Delicious Strawberry Shortcake Snake

I found a very delicious recipe for a short cake that looks like a snake, very funny. With a few of strawberries fresh and other ingredients you can make this recipe. The kids will love this.

What you’ll need

Shortcake biscuits:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
• 1 cup milk

Strawberry filling:

• 1 quart strawberries
• 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Whipped cream topping:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Garnishes:

• 4 whole strawberries
• Green fruit leather
• Mini chocolate chips or M&M’s

How to make it

1) Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine with a pastry cutter. Or use a vegetable grater to grate the stick into the mixing bowl and let your kids take turns blending the margarine into the dry ingredients with their fingertips. Once the dough is crumbly, slowly stir in the milk

2) Turn out the dough onto a floured working surface and gently roll or pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (it should measure about 6 x 8 inches). For the best results, handle the dough as little as possible.

3) Slice the rectangle into four 1-1/2- x 8-inch strips. Place the strips on an ungreased baking sheet, then let your child mold and curve them into S shapes that resemble snakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the baked shortcakes to a wire rack (a parent’s job) and let cool. Carefully slice the cooled shortcakes in half lengthwise or split them with a fork and then set aside.

4) Wash the strawberries and let your kids select four to use for the snakes’ heads. Slice the rest of the berries lengthwise into a mixing bowl. Toss with the confectioners’ sugar and let stand while you prepare the whipped cream.

5) Combine the whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar in a chilled bowl and beat with an electric or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

6) Just before serving, arrange berries on the bottom half of each shortcake, then cover with the shortcake top. Spread on whipped cream and add a layer of sliced strawberry “scales.”

7) For the snakes’ heads, cut mouth openings in the tips of the whole berries and place one at the end of each shortcake. Press a pair of mini chocolate chip or M&M’s eyes into the sides of each head and add a forked tongue cut from green fruit leather. Serves 4.

Homemade Corn Dogs

 found a creative recipe on Life as a lofthouse blog and I decided to share it with you. Homemade Corn Dogs look like a normal hot dog but the way of preparation is a little different.

Makes 10 Corn Dogs

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (regular milk works too)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 (10 count) package Hot Dogs
10 wooden skewers or chopsticks

2 Quarts Vegetable Oil, for frying

Sparrow Shape Croissants

A good, strong coffee always goes best with something sweet and it has already become traditionally to have it with a croissant. Let’s change a little bit the ‘traditional way’ and replace the moon-shaped croissant with one having the shape of a… sparrow. Your guests will be absolutely surprised and delighted. Plus the croissant could be enjoyed by children also… even though they won’t drink some coffee as well. After the dough is prepared, follow the steps shown in the picture above to knit the composition and to give it its final shape: that of a sparrow. You may use the traditional way for making croissants. Bon Appétit !

Oreo Sunflower Cupcakes

Oreos and cupcakes: the perfect combination. We will show you today how to make this delicious desert at home. It is easy and the finished product will taste so good, that you won’t believe it. You will need: cupcake mix, Oreos, red M&Ms, black food gel color, food safe paintbrush, 2 piping bag. First of all, you have to make the cupcakes according to the instructions on the package of the cupcake mix. Then, you just select some of the M&Ms and with the paintbrush and the food coloring paint those to look just like a ladybug. When you are done, just cut the top of each cupcake and put some icing to keep the Oreo from falling apart and place the cookies on the top of the cupcakes.

After that you can start preparing the yellow icing to make your sunflower. Put it in a piping bag and start decorating round the Oreo (if you are not sure of your skills, you can practice first on a plate). Then, on the top of these petals, do some other petals, but smaller. When you are done with your sunflower, just place the little ladybug on top of it. You can also add some grass around the sunflower, it will look cute (you can do this with the help of food coloring). And that is all, your cute and delicious desert is ready.

