Be the change: 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries..Best Dessert Ever!

Ingredients:

20 - 25 large strawberries

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar (tip: you can make your own!)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

a few graham crackers

First thing's first, wash the strawberries and cut off their little hats.

The next step is to core them. For this all I used was a paring knife. This may seem daunting at first, but after the first three you really develop a system, and it's all down hill from there.

Next, just beat the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar until it looks fluffy.

To fill the strawberries you can use a piping bag, or if you don't have one just snip off the corner of a ziplock baggie, fill and squeeze.

You can use another one of those little bags to crush the graham crackers in (I didn't have these, so I used a graham cracker crust). I think it's best to crush them until they're pretty fine.

Once all of your strawberries are filled (with just a tad coming out of the top), gently roll the tops in the crushed graham crackers. Then BAM! You're done...unless you feel the need to drizzle melted chocolate on them : )

These are the perfect afternoon snack! Or dessert. Or whenever you're hungry.

P.S. If you don't have powdered sugar on hand, like me, no worries this is how you make it. It's so simple you'll never want to buy powdered sugar again! All you do is blend granulated sugar with cornstarch (1 tsp. of cornstarch for every cup of sugar) until very fine and powdery. BUT, make sure that the lid for the blender is on tight, and you may want to give it a minute to settle after you turn the blender off or you'll end up with a powdered sugar kitchen!

Monday, September 5, 2011

why buy a diaper cake when you can make one?

So I'm going to a diaper shower in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to do something fun with the diapers. Last Fall I made a 'conventional' diaper cake for my sister-in-law, but this year I decided to step it up a little and make something a bit more adventurous...a motorcycle cake! This is so easy and fun, there's no reason anyone should have to order one. Here's a step-by-step, enjoy!

What you need: 34 infant diapers, 3 receiving blankets, 2 washcloths, 2 bibs, 1 pair infant socks, 1 10oz bottle, rubber bands, scissors, pins, decorative ribbon, a stuffed animal & an 8" bowl or cake pan.

To Begin: In the bowl or pan, begin assembling the wheels as follows, using 17 diapers:

Once all 17 diapers have been placed, secure with a rubber band

Repeat.

Add the ribbon of your choice so that the rubber band on each tire is hidden. Secure with a pin.

The Next Step: Fold the first receiving blanket in half, then roll it up (To make the next steps easier, you may want to secure each end with a pin).

Feed the rolled blanket into the center of the front tire and pull through so that the tire is in the center of the blanket.

Pull each loose end through the hole of the back tire, secure by pinning the ribbon to the diapers in the center of the hole and tuck loose ends back in.

After That: Fold, roll and pin the second blanket, just as you did the first.

Pull the blanket through the front tire as shown.

The Mud Flap: Place the first bib on the front tire.

Secure the handle bars with a rubber band, or a chain link teether toy.

The Headlight: Place the bottle in the gap at the bottom of the handlebars (you can wrap it in a washcloth if you have one).

Finishing Touches: Put socks on the ends of the handle bars, place second bib (just like the first), and tie a cute little ribbon to hide that rubber band, and fold the remaining blanket twice to make the seat.