My Easter Bunny

This cake caught my attention because it's not your ordinary Easter cake. Who doesn't love a big fluffy butt? Especially a bunny's butt!

My husband even wanted me to make it. Plus it's semi-homemade...from a box that is!

Happy Easter!

Bunny Butt Cake
Source: Betty Crocker

• 1 box cake mix
• water, oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• tray or cardboard covered with wrapping paper and plastic or foil
• 1 can frosting
• red color color
• 1 large marshmallow, cut in half
• 3 cups shredded coconut
• green food color
• 2 strawberry or cherry taffy candies
• 1 fruit roll-up, orange or berry punch
• 3 green colored sour candies, seperated into strips
• contruction paper

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray). Lightly grease 3 muffin cups in regular-size muffin pan. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour cake batter in 3 muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Pour remaining batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl.

Bake cupcakes 17 to 21 minutes, bowl 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from muffin cups and bowl; place rounded sides up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. If necessary, cut off rounded tops of cakes.

Spoon frosting into large bowl. Add red food color to make desired pink color. Place bowl cake on tray cut side down; spread 1/3 cup frosting over cake. Use frosting to adhere cupcakes to bowl cake for feet and bunny tail. Use toothpicks if necessary. Place marshmallow halves, cut sides down, on tops of 2 cupcakes to make heels of feet. Spread thin layer of frosting over side and top of cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 45 minutes to set frosting.

Spread remaining frosting over cake. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the coconut; press gently to adhere. Shake 1 cup coconut and 3 drops green food color in tightly covered jar until evenly tinted. Surround bunny with tinted coconut. Use rolling pin to press strawberry candies into 2 large rectangles. Cut 2 large ovals and 6 small circles out of candy. Press onto bottoms of bunny feet, using frosting if needed.

Roll up fruit snack to make carrot shapes. Cut green sour candies in half crosswise; press into large end of each carrot to make greens on carrot. Cut ears from construction paper; wrap ends that will be inserted into cake with plastic food wrap. Insert into cake. Remove ears, plastic wrap and toothpicks before serving. Store loosely covered.

Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

This has been a long time coming....

I've been thinking about this pizza for months and finally got the opportunity to have made it! About a year and a half or so ago I ordered this pizza at a restaurant in North Liberty, it was so good....even the leftovers were phenomenal. I've thought about it ever since......::sigh::  Why it took me so long to make it I don't know BUT I finally did it and it was just as good as I remember (okay not as good as from the restaurant but still pretty damn good!). I've never made anything Thai prior, it was the first time I've ever used the peanut sauce, which can be found in the Asian isle. This was the first time I used the Pillsbury Pizza Crust as well, it was pretty good for a store bought dough. However I like making my own, it's more fun but I was short on time and did not prepare myself ahead of time to make this meal so we'll call it semi-homemade ;)

Thai Chicken Pizza
1 pre-made pizza crust or homemade dough
1 - 7 ounce jar peanut sauce
1/8 cup peanut butter
8 ounces cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into stripes
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
cilantro
1/2 lime
red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used Pillsbury thin crust Pizza Crust. Roll out dough and prebake as directed, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the peanut sauce and peanut butter.

Spread peanut mixture over pizza crust (I reserved about 1/4 of the sauce to toss the chicken with)

Arrange chicken, red and green peppers, carrots, green onions, and red pepper flakes over pizza. Sprinkle with cheese evenly over top.

Bake 8-12 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with cilantro and squeeze lime juice over pizza slices then serve!

Woola...Easy and delicious! Plus you can experience with whatever toppings you want.

Chocolate + Mint

You know how I love things semi-homemade....this is a great recipe to add to the list. As there's not a whole lot you have to add to the brownie box mix! Plus chocolate and mint go great together. I made these for our St. Patty's Day celebration at work.

Okay so I stole the picture, mine didn't turn out this beautiful looking but they were still delicious :)

Mint-Chocolate Brownies
Source: Betty Crocker


Brownies

• 1 box Supreme Premium brownie mix
• water, oil, and oil called for on brownie mix box
• 1 cup mint-flavored chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

Mint Frosting

• 1 cup vanilla frosting (from 16oz container)
• 1/4 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring, if desired

Chocolate Glaze

• reserved mint-flavored chocolate ships
• 4 tsp butter
• 4 tsp corn syrup
• 1-2 tsp hot water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350F degrees. Grease bottom of 9-inch square pan (I used a 9x13). make brownie batter as directed on box, stir in pecans and 2/3 cups of the mint chocolate chips, reserve remaining chocolate chips for glaze. Spread batter in pan.


2. Bake as directed on box mix, depending what size pan you use. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.


3. In a small bowl, stir frosting ingredients using spoon until well blended (I used the entire can of frosting since I used a bigger pan). Spread frosting over brownies.


4. In 1-quart saucepan, heat Glaze ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in hot water, a few drops at a time, until mixture is then enough to drizzle. Let cool about 5-10 minutes to thicken up a bit. Drizzle over frosted brownies. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until glaze is firm. Cut and serve!

One Great American Recipe!

Who doesn't love getting a Cookie Cake from the Great American Cookie Company. Dave gets one every year for his birthday since he's not a huge fan of cake. I'm okay with that since they are so good!

I've always wondered how they get their cookie so soft and delicious, and evenly cooked. I've tried in the past to make them with just a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, as I'm sure many of you have as well, put it's just not the same! It doesn't turn out soft and chewy, and it's usually never evenly cooked (done in the middle but crispy around the edge). So I tied looking around for a similar recipe as we all know you can find them on the Internet now. I found a semi-homemade recipe, which just means less work ;)


Great American Cookie Company Big Cookie Recipe

Depending how big you want to make your cookie, all you need THREE ingredients!! Pre-made Chocolate Chip cookie dough, light corn syrup and canned frosting.

The formula: For every roll of cookie dough (16.5 ounce size), you add 1/4 cup of light corn syrup.

I made mine on Valentines Day for just Dave and I, so I just went for a small cookie in a 9x9 pan and only used one roll of cookie dough.

Mix cookie dough and corn syrup together with stand or hand mixer until smooth.

Pour into greased pan.

Pat it out to fit the pan with your hand. Wet your hand and this will be a breeze! Keep wetting your hand, don’t worry about getting water on top of the dough as it will evaporate in no time once you stick it in the oven!

Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of cookie you are making. If a little cooks up onto the sides, I just trim it off with a pizza cutter. Mine baked up really puffy at first but went back down, hence the need for the pizza cutter to trim the edges.

Duncan Hines Classic Chocolate is right on the money for what the Great American Cookie Company uses. I added pink sugar crystal sprinkles on just the lettering for Valentines Day ;)