My Hubby's Birthday Cake! (New Ruffled Technique)

How did I forget to include my hubby's birthday cake in the blog this week?

Shame on me!

I had been wanting to try this new ruffle technique for quite a while, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to bake a cake for any occasion yet.

I had originally seen the tutorial for this technique done in pink...but anyone who knows my hubby knows he's a big burly teddy bear of a guy, so pastels would never float, LOL!

And he is an "all chocolate" kinda guy...so I figured that would "man it up" a little bit, teehee!

I was a little intimidated to try it...but I watched the video over and over and just went with it.

Honestly, it wasn't that hard at all!

I'm sure mine isn't perfect, but I was pretty darn impressed with how it turned out for the first attempt!

The top is a little plain/simple.

I debated on putting maybe some chocolate roses...

But my hubby isn't a roses kinda guy, LOL!

He's pretty basic..."Just make it taste good.  I don't need fancy", he always tells me.

Haha.

I had a lot of fun with this technique and can't wait to try it again in different colors.

I think even a multi-color ruffle would be pretty!

Ooooh...my creative wheels are spinnin' now!

LOL!

I did a yellow butter cake, filled with vanilla pudding filling, and this is a chocolate buttercream icing.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Many folks each year always ask me about what recipe I use for roasting pumpkin seeds.

I have used the same recipe for years and years.

It came from an old work cookbook...one that was put together by the emloyees of the company I formerly worked at.

Each year, my boys and I roast our pumpkin seeds as they make such a tasty snack.

I see many people already carving jack-o-lanterns, however I don't recommend doing this until closer to Halloween.  We usually do ours the night before.

If you have any sunlight and warmth, your jack-o-lantern will rot and cave in and look like a wrinkled old man before Halloween even gets here.

No one wants a yucky jack before Halloween night!

We love putting a fall candle in ours on Halloween night so our whole porch smells of autumn as trick-or-treaters come up the walkway!

So without further ado...here's my recipe!

2 c. seeds, washed/dried
1 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt

Pour in a thin baking sheet and bake at 250 for two hours or until golden brown.
Yummy!

I ((((((heart)))))) Halloween!

I am worse than a kid in a candy shop.

I will admit it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE HALLOWEEN!

I guess maybe I never grew up.

I love dressing up (in costume)!

I love digging out all my Halloween shirts and jewelry!

I love pulling out all my decorations for my home and yard!

I love baking and cooking for Halloween!

Next to Christmas and Easter...it's my favorite time of year!

I got some new cookie cutters a couple weeks ago and tried them out this week.

The witches and cauldron were some of my favorites!

As were the bats and black cats!

My youngest son was particularly fond of "Frank" (enstein)...

I didn't do much with these little haunted houses, as I don't really have much experience yet with "detailing" cookies.

But I loved the grave-stone and bats!

I wasn't real thrilled with the jack-o-lanterns either, but my son loved them...so that's all that matters in my book, LOL!

The candy corns were A LOT of fun!

Though they did turn out nearly flourescent!  LOL!

I'm hoping to do another "round" of Halloween cookies soon...

Planning to make some for my son's class party and also my daycare kiddos!

More pics to come soon!

Autumn Leaves...

This past weekend, I did some autumn leaf cookies.

So many bakers have been doing autumn leaf cookies lately...and mine don't even BEGIN to touch their beauty.

But hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right?

They were really fun to make, as I had new leaf cookie cutters.

Had I planned better, I could've used Stephanie's from Ellie's Bites Decorated Cookies recipe for MAPLE COOKIES!

She sent me some of hers and let me tell you...they were YUMMY!

My family (who doesn't even usually care much for maple) LOVED Stephanie's cookies!

And...hers were beautifully done too!

If you'd like to try her recipe, you can find it here. 

I just went with a basic sugar cookie recipe this time.

Maybe next fall, I'll be more prepared, LOL!

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats...Have You Tried Them Yet?

My previous post was for these Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats...

Have you tried them yet?

I did.

And they are so yummy!

I used my pumpkin and candy corn cookie cutters to cut them into cute little shapes.

They taste just like fall!

In case you missed the recipe, you can find it here.

If I'm not mistaken, these marshmallows are exclusive to WalMart...so you might want to check there first, as I've heard this is the only place you can find them.

Well, what are you waiting for?

If you like the flavor of pumpkin...you'll love this childhood favorite treat!

We do!