Cake pops

So ever since these cute little guys have come out I see them everywhere and they are so cute!! So I thought I could use these for my skewer week, so rather than buying sticks if you cut the tips off of your skewers and then cut them in half you have the perfect little bamboo cake pop sticks. Now I must also let you know that baking is not my fortay.....I enjoy cooking a lot more than baking because of the freedom of cooking. Baking requires more precise work and that just isn't me as much. I changed up what is normally used for icing these treats and used royal icing, you can fid a link below for the recipe although I would't say it is necessarily an improvement from the melting chocolate. Play with them and let me know what you think!!!

Enjoy!!

Loves, SMK

Ingredients

boxed cake mix of your choice

container of frosting

30-40 sticks

royal frosting

chocolate to drizzle, sprinkles and any other decorations

Check out some other great Black and White photos at B & W Wednesdays.....

Once your skewers are cut you will have these lovely little sticks that work wonderfully as pop sticks
Now start by preparing your cake per directions on the package, let the cake fully cool and then start breaking it up into tiny pieces in a large bowl.......

Next you want to add in about 3/4 of your container of frosting into the cake mixture and continue mixing until very well combined.....

Using an ice cream scoop take equal size amounts of batter and roll between your hands to form into round balls of cake.....once you have them spread out you can skewer them with your bamboo sticks. Now throw the whole amount into the freezer for an hour for the cake pops to firm up.

While in the freezer prepare your icing that you want to use to decorate the cake pops, here I made royal icing for these cake balls.

Now comes the fun part.....decorate decorate decorate......whatever you like whatever works for you!!

Enjoy!!

Royal Icing

Pioneer woman cake balls.....the inspiration

I love when my husband does the work :)

First things first I have to confess that I did not make these kabobs, I can thank my wonderful husband for preparing and grilling this delicious treat! This has to be my favorite summer meal....you can experiment so much with the marinades that you use and also with the ingredients that you actually put on your skewers.

We like to let the ingredients marinade for at least 2 hours before getting them onto the grill.....when my husband is really ambitious he really likes to play with different flavors.....this time we used two marinades but he has done more....yum yum yum!

Enjoy!!

Loves, SMK

Grilled Steak Chicken and Veg Kabobs

Ingredients

1/2 pineapple

2 peppers of assorted colors

2 zucchini

1/2 red onion

head broccoli

steak

chicken

marinades

we used Trader Joes sweet chili sauce

and the honey ginger soy dressing made last week

Start out by soaking bamboo skewers in small amount of warm water for about 20 minutes. While they are soaking cut up all veggies fruit and meat into bite size pieces, put them into corresponding freezer bags......add in 1 cup of whatever sauce you plan to use and marinade for at least 1 hour.

After ingredients are finished marinading take your skewers and start slowly alternating different meats and veggies onto skewers leaving space in between for cooking. Finish with all remaining ingredients....take skewers out to your grill and grill flipping repeatedly until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove from grill and enjoy!

http://www.braswells.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=REC46

Here is a link to another great recipe from my friends at Braswells, they make those great carafes we used last week but also so many other great sauces and other great ingredients :)



My first Milestone :)

Wow, so I made it through my first week....I have to say that I am having so much fun with this blog. I have always enjoyed cooking and it is so great to see something you create that normally is gone as quick as you create it become immortalized.....I mean once its out there its always out there. So I have been racking my brain.....what to do next, I have just so many things rolling around in my head....the days don't pass fast enough but this week we are feature something so simple and fun;

Bamboo Skewers

Such a simple product, so easily used, so much room for creativity and so affordable. This week is going to be so fun, kabobs, and satay, and fruit, and veggies, and cake, and carnival treats oh my :)

The greatest part is that you don't have to use bamboo there is such a wide variety of reusable options out there today, but I just love the novelty of these skewers.

Sunday Bloody Sunday!!

Whats better on a Sunday afternoon than a delicious fully garnished Bloody Mary!! My girlfriend Jenny is the queen of Bloodies so she will be my guest for this post!! I have a lot to live up to as she has her favorite places to get one already. I think it is hard for me to get this right because I am more of a mimosa kind of gal :)

The great thing about this weekend treat is that there is no right or wrong, add subtract what you like and or don't, garnish as you like as well......pickles, olives, pearl onions, asparagus, celery, slim jims, lemons, pretty much anything pickled. Just be careful so you don't get pickled yourself ;)

Enjoy!! Please Drink responsible......Jenny

Lover,  SMK

Sunday Bloody

2 oz vodka

small can tomato juice

1 tbsp beer, rest for chaser

1 tbsp worcestire sauce

1 tsp horseradish

1 tbsp pickle juice

slice fresh lemon

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp pepper

1 stalk celery

1 pickle

Into a shaker combine vodka, beer, pickle juice, squeeze of lemon, worcestire, horseradish, celery salt, and pepper. Close shaker and vigourasly shake, add in can tomato juice, close and shake again. With a slice of lemon rub on rim of carafe, roll lip through small layer of celery salt to coat lip, pour mixture over ice in carafe and garnish with lemon, pickle, celery and anything else you would like!!!

Enjoy!!