Cake In A Jar

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 8 straight-sided wide-mouth pint canning jars with lids and rings
  • Icing

Directions

  1. Prepare the cake according to package instructions, or use any cake recipe.
  2. In pint size, straight-sided wide-mouth jars, put 1 cup of batter in each greased jar. Make sure to keep the rims of the jars clean. Put in preheated oven 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place jars on a cookie sheet to keep from tipping over while baking.
  3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
  4. While they are baking, have your jar lids boiling in a pan of water. When the cake is done, take one jar out at a time and add the hot lid and screw on your jar ring and let set and cool.
  5. It will seal as it cools. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to ‘ping’ as they seal. If you miss the ‘ping’, wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn’t move at all, it’s sealed.
  6. After it cools it will pull away from the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and pop out the cake and enjoy.
  7. Unsealed jars should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks. Sealed jars may be stored in a freezer.

 

Icing: If sending this to a loved one include a small amount of icing in a can. If you give this to someone in person you can top the jar with icing right before you give it to them.

If mailing these wrap securely with bubble wrap!

When giving as a gift, top with a ten inch square fabric tied on with a ribbon and tag. You can also attach a little baggie with sprinkles, chocolate chips etc.

Desktop Wallpaper: Mojave Desert

Use this beautiful picture as a desktop wallpaper of the Mojave Desert (FREE)!

(ORIGINAL POST: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com)

Piggy Bisquits

Makes about 20 piglets:
Dough:
400 g (13 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1 package instant dry yeast
1 egg
2 dcl (7 oz) plain yogurt
1 dcl (3 1/2 oz) warm milk
a pinch of salt
Puffed or flaky dough:
150 g (5 1/2 oz)flour
100 g (3 1/2 oz)magarine (unsalted)
pinch of salt
Filling:
As much as you like: cheese(she used Gouda), tomato (pizza) sauce, oregano;
or something else you would like for filling
Wash:
Egg white to use as «adhesive»
Egg yolk and some milk to brush @ the end

First, make first dough by mixing all ingrediens, and let it rise in a warm place. In the meantime, make puff dough with second batch of ingredients, and then mix it into the risen dough (yes, mix’em together), and work it well on a floured surface. Roll the dough and with a round cookie cutter or something else cut out circles about 3 inches in diametar or desired size. Leave some dough for ears and noses 🙂

Make filling with cheese, tomato sauce (pizza sauce), and oregano. You can be creative and use different kinds of ingredients to make a filling of your own. You can also add ham, or salami, or vegetables.

Place half of circles onto baking sheet (aligned with parchment paper), brush edges with egg white wash. Put some filling in the middle, cover with other half of circles, and press the edges to assure nothing will come out while baking.

Remainder of the dough use to make smaller circles for nose, and for ears by cutting them into quarters. Use egg whites wash as «adhesive» for ears and nose. For nose make somewhat smaller circles. For eyes and nostrils use a toothpick to make little lines and then inside, put cumin, pepper or something similar.

Now that you have little piglets, let them rise again for a little while, and then brush them with a little bit of egg yolk wash mixed with a little bit of milk. Bake for about 20-25 min. @ about 385-405 F.

 

(ORIGINAL POST: http://cafechocolada.blogspot.com)

World’s Largest Chocolate Easter Egg


If you think the world’s biggest egg couldn’t possibly weigh more than seven tons, you’re not thinking big enough. According to the estimable Guinness Book of World Records, the winning egg weighed in at 15,873 pounds, or just a little short of eight tons. Created by Tosca in Italy in April 2011, the magnificent candy was over 34 feet tall and, at its widest point, had a circumference of 64 feet.

Easter Candy Reflection

Now you have all your candy, here are some interesting facts for you:

– This year, Americans will spend $2.1 billion on Easter candy. That’s 120 million pounds of the stuff.

– There should be no shortage of key Easter confections: 16 billion jelly beans and 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies have been made for the holiday.

– In the category of good to know: seventy six percent of Americans think you should eat chocolate bunny ears first.