Birthday Cake Part 2/Field Trip Friday

My Sous Chef turned two on April 7th. Last year she was super sick and spent the night before her birthday party at our local Children's Hospital. Needless to say, no birthday party for her. :( This year she is healthy, happy & thriving so she got not one but TWO birthday cakes! One on her actual birthday and one on that day of the big party. I'll have that recipe later (thanks Robin!) but today is the recipe I actually made. I wanted something pink and other than that I had no idea what to make. I used the power of SwagBucks and found a recipe for a yummy looking strawberry cake and another recipe for a rhubarb frosting and an idea was born! Strawberry Bundt Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Frosting! And MAN was it good!

So here is a little field trip to the blog that gave me the fabulous pink cake recipe. I can't wait until strawberry season is back so I can make it again! Enjoy.

Birthday Cake Part 1

The first few weeks of April are crazy around here! April 1st is my husband's birthday, then next is my dad's on the 4th. My Sous Chef was born on April 7th and my great grandmother (who my Sous Chef is named after) turned 94 this year on April 10th. Now...add in Easter to the mix and you can understand why things get a bit nuts. Not to mention school for Monkey, pool therapy for my back, Sous Chef learning to use the big girl potty and all the other daily things that add to our wonderful but chaotic life. So it's no wonder I was at a loss of what to make for my Number One Taste Tester's birthday. I was sore (it was a therapy day for me) and didn't have a lot of time.

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

For my birthday this year my good friend Kathy made me a wonderful dinner, bought me a cool new cheese knife and some schmancy measuring cups and gave me a jar of preserved gold! I can't think of a better summer dessert than fresh strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and served as is or over ice cream. We have it quite a bit here and everyone loves it...even the kids.

But Kathy 'kicked it up a notch' and made Strawberry Balsamic Preserves. WOW. What a treat. I've tried it on the classic PB&J, spread on whole wheat toast and even swirled into some Greek Yogurt. Every way has been a treat. I may never go back to plain strawberry preserves again. It just won't be the same.

I asked Kathy if she would share her recipe and she did. She even said I could share it with everyone else. So here it is. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Scotchies

It's officially Fall here in MN but with the recent snowfall it's looking a lot more like Christmas. Christmas means cookies to me! Okay...so it's more then cookies but you can't tell me you don't love all the cookies that seem to surround us at Christmastime. The younger of my Taste Testers loves Oatmeal Scotchies. He loves the smell of the cinnamon and says it makes the house smell yummy. He's right. So bake up a batch and enjoy the Fall/Winter Weather. Enjoy!

Homemade Fresh Caramels

I pulled this recipe out of the archives for Tina. I haven't made these in awhile...I usually save them to make as gifts around the holidays. But I might need to make a batch and add some extra liquid to make caramel sauce for the Ultimate Fast Chocolate Fix.

This is fool proof - you just have to watch the temperature. I've never made candy before and my 2nd batch turned out perfect. They are really rich, creamy and yummy - they'll keep for up to 3 weeks and then the sugar starts to crystallize. Enjoy!

Do not try to make these low in fat - I did and they are not the same.

MSG Free Ranch Dressing Mix

My friend Robin gave this recipe to me. She found it on the blog I've listed below. In the past I always hated Ranch seasoning because I always felt horrible after eating it. Now I can enjoy the ranch love! Warning - this makes a LOT of the dried seasoning mix. You will have enough to share with a friend. Make someone's day and Enjoy!

Super Bowl Super Dessert (Roast Your Own S'mores)

This is so easy it's wrong. And what better food idea for a Super Bowl Party? It's interactive and tastes good too. Monday morning people won't even remember the game or the commercials...they are going to be too busy talking about your dessert.

Amy's Hot Cocoa Mix (Just for you mom)

I make a huge batch of this a couple of times each winter. This year we gave the mix as Christmas gift. It was a hit. My mom asked for the recipe and I kept forgetting to get it to her so I told her I'd put it here for everyone.

WARNING: This makes a huge batch. Give some away but make sure you keep enough for you...because it goes very quickly. Enjoy!

Yes, I'm already thinking about Valentine's Day (Cheese Fondue)

I love Valentine's Day. Some might say I'm a little obsessed. I think it stems from the fact that my brothers'(yes, twins) birthday is the day before so my parents always celebrated Valentine's Day pretty big. I always remember it as a big deal.

So in my house Valentine's Day is always something special. I star planning the menu right after New Years. Dinner includes candles and a nice bottle of wine for the grown-ups. Chocolate is a must at some point. But a romantic dinner is always the star and now that my little guy is big enough we even have our very own waitstaff.

But this year we have something extra special. My friend Kathy shared her amazing Cheese Fondue recipe. It's divine. I'm counting the days until I get to eat it. And Valentine's Day seems like the perfect opportunity. Enjoy!

The Crack Sauce (Warm Butter Rum Sauce)

This sauce was originally made to go with the Cranberry Orange Christmas Cake but it has so many other options. Ask my friends Kristen and Barbara. They poured it just about everything they could at our annual Mom's Night Out Holiday Party!

The Christmas Cake (Cranberry Orange Cake)

I can't take total credit for this cake. I first had a similar one when my aunt made it for Christmas about 7 years ago. It became an instant family favorite.

Then about 5 years ago I decided to make this cake and it's yummy sauce to give as gifts for Christmas. Ah-Karumba! That year I baked close to 30 cakes to give out to family, friends and business acquaintances. Thus a tradition was born and I still do Christmas Cakes each year. This year I added a new cake to the mix...but here is the classic and still the most popular.