CaKe ANyOnE?

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I've been working on Birthday Party things and other fun stuff...Anyhow, this was the first year that my oldest didn't have a big family birthday.  He had a couple friends stay the night, but I still had to make him a cake and this was his choice.  A Monster cake.  I was happy with how it turned out.  I love making cakes for my boys birthday's.  

Here are all the cakes I have made in the years past...

6 year old wants a Monster Cake
I got my inspiration here

One year Old in a Flash

Train Birthday for a 3 year old

5 Year Old Dinosaur

Barn Yard for a 2 year old
my inspiration

4 Year Old Retro Cowboy

Cute as a Bug 1 year old

Noddy for a 3 Year Old

Train in a Tunnel for a 2 year old

A Monkey Birthday for a 1 year old
My Inspiration 

I CANNOT believe I have made this many cakes or that I have a 6 year old.  I can remember making this Monkey cake like it was yesterday, not 5 years ago.

Well, if you have a birthday coming up, hope you have a fun cake to celebrate with.  And if you have to make a cake for someones birthday, hope this give you some inspiration!!!

rhubarb oatmeal muffins

I got some fresh rhubarb the other day and wanted to try something new and found this muffins recipe. I love muffins and so do the boys. They make easy breakfasts; however, this was not my oldest's favorite. He said they were to sour. I really liked them and so did the rest of us.
 

rhubarb oatmeal muffins 

In a small bowl, whisk together:

1 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oil
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until evenly combined.

Fold in 2 cups chopped rhubarb.

Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Fish Cakes...

I was looking for new recipes for tilapia and this is one I found that the entire family really liked!!!

Fish Cakes...who would have thought that my boys would like this, but they really were very yummy and easy. Here is the recipe:

Dijon Fish Cakes from realsimple.com

Ingredients

• 4 6-ounce tilapia fillets
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup panko
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 ounces salad greens

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Place the tilapia on a rimmed baking sheet and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool and flake into small pieces.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, eggs, dill, and 1 tablespoon of the mustard. Fold in the tilapia and panko. Form the mixture into 8 cakes and chill for at least 30 minutes. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the tilapia cakes until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, the remaining 1 teaspoon of mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the salad greens and toss to combine. Serve with the fish cakes.

I partnered them with green beans and garlic buttered noodles.  

I will be making these again for sure. 

Fun Food

I was going to post another muffin recipe, but I haven't taken pictures of them yet, so it will have to wait. In the mean time, here are some fun things that I have made for the boys recently...

My oldest, who is in Kindergarten, usually eats hot lunch, but when he doesn't I try to make him something fun.  Here is a bologna sandwich with gold fish and blueberries & cucumbers.

   

This is the VERY YUMMY Creamy Hazelnut Dip I made the other night for Date Night.  Was it every good.  I highly recommend it!

This was actually my oldest's sons design.  He wanted a "silly snack" after school, with which I was unprepared, so this is what he came up with.  It's a frog.  I made him a lunch that matched today, so I'll try to post it sometime too.

I made this a while ago, but just loved it and had to share it!

This was a very tasty dinner.  I'll share the recipe below, to the best of my ability.  I made it up and didn't write it down.  This is the big kid version.

This is the one year old version.

These were quesadilla.  I made a filling of canned black beans that I pureed  and to that added sour cream and cumin.  Then I mixed shredded cheddar cheese and a carrot puree.  I spread the bean mixture on a tortilla then topped it with the cheese mixture and  put the top tortilla on.  Then I baked it in the oven, I'm guessing at 350^ until the filling was melted and they were a bit browned.

Sorry for the lousy directions, but I really don't remember exactly what I did or amounts I used, but they were really good!!! 

Our Favorite Banana Muffins

I Love Banana Bread and Muffins. After much searching I found this recipe that I really like. It is simple, easy to make and very tasty. I have made them as the recipe called for as well as with the substitutions listed below and they turned out well both ways.


Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!

Basic Banana Muffins  

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I have also used white wheat flour)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil ( I have also used apple sauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, mash the bananas. Add egg, oil and vanilla; mix well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full.
• Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutritional Facts1 serving (1 each) equals 209 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 209 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Originally published as Basic Banana Muffins in Taste of Home December/January 1998, p14