Edible Gifts......

I recently received an Edible Arrangement

as a Gift....

This was my first experience with Edible Arrangements,

I like to try something that's new to the market first 

or have a very good referral from a reputable source,

before giving as a gift, especially if the item is 

in any form of food...

I guess per say,

I want to be the critic and if it meets my

standards for giving to someone as a gift with my name attached...

The verdict on

Edible Arrangements....

Two Thumbs Up..!!!!

I was very pleased with the amount of fruit carefully

tucked and displayed in a small container...

The fruit was very fresh and reasonable in portion size,

with the crisp freshness lasting until the last piece was eaten...

The chocolate used for those pieces coated with 

Chocolate was of a good quality and the coating thickness

of the chocolate was dense, covering most of the

fruit if not completely...

 This arrangement shown is comparable to the size I received,

my strawberries were chocolate covered, tho...

And they were delicious..!!

I can now add

Edible Arrangements to my list for

Gift Giving..!

Link to Website for Edible Arrangements

He Is Risen....

Believe...He Is Risen

Glorious Easter Morning Sunrise

Here in Pennsylvania...

 

"Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, Awake my soul and sing
From the darkness comes a light
Awake my soul, Awake my soul and sing
Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, Awake my soul and sing
Only You can raise a life
Awake my soul, Awake my soul & sing!"

 

Many Blessings and Happy Easter to my Friends...

Have a fantastic day celebrating with your family and friends!

K

Gooey Goodness

 Ice Cream Birthday Cake

 As I had mentioned in my last post,

my son's birthday was this weekend...

Instead of the traditional "decorated cake"

I decided to make an 

Ice Cream Cake...

And...Wow!

What a cake it was....!

 I started with Oreo Cookies for the crust..

blending the cookies to a very fine consistency with my Oscar.

 I then melted a stick of unsalted butter in the microwave

and poured the warm butter directly into the 

Oreo Cookie Crumbs...

After mixing the cookie crumbs and melted butter

together....

I placed 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of a

Spring Form Pan...

Evenly spreading the cookie crumbs

as I gently pressed down on the mixture

across the entire bottom of the pan..

 After the mixture was evenly spread,

back to the freezer for about 30 mins,

this allowed for a nice firm crust..

 Now comes the fun part...

I used two gallons of Ice Cream,

One each of Black Cherry and Vanilla Bean...

I allowed the ice cream to thaw a bit before spreading 

in half sections using 3/4 of each flavor..

You'll want to work fast if you allow the ice cream 

to thaw as I did...

 I then evenly spread on top of the ice cream the remaining 
cookie crumbs, a entire jar of Caramel Topping,

and half a jar of the Fudge Topping...

*I warmed the Fudge for a few seconds in the microwave

which allowed spreading of the fudge much easier..*

After the Fudge and Caramel were in place,

I topped off the cake with the remainder of 

the Black Cherry only..

 I placed plastic wrap around the bottom and sides 

of the pan and loosely laid some on top

before placing in freezer...

If you decide to use a spring pan,
you may want to place the pan on a cookie sheet or 
wrap plastic wrap around the pan,
ice cream melts quickly causing leakage...

Return the cake to the freezer over night to ensure the ice cream
to be completely frozen....

An hour before the party I drizzled more of the

Chocolate Fudge Topping on top with some

stemmed Maraschino Cherries..

Placed back into the Freezer

until cutting time....

Just look at all that gooey goodness...!!!!

This was my piece...topped with lots of Whipped Cream..!

Happy Birthday, Jere...!!!

I would definitely make this cake again..

Surprisingly, It wasn't overly sweet and was a big hit by all who

dared to dig into the gooey creation...!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

 I am a fan of Chicken...

All White meat, of course.

Here is a recipe  from Mennonite Girls Can Cook,

a Food Blog Favorite of mine.

I'm sure to be making this dish in

the very near future...!

Three Simple Steps and Ingredients....

Chicken cooked in a crock pot,

add some Salsa of your choice

and a can or fresh creamed corn.....

The different meals you can make from this recipe,

are endless..!