The Most Creative And Fun Breakfast

Making your child smile is something most parents will pay many money. The secret to this isn’t money, buy time. Take a few minutes off work and make your kid the most creative and fun breakfast ever! Use the plate as a canvas and draw with vegetables, meat and spices, cartoonish characters that will put a giggle as well as a treat in your children’s belly. Try the original bull of ham and bread; or the popular Angry Birds characters. Invent your own drawing story. Go for the adventurous pirate ship, or stay in the navel area with a fish out of cheese. Paint a cat or an owl with cucumbers and pieces of fruit. Whatever you choose, use your imagination and set the perfect mood for your children right from the start of the day.

Reindeer Christmas Cupcakes

If you’re looking for an easy way to make a delicious dessert that the kids will definitely love, you should try these reindeer cupcake. Here is how you can make this Christmas a bit more fun and still be very tasty. What do you need in order to make this recipe a reality?
First, bake some cupcakes of your choosing. You could take a box mix and make some chocolate ones. Then, add on them some chocolate frosting. Fashion the antlers from pretzels that you buy from the supermarket. Use a wafer for the face and white M&Ms for the eyes, or any other type of white candy if you don’t like M&Ms. Use black icing to make the eyeballs, and brown cookie (like Cadbury) and red candies for building the nose. In a matter of minutes you’ll have a cute dessert!

Swan Cookies Recipe

You would think cookies in the shape of a swan are difficult to make, but in reality they are quite easy when you try. There isn’t much hassle with achieving this creative and yet delicious result, you just have to use any cookie dough, as long as you can roll it. Here is what you’ll need:

• 2 eggs (save the yolk of the second egg to brush over cookies before baking);
• a couple of coffee cups of sugar;
• one and a half coffee cup of vegetable oil;
• one ammoniac soda sachet;
• one coffee cup of milk;
• lemon;
• a small pack of vanilla flavor;

Start by mixing well the eggs and adding the ammoniac sachet, dissolved before in the milk. Then pour the vanilla and some lemon zest in the mix. Add plenty of flour so you’ll make a soft dough. Leave the dough to rest 1 hour in a warm place then knead it again, adding more flour. When it’s ready for rolling, spread it out on the worktable.

Take a tall glass and make some circles in the dough; each will be a swan after you’re done with the shaping process. First, fold the circle in half. Second, use a knife to cut into specific places on the piece of dough; look at the images for guideline. Take the cuts in the way you see in the photos, in order to make the neck, head and tail of the beautiful swan. Repeat the technique for the rest of the circles. Finish by brushing them with the yolk from the second egg. Use chocolate sprinkles to fashion the eyes before sprinkling with sugar on the whole pan covered baking paper. Place in oven at 180-200 degrees Celsius and leave in until it gets a golden color. Finished!

Valentine’s Day Peek-A-Boo Pound Cake Recipe

This next recipe is as tasty as it looks. Surprise your partner with a Valentine’s Day Cake that has something special hidden inside. When you’ll cut the cake, two little hearts will reveal themselves. Isn’t this cute? To make this cake with a hidden treasure, you will need:

• two boxes of cake mix;
• half a cup of unsalted butter (softened and divided);
• four eggs (divided);
• one and a third cup of milk (divided);
• food coloring (red);
• cooking spray;

For the icing:
• one and a half cups of powdered sugar;
• two and a half tablespoons of milk;
• one teaspoon of butter (melted);
• a quarter teaspoon of vanilla;
• a pinch of salt;

Serves 10
Cook time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Chill time: 2-4 hours
Total Active time: 25 minutes

In the link below are the details of what you need to prepare this delicious cake.

Easter Bunny Cake

The festivities of Easter are pretty far away but with Valentine’s Day out of the picture this year, it’s pretty wise to plan ahead; especially if you are enthusiastic about occasions to show off your gastronomical talent. Here is a suggestion that blends passion for food with that for art. Try to make this cute Easter bunny cake and give kids a reason to be more interested in this holiday, and the kitchen as well. You will need:

• a bottle of veggie oil;
• a pack of carrot cake mix;
• egg wash;
• a cup of shredded coconut;
• some jelly beans;
• a pack of food coloring of your choice;
• white frosting

It sounds difficult by the amount of ingredients and the final result, but the steps are quite simple and it doesn’t need a lot of work on your behalf. Before preparing the cake, preheat your oven to about 350 degrees, according to what pan you will use (a nonstick pan or a dark pan). Bake the carrot cake mix and leave to cool for a while before using. Now, cut a layer in three, just like in the picture. Use the knife cu shape the length of the ears as you please. Construct the body of your bunny-cake by gluing the pieces with frosting.

