Wild Card Wednesday: Boy Race Car Birthday Cake

So my little guy's birthday was this past Saturday and as I was contemplating what kind of cake I wanted to make for him I finally narrowed it down to a car cake of some kind since he is way into cars at the moment. I google searched car cakes and found an idea quite similar to this one I did. I saw this and knew it was exactly what I wanted. For the link to the cake I found click here. 

First thing I did was grab two pieces of paper and my two 8" round pans and traced each one on the paper. I then cut them out so I had two circles. I cut a little bit off the first circle so my cakes would fit nicely together. You can see this better in the next picture.

I then traced the number two on my paper. This is my outline for the cake and for especially making the "2"

Next I baked my cakes. I did two round cakes with two layers. Using my outline I created I cut the cake where I needed to have them fit nicely together.

Next I covered the bottom layer with some homemade buttercream frosting I made and lightly frosting the top layer. It didn't need to be frosted perfectly on top because I would be adding more frosting on later.

 For the number "2" I was going to use fondant like the gal said she was going to use, but then I thought oh what the heck I might as well try the same stuff she used cause it looked like it turned out alright so I did and I was glad that I did. For a tutorial on how to use modeling chocolate click here.  Below is  my black chocolate :)

I then rolled my chocolate out on the counter. Make sure to sprinkle some cornstarch on the surface otherwise the chocolate will stick to the counter!!! I cut up my number 2 to make it a little easier to cut and handle.

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Here's the my 2 on the cake:)

I then filled in the areas missing frosting.

I then covered the top of the cake with more frosting and used a Wilton tip #21 to make it look like grass along the race track.

For final touches I put in two candles, two toy cars and lined the race track with some yellow gel I got at the store. I was a little bummed that the yellow was a see-through yellow rather than like an opaque yellow if that makes sense, but nevertheless it still turned out cute and my little guy loved it!

Foodie Friday: Tortellini Salad

I recently made this salad for a family gathering and it was a huge hit! It would be the perfect salad to serve at your family parties/bbq's this summer. Make sure to double the recipe cause it doesn't make very much unless you plan on just making some for your own little family. Try it out and see what you think!

Tortellini Salad

Salad

• 1 large pkg frozen cheese tortellini
• 1 16 oz can black olives, halved
• 1/2 c cheddar cheese, cubed
• 1 medium head broccoli

Dressing:

• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp marjoram
• Milk
• Juice from half of a small lemon

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain. Allow to cool in the fridge. Meanwhile cut up all other salad ingredients and put into a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl, using just enough milk to create a dressing consistency. Pour over salad. Toss tortellini into salad. Refridgerate for 30 minutes or as long as overnight. Make 10 servings.

You can find this awesome post linked up to the following Fantastic Parties:

DIY Thursday: Chalkboard Table

My kiddos love to write with chalk. Usually its outside on the sidewalk and then the chalk gets left outside and stepped on or the sprinklers get it. Luckily the dollar store has cheap tubs of chalk :-) The past while I have noticed that in the mornings before I get up they have been playing school and using these tiny chalkboards i found at the dollar store ( I like that store :-) ) They don't quite work with 2 kids trying to write. So I had the idea of turning a coffee table into a fun chalkboard table. So I started keeping my eye out for people selling old beat up tables for cheap. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm super cheap) It took a few months but someone was selling the almost perfect table for $5!!!

Can't beat that! The only thing it was missing was a drawer (I wanted a drawer to be able to keep the chalk supplies in).

Once I got the table it was time to get to work. I turned out easier than I thought.  All I had to do was lightly sand it to.get the top shiny coat off.

Then once that was done I got some cute spray paint and sprayed it. Once it was dry I noticed there were bubbles in some parts so I sanded those down and sprayed over those parts. If you look close you can still see them but since this is just for my kids I wasn't worried about getting it perfect.

 Then.I got some chalkboard paint from the craft store. There are recipes to make your own but I didn't feel like doing that.

It took about 4 coats of it to get it covered but I blame that on my crappy paint brush....I thought I had a good paintbrush but I didn't and I didn't want to go to the store again. Once you let the paint dry, the bottle said 24 hours, you are good to let the kids have fun!! This will be great in the winter or those days the kids wake up at 6am in the summer......

Wild Card Wednesday: Green Smoothies

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try out green smoothies.  I had one day and decided I really need to make this a daily part of my diet.  I started doing some research for recipes, etc and found they had many health benefits.  I have noticed a big difference in how they have helped me.  My body seems to function better when I have had one.  I really crave them when I don't have one. 

Here is my basic recipe
2 cups spinach
2 cups frozen fruit
2 cups water
1/2 cup apple juice (with no sugar added)
sometimes I add a tablespoon of Honey or Agave.  Usually its sweet enough without. 

Since I have a simple and cheap blender I start by blending the spinach and water and apple juice.  I then add the frozen fruit.  I have done many combo's of frozen fruit.  I buy my spinach and fruit at costco.  Of course you don't have to buy it there but it is cheaper to buy in bulk. 

Here is some combo's I have done
strawberries and banana's
strawberries, mangoes, pinapple, papapya
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

Try them out they are really good. 

Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Mint Brownies

 I found the original recipe over at How Sweet It Is, one of my favorite blogs to follow.  Once I saw it, I had to try it.  Mint Brownies are one of my favorite things....mint and chocolate go so well together =)

Mint Brownies

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2/3 cups chocolate chips 

mint layer

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp creme de menthe extract

chocolate fudge layer

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 7x11 inch cake pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one and then add vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter in the pan. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Let cool completely before adding mint layer. 

When cool, add mint layer.

Mint Layer:  Beat butter and powdered sugar together until combined. Add in creme de menthe and mix until smooth and mixture completely comes together.  Add more or less powder sugar until reaches spreadable consistency, but not runny. 

Spread on brownie layer, then refrigerate until set, about 1-2 hours.

Chocolate fudge layer: Melt chocolate and butter together, then pour over top of mint layer. Refrigerate until set, another 1-2 hours. 

Sprinkle with some mint chips =)

You can find this awesome post linked up to the following Fantastic Parties: