Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong

I just realized that I never wrote about Cake Wrecks on here!

Cake Wrecks is a collection of cakes gone wrong-professional cakes that, for various reasons, are AWFUL. Misspellings, poo-swirls (yes, I said poo-swirls), grammar issues, illegible writing, designs that look NOTHING like what the buyer asked for... if something can go wrong with a cake, it's probably been on CW. And they are all amazingly funny! Of course, each wreck also has commentary from Jen, the creator of CW. Jen's commentary is wickedly funny, and will keep you laughing if somehow the wrecks do not!

The book is created from the blog, with lots of new wrecks, and some old ones. Even if you are not a reader of the Cake Wrecks blog (which you should be. Go on, check it out, after finishing this post!), this book is worth buying! I have read the blog since not longer after it started, and check it daily!

I got through the book in no time at all--I could not put it down, I kept having to look at the next picture, the next picture...

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. And I think I am going to go look at some more pictures now... ;)

(There are some cakes that definitely have sexual references (which are probably unintentional), but Jen keeps the commentary pretty clean. She also warns, at the end of one section of the book, that the next section may be a little much.)

Elegant Mushroom Soup

We tried this recipe the other day. AMAZING!!! I can't even describe how great this was. We didn't use the sour cream-neither of us is very fond of it. I did make a minor alteration with the onion, because the onion didn't seem to be cooked enough when the mushroom was. So, the recipe below should work much better! :)

Elegant Mushroom Soup
(TOH)

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 Pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoon all-Purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup chicken broth
1 Teaspoon Parsley
Nutmeg
sour cream, optional

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms (and more butter if necessary), saute an additional 3 minutes. Stir in flour, pepper, and salt; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add parsley and nutmeg if desired. Top individual servings with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

(Sorry for lack of pictures... this was when we were short on camera battery.) :)

No, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth

...I have just been crazy busy, and have a million different reasons for not blogging lately. I haven't been recording recipes like I should have been either! So, once I get them recorded, I will post everything!
A little of what has kept me busy/stressed, and what recipes will be posted soon:

1. I accepted a position at the hospital! Super excited about that, but there were lots of decisions to make around that. I start November 16th!!!

2. We had a party with some of Nate's friends in GR... which I made my mother-in-law's cheesecake brownies for. You know how I brag about my Mama's cooking a lot? Well.... my mother-in-law (Sue), is spectacular too. Her cheesecake brownies are to die for. (Probably literally, if I ever actually become diabetic, because I won't be able to stay away from them, and my sugar will freak out more than it does now.)

3. We had Christmas with my (extended) family! Grandma & Grandpa go to Florida every winter, so we have Christmas early. Exceptionally early, since G&G left SUPER early this year. (Grandma, if you are reading this, this is an official complaint.) But, we had a great time with my family. I love my family!

(My super-amazing Grandparents!!)

(See how much my brother loves me? You can tell by how hard he is crushing me. Which was a lot.)

4. My aunt had surgery, and will have another surgery next week. Prayers are appreciated.

5. .....I have just been super stressed.

But, I will start posting more recipes, starting NOW!



Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta
Heavenly Homemakers



2 Cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-Sized pieces
2 cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 Cup whole wheat pasta
3 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup shredded white cheddar
3 Ounce cream cheese
Parmesan

Instructions:
In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter, and salt. Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce. (This will be about 10 minutes.)
Stir in the cheddar and cream cheese, heat until cheeses are melted.
Stir in the chicken & garlic, heat until chicken is warm.
Sprinkle parmesan on each serving.

The lack of pictures for the recipe is due to my camera battery basically dying, and the fact that I keep forgetting to get another one. It will stay on long enough to take one picture, at least! lol.

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies

This was another "hmm.... that looks interesting" meal. This one turned out pretty good! We are going to mix up the veggies for next time, but we enjoyed it.
(We cut the recipe in half, of course! Too much for two people!)

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies
(TOH)

6 Quarts Water
1 16oz package frozen veggies
1 25oz package frozen cheese ravioli
1/8 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Teaspoon Mrs Dash
1/4 Cup parmesan

Instructions:
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Add the vegetables; cook for 5 minutes.
Add the ravioli. Cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies and ravioli are tender; drain. Gently stir in butter. Sprinkle with Mrs Dash and parmesan.

Beans & broccoli aren't the greatest with this... I just picked the first two frozen veggies I could reach in my freezer. Next time, I'll try something else.

Serves: 6
Total Time: 15

(If you are wondering why there is only one picture... well, I didn't think taking a picture of boiling veggies & ravioli was that fun.)

Cheesy Ham Braid...

...in which we learn that I am not very good at making things look pretty. ;)

Cheesy Ham Braid
(TOH)
1 16oz package hot roll mix
1 Cup warm water (120-130)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoon butter, softened, divided
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Cup chopped, fully cooked ham
1 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup Ricotta
Dash Parsley
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cold water

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the hot roll mix and contents of yeast packet. (If you are wondering where the yeast came from, it was part of the hot roll mix box. You must be a first time hot roll mix user too. LOL.) Stir in the warm water, egg, and 1 tbsp butter. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes. In a skillet, saute onion in remaining butter until tender. Remove from the heat, stir in ham, cheeses, and parsely.
On a greased baking sheet, roll dough into a 15x10 rectangle. Spoon ham mixture lengthwise down the center of dough. On each long side, cut 1" wide strips about 2" into the center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 mintues or until doubled.
In a small bowl, beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
(Huh, that really doesn't look like the picture in the magazine...oh, I was supposed to tuck the ends IN?)
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.



So... what would we do different next time?
1. Don't do ham & cheddar. Maybe ham & mozz?
2. Cut ham smaller! I definitely cut the ham too big! Oops. :)
3. Cut down on ricotta... a lot. Maybe substitute with mozz, at least partially?
4. Try to actually make it look braided. (Which is where the 'not good at making things look pretty' part comes in.)

Overall, it was yummy! Just making changes to make it better for next time!

Taste of Home, and meal planning

If you have been wondering why almost all of my recipes are from TOH...

No, they are not paying me to advertise for them. (Although, if someone from TOH is interested... lol)

I simply really like their cookbooks, so I have quite a few. TOH & Cooking for Two, which I think is made by the TOH people, are my favorites. They have easy, realistic recipes.

Because, contrary to what Olivia with says, I am not Martha Stewart. :)


Also, the big reason there are a lot of TOH recipes this month is due to the fact that I am trying monthly meal planning, and I mainly flipped through those magazines.
I normally do meal planning for a week at a time, but this month I tried to go for a whole month. I picked out what I thought would be enough meals (dinners) for the month, plus some sides, and some desserts. Week by week, as I am making my grocery list, I pick out the meals I want to use that week. It saves me quite a bit of time each week, although I have to admit I enjoy it either way. :)

Of course, the grocery list always includes the usual breakfast foods, and some misc items. I have been making things that aren't on the list for desserts & snacks, but I mainly created that for dinners. It's a good way to make sure that we stay within budget, we eat aren't eating junk all the time, and that I have the ingredients I need for dinner each week.

(The Happy Housewife has some great posts on meal planning... if you have never read her blog before, you should check it out!)


And, regardless of where I get a recipe originally or how much I've altered it, I have the original source in my Recipe Manager. So, give credit where credit is due. :)

My Momma's Peanut Butter Cookies

In case you missed the previous posts, my mama is amazing. And my husband loves peanut butter. There is a story about how my mama loves my hubby more than me, and lets him get away with eating cookies meant for someone else, and with eating more batter than necessary, but it makes me mad at them both, so I won't get into that. ;)

Anyhow... Mom has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember, and they have been amazing for as long as I can remember. I think she played with her original recipe (see! I come by it honestly!), but they are now perfect. (As long as you follow the directions... careful on the time!)

I made these the night before Nate's CNA final, to help him study. :-D

(And, since he got an 88%, I'd say he did pretty darn good!!! Of course, that may have been due to all the studying, and not necessarily my cookies... oh well, I tried!)

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
(Laurie Curtis)

3/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 Cup crisco
1 1/4 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoon Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 Egg
1 3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon baking soda

Instructions: Heat oven to 375. Combine peanut butter, crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with mixer until well blended. Add egg; beat until blended. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to mixture at low speed, mix until blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with criss-cross pattern with fork. Bake for 6 1/2 - 8 minutes, cool.

Yields: 3 dozen small
(Look, Nathan is 'helping'!)


(Note: the recipe title is not a joke. These things are irresistible. Make them when you can give some away... or you will eat them all.)