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Corndog Cake Pops – Thinking Outside The Pop

September 28, 2011 By 17 Comments

My girls love corndogs and I am always looking for easy, quick snacks to feed them when they come home from school to tide them over until dinner.   We are not big “snack food” people, so I need REAL food that is easy and small enough to be a “snack.”   Well, today I found THE perfect one!  And they are FABULOUS!

This morning while perusing Pinterest I ran across this Pin from MoneySavingMom.com:

My first thought…. I CAN DO THAT IN THE CAKE POP MAKER!!

I jumped in the car and headed to Winn Dixie for the ingredients – Jiffy mix, eggs, milk, and hotdogs.  It doesnt get any easier than that!

I mixed up the Jiffy mix just exactly by the box, and cubed the hot dog into tiny little pieces.

I put the pieces of hot dog into the microwave for 30 seconds – just to cook them a little more.  Then I poured the pieces directly into the Jiffy mix.  I used 2 boxes of Jiffy mix for this first round, and three hot dogs.  Next time I will use four.

I spooned a heaping teaspoon of the mix into each of the holes in my Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker, and cooked for THREE minutes.  They were perfect.

Paired up with another favorite – Ore Idea Tater Tots – with some Ketchup and a glass of milk, and we have a perfect, nutritious snack in under 10 minutes!

These would also be very easy to make in large batches and freeze in the Zip Lock Snack Size freezer bags for the girls to grab on the go.  Also easy to pack in lunches – there is no mess!

Thanks to MoneySavingMom for the inspiration and Baby Cakes for my favorite cooking tool in the world!

If you are an amateur chef thinking of bringing your great ideas into a professional setting you can make great use of a commercial refrigerator.


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Blueberry Muffin Cake Pops

August 10, 2011 By 17 Comments

The closer we get to school starting, the more I am testing out my Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker to see what kind of amazing FRESH breakfast goodies I can prepare in just 4 minutes flat!  (I have mentioned I love this machine, right?!)

This week I put it to the test with one of my all time favorites - BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!

Because of the little “blueberry bits” in the Martha White Blueberry Muffin mix, I was worried I was going to end up with “crunchy” muffin pops.  So the first thing I did was crush all of the little “blueberries” into the batter to make it as smooth as possible.  This would prove to be futile later but it did make for some pretty purpley-blue batter!

I loaded my Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker just like every other time – filling each little “hole” to just under the rim.  As you can see, by the time I snatched up the camera, my little muffins had already begun to rise.  That’s ok though, as they turned out perfect anyway!

I cooked my Blueberry Muffin Cake Pops for about three minutes – fearful they were going to burn. And though it looked great on the outside in three minutes, the inside told a different story.

I left the rest of them in for another minute or so, and they turned out absolutely perfect!

The only downfall to making Blueberry Muffin Cake Pops… they are very hard to BUTTER!  :)   I don’t know if there is a way to mix butter into the batter… but you know I am going to try it!

These turned out so well, I am certain that this will be a common breakfast here at the Moscato Household.   Every single one of these little pops – the mix makes about 30 – were gobbled up before they even had a chance to get cool.  Both girls – and the Hubbly – just loved them.   And I admit, I even had a few of my own.

Just make this #3,482 reason I believe EVERYONE needs a Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker….


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Pancake Cake Pops… With Sausage!

August 4, 2011 By 7 Comments

A couple weeks ago I got the idea of making Pancake Cake Pops using the Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker.  It was a huge hit and we have made them several times since then.  But The Toddler kept asking for sausage, as she prefers it to bacon, so this morning as a surprise I got up early to make her some of her very own Pancake Pops with Sausage.

The ingredients are super simple – Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake mix, Jimmy Dean Sausage and your syrup of choice – this one I choice obviously because of the deal that was offered (high five Winn Dixie!)  I also wanted to check out this Hashbrown Casserole as we are huge fans of Cracker Barrel’s version.

Fry the sausage first very gently to make sure it doesnt get “crispy.”   You want it DONE but still soft.  Set aside and let cool while you mix the Pancake Mix with water to a bit thicker of a consistency than it calls for – like cake batter.  This time instead of sprinkling the sausage on top like I did with the bacon, I mixed the cooked sausage directly into the mixed up batter and stirred it all together.

The Pancake Sausage Cake Pops cooked up perfectly in just four minutes – just like everything else in the Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker.  I also microwaved the Hashbrown Casserole – I have to admit it was pretty tasty! – and cut up a green apple to have some “fruit” with this “well balanced meal.”  Pour some syrup on top, serve with an ice cold glass of milk and VOILA!  The perfect breakfast -in only 10 minutes- thanks to the Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker!

Bite sized perfection.

 


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Walmart To Go – I Think I May Cry

April 25, 2011 By 14 Comments

I hate grocery shopping.   Wait, let me rephrase:  I hate grocery shopping at Walmart.   There is something about Walmart that brings out the absolute worst in people, as highlighted on the site PeopleOfWalmart.com.  (I would be willing to bet money that some of those images are from the Hwy 29 store in Pensacola Florida… I’m just sayin) Because of my loathing for seeing people like this, I often end up at Winn Dixie or Publix – often spending more than 50% more for my food than if I had just stomached the sights at Walmart.  I could not count how many times I have wished that I could order my groceries online, and have them delivered to my door.  Yes, I know there are other grocery delivery services – but none that can even come CLOSE to the prices you can find at Walmart.

Today while perusing Facebook I saw my friend Melissa post that she had seen a blurb on tv for Walmart To Go – an online ordering and delivery service for groceries from Walmart.  I think my heart palpitated.

According to the Huffington Post, products include “fresh produce, meat and seafood, frozen, bakery, baby, over-the-counter pharmacy, household supplies and health and beauty items.” Just the idea of a delivery man bringing me fresh meat and vegetables makes my Eat-Clean heart go pitter-pat. 

In an attempt to compete against the online grocery moguls such as Peapod, FreshDirect, and Amazon Fresh, Walmart To Go is offering delivery prices starting as low as five dollars, as well as keeping prices “Walmart Low.”   The New York Times found that a 64-ounce carton of Horizon milk was $3.50 on Walmart’s site, versus $3.99 from Peapod and $4.29 on Fresh Direct. Similarly, 16 ounces of celery was only $1.98 at Walmart, with Peapod charging $3.29 and Fresh Direct $3.49.  Walmart also shows a wider variety of foods like crackers and candy – offering 12 varieties of Triscuits, compared to Peapod’s ten and and Fresh Direct’s two.

Walmart To Go is being tested now in San Jose, California, and I can only pray it will make it’s way all the way across the country to my little Northwest Florida neighborhood.   Few things would make me happier than never having to see People Of Walmart again.