Cake Batter Muddy Buddies

The words Cake Batter and Birthday Cake always catch my eye.  When I discovered Birthday Cake ice cream, it was a life altering event. 

Here is a fun recipe that would work great for a party, a classroom event at school, goody bags, party favors, or simply for moms to gorge on while sitting around talking trash.  These are easy and good. (Not to be misinterpreted as good for you.)

This recipe can easily be doubled - just alter the measurements below and use an entire box of Rice Chex.

A double batch will fill up a gallon size ziploc.

Cake Batter Muddy Buddies
Makes 5 cups

5 cups Rice Chex cereal
10 ounces (5 squares) vanilla flavored Almond Bark
3/4 cup yellow cake mix

1/4 cup powdered sugar

colored sprinkles

vegetable shortening, optional

Directions:
1. Pour 5 cups of Chex Cereal into a large bowl.
2. Melt Almond Bark according to the package directions, adding vegetable shortening to thin if desired.
3. Pour Almond Bark over cereal, stirring and folding until the cereal is completely covered. Generously shake sprinkles over mixture and fold them in as well. so they stick to the Almond Bark.
4. In a large bag or covered container such as Tupperware, put cake mix and powdered sugar and shake to mix evenly.
5. Pour the Almond Bark covered cereal into the large bag or container containing cake mix and powdered sugar. Seal the bag or container and shake until all the cereal is coated with the powdered mixture.
6. Discard excess powder and enjoy!

Knock You Naked Brownies

I have made a lot of recipes recently that just didn't have that zing factor.  So many of these recipes have been pulled out of my favorite cookbooks (Barefoot Contessa - come on!  Owen's birthday cake was a huge let down.) 

So, after weeks on the brain and with promises of flying clothes, I finally made Knock You Naked Brownies.  The wait was worth it. 

You should make these right now!

Knock You Naked Brownies
Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)

1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans (optional - I didn't use.)

1/3 cup Evaporated Milk

1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)

1/2 cup Butter, Melted

60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped

1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans (optional), 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk.

When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.

When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Under Construction: Boys Bathroom Makeover...

The last of the sky blue walls and the sweet baby boy white shower curtain with red cars ...

Here begins the transformation to slimey green walls and hard core camo!

Standby for the ultimate BOYS GONE WILD transformation...

(George Brown character by Aaron Blecha)

Feelin' Crafty ...

So I get a picture and text from my good buddy, Wren, who lives right around the corner.  She has an excellent sense of humor - a happy mix of cynical and sarcastic and just down right knee slappin' goodness.  Her text says, "I'm a crafty bitch today ..." with a picture of a wreath that she made to hang on her front door.  This, of course, gets me all excited (and makes me laugh hard enough to require a Depends Undergarment too, I might add.)

In my excitement, I decide to make a heart garland - in celebration of Valentines Day ...

     
Yes, I am sure that this might seem a bit elementary to you (it did to me too), but cutting and pasting has a calming effect on my high-intensity brain.  Even the piles of paper cuttings didn't freak me out until the very, very end. 

This is what I used to make my grade-school garland...

I love paper clips and twine - don't you?  They make me happy ...

Even just one is cute ...

But a few more are even cuter ...

Love ...

Now who made this big mess?  (Pretend you don't see the tea cup.  Sheesh!)  

And for the finale - Wren's fabulous and highly crafty wreath!  Love!

Lotsa projects going on at the Murphy house...

Pinewood Derby Car Fabrication & Design... 

For those of you that do not have a resident boy scout up in da house ... The Pinewood Derby is a race of the fittest and finest of boy scout and parent fortitude. 

Boys and their Dads (or Moms, Grandpas, Uncle Doug-Bob-Joes) spend some quality time together designing, cutting and painting a regulation car to eventually race for the prize against other boy scout contestants in their pack or den. 

For some, this is crazed competition and tension is high.  We are sort of middle-roaders on this.  I know that we Murphys can become fierce
(S-O-C-C-E-R, ya'll), but this is a much more calm sport and that is, of course, the way it should be, after all.  I mean - ya can't run head on at everything like a lunatic banshee jacked up on Red Bull & Starbucks ... right?  Right?  Right. 

This is Miles' car...

and Owen's ...

These are the early stages, of course.  Soon they will be macked-out with all sorts of Pinewood Derby regulation bling - both to win and to wow the spectators.  Standby for updated shots of these fantastical cars.