Rainbow Poke Cake

From: Something Swanky

Ingredients:

• 1 white cake box mix + ingredients listed on box (or make your own batter from scratch
• Food Color Gel
• 1 - 8 oz tub Cool Whip
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 15 golden Oreos, crumbled

 

1. Mix the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Divide the batter into six bowls (it comes out to a heaping 1/2 cup per bowl).
2. Dye each bowl of batter a different color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple).
3. Pour each bowl of batter into a well greased 9x9 cake dish. Don't try to marble or swirl the batter. Just pour each one right into the center of the dish, one on top of the other.
4. Bake according to the directions on the box, approximately 45 minutes. Toothpick inserted should come out clean. Let cool completely.
5. Poke holes evenly throughout the cake (roughly 20 holes). Pour the sweetened condensed milk over top of the cake, trying to fill the holes as much as possible.
6. Spread the cool whip over top of the cake. Sprinkle the Oreo crumbs on top.Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, overnight is really best.

 Verdict:
Thumbs up! Made this as a fun cake for my Dad's 60th birthday this year. It was delicious!!

Ugly Pie

This recipe is from the book "Ugly Pie" by Lisa Wheeler. We got this book from the library and the kids loved it... but they REALLY loved the idea that we could make our own real ugly pie!

Ingredients:

Ugly Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup lard (or shortening)
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 Tbsp icy cold water

Ugly Filling:
6 cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp lemon juice
5 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup red raisins (or Craisins)
1/4 walnuts - chopped fine

For the crust...
First, mix together the flour and salt. Then, using a fork, cut little chunks of that ugly lard into your flour until you get what looks like itty-bitty pea-sized balls. Set aside half this mixture in another bowl for later. Next, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of icy cold water over those pea-sized balls. Gently toss it with a fork. Repeat until your flour mixture forms an ugly ball of dough.

Spread a little bit of flour out on a flat surface (like your kitchen counter). Pat that ball of ugly dough down like you mean business. Then roll it with a rolling pin until it becomes a flat, ugly crust. It doesn't matter if it looks nice and round and pretty. This is Ugly Pie! Place in 9" deep-dish pie plate.

In a large bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice. Then mix in molasses until apples are completely coated with ugly brown good. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, white sugar and brown sugar). Add to the ugly apple mixture until everything is nice and moist.

Toss raisins and walnuts into apple mixture. Make sure all ingredients are well coated. Place into pie crust. Your pie should look fairly ugly by now.

Take the crumbly flour mixture you set aside earlier. Sprinkle over the top of the pie. Cover pie with an aluminum foil tent to prevent overbrowning. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.

When your pie is done, you will have the most delicious, most beautiful ugly pie you ever saw.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I loved the idea of making something with the kids that we had just read about. And it really is a delicious pie!

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

From: Budget Savvy Diva

Ingredients: 

1 (32 ounce) bag frozen chopped broccoli
2 (10 ¾ ounce) cans cheddar cheese soup
2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk

1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1 Clove of Minced Garlic

Cheddar Cheese

1 Tablespoon of Butter or Margarine

1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 Cup of Chopped Onions

Heat up a skillet on medium heat and melt butter – Sautee onions for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute.

Place all ingredients (except Cheddar Cheese) in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours.

Garnish with cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Thumbs up!! I love broccoli cheese soup and this is SO simple. I'll definitely be making this version again!