Food Archives • Page 6 of 7 • diy mama

by Shelly on November 9, 2015 10 Comments

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutMovieNight #CollectiveBias
Inside Out was a roller coaster of emotions but I loved every second of it. To get our #DisneySide on, we saw Inside Out the day before our vacation to Disney World. Sophie can’t sit through movies at the theater yet, so I was anxiously awaiting it’s release on BluRay + DVD at Target. I wanted her to see this movie now as she’s learning about emotions and how to talk about them, but it will definitely be watched several times throughout her life. Inside Out is a timeless story.

I had to get the movie (and a little Joy figurine for Sophie) the day it came out and was so excited to have a special movie night as a family on Friday. We’ve recently started ‘no tv until the weekend’ and it’s only going to get harder with the cold rainy weather, making last Friday’s movie night that much more special! I also really wanted to have a family movie night because…

We’d finally get to say ‘OK!’ to her when she repeats ‘show?’ for the 10000th time.
I wanted to see what I missed from the first viewing in theaters (you know how you always pick up on more detail the second time?)
I’d seen this polka dot cake on Pinterest, that I hadn’t seen until after Sophie’s birthday, and desperately wanted an excuse to make it. My family was not disappointed.

Movie snacks were a must but I wanted to have an assortment that would make everyone in the family happy. I picked up some trail mix, sweet and salty popcorn, tortilla chia rolled chips and apple juice to go along with the Inside Out Memeory Orb cake. Not surprisingly, Sophie just wanted more cake. Speaking of cake, here’s how you can make it at home:

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Ingredients Needed:

2 boxes of white cake mix
Vegetable oil (amount depends on which cake mix you get)
Egg whites (amount depends on which cake mix you get)
Vanilla pudding mix
Cookie spray and flour
Food coloring gel
2 tubs of white frosting
Cake pop mold
3 6″ round pans
Round cereal (or other Memory Orb candies)
Jelly Beans

Mix cake as directed by the box. I made one box as directed but added the vanilla pudding mix for added moisture in the cake pops since they will be baked twice. I waited until the cake pops were baked and cooled before I mixed the second box to insure it would be fresh.

Divide the cake batter into 6 bowls. Using 1/4 tsp of red (Anger), yellow (Joy), green (Disgust), blue (Sadness) and purple (Fear) coloring gel, mix the cake batter well. You will have cake batter left over after filling your cake ball mold. I poured them into cake liners and took them over to a neighbor as a ‘thanks for being cool’ treat. Be sure to follow your cake pop mold’s instructions on greasing. I recommend filling but not overfilling (like I did) the cake pop molds. The less overflow you have, the less you’ll have to trim off once they’re baked. Remember, you want round orbs for your cake.

Joy helped me make sure all the memory orbs were safe before I put them into the oven. After greasing and flouring, I filled each 6″ pan with a small amount of white cake batter and placed the cake pop orbs evenly on top. I filled each of the three pans equally with the cake batter before placing them on a cookie sheet in the oven.

This next part was my favorite part of making this Inside Out Memory Orb cake. I used a knife to level out each cake, revealing the brightly colored orbs. As you may have seen on Twitter, despite using cooking spray and flour on each pan, one still broke in half. Thankfully once it was covered by icing in the end so no one could tell.

I first did a quick crumb coat of icing on the cake and let it sit in the fridge to harden. I followed it up with a thick layer of icing, topping it with memory orbs (Trix cereal) and Joy added an extra layer of her memories along the bottom to make sure we were all super happy to eat this cake.

I have to admit to you, I was extremely nervous to cut the first piece. I knew the orbs were beautiful inside but was worried that they would all be one color (with my luck). Thankfully I got each wonderful emotion in the very first slice.

I would definitely say we each added a yellow orb to our memories after this fun Inside Out Movie Night. Be sure to head out to Target (because I’m pretty sure I don’t have to twist your arm) and pick up a copy of Inside Out on BluRay + DVD. My favorite is always the deleted scenes and bonus features and the extra 20 minutes in Inside Out did not disappoint. For added Inside Out fun, check out Kim’s Inside Out Emotions Game that you can cut out and play along with the movie. Sophie wasn’t quite ready for the dice rolling part but she really liked recognizing and replicating the emotions she made.