From now on, it’s entirely up to you what you pour on it. We gave you some suggestions on how to decorate it. Use the cup of coconut to sprinkle over the cake and give it the nice color of a bunny. Make it look more like a cartoon animal by placing jelly beans as eyes and nose. Mix in a jar some coconut with food coloring to use on decorating the bowtie and fill in some of the necessary spaces, like the ears or mouth. You’re finished. The measure of a good cook is also shown by how nice the food looks.

Giraffe Swiss Roll Recipe

When you feel like giving your dishes a creative twist, don’t think on what to do for days on end. Such acts will make you find inspiration, perhaps, but will lose interest to act on your ideas. Instead, try to implement some examples from around you, or around the world. This giraffe pattern Swiss roll is such a dish. Make this delicious dessert in a couple of hours. Here is what you need to know….

Pattern batter:
• 1 egg white;
• 2 teaspoons of sugar;
• 1 teaspoon of plain lour;
• 2 tablespoons of egg yolk batter;

Egg yolk batter:
• 3 egg yolks
• 15g sugar
• 60 ml of water;
• 40 ml of corn or veggie oil;
• 72 g of plain flour;
• half a teaspoon of vanilla essence;
• 8 g of cocoa powder;

Egg white batter:
• 3 egg whites;
• 50 g of sugar;
• a quarter of teaspoon of cream of tartar

Filling:
• frosting of your choice;
• a banana.

DIY Easter Cupcake Ideas

There are only a few days left until Easter, so you need to be prepared in time with all the decorations and recipes. If you like sweets and baking, then this next recipe will be perfect for this year’s Easter party. Make some cupcakes with Easter theme, such as bunny decorations, eggs and green fondant that reminds you of grass. To make these delicious cupcakes you will need:

• 1 and 1/4 cups of flour;
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder;
• 1/2 of teaspoons of baking soda;
• 1/2 of teaspoon of salt;
• 2 eggs;
• 3/4 cups of sugar;
• 1/2 of teaspoon of vinegar;
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract;
• 1/2 a cup of milk;
• 1/2 a cup of oil;

For the decoration, you will need:
• 2 cups of powdered sugar;
• 1/2 a cup of butter (unsalted);
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
• 4 oz of cream cheese;
• 2 tablespoons of milk;
• food coloring;
• pastry bags;
• candy eggs (Easter themed);

Make the cupcakes by combining the dry ingredients using a mixer, then the wet ones in a separate bowl. Mix them until they become smooth and creamy. Place them in the oven for 15 minutes, then take them out and let them cool. After that you can start making the icing. Use the mixer to beat the sugar, then add the cream cheese and combine everything at high speed. Add the food coloring you want and place the frosting in a piping bag. Make the grass by slowly squeezing the piping bag and gradually creating the grass. When the frosting becomes solid, take the Easter candy of your choice and put it on top of the cupcake. These cupcakes will be really popular among your children as they are cute, colorful and delicious.

Strawberry Watermelon Paradise Lemonade

Are those dreaded summer heat winking at your vacation days? Don’t know how to prepare for that time of year when you would rather be on the beach than in your home? We’ve got just the thing for you! By following the steps below, you can make your own strawberry watermelon paradise lemonade in a matter of minutes. Here is what you’ll need to have in the kitchen:

• a watermelon (preferably seedless);
• two cups of frozen strawberries;
• eight ounces of lemon juice;
• three quarters of a cup of sugar;
• a couple of cups of ice;
• straws;

Take a knife and cut the watermelon in half. Remove the fruit content from within with a spoon. Pour what you gather in a blender with the sugar, strawberries, lemon and ice. Stop mixing when you get a nice and smooth substance. Empty the blender straight into the halves of watermelon. Decorate with straws, a slice of strawberry and maybe a lemon. Enjoy your creative drink !

