Cake Balls

I heard about “Cake Balls” a little over a year ago from a friend. So I did an internet search for them and, wow, did I find a lot of cake ball info! These cute little balls of cake and frosting are always a big hit. They are nice because they are finger food, fun to look at, and not nearly as messy as a cupcake!

After reading about cake balls from many different sources, and making them a few times myself, here is how I like to make cake balls.

Cake Balls

1 box of your favorite cake mix (and ingredients to make the cake)
1 container of your favorite frosting
2 bags of candy coating/candy melt disks

1. Bake the cake according to the instructions on box. It doesn’t matter what pan/pans you use. I usually use a 9 x 13 because it is easiest.
2. Cool cake in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
3. Break the cake into chunks and put about half of it into a mixing bowl.
4. Put about 2/3 of the container of frosting into the bowl with the cake. Using a mixer, mix for a few seconds, then add in the rest of the cake. Continue mixing until well combined.
5. Put cake mixture in refrigerator and let chill for a couple of hours.
6. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Form cake mixture into 1 inch balls (I use The Pampered Chef small cookie scoop to measure, then go back and roll them into a tighter ball with my hands).
7. Put the baking sheets with the balls on them into the freezer for a few hours. (this may be difficult if you do not have a large freezer, so put them in whatever you can to freeze them, just keep them from touching each other).
8. After a few hours, pull out one about 1/3 to ½ of the cake balls, and dip them in the melted candy coating (follow directions on package for melting). Place on wax paper and let harden.

I have a stand mixer, and I use this for mixing them up with the paddle attachment. This is what I have found easiest. I also have a large, upright deep freezer in my garage, which is very handy for freezing baking sheets full of cake balls. I sometimes forget that not everybody has this! But really, freeze them however you can, the most important thing is for them not to touch each other while they are freezing!

These are a little labor intensive, but pretty easy. I love the ease of transporting them, and of course, eating them. My favorite flavors are chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, dipped in any color candy coating. You will have to experiment with your favorites and let me know how they turn out!

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Tarts

These cookies are SOOO easy and so good!! Every time I make them, they are gone before I know it. These are a great treat for when you need something quick to take with you to share!

I don't use store bought cookie dough very often, but the peanut butter cup candies are what make these cookies so good, so the store bought dough works just fine.

Peanut Butter Cup Tarts

Refrigerated cookie dough (I use Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter)
24 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spray a mini-muffin thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray (I like the Pam for Baking)
Put 1 tablespoon of dough in each muffin cup.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. (They will look like they are not quite done).
Immediately push a peanut butter cup into the center of each one.
Let cool completely before removing from pan.


First of all, you can buy a roll of cookie dough, but if you just divide it into 24 pieces and put it in the muffin cups, it will be too much and you will have a hard time getting them out of the pan. Just trust me. I like to buy the tub, and then I have enough for a couple of batches. But either will be fine. To measure out the perfect amount, I use my Pampered Chef small cookie scoop. If you don't have that, just use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.

Make sure you have all your peanut butter cups unwrapped and ready to go because you need to push them in IMMEDIATELY when you take them out of the oven. You are going to want to eat one right away, but I promise you, let them cool all the way and they are so much better.

Enjoy this easy, sweet treat!!!

Banana Pudding

I have to admit, I have never been a huge Banana pudding fan. However, all that changed after eating my friend Melissa B.’s banana pudding. It is SO good. And super easy. It makes a ton, so make sure you are feeding a lot of people when you make it, otherwise you will be eating all the leftovers later!

Banana Pudding – Melissa B.
1 large instant vanilla pudding mix
4 small to medium bananas – sliced thick
1 small container cool whip
2 cups mini Vanilla Wafers (or crumbled large wafers)

In a large bowl, prepare vanilla pudding as directed and set in refrigerator for 5 minutes (or until pudding sets as normal). Add Cool Whip and blend well. Add bananas and Vanilla Wafers. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until serving. Store in refrigerator after serving. Top with sliced banana or more Vanilla Wafers for garnish.


This is SO good. The Cool Whip gives it more of a fluffy consistency, rather than a pudding/custard type consistency. Which I am pretty sure is the reason I love it so much. It made such a huge bowl, that went I went to pick my son up from his friend’s house, I took it with me to share with them. Between 5 kids and 2 adults, we didn’t even finish half of it. And that was after several of us went back for seconds. I promise you, this is a great potluck dish! You won’t be disappointed!!!

Greek Salad Dressing

This dressing is WAY easy! I love Greek salad. And if I am making Greek salad, then I know I will have Feta cheese on hand. All the other ingredients are staple items I always have. I got this recipe from my friend Tricia L. years ago. However, the instructions on this recipe call for mixing it in a blender. I have never done that. I put it in a salad dressing shaker (or jar with a tight fitting lid) and just shake it up. No need to dirty your blender and all its parts!!!

Greek Salad Dressing – Tricia L.
4 tbsp. lemon juice
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until serving.

Of course I serve this dressing with a Greek salad. I like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives (or regular black olives), feta cheese, and a sprinkle of pepper!

This dressing also makes a great chicken marinade!

Quick and Easy Quiche

This is a great recipe for an easy quiche that doesn’t have a crust! It’s great for people trying to watch their carbs. I got this recipe from my friend Darci Z. many years ago! I made one last night to for my hubby to have for breakfast during the week this week!


Quick and Easy Quiche – my friend Darci Z.

5 eggs
¾ cup evaporated milk (5 oz. can)
¾ cup cheese
Mrs. Dash (to taste)
Meat
Veggies

Beat eggs and milk together. Add remaining ingredients. Pour in pie plate sprayed with non-stick cooking spray! Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.


Can you believe how easy that is??? You can make this with whatever cheese/meat/veggie combo you like! And it’s low in sodium, because it uses salt-free Mrs. Dash to add flavor! Whatever meat you use, be sure it is pre-cooked!

Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes I have too much of something, so I look for recipes to use it in. This happened earlier this summer when I bought a ton of blueberries. They were so good, but we just couldn’t eat them fast enough. Of course we all love blueberry muffins, but I had never made them from scratch! So, I found this recipe and they were super easy! I would definitely make them from scratch again!

Blueberry Muffins

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
¾ cup milk
¼ cup cooking oil
¾ cup fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease twelve 2 ½ inch muffin cups or line with muffin papers. In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. Make a well in center of dry mixture; set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 10 to 12 muffins.

These came out really good for just a basic blueberry muffin like you would get in a mix. The only difference is that you are putting together the “mix” part yourself! And it tastes better when you do the work!

BBQ Shredded Chicken

This recipe is so easy, I know one of my kids could make it. Seriously. It’s a saucy, shredded Barbecue Chicken. YUM! And you make it in the Crock Pot!

BBQ Shredded Chicken

Boneless Chicken breast (the amount is up to you…I usually do 4 for my fam, and we have leftovers)
Your favorite BBQ sauce (mine is Sweet Baby Ray’s original)

Rinse chicken breasts and trim excess fat. Place in bottom of slow cooker. Squeeze BBQ sauce over top to almost cover chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove lid and shred chicken with 2 forks. Add more sauce to freshen up the flavor. Stir well. Let heat for about 10 -15 minutes. Serve on rolls.


I like this recipe for a busy day. I like to serve it with a big salad and baked potatoes. You can also put the chicken right on your potato instead of a roll!

That’s it for this entry! Short and sweet (like me, ha ha)!