Cake Wreck Pops

My sister told me how she and the other bridesmaids at a wedding recently sat around and constructed cake pops for the reception.  She said, "it's so easy, Margo!  You just add some icing stuff to the cake crumbs and squish it together into balls!"

Of course I've seen the cake pops trend (I'm on Pinterest, hello), but I sniffed and assumed it was fancy-pants baking and I'm over here in the wham-bam family desserts.

I had carried part of a Wacky Cake in a bag in a tote bag and it had gotten smushed (duh).  So I checked a few recipes and got to work, making leftover, going-stale cake into cake pops.

My mistakes:
1.  I thought I didn't need to add icing stuff to the cake.  I thought it was moist enough to stick into balls on its own.
2.  I didn't freeze the mixture before making it into balls.
3.  I winged a ganache for the coating and didn't really make enough.

But, I used chopsticks for the sticks, and added some cayenne and cinnamon to the ganache to give a nice flavor contrast with the cake.  Then I froze those lumpy pops until we had them for dessert one night.  The children were so excited (and then they got sugared up and even more excited!). 

Now I have explored cake-pop territory.  It might be friendly for future leftover cake, but I'll stick to the map more closely next time.

Have you made cake pops?  Tempted? (I don't mean tempted by mine - they're not pretty like the fancy-pants kind.)

Sewing Madly

I'm working very hard on a large order for a local gift shop.  The photo is of a series of hotpads I'm making, some for my etsy shop and some for the large order.  The order is a good thing, since etsy sales have been low this year for me.

I am not fond of this photo, but I didn't have time to ask Jennifer Jo for photography tips this past weekend (and retaking photos falls pretty low in my priorities).  We talked nonstop - it was great fun to meet another blogger in person and fill in gaps - and I had to tear myself and my yawning family away.  I've already pestered her to meet again and this time, I will make a list so I don't forget all the things I want to ask.

In the car this weekend I finished sewing up 9 of the hotpads.  That feels good.

Community Gathering for 200

Our church has hosted a community gathering meal for years now, maybe even a decade.  It's a free meal once a week and anyone who wants to come, may.  The idea is to build bridges in the community, to get away from a soup-kitchen mentality, to focus on community (Mennonites are big on community).  Church members and neighbors come, as well as people who don't have enough money or food on their own.

Once a year, I volunteer to coordinate the meal with my Sunday School class as my crew.  I decided a menu four years ago.  It is nourishing, easy to assemble, makes trouble-free leftovers, and uses local foods, so I haven't changed the menu at all.

Per person:
1 baked potato
2/3 cup homemade chili (on top)
2 Tbsp. grated cheese (on top)
1 cup steamed broccoli
apple slices or a whole apple
piece of homemade cake
milk, coffee, and/or water

We prepare food for 200, but last week, we only served 159, so there were some leftovers.  Today I'm shredding potatoes to freeze.  They are delicious fried up as hashbrowns at breakfast, or used in all the homey casseroles that call for a bag of "frozen hashbrowns."  I'm experimenting with freezing cooked potato cubes as well, thinking of cottage potatoes.

It's also become sort of a tradition to have creamed broccoli leaves on biscuits for breakfast at our house a few days after the community meal.  I can't bear to compost the broccoli leaves, the most nutritious part of the vegetable, but they're not appetizing to the general public and way too many for me to eat by myself.

Traveling Silverware Rolls

I often pack up our place settings for picnics, potlucks, or church meals.  I've got thrift store plates, mugs, bread plates, and bowls.

Up until last week, I would grab some dinner napkins and silverware to go with the picnic stuff.  My husband frowned on that, as he recalls digging through drawers in the church basement, trying to find a missing spoon. 

I suddenly realized that I could buy four knives, forks, and spoons from the thrift store and set them aside for just taking places.  Is this not an obvious solution?  It only took me about 6 years to come to it.

