Angry Birds Cake

My cute sis-in-law always does a birthday cake representing something their child loved or was really into that year.  One year her son's was a construction site, or her daughters was a princess.  This year she was having a hard time figuring out what to do for her 4 year old boy's cake and he came out and said, "can I play Angry Birds?"   Thats where the idea came from.  What kid isn't into Angry Birds?  What's even greater is that she let her 5 year old make the birds and decorate it!  It was so fun and cute and they were both so proud of that cake!!!  I love that they will always remember what their child's favorite thing was that year by looking at birthday pictures!!!

Lemon Oat Bars

This is my new favorite treat to make and thought I'd share for my Recipe of the Week!

Lemon Oat Bars

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
4 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour
2  cup oats (quick or regular are fine)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon peel until thickened; set aside.  Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl until crumbly.  Press half of the crumbly mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Bake 10 min.  Spread lemon mixture over baked layer.  Sprinkle remaining mixture on top and gently press.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool completely.

Maceys cooking school

Tonight I taught a class at Macey's cookin school.  It was a lot of fun and I met some really great people!!! 
I demonstrated the "Brunch Braid" or Ham and Cheese Bread as my kids call it.  This is the Recipe of the Week!!!

Brunch Braid

1 loaf rhodes bread dough, or your favorite dough recipe (see my favorite dough recipe below)

1 cube butter

1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 cube butter

12 oz Sliced lunch ham

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Roll dough out into a rectangle.  Spread some of the butter mixture down the middle.  Top that with ham slices and then sprinkle the cheese on top of that. (keep down center).  Cut 2" strips along the edges and criss cross across the top alternating sides.  Fold top and bottom over to seal ends.

If freezing, wrap in plastic wrap and foil.  Freeze.  To bake after freezing, remove from freezer and thaw and let rise a little.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown

My Son went with me to help and ended up pretty much taking over the show!!!

Everyone was happy to learn how to simplify dinnertime!

Everything Dough

So, a nice gentelman at the Macey's Cooking School last night asked for this dough recipe.  He asked what I use it for and I told him "everything!" (Hence the name).  This is my Pizza Crust, Braid, Rolls, Breadsticks, Cinnamon Rolls and Bread!!!  Very quick and easy.  My friend Stacy gave it to me and I LOVE IT!!!!

Everything Dough

4 C hot water

5 1/2 C flour

2 heaping T. yeast

2 T. Sugar

Mix slightly with electric mixer and let rest for 10 min.

Add:

1 T. Salt

1/3 C. Oil

1/3 C. Honey or Sugar

5-6 cups flour

Mix until dough pulls away from side of bowl.  Knead in mixer or on a oiled surface.  After kneading, prepare dough as directed below, then let sit 10 minutes while you preheat oven.

Pizza:  Bake crust at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Add Sauce and toppings.  Bake at 450 for 10-15 min.

Cinnamon Rolls:  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

(Roll out, spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon.  Roll, cut and place on pan.)

Glaze for cinnamon rolls:

2 T. Butter

1 1/2 c. Powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 T. milk or water

Mix well and spread onto rolls

Dinner Rolls:  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Bread:  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  After removing from pans, butter top of bread.

Breadsticks:  Roll out dough and form into a jelly roll pan.  Score with a pizza cutter.  Bake at 425 for 7-10 minutes.

Studio 5 segment

So, I was a "re-run" today.  (I feel kinda like Patty Duke).  If you saw the segment and want the discount, just e-mail me and I will send you a paypal request for the discounted price!!!  The price right now is already discounted but I will discount it more to equal the full discount on Studio 5!!!!   Thanks for watching!!!
Suzie

Outer Space

 So all the bedrooms in my home have been decorated to the childs personality except for my two younger sons. They share a room. I've tried to get them to decide on a theme for the 2 1/2 years that we've been in our home and finally got them to settle on "Outer Space". Thought I would share what I did.

To get circles on the wall, I traced items from around my house like, pizza pan, laundry basket, tupperware bowls, plates and such.  I used acrylic paint and for details mixed with 5 parts faux finishing glaze.  My son's walls were already light blue and I didn't want to do dark walls so I just left them that color.



Uranus and Neptune before details



Saturn before details

To do the rings for Saturn, I cut an oval out of paper and traced it extending out of each side.  Then with a 1 1/2 inch paint brush and watered down paint, painted rings in different colors.

O.K.  So I was never good at geography but mostly gets covered up with clouds.  Actually my husband re-did the land on earth, but I forgot to take a pic, so this is what you get!

Finished earth, mars and a moon lamp that my son already had in his room!



Neptune and Uranus don't have to many details, but just stippled white paint mixed with glaze and then added highlighting and shading.  You can see Pluto up in the corner, we still consider it a planet!



Jupiter was fun, just played with 2 or 3 brown, gold colors and did random designs.

Mercury and Venus were also pretty easy on details.  Mix the paint you want to sponge with five parts faux finishing glaze and sponge with a sea sponge.

So, now that the painting is done, we will be adding outer space bedding and glow in the dark stars for the finishing touch!  Might play with the curtains a little too!

Family Time

So, it's been a very hard week.  A good friend passed away this week very unexpectedly and at a very young age.  He left his wife, my good friend, and 4 children.  The funeral was so good, mostly about how he loved to be with his family.  They didn't once talk about how much money he earned, the kind of car he drove, the house he lived in, it was all about "Family Time".  I talk a lot about the importance of eating dinner together as a family and I know that his family doesn't regret one day of doing so.  It is not what's for dinner that is important, it's the memories made.  MAKE MEMORIES!!!!