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

With the sunny warm days right behind the corner, you have to learn how to make a tasty and fresh dessert. So when it’s hot outside and you have no where to run away from the Sun, you will `fight` with this nice piece of dessert. We like to share this simple recipe for making vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients ( 10 servings)

500g of cream
4 eggs
100g of powdered sugar
2 Pc vanilla

Begin with taking a stew pot and heating up the cream to a boiling point. When you notice bubbles appearing, remove immediately from the oven and move on to the next task. Stir the egg yolks with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar into a porous mix. Keep on stirring while you add a bit of the heated cream. Then, pour all of the contents into the pot. Try to heat it to a boiling point again, whilst mixing, until it gets thick. Empty the pot into several small trays or bowls and freeze for up to 4 hours. If poured into one single bowl, you will have to stir very hard once in a while, like every 20 minutes. Use some ice-cream sticks to serve. Yummy!

DIY Cute Owl Cake

When you first see those cute animal or cartoon character shaped cakes, you might think a sculptor or another great artist might have been involved in the baking process. The truth behind works of gastronomical art like these is a good use of geometrical spacing and shaping. We will gladly show you just how easy it is to make an adorable owl cake, suited for any baby shower or children birthday, managing to instantly turn any frowns at a party into smiles. Not to mention it can be very tasteful as well! Here is what you need to have and do:

• cake mix (2 boxes);
• icing (a brown jug and a yellow jug);
• one 13″ round pan;
• two of 9″-inch round pan;
• aluminum foil;

It is quite simple to build the owl after you made the cake dough (follow the instructions for baking in the oven). Use the smaller pans for the big eyes, a large one for the body and the other one for cutting-out the head, wings and feet. As you can see from the picture, the pieces that need trimming are simple do produce. After you assembled them properly on a foiled baking sheet, start icing your cake. The lighter shades of icing should highlight the inner sides, like the eyes, body, respectively beak and feet.

How to Make a Watermelon Pizza

Are a lot of different variations of a pizza and every one of us has their own idea of the perfect pizza. But we can all agree that it would be awesome if there was a healthy version of pizza out there. The great news is that there is one, but it’s made out of fruits so it’s practically a pizza fruit salad. You will need a watermelon, slices of kiwi, peach, strawberries and white chocolate. Cut a large piece of watermelon, which will be the base of your “pizza” and place the slices of fruits on it. After that use a pizza slicer to cut triangles out of the watermelon and create pizza slices. At the end add grated white chocolate or coconut on top and your healthy pizza will be ready. Delicious and very cooling for a hot summer day!

How To Make Jell-O Strawberry Parfait

INGREDIENTS
1 package (3oz) Jello-o brand gelatin, any flavor
1 cup sliced fresh fruit
1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping

DIRECTIONS
Prepare gelatin according to package directions. Chill until slightly thickened. Set aside 1/3 cup. Add fruit to remaining gelatin; spoon into 4 to 5 glasses. Chill glasses at an angle until jello is set.

Meanwhile, fold whipped topping into measured (1/3 cup) gelatin. Spoon topping mixture into glasses of set jello. Chill. Garnish

How to Make: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Christmas Trees

Little Boy #1 found this cute little Chocolate Covered Strawberry Christmas Tree project in his clubhouse magazine this month. He begged to make them, and even though I knew I would be cleaning ground up sprinkles out of the my kitchen tile grout until next Christmas, I gave in because, well… it’s CHRISTMAS! #embracethemess #justhisonce

 

But really this was super fun to do with the boys and really didn’t get too out of control. I helped them each make a few trees one at a time, and I let them pick which color sprinkles and star they wanted to decorate with.