Then my mind worked a little more quickly and came up with a clever way to get the napkins and silverware along on the picnic.  It's efficient, cheap, and nice to look at!  I took those four cloth napkins I bought for no good reason and stitched bright pockets on them.  The pockets are thin enough so the napkin is still useful as a napkin, but secure enough so the silverware stays tucked in there for the ride.  I fold the top of the napkin down over the pocket and roll it up. 

 

It feels good to have solved a household problem so satisfactorily!

Pizza Cups, a Lunchbox Revelation

Pizza cups are an answer to prayer for our lunchboxes. They are easier to eat and stay nicer than sandwiches.  They can be stashed in the freezer for a panic-free lunch-packing session.  The children love them unequivocally.  I can make them with whole foods.  We love everything about them!

I found the concept online somewhere (Pinterest, maybe?), but I made it my own.  I'm giving you the blueprint, and then you can plug in your biscuit recipe.  I'll give you the pizza sauce recipe, too, since it's a good one and so easy.

How to make pizza cups:

1.  Make a batch of biscuit dough.  I make whole wheat Basic Biscuits from More with Less.
2.   Divide the biscuit dough into 12 cups in a regular-sized muffin tin (for reference, my biscuit recipe uses 2 cups of flour and I got 11 pizza cups total). 
3.  Press the dough into little crusts, like little bowls inside each muffin cup.  Children love to do this. 
4.  Put 1-2 Tbsp. pizza sauce in each one.  Top with 1-2 Tbsp. grated cheese and any other pizza toppings you love.  (Here I discovered that we were out of mushrooms, so I used green olives.) 
5.  Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.  Serve warm, or allow to cool and then freeze.

Pizza Sauce (tweaked from Simply in Season)
The awesome awesome awesome thing about this recipe is that you do not have to peel the tomatoes.  Just remove their little brown stem spot at the top and whiz-wheeeee in the food processor!  I don't know exactly why, but there won't be any hard little shreds of skin when the sauce is done; my theory is that the long cooking softens them completely.  The sauce is robust and fresh-tasting and fabulous.  I triple this recipe and can or freeze a batch or two at the end of summer.

Puree in blender or food processor until as smooth as possible:
2 lbs. very ripe tomatoes, cut in rough chunks
1 small onion, chopped roughly
1 chili pepper or a sprinkling of red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic

Pour puree into saucepan.  Add:
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
Italian herbs to taste (I like it rather herby and I use dried herbs:  heavy on basil and oregano, with some thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and a pinch of fennel)

Bring to a simmer and then keep it at a simmer, uncovered, over low heat for at least 1 hour, preferably 2.  You want the sauce to reduce and thicken.  Check the flavors.  I usually add a few more pinches of herbs and sometimes I simmer it almost 3 hours.  Your house will smell delicious.

 

Linking up with Eat Make Grow!

Stash-Busting for Men*

My husband is trying to clean out the basement.  To that end, he and the children started making a clubhouse in the back yard in June.  It's 80% done.

The only thing he bought so far are the cement things used as the foundation, a few 2x3 boards, and the plexiglass sheet that replaced the window glass.
 

 

The paint, other boards, roofing, window, and door all came from the basement.  Ben has explained to me that he is allowed to open the window and prop up the roof any time he wants; he says it will be especially handy when it gets hot in the summer.

I'll take a photo when the doorknob is finally on so you can see it in all its cuteness  (right now, I am begged to come outside at all hours to tug the door open for the children).  I'm thinking the clubhouse needs a window box, scalloped trim, and curtains.

The children are thrilled.  My husband and I have weakly said no to all pets so far:  we were so pleased to say yes to a clubhouse!

*Title suggested by my husband.

Yogurt in Glass Half-Pints

Rebecca mentioned an article to me about how the chemical BPA in plastic is likely one of the factors in the alarming rise of childhood obesity.

I suddenly realized that I was using plastic yogurt cups from the 1970s in my yogurt incubator.  My next thought was substituting glass half-pint jars instead.  It works!   And it's so much more aesthetically pleasing: a reminder to myself to step back and look at my routines sometimes, to see what can be improved.

I get the screw-top lids at an Amish store, but you could just use the canning lids and rings.