friday and Sunday.
by lcreekmo on June 4, 2007
* We just finished the most stressful week of the year, for me:
- Dance recital week [for the 8yo]
- Birthday week [for the 8yo]
Her dad and I finally got smart and moved her birthday party out a week. Yes, we used to be idiots who crammed a dress rehearsal, dance recital and birthday party into one weekend.
* We are now approaching not a stressful, but a detail-oriented event:
Thus, most of my free time in the next five days will be spent trying to figure out how to make a SpongeBob SquarePants cake. Last I checked, Wilton did not make a pan and directions for such a creature. So we are winging it.
I’m sure there are many misadventures to come.
by lcreekmo on September 16, 2006
There’s little better than a sunny afternoon in the fall, a tailgate party before the big game, lots of friends, plenty to eat and drink, nothing else to do but to while away the day….
Well, a win is better.
But we Vanderbilt fans don’t get hung up on the details. As Vanderbilt has shown fits and starts of improvement the past couple of years, we’ve ended up with more TV games. For several years in the late 90s and early 00s, it seemed like no matter how highly ranked our opponent, we were a guaranteed dark week for them on TV. Now, [and also with more TV sports channels by the millisecond] I find that almost any game is likely to be moved to an obscure time for the benefit of the almighty camera.
Thus my dilemma.
While a game time of 11:30 a.m. sounds reasonable, you have to think about the side effects: a 9 a.m. tailgate? Ugh. Someone at work said, ohhhhh right. You’ll have been out so late the night before.
People. Single mothers with two young children are never "out late the night before." Unless you’re hiring me a live-in nanny for my birthday [two weeks from yesterday, get busy!], I’m always up at 6 a.m. It’s the food issue I’m concerned with, as always.
When a tailgate starts at 9 or 9:30 in the morning, and the game begins at 11:30, the party spans those uncomfortable brunch hours. Brunch is a made-up meal. [I said it here first. Let's call it my line in the concrete. I've never liked brunch.] Our bodies do not crave brunch. Inevitably, someone at the tailgate needs breakfast and others lunch. Ain’t no way to send ‘em all to the stadium happy.
I mulled over my "brunch" recipes for four days, trying to think of something that would be really the perfect dish. I do like the one I came up with but it’s still too much on the breakfast side for me. When you know that there are already going to be lots of doughnuts and sweet rolls, you hate not to bring the lunch-y side of the plate. Ah, maybe next time.
My mom got this recipe years ago from her friend Ann Mullican. Since it’s not my own invention, I don’t mind telling you: It’s amazing. You won’t believe how good it is when you taste it. It’s also great for weekend company.
Monkey Bread
3 or 4 cans 10-count refrigerator biscuits [not the kind that separate into layers] [I always made with 3 cans before, but I found a four-pack on sale yesterday and that was fine. Also, buy the cheap ones. You can't tell the difference.]
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
Heat oven to 350. Coat Bundt pan with cooking spray.
Melt brown sugar and butter over low heat. Mix sugar and cinnamon well in a gallon-sized zip-top bag.
Cut or tear each biscuit in half and place in the bag. I find it works best if you put them into the bag in batches of 10 biscuits, 20 pieces, and shake to coat, but there is no need to remove the biscuits until all are finished.
Place half the biscuits in the Bundt pan. Coat with half the butter/brown sugar mixture. Top with the other biscuits and the other half of the syrup.
Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert and serve!
You can also add nuts [pecans are great] to the brown sugar mixture. Maybe you don’t have a 7yo at your house. :)
by lcreekmo on August 30, 2006
The NYT today notifies us that pigs in a blanket are back! Apparently they’ve been decreed no-longer-gauche, perhaps solely because people love them so much they can’t bear not to serve them at their fancy parties.
Well, I’ve never been above serving pigs in a blanket. Or Rotel dip. Or that cheese-spread-with-strawberry-preserves-in-the-middle. I try to spice things up with new dishes, but people like to eat the comfort foods. Why must we deny that, or make folks feel guilty?
Bring on the Jello and Kraft Singles!