You might also like my Movie Night Snack Necklace:

by Shelly on October 13, 2015 6 Comments

Easy Fall Chili Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameTimeClean #CollectiveBias

I love having people over. Especially during football season when the air is crisp, the leaves are crunchy and the smell of chili is filling our home. Chili is my go-to meal during the fall and winter months. The best part about this easy fall chili recipe is being able to whip it up in the morning and have it ready to be dished out for dinner when you get home. It’s also the perfect dish to bring to a tailgate or fall pitch-in because you’ll always come home with an empty dish.

When we go tailgating we bring along our camping tub that has our outdoor essentials. Paper plates, plastic silverware, cups, toilet paper (you never know), hand sanitizer, Viva® Vantage® Towels and my homemade lemon cleaner. When you get a bunch of rowdy sports fans together, playing bags, throwing the football and spilling their chili, you’ve got to have fiber-packed paper towels like Viva® Vantage® Towels to clean those tough messes.

Easy Fall Chili Recipe

Servings: 6 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Passive Time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (could be substituted for any meet. ex: polish sausage, ground turkey
2 40 oz cans chili beans (Brooks is our favorite brand)
1 15 oz can black beans (rinsed)
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown meat and sautée onions. Toss all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, bacon, hot sauce or crackers.

And don’t forget the Viva® Vantage® Towels found in the paper towel section at your local Walmart, to help handle the mess.

If you’re planning on hosting a tailgate using this easy fall chili recipe, don’t forget easy clean up with Viva® Vantage® Towels (coupon) and print out these free Tailgate Printables to help make your football party more festive!

( click photo to download your free tailgate printables)

All this talk about chili has gotten me excited for Sunday’s football game. Be sure to stop by Walmart to pick up a pack of Viva® Vantage® Towels for your next tailgate. What is your go-to tailgate recipe?

by Shelly on April 20, 2015 3 Comments

Gooey Granola Bars

Hi guys! I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Kid Chef recipes to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Laura posted this granola bar recipe at Heavenly Homemakers and I knew it looked like a super yummy snack that would be a great recipe for my kid chef!

The title is extremely accurate. These granola bars are super gooey which is a great sensory activity for toddlers. This recipe is super easy and customizable. You can have your kids choose what additions to make to the recipe. There is only one part that an adult would need to help with, depending on the age of the kids.*

Ingredients Needed:

1/2 c peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 c honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1 c oats
1 c (total) of any combination of : sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, dried fruit, coconut flakes etc.

Continue Reading about Gooey Granola Bars →

by Shelly on July 7, 2014 3 Comments

Summer Martini Recipes

Cheers mates! Summer time, for me, always means martini time! We went on vacation last week and made up a new martini that was SO delish that I knew I had to share! I thought I might as well share a few other of my favorites as well so here are 5 of my fav martini recipes!

I might as well start with the Snicky Wicky which is the martini we made up this past week while playing a game of Wahoo. This martini was a dessert drink that took a lot of control to pace myself! Needed: Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, Smucker’s Carmel Syrup, 1oz Amaretto, 3oz Roasted Carmel Whiskey, 1oz Bailey’s Irish Cream, and 1tsp cream. Swirl the glass with both syrups in whatever artistic fashion you desire. Mix the remaining ingredients over ice and add to prepared glass. Enjoy! You could also use carmel vodka in place of the whiskey.

My most favorite martini, to drink while having sushi, is a mango martini. It goes heavenly with the coconut mango shrimp tempura sushi. Averie posted an amazing Mango Coconut Water Tropical Martini that honestly made my mouth water reading about it. Needed: 1.5oz Mango Passion Fruit Schmirnoff Vodka Light, 1.5oz coconut water, and 1oz pineapple juice. Shake ingredients over ice and strain into glass. Averie made them look super cute using mango, pineapple and maraschino cherries. This summer I’ve been really digging lemonade since we swore off soda a couple months ago. I made a strawberry lemonade from scratch that was stellar but this Boozy Peach Lemonade on Style Me Pretty looks like my next weekend BBQ drink! I love it because you can make a big batch and let guests serve themselves! Needed: 2oz (or so) peach flavored vodka (Absolute APeach), 1.5c sugar, 1c hot water, 2.5c lemon juice and 1c peach juice or puree. Stir sugar in hot water until dissolved, add vodka, lemon juice and peach juice. If using peach puree add to glass before pouring in other ingredients. Add thyme or peach as garnish.

