Monthly Archives: August 2009

Aug 25

Almost It: Coconut Cake

Well, I have searched and searched for the magic coconut cake recipe, and it looks like I’m going to be baking a lot of cakes in my future.  I compared a lot of recipes, and decided for my first attempt, I’ll just wing it… but will my hubby approve.

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For the Coconut Cake you’ll need:

  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 1 bag of  shredded Coconut
  • 1 tub of Whipped Cream
  • 1 can of Coconut Milk
  • 1 adorable helper, to shake up the Coconut Milk

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This cake is simple, simple, simple… Mix your cake mix according to package directions, and add in 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of the shredded coconut, then pop it in the oven to bake. I made a 9×13 cake. Once the cake is out of the oven, poke holes into it with a fork, and pour the can of coconut milk over the cake.  Have your super-cute helper shake the coconut milk can, so that way he’ll stop bugging you about when the cake is going to be done.

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After you have the coconut milk on the cake, put it in the fridge for at least 5 hours. You want the cake to absorb all of the coconut milk. After that frost the cake with the tub of Whipped cream, and sprinkle a handful or two of shredded coconut on top, and serve it up.

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James said that this cake was pretty darn close to the one that he had when he was in school. Next time I make this cake, I’m going to use a White Cake mix instead, and see if  it is a perfect match.

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Dylan says this one is just fine!

Aug 24

Massive Menu Planning

When I volunteered to make weekly meals for another family, I thought I should look into meals that would be cost effective and easily doubled for my family too. I sat down with my calender and a notebook full of meal ideas  for 12 weeks. I then wrote the Wednesday dinners on my menu planning calendar for the next few months. All of the sudden I was inspired to fill out my menu planning calendar for the rest of the year.

It took me a little over an hour, but I’ve got a dinner planned everyday for the rest of the year. This should come in pretty handy in the next few months as we welcome a new addition to the family, and James has to do the shopping. I’ll still be posting my dinner  menu on my blog monthly, and probably shopping weekly too. Time to get in the kitchen and get to cooking.

What about you… Do you like to massively menu plan, or by the week?

Aug 23

Marshmallow Pops

We had several handmade items to make for Shaunna’s Bridal Shower, and besides the mints, I was looking forward to making Marshmallow Pops too . Thade didn’t mind helping out either.

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For the Marshmallow Pops you’ll need:

  • One Bag of Marshmallows
  • One Bag of Chocolate Chips (or Chocolate Melts)
  • A little bit of Vegetable Oil, White Corn Syrup, a tiny bit of Vanilla, and just a bit of Milk
  • A make-shift Double Boiler
  • Lollipop Sticks, Cellophane Bags, Styrofoam or reused packing material for a lollipop stand
  • Sugar, Sprinkles, or both
  • Floss in any color, I used turquoise because it is one of the wedding colors
  • A really adorable helper

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Thade counted marshmallows, as I placed a lollipop stick in each one. A 16 oz bag will easily give you 50 pops, and a few marshmallows left for snacking.

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Have your adorable helper place the sugar topping in a bowl, and then watch them make a big mess in the kitchen with Blue Sugar. We are using a light blue and a medium blue sugar, and hoping that the two will look turquoise in the end.

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When the double boiler is warming, add your Chocolate Chips, Vanilla, Vegetable Oil, and Corn Syrup, and wait for it to melt. Just as the Chocolate is melted add in a tablespoon or two of milk and stir like crazy. You are going for a medium ganache, not too thick, not too thin.

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Then it is time to dip… First into the chocolate ganache, then into the blue sugar, and then it is time to rest the pops upright on the lollipop stand.

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Once the chocolate and sugar had set just a bit, I moved my marshmallow pops to the fridge. The day that I was making the pops, it was super-stinking humid, and I was worried about the chocolate setting properly.

After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, and when the cool of the evening had set in, it was time to wrap the pops and decorate them for the Bridal Shower. I used small cellophane bags, and tied turquoise floss around each of the pops.

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A little bit of time wrapping and before you know it you’ve got them all done. This treat was really fun and easy to make, and the kiddos at the Bridal Shower went crazy for them.

I’m going to make these for Halloween and use Green, Purple, and Orange Sugar.  These are tasty just chocolate dipped too.

Aug 22

Kindergarten Week 1 Recap

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I’m happy to report that we made it through the first week of school with minimal tears and managing to get up and out the door on time too. Well there were a few tears, but they were all mine.

Monday was tough… Really really really tough, I was a sobbing mess, and Thade was a wee bit nervous too. It rained all day, and my hubby told me that it was raining because I was so sad. Even Dylan was sad to see his brother off to school. We could barely eat lunch and every time I looked at the clock, I started sniffling, and tried to guess what Thade was up to at school. We were so anxious to get Thade home that we left an half an hour early. Thade had an awesome first day though, and couldn’t wait to go back. We also took Thade out for Ice Cream to celebrate his big accomplishment.

Tuesday, Thade was up at 6:45 a.m., and said that he didn’t sleep at all, because he was too excited to go to kindergarten. James was still on vacation, so he watched Dylan, and I took Thade to school. The sting of leaving him at school didn’t hurt as bad today, but the rain stuck around.

Wednesday was another long/weepy day for the ones that stayed home. James was back to work, Thade was having fun at school, and Dylan wasn’t happy about any of it. At 10:00 a.m., he brought me his shoes, and begged to go and get his brother from his classroom. He was sad until nap-time, but thrilled when he could ride along to pick-up Thade. One little problem though, Dylan hates School Buses! So I have to carry him about 2 blocks to get Thade from school and protect him from the school buses. Thade also asked about sick days, so I hope that none of the kindergartners got the flu…

Thursday, the sunshine was back, and we were settling into the kindergarten routine. Thade started P.E. today too, and he was pretty curious about it.  I took Dylan to the park at our Church to play, and he was feeling better about Thade being at school. When Thade was finished at school, he told me that he had a girlfriend… Isn’t kindergarten a little too early for girlfriends?!?

Friday, I was so happy to see Friday! I felt like it was a Friday from when I was in school, and I couldn’t wait for the weekend. I was more than happy to have both of my kids home! Thade was ready to go to school too, and have a tasty lunch. He has wanted to help pack his lunches, and he knew that there were Nachos waiting for him. He also asked if it was his last day at school, and I told him that there was plenty of school left, it was just the end of the first week… He then asked if we could pretend that he was at school when he is at home, because he loves kindergarten so much.

Aug 21

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere

I had my hubby bring home about a dozen boxes today. We aren’t moving, we are just organizing. I have a lot of work to do upstairs, and James wants to have a Garage Sale soon. I hope to get the office cleaned out, and closets switched too. Now if I can just come up with the energy to do it. So far the boxes make a really neat train for Dylan, but no actual cleaning has taken place.