 For the complete recipe,

click on link below to

"Mennonite Girls Can Cook"..

Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Tomorrow I will be working on 

creating my Son's Birthday Ice Cream Cake...

So stay tuned:))

Have a great weekend...!

K

Cheaper Than Free

I'm Lovin this new song and video by

Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart..

I'm going to show my age here,

the bands from my teen years still have what it takes

to rock and one to enjoy good music...!

I hope you enjoy this short clip from the

CD "In Your Dreams" as much as I do....

 

More than a Late Night Snack....

Jimmy Fallon's Ice Cream Cake

My Son's Birthday is approaching very quickly this month,

And he has decided on this Ice Cream Cake

for "His" day..

I presented him with a few options,

and this is the one he chose...

OK...maybe I influenced him a bit

by asking..

"Hey Jere, How about I make you a yummmo Ice Cream Cake

for your birthday this year?!!"

His response,

"Sure, I like Bing Cherry Ice Cream"

Not exactly what I had in mind for the flavor,

but, hey....after all, it is "his" day.

I've already decided on topping his cake

and somewhere in the middle and possibly the bottom...

with chocolate!!

For the bottom crust I am using Oreo Cookie Crumbs,

adding some Caramel Topping on top of the cookie crust

before placing a layer of Ice Cream...

Adding at least one layer of Chocolate Fudge and Caramel

in between the Ice Cream layers...

And Topping with my Homemade Fudge Topping

and a Caramel Topping....

Maybe a few Cherries on Top also,

with Freshly made Whipped Cream for

Individual liking...

I am opting out on the Potato Chips on top, too,
Potato Chips on top of a cake remind me of college days,
When you were poor and threw together whatever you had on hand...


This would be the ideal cake for my son, though:/
Not sure the "others" would appreciate their Chips on top
of the cake rather on their plates...:))

I have one week to get this creation together...
First thing I must do,
whip up my homemade fudge...
and purchase the Ice Cream of his choice,
then it should be a rather easy task....
I'll keep you posted..!!

 Have a Fantastic Week...!
K

Here is the original recipe from Jimmy Fallon

Ingredients

• 18 butter wafer cookies (from one 6.1-ounce package)
• 4 (14-ounce) containers Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack ice cream, slightly softened
• 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce
• 3/4 cup Hot Fudge Sauce
• 15 to 20 thin salted potato chips

Directions

1. Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with two layers of plastic wrap.
   
2. Place 6 wafer cookies in an even layer in bottom of prepared pan. Using a serrated knife, cut two of the containers of ice cream crosswise, each into 4 equal pieces. Remove ice cream pieces from container; discard container. Place ice cream pieces on top of cookies in pan. Place a large piece of plastic wrap over ice cream and gently press to fit into pan; remove plastic and spread with an offset spatula to make even. Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with 6 more wafer cookies; transfer to freezer and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
   
3. Remove springform pan from freezer. Using a serrated knife, cut remaining two of the containers of ice cream crosswise, each into 4 equal pieces. Remove ice cream pieces from container; discard container. Place ice cream pieces on top of cookies in pan. Place a large piece of plastic wrap over ice cream and gently press to fit into pan; remove plastic and spread with an offset spatula to make even. Drizzle with fudge sauce, spreading gently to make even.
   
4. Top cake with potato chips; cover with plastic wrap and transfer to freezer until firm, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. To serve, unmold cake, using a kitchen torch if necessary to release sides. To slice, use a serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry with a clean kitchen towel.
   

Batter Up....

This is my Youngest Nephew, Keegan...

He started playing T-Ball this season with this being

his first official game of the season..

Keegan has been wanting to play baseball

just like his "big brother", Seth

for the past two years...

 He finally has arrived...!  

According to My Big Brother,

Keegan's dad...

Keegan was so excited:) 
to get started...

His first time up to bat,

he had a hit to first base...!!

Way to go, Keegan!

Spicy Avocado Chicken Pizza....Complements of my son!

Chocolate Cupcake topped with PB Icing, Chopped Nuts and Half Small PB Cup...