Another killer summer party quencher is this Strawberry Watermelon Sparkling Sangria from Kelly at Nosh & Nourish. Ok, I know, it says sangria…but it’s just so pretty, I drink it in a martini glass and call it a martini. 😉 For some reason, I’d never considered mixing strawberries and watermelon but they are amazing together! Needed: 1c vodka, 1tbsp key lime juice, 1c chopped strawberries, 1c chopped watermelon, 1c watermelon juice (after straining), and 1bottle sparkling white wine. Combine vodka, lime juice, strawberries and watermelon in a large measuring cup to marinade for an hour. Using a strainer, juice the watermelon chunks to extract the juice. Add everything together in a large pitcher and serve immediately. Garnish with fruit or mint leaves.

I’m such a sucker for packaging! I bought this Kinky liqueur a few years ago and have mixed it with Sierra Mist and OJ but didn’t LOVE it until I came across this Kinky Blow-Pop recipe by Jessica at The Novice Chef. It is darling with her heart shaped lollies but like it with strawberry or watermelon blow-pops! Needed: 1.5oz Kinky liqueur, 1oz bubblegum vodka, 1oz pink lemonade and a splash of sprite. Garnish with a red sugared rim and a lolly pop.

Who’s coming over for some tinis?! Good thing my best friend is coming to visit this week so I can quench my craving! Which one are you going to try first? What is your go-to martini to make when having friends over or to wind down from a hectic week?

Click on each photo for a re-direct to the photographer.

by Shelly on May 21, 2014 6 Comments

How to Make Baby Food

Everything is more fun when you do it with someone! I’ve been making Soph’s baby food for at least a month. It’s been easy because she doesn’t eat much per day so it goes a long way once I make her food. She’s starting to eat more though, so I was happy when my friend asked if I wanted to do a day of baby food making. I’d say it was quite easy and efficient!

I took Soph over with me and she did her thang (lots of loud yelling) while we steamed, chopped, baked and pureed our hearts out! It makes me feel proud when I make her food. I’m not against store-bought baby food, we’ve given it to her, but I enjoy saving money while knowing the exact ingredients in the little bean’s food. Also, I have the time and tools to make it so I’d kind of feel bad if I wasn’t making her food. 😉

We made four different meals, two of which, I’d never made. We picked up a bag of spinach, a bag of carrots, three acorn squashes and 4 sweet potatoes. We used an oven, a microwave, a borrowed Beaba babycook, and a Cuisinart food processor. We also have two different methods for freezing and storing. My friend has these trays which stack well and have a lid but are a bit tougher to get the food out. I have these that have no lid (I use foil) but the food pops out easily and you can use them for brownies (their main purpose)!

I really liked making this food with two people because while my friend worked on one food, I would be working on another. First, we cleaned all the vegetables. For the spinach we de-stemmed the leaves, put them in the Beaba to steam and attempted pureeing it in the Beaba. The consistency seemed pretty difficult for our new eaters, it only lasts 3 days in the fridge (you’re not supposed to freeze spinach) and it didn’t make very much for the quantity of leaves we bought. For the carrots we peeled, chopped and steamed them in the Beaba. The Beaba did a good job of steaming the carrots but we weren’t able to fit that many in the container so we had to do two rounds of steaming. We, again, attempted processing the carrots in the Beaba but transferred them to the food processor because we didn’t like the consistency.

For the sweet potatoes we poked them with a knife, wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven at 425F for an hour. Once we pulled them out of the oven we peeled, quartered and threw them into the food processor.

The acorn squash is my favorite food to make because it’s the easiest and yields the most food. We cut the squash from top to bottom, scoop out it’s seeds, put the halves upside down in an inch of water in a glass baking dish, and put it in the microwave for 20 minutes. Once we pull it out of the microwave we scooped out the insides and threw it in the food processor. Most vegetables you could mash well enough with a fork, including the carrots, sweet potatoes and squash, if you didn’t have a food processor.

After splitting everything, We both ended up with two full trays and meals for the fridge for this week. We were happy that we didn’t buy any more food because we wouldn’t have enough freezer storage. We also learned that spinach isn’t worth our effort because of the small amount yielded and that we’d buy a lot more carrots next time. We’ll also be using our steamers next time, rather than the Beaba for steaming because we can do a larger quantity. Next time we’re going to try broccoli, cauliflower and turkey!

Have you pureed your own baby food? What was your favorite methods? What did your babies LOVE to eat?? Be sure to check over at my friend Beth’s site to see how myself and other mommy bloggers make time for ourselves!

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Easy Fall Chili Recipe

Easy Fall Chili Recipe

Gooey Granola Bars

Summer Martini Recipes

How to Make Baby Food

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