Snowflakes, Unicorns, and Cakes

Whew! It has been a long time since I’ve written a blog post in here! The holidays and end of the semester kept me so busy. I haven’t had too much time to be creative with my crocheting lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t made plans for the new year! I’ve got lots in store for you this year (well, what I have planned anyway).

During the break, my kids and I had the chance to play in snow in our own yard for a few days. It doesn’t snow often (this is the first time my kids have had a ‘real’ snow instead of just some frozen slushy icy rain) so we made the best of it!

Last week was my birthday and I decided to make my own cake this year. Now, I love to cook and I enjoy baking, but I don’t usually make decorated or fancy looking things. Think function over fashion. But this year, I decided to try my hand at decorating a cake. Now, I’ll totally fess up to scouring Pinterest for inspiration after watching one-too-many videos from Yolanda Gamp over at How To Cake It.

But I did it. I was directed to a yummy vanilla cake recipe from Rock Recipes. And a simple homemade vanilla buttercream frosting recipe. I used fondant for the first time as well. Anyway, here’s my first attempt at making a decorated cake. I present my Unicorn Pinata cake:

Not too bad for my first attempt. It’s not perfect, but I was pretty happy with the outcome. And, I’m not much for cake (though, I do love a good buttercream frosting), but this cake recipe was really good and I actually ate some of it! My kids loved seeing the sprinkles spill out when we cut into the cake. As for the rest of the cake, I sliced it up, wrapped up each piece in some saran wrap, and stuck them in the freezer for an attack of the sweet tooth. Makes it so we won’t eat the entire cake at once and saves some for later!

Spice it up!

In an effort to eat healthier and buy fewer and fewer processed foods, I’ve started making a bunch of my own spice blends. I started with the basics I use all the time–dry ranch dressing packets, dry onion soup packets, and taco seasoning. I love these and use them all the time in my recipes, but I CANNOT stand how much sodium and fillers are in these things! So, after reading a TON of recipes online and through some trial-and-error, I have come up with recipes that I use all the time.

Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup chili powder

1/4 cup onion powder

1/8 cup ground cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

**1 tablespoon sea salt (optional)

Shake it all up in a jar!

Dry Onion Soup Packets

2/3 cup dried, minced onion

3 teaspoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

**1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Shake it all up in a jar. I shake it up before using it each time since this mixture tends to settle a little over time.

 4 Tablespoons of this mixture is equivalent to 1 seasoning packet.

Dry Ranch Dressing

 5 tablespoons dried minced onions

 7 teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt (I use a little less, but that’s just personal preference)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 Shake it all up in a jar.

2 Tablespoons of this mixture is equivalent to 1 packet. I also shake it this jar up before using it since this mixture also tends to settle a little over time.

Stay tuned for my homemade curry powder and “Cream-of-something” soup mixes!