...and chaos ensued: March 2009

Swirl Checkerboard Cake with Jello Flavored Frosting

For Boo's birthday, she wanted a cake that was "kind of like" Bug's rainbow cake, "but with different colors and it should look different."

So, I used 2 boxes of white cake mix, 4 gel colors (rose, burgandy, cornflower blue and lavender), my Pampered Chef checkerboard cake pan insert (I couldn't find it on the Pampered Chef site so here is the Wilton version if you want to see it), Tropical Fusion Jello and a large tub of cool whip to make this cake.

I didn't take photos of the prep process but I put the insert into cake pan #1

and filled the outer ring and inner ring with 1/2 blue and 1/2 lavendar batter, then swirled the two together with a knife. Then I poured the rose and burgandy batters into the middle ring and swirled that together. Repeat this process in pan #3.

In pan #2, reverse the colors so that the middle ring color from pans 1&3 becomes the center and outer rings in pan 2. Once baked, you stack pan #1, then pan #2 then pan #3. Frost lightly between layers.

For frosting, I used jello to flavor and slightly color cool whip. I swear I saw a recipe that told you how to make this but when I started looking for it yesterday, all I could find were recipes using Jello PUDDING and cool whip. So, I sort of struck out on my own. I used a 32 oz tub of cool whip (you probably don't need this much!) and a 3 oz box of jello. Mix the jello with 1/2 cup of boiling water. Stir and let powder dissolve for about 2 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup of ice. Gently fold into softened cool whip. Refridgerate for about 20 minutes and then frost the cake. After frosting, I suggest you cool the entire cake for about an hour to set the frosting. Be sure to refrigerate your leftover cake as well.

Results were a bit lopsided but I was in a bit of a hurry. The colors should be squares and lined up with each other. Somehow mine ended up tilted and artsy. That suited Boo just fine. The frosting got some rave reviews so I must have done something right! I have plenty frozen in the freezer for whatever cake comes along next :)

Labels: boo, cooking, jello, misadventures, recipe 1 comments | |

just because

My husband bought me some gorgeous tulips just because. Aren't they beautiful? Coupled with the weather today, it definitely feels like spring!

Labels: chip, decorating, family 1 comments | |

Toy Recall Finder

As a parent who enjoys resales, garage sales and hand-me-downs, I am ever vigilant for easy ways to find out if something has been recalled. I get almost daily emails from the Consumer Product Safety Commission about various recalls but those cover all topics - from food to toys to power tools. While I appreciate all the information, it is difficult to sort through all the prior recalls to find out if any of the "new" toys I've purchased have been recalled.

Now, with the Parents magazine's Toy & Product Recall Finder, it is a simple search! You can be as specific or as broad as you'd like. Type in the name if you know it or seach the broader field of "strollers" or "Mattel" to find your item. Currently their database goes back to January of 2006. Hopefully they will continue to expand it. The CPSC database goes back to 1974 but is not as easily searchable, particularly if you are looking for a specific type of toy.

Go ahead, give it a try!

Labels: parenting, safety 0 comments | |

Daeji Galbi - Korean Ribs

One of my friends from my college days sent me an email not too long ago saying that the crock pot Korean rib recipe I had mentioned at Christmas time looked delicious but wasn't very authentic. She sent me a link to a traditional Korean recipe for ribs in case I wanted to try it. Here goes, although I had to make some changes so it's not quite authentic!

To make Daeji Galbi (traditional Korean pork ribs - follow the link for the original recipe), you need:

4 pounds pork back ribs
1 (1-inch) piece ginger root, peeled & minced
1 large onion (pureed)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup kochujang - Korean chili pepper paste ( I used 1/2 cup of Hunan Red Chili Sauce as I didn't get to make it over to the Korean grocers)
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp black pepper

Separate the ribs and set aside in a large bowl.

Mix ingredients (except for the meat) in a large mixing bowl.

Stir until mixed well. Gently rub marinade on ribs, cover and refrigerate overnight.

(I divided this recipe in 1/2 and froze one half for a different day)

Grill until meat is well done - about 10 minutes per side.

If you don't enjoy grilling, the original recipe suggests that you bake them in an oven at 350 for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the meat starts to separate from the bone.

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We quite enjoyed the flavor, although there were parts that were quite spicy. We had difficulty knowing if they were done or not as the pork was still pink in places and since it was fatty, it was a bit rubbery. We figured that was a side affect of the reddish marinate. After we cut into them, we decided that they needed to be grilled a bit longer!

Since I froze 1/2 of the meat, we will definitely have this recipe again, although I'm sure we will make it again anyway! It was quite tasty and a nice change from regular BBQ flavor. Kristi was right though, the crock pot recipe did not taste like this. Both are delicious in their own way. Thanks Kristi for suggesting this recipe!

Labels: cooking, misadventures, recipes 1 comments | |

Rainbow Cake

"Mom... I want a rainbow cake for my birthday."

That was the statement made last week by Bug. Fortunately for me, I'd just stumbled across a blog entry about rainbow cake, albeit one for dieters. I did not follow the directions there but did get inspired to create my own. Soooo easy!

You need:

box of cake mix

ingredients listed on box of cake mix (eggs, water, oil, etc.)

food color gels in which ever colors you'd like in your cake (I used red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet)

Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Divide the batter into several bowls - the number will depend on the amount of colors you would like to use. I divided it into 6 bowls. Add a tiny bit of colored gel to each bowl. It won't take much to get some vivid colors! Stir in the color.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into each pan. Using my colors as an example, pour 1/2 of the red batter in one pan and 1/2 of the purple into the other.

Next pour 1/2 the orange batter in the 1st pan and 1/2 the blue into the other. Follow the same pattern with the other colors. Pan #1 will be the reverse of pan #2.

Bake cake according to the package directions. Allow to cool completely. Trim top of one cake and frost lightly. Add 2nd layer. Frost. I used all white frosting intending to let the rainbow inside be the focus.