The little stars on top are from a local specialty candy store, and they really complete the look of the tree. I think you could find something similar in the baking supply section of a hobby store as well. If you are not able to find them nearby, you can order theme here . I only used the white ones for my trees, but the boys liked the colorful ones

Toothpicks are a helpful tool when you are dipping and handling the strawberries before the candy coating has set. You’ll notice that I used a white icing on top of the Oreo to adhere the tree to it’s base. You can simplify this step by just opening the Oreo and setting the tree on the frosting already inside. I had trouble separating the Oreos in a way that left all the frosting intact. Guess I didn’t have enough practice as a kid?

I would also recommend not planning on keeping these cute little guys around before eating them for more than a day. Because of the moisture in the strawberry, things can get a little soggy.

Here’s Little Boy #2 with his finished creation. “Take a picture of me with my trees in front of the Christmas tree and put it on your blog, Mom.”

Okay, will do.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces dark green candy melts (found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's)
• 1 pound of strawberries, stems removed
• 24 Oreo cookies
• White Icing
• Sprinkles
• Candy Stars (found at a specialty candy store in multicolor, but I used only white ones here)

ICING

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Add water by the teaspoon and whisk until the desired consistency is reached. You want it to be thick like toothpaste.

Directions:

1. Set a heat proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water on the stovetop (double boiler). Slowly melt the candy melts in the bowl, stirring occasionally. Do not allow moisture to come in contact with the candy.
2. Spoon or pipe a small amount of icing onto the top of each Oreo. This will adhere the strawberry to the cookie base.
3. Once candy melts are fully melted, turn the heat to low while you dip the strawberries using a toothpick inserted into the cut end.
4. Shake off excess candy coating gently. Using a second toothpick inserted into the pointed end of the dipped strawberry, carefully place the strawberry on top of the icing on the Oreo.
5. Decorate with sprinkles and a candy star while the candy coating is still wet. It will usually dry in about 10 minutes.

Rose With Cheese And Almonds

Dough: 
- 500 g flour 
- 100 grams of sugar (1 tablespoon of the leaven) 
- 3 egg yolks 
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
- 180 ml ​​of warm milk 
- 20 g of fresh or 7 g dry yeast 
- Pinch of salt 
- 100 g melted butter 
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
Filling:
- 300 g ricotta cheese (I used fat cottage cheese)
- 100 g of sugar
- 1 egg, beaten (of which fillings add just a little bit, approx. 1 spoon, and leave the rest to grease rolls)
- 75 g ground almonds (I replaced hazelnuts, but there were too few, so spiked breadcrumbs)
- Grated zest of 1 orange (I replaced a hint of orange flavor)
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
For sprinkling:
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds (omitted)
- Powdered sugar
Fresh yeast mash and mix with a spoon of sugar. Milk slightly warmed. Butter dissolve and cool. Rub the yolks with the rest of the sugar, vanilla and salt.Abraded flour mixed with lemon peel.
Add the yeast to the flour, egg yolks and milk and mix. When the uprising as stiff dough, pour the melted butter and knead for about 15 minutes by hand or mixer 7-8 minutes. Ready cake cover and leave to rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume (approx. 1 hour).
At this time, prepare the filling.
In a bowl, mix cream cheese, grated orange zest, ground almonds, sugar, if necessary. Orange-flower water and a small amount of giddy eggs - approx. 1 bucket, no more (the rest of the egg for brushing consume rolls).
When dough divided into 12 parts. Each part of the roll out cookie with a diameter of 15-16 cm. Cut crosswise without cutting measure. Applied to the center of the filling to form balls the size of a walnut. One part of the cover filling, creating the first petal. Continue with the remaining petals - important to do it in one direction and not crossing the petals. At the end of the protruding "horns" it is good to wrap underneath buns.










Buns put on a baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth (preferably covered with a dry cloth and lightly spray over the top, so it was not too wet) and leave to rise for ½ hour. 
During this time, preheat the oven to 190 o C. Coat the rest of the egg rolls grown mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of water and, if necessary. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for about 20-25 minutes browned. 
Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.