March Madness favorites

March sure was crazy, but I still had time to eat. Here are my favorites for March!


Breakfast: Cinnamon Honey Bunches of Oats
The first time my dad bought this cereal was for my mom because she usually doesn't eat cereal. by the time she decided to eat it i had already eaten 3/4 of the box.

Dinner:  Parmesan Tilapia. For my moms birthday we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Personally I am not a huge seafood fan (I am Getting better though) So I was a little disappointed. I got the Parmesan Tilapia and it was wonderful. My plate was the first one with nothing left. Yum I am getting hungary just typing about it.

Fruit: FROZEN GRAPES<3 I love frozen grapes!! They are like little candies. At the last few group sleepovers I have been to, we eat frozen in the middle of the night instead of chips or candy. The last sleep over, we must have gone through 2 pounds of grapes.







Beverage: V8 Splash Berry Blend. I never had had v8 juice before. I really enjoyed it. 




By others: I have two favorite foods that others made because they were just so good I couldn't chose


One of my best friends Mariel (she wants to be a baker)  made chocolate chip cup cakes and brought them to school for lunch. I am lucky enough to have her in my lunch and my civics class:-) They were delicious. She always makes the best frosting


I also really enjoyed Amanda's ( the middle school Pastoral Associate and girls group leader at church) chocolate pudding cake. She made it for Girls Group and I am pretty sure the everyone went back for seconds.  


Here is a link to Amandas Fabulous blog.  http://weitzelberger.blogspot.com/

I made: The best thing that I made this month was my Blueberry-lemon Swirl Cake.

Snack: My favorite snack this month was Ritz Crackers with peanut butter on them and a ritz on top. 

Blueberry-Lemon Swirl Cake

For my Mom, my Aunt (my mom’s twin), my Grandma and my Uncles Birthday Party I made a Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Cake. And let me tell you it was delicious!! The cake is super moist and dense, just the way I like them. And to my disappointment, the whole cake was eaten with no left over :-( however, I am happy that everyone loved it that much. It is the perfect spring cake, so if you have to bring a cake for Easter, a baby shower or any types of spring function, but you don’t want to bring a plain old cake. I highly recommend making this. The best part of all is the base of the cake is just a boxed cake mix, and the flavoring comes from lemon jell-0. Super easy, but it makes you look like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours.

 

Lets Get Cookin’

Lets Get Cookin

 

Ingredients

1 pkg. white cake mix

¾ c. water

3 egg whites

2 tbls oil

1 pkg. (3oz) lemon flavored jell-o

1 cup blueberries

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, sofetened

1 whole egg

3 tbsp water

 

 

 

Pour half the cake batter into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan; cover with layers of cream cheese mixture and remaining cake batter.

 

Bake 45 to 50 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.

 

Place cake on plate. (not the one you are going to serve the cake on). Microwave 3 Tbsp. water in microwaveable measuring cup on HIGH 30 sec. Add to remaining dry gelatin mix; stir until dissolved. Brush over cake until mixture is absorbed. Place on serving platter. Refrigerate leftovers.

Heat oven to 350ºF.Beat cake mix, 3/4 cup water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add 1/4 cup dry gelatin mix; beat on low speed 1 min., then on medium speed 4 min. Stir in berries; set aside. Beat cream cheese and whole egg in small bowl with mixer until well blended

 Beat cake mix, 3/4 cup water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer until well blended.

 Add 1/4 cup dry gelatin mix; beat on low speed 1 min., then on medium speed 4 min

 Stir in berries; set aside

Beat cream cheese and whole egg in small bowl with mixer until well blended.

 Pour half the cake batter into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan

Cover with layers of cream cheese mixture

 

Cover with layer remaining cake batter

 Bake 45 to 50 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan

for 10 minutes

 

 Loosen cake from side of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan.

Cool cake completely. Place cake on plate  (not the one you are going to serve the cake on)

 

 Microwave 3 Tbsp. water in microwaveable measuring cup on HIGH 30 sec. Add to remaining dry gelatin mix; stir until dissolved.

 

 Brush over cake until mixture is absorbed

 Place on serving platter.

 The cake sat on my lap for a 30 minute car ride. I was soooooooo hungery by the time we got to my aunt’s house!

 A tip for covering things without lids. Use tooth picks and plastic wrap. Poke a few tooth picks in the food and drape the plastic wrap over. That way the plastic wrap won’t pull off the icing:-) This tip was brought to you by Mom. When you don’t know what to do ask Mom<3

êêCritics Ratingsêê

Meêêêê1/2  Dad êêêêê Momêêêêê Paul êêêê The rest of my familyêêêêê

Would I make it again…

Yes, I am not much of a cake fan. I like more sophisticated cakes like this, or things such as ginger bread cake. So I will definitely be making this again.

What would I do differently…

I would add a ¼ cup of sugar to the cream cheese mixture to give it extra sweetness. I added about an 1/8 of a cup, but it could have had some more added.



Chocolate Cinnamon Squares

                 
These were amazing! I have been trying to venture out and make more of a variety of things, other than the basic cookies and cakes. Just because it gets kind of boring following the same recipes and knowing what everything will taste like. On Tuesday I was looking thru our cook books because I am making the dessert for my Moms, Aunts (my mom’s twin sister) and my Grandma’s birthday and I stumbled across this recipe, so I decided to make it. It was really simple and quick. They would be great for any type of party, get together and I think I might make them for the next time we go camping.

Lets Get Cookin’

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 egg, separated

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 oz of semisweet chocolate morsels

½ cup chopped pecans (optional (I did not put them on))

Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter, egg and egg yolk, mixing well. Press evenly into a lightly greased 15-x-10-X-1 jellyroll pan. (I used a cookie sheet because our jelly roll pan is MIA)  Beat egg white slightly, and brush over mixture.

                Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, chocolate and pecans; sprinkle over bottom layer. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into 2 inch squares.

Yields 3 dozen

Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl.

 Add butter, egg and egg yolk, mixing well.

 Press evenly into a lightly greased 15-x-10-X-1 jellyroll pan. (I used a cookie sheet because our jelly roll pan is MIA)

Beat egg white slightly, and brush over mixture.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, chocolate and pecans

   

sprinkle over bottom layer

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes

My amazing plate my grandparents got for me.

Cool and cut into 2 inch squares.

êêCritics Reviewsêê

Paul êêêê Mom êêê1/2 Dadêêêê Me êêêêê Trevor êêêêê

Would I make them again…

YES!! I absolutely loved them. My brothers friend Trevor said “these are the best things that I have ever eaten. Well not as good as pizza, but the next best thing!” My mom was in the living room while they were baking and thought the smell was different than the taste (I think she was craving oatmeal scotches at the time) so she gave it a three and a half.  I am not positive if her rating counts ;-). My dad thought they were a bit to cinnamony, but I didn’t think that there was enough cinnamon. Who knows really.

What would I do different…

I would make it in a jellyroll pan. Granted the cookie sheet worked well, I just wished the side were a cleaner cut.