The World's Finest - Superman and Batman Cakes

My kids may be grown up...but I never will.

I wanted to make them each a superhero cake but they don't like fondant or sugary frosting so I used whipped cream and sugar sheets. Here's how I made them:

First I had to bake the cakes and then I cut off the tops to make them even.

Then I put whipped cream and homemade blackberry jam in-between the layers.

Then I put whipped cream all around the top and sides.

Then I started on the designs. First I had to google the superhero emblems to get it right and I printed them out so I wouldn't forget.

Then I cut out the iconic emblems and held them up to the sugar sheets to make sure I cut them out properly.

I laid them on wax paper so they wouldn't stick to anything. I needed to create the emblems in layers.

I used an exacto knife to get the lines right and I cut the sugar sheets out on a cutting board so I wouldn't cut into the table.

After I created all the emblem pieces, I used frosting to piece them together (frosting is the glue that holds them in place).

Then I put them on the frosted cakes.

But they still needed some embellishments: licorice and candy.

I always keep wax paper underneath the cakes so I can transfer them easily to the cake stands. After I have them positioned on the cake stands, I use candy around the edges to make it look like clean lines.

I made a few mistakes while I was making these cakes. Here's my tips so you won't make the same errors:

1) Make sure you measure the top of your cake against the emblems you're going to put on top. I made mine too big and had to cut them down to size so they would fit properly.

2) Count out your candies so you are sure you have the proper count of black to red...I had to skimp and scrimp to cover the edges.

3) Don't cook your cakes until the tester comes out clean - they are over done if the toothpick comes out clean. Leave them a little damp, they continue to cook for a few minutes after you take them out of the over and there is nothing worse than dry cake. (I didn't make this mistake - but it's easy to do).

In the end, I thought they turned out cute...even if they are a little kidish for a 29 and 25 year old ;D

Long Labor Day Weekend Begins today - Look Here for Events

Portland knows how to party and if you're looking for some fun ways to spend the days, click on this link to find concerts, shows and ways to celebrate. Or just type in pdxpipeline.com to find all the fun ideas of ways to spend your weekend.

I hope you all have a funtastic time with family and friends. Remember it's the last official weekend of summer! So don't waste it.

Progress on the Room

Some of you have followed along on this remodeling journey from the beginning. When the ceiling was way too low.

So they looked around to see what they could do

And they decided to raise the roof and rip off the walls...

Well, it's been a long process but the room is finally painted.

Now there's just the trim for the windows, the final coat of pain, the deck off the french doors, the refinishing of the floor...YEP, we're almost there.

Salmon Balls

Salmon balls or salmon patties are delicious for dinner and Super Simple to make. Here's how you do it.

2 cans of canned salmon
2 packages of saltine crackers
2 eggs

Mix ingredients together until you have a nice mash.

Then using your hands, squish patties (just like hamburgers) and fry on a cast iron pan that's coated with olive oil until the outsides turn golden brown - or for about 3 minutes on each side.  You can salt and pepper to your own taste. But, I like to squeeze fresh lemon on my patties.

Serve with rice and creamed spinach...at least that's how I like to serve them. Super healthy and tasty.

EZ Cooking and healthy too!

Squash Minions

Okay, so I'm on a Minion Mission. . . or kick, or whatever you want to call it.

But since I love Halloween...and all holidays...I wanted to start practicing my pumpkin carving. So, why not start with a Minion?

This is how I did it.

I pulled out some duct tape, yes, we do have lots of colors of the stuff sitting around the house.

I used yellow, black and the old standard gray.

I started with a little pumpkin and some yellow duct tape.

I started covering the pumpkin in tape.

Then I used garden wire to make the monocle and wrapped it in gray duct tape and the sides in black duct tape.

This is a no muss, no fuss pumpkin carving.

The Next Level SCBWI Professional Series

The SCBWI is offering free seminars for children's book writers and illustrators.

The third Saturday of each month at TaborSpace on 5441 SE Belmont...you can take your writing to the next level. Doors open at 2:00 and speakers start at 2:30 p.m.

The first session launches in September so mark your calendars for September 21, 2013 and keep watching here for more information or pop on over to the SCBWI website and check it out.

Minions Galore

 

So I wanted to create my very own minions but it's hard after working all day and coming home tired BUT this is a super way to make your own minions with hardly any fuss, muss, or cuss...ing ;D

I got this from a Pinspiration I found on-line and then simply quickened up the process.

First I stopped at the store and bought some marshmallows, candy eyes and white chocolate tinted yellow.

Then I simply microwaved the chocolate in a cup, stuck lollipop sticks in the marshmallows and took the little minions for a dip.

 While the chocolate was still warm, I stuck candy eyes on them.

As you can see I used bamboo shish-kabobs to lengthen the sticks so I could put them in glasses until the chocolate hardened. Then I made some frosting (but you could buy your own at the store and just color it with food coloring).

I like cream cheese frosting and it's so easy to make:

1 2 lb package of powdered sugar
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup water

Then you blend the ingredients until smooth and separate it into a couple bowls so you can add food coloring and make different colors of icing.

Then I use a pastry bag and a small tip to pipe my icing but you could use a baggie and just snip off one corner and squeeze out your frosting.

Then I added blue pants

Super simple and oh so fun...ny :D