Kitty Litter Surprise

No better way to make a come back than to make people want to exit out of my blog because of pure disgust.

My excuse for not blogging started with not having a camera that takes pictures anymore...then it was being too busy...then it was feeling my blog was read by me and my husband so why try? (I usually force him to read it and then give me compliments)

I bought a new camera, am making time for food and blogging, and will soon be teaming up with one of my FAVORITE foodies of all time. She will make her grand entrance soon and I can't wait to introduce her to you.

We were out picking fruit from my friend's fruit trees when she told me how much she wanted to have a food blog. She may have been on my shoulders picking pears out of the tree when we came up with the idea, but I said, "BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR ON MY DYING BLOG!!!"

We've made it official and soon will be documenting our foodie adventures. She is one of the best cooks I know. She is also by far, hands down, the healthiest person I know. Aren't you all so excited to meet her now?? Plus, she's one of my best friends on the planet and she would definitely be on the list of people I would choose to join me on a deserted island if it ever got to that point.

Get excited if you like healthy and delicious food because this blog's about to get crazy.

Now that I've got your attention, I realize it's been awhile since I've added to the "eat your feelings category." I know, you're probably thinking, "I always eat cat litter when I'm eating my feelings!"

DUH! That's why I finally put it on the food blog! Kitty Litter Surprise. I credit my long lost cousin Amy for this recipe. I haven't seen Amy in a long time, but I'll never forget when she showed up at a family party with this awesome kitty littler dessert.

Dan got REALLY excited about the idea of a kitty litter dessert and we decided to bring it to our monthly family dinner. Since I can't keep cake in the house, I put the leftovers down the garbage disposal right after taking one last giant spoonful (and by spoonful I mean shovel full of course)

You should definitely make this. Even if there is no special occasion. People will be really grossed out and it will be awesome!

Ingredients:

• White cake mix
• Chocolate cake mix
• 2 packages of vanilla pudding (4 servings/pkg size)
• 4 Cups of milk
• 1 package vanilla sandwich cookies
• 2 large Tootsie Roll sticks
• Green food coloring
• 1 cat litter box
• 1 cat litter scoop 

Directions:

1. Make the white cake according to directions. Make the chocolate cake according to directions.  Bake the cakes and then let them cool.
2. Mix the 2 packages of pudding with 4 cups of milk and beat until smooth. Allow to chill for 20 minutes.
3. Using your hands, crumble the white and chocolate cakes in the kitty litter pan. Mix until well combined. Add the chilled pudding to the crumbled cake mixture and stir until combined.
4. In the food processor, process the entire package of vanilla sandwich cookies until it looks like creamy dirt. Add several drops of green food coloring and process again until greenish-yellowsh.
5. Spread the cookie mix on top of the cake and pudding layer.
6. Cut the tootsie rolls into small sections and microwave for 5 seconds. Using your hands, manipulate the tootsie rolls into poop-like shapes.
7. Strategically place rolled tootsie rolls around in the cookie litter until it looks disgusting. Add the Scoop and dangle a few pieces of tootsie poop to make it even more unappetizing. Serve!

One of these

Some of those

A little of this

BAM! You get this lovely dessert.

Printable Version

Rainbow Cupcakes

I have seen these rainbow cupcakes all over the blog world and finally tried them. They were so much easier than I thought they would be and most importantly, were the most delicious creation I have ever made from a cake mix. I used the recipe over at The Girl Who Ate Everything because she is my favorite food blogger even if we are strangers. The secret ingredient to these is sour cream. I've seen sour cream in cakes before but I was unaware of the power of sour cream until now. Don't ever make a boxed cake without sour cream again, alright?

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 WHITE cake mix, (I used vanilla)

2 Eggs

1 cup sour cream, I used light sour cream in my version

1/2 C milk

1/3 C vegetable oil OR my version uses 1/3 C unsweetened apple and I promise it won't compromise the taste or texture!

1. Combine all ingredients until all incorporated and then mix on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.

2. Separate the batter into five bowls, and then add the food coloring of your choice to each bowl. Mix well or else your batter will come out with uneven color swirls. I have heard the Wilton gel colors are the brightest  and bestest but I used the liquid drop kind and it was OK, not great, but OK.

3. Line about 15-17 cupcake tins with cupcake paper. To figure out how much batter goes in each cup, add water by the tablespoonful until it's filled and then use that as a guide so your colors are all even. 

4. Using a tablespoon or mini ice cream scoop, scoop batter into cupcake tin, using one color at a time. After each plop of the batter, dip your finger in water and then spread the batter out flat before adding the next color, this gives it a nice stripe.

5. Repeat with remaining colors and bake according to the boxed directions. Use the ol' toothpick trick to make sure they are cooked all the way through. If the toothpick comes out clean, they're done!

6. Let the cupcakes cool and then frost! I used a butter almond frosting which is made with:

1. 1 stick of softened butter
2. 1 teaspoon almond extract
3. 1-4 tablespoons of milk
4. 3-5 cups of powdered sugar.
5. Beat all these ingredients, adding powdered sugar a little at a time and then save the milk for the very last so it gets to the perfect consistency. These are approximate measurements and each time I make it, I use a little more or less of the milk and powdered sugar.

Great Grandma Dee's Banana Cake

My Great Grandma Dee's banana cake tastes like a delicious moist banana bread cupcake with buttery banana-y frosting that may send you into a wonderful glucose coma. It is so moist and so perfectly sweet, it's definitely a must-try.

Ingredients:

CAKE
3/4 C canola oil OR Butter (I use 1/2 cup unsweetened applsauce and 1/4 oil, but the ORIGINAL calls for 3/4 c butter. Just FYI I think oil makes any homemade cake way more moist than butter, it's your call. The combo of applesauce is divine and doesn't compromise texture or flavor)
1 1/2 C sugar
1 3/4 C flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp buttermilk or sour milk made by adding a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your 4 Tbsp milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 C water
1 C walnuts
1 C banana pulp (about 3-4 very ripe mashed bananas)

ICING
1 Tbsp shortening
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 C powdered sugar
1 ripe mashed banana

Combine fat of your choice (oil, butter, applesauce combo) with sugar. Add beaten eggs and flour, and mix until well combined.

Add the remaining ingredients and save the banana pulp addition for very last. Mix well.

Bake in an angle food or bunt pan for 1 hour in 350 degree oven. Be sure to coat your pan well with nonstick cooking spray.

After cake has been baked, remove from pan and let cool. If you frost it too soon, yours will turn out like my lovely cake in this picture. So delicious but not so pretty for presentation. I guess I just got excited.