Swimming Pool Cake

SWIMMING POOL CAKE

Ingredients:
CAKE
BLUE JELL-O (make according to Jiggler recipe)calls for 4 boxes, I used 3.
WHITE FROSTING

**I used white Trident Whitening gum as tiles around the edge of the pool.

DIRECTIONS:

First, bake cake according to directions. I used a disposable foil pan also. Once cake is cooled, gently and carefully carve the shape of the pool - with a very sharp knife. ***I ran into some issues here, the cake was so delicate and fluffy, that it kept tearing. I HIGHLY recommend a firmer cake, such as pound cake or devil's food. I used Betty Crocker Yellow Cake, and since it is so light and moist, it was a nightmare!! Maybe if you make it a day before you carve it, it would set up better? I carved mine as soon as it cooled.
Anyway... Once you carve the shape, you want to take a fork, and start scooping the shape of the pool out. Once its carved out, take a spoon and get as many of the crumbs out as you can. (this is very hard with box cake since its so light and delicate)
I finally got my pool carved out, about 1 or 2 inches deep. UGH! Next, take white frosting and VERY CAREFULLY frost the entire cake, including the inside of the pool. Be careful not to tear around the edge of the pool, and you will encounter lots of crumbs too. Don't worry about the crumbs too much, because the Jell-O will cover it.
Make the Jell-O according to the Jiggler recipe on the box (It was 4 boxes of Jell-o and 2-1/2 cups boiling water.. I used 3 boxes). Then let it cool in fridge until its the consistency of syrup... make sure it doesnt harden!! If it does, nuke it for a few seconds and stir it.
NEXT, I put the gum tiles on and poured the chilled Jell-O into the pool shape. I think it overfilled a tad, and got up on one side. Grrr.

Let it CHILL for however long you can before you embellish it with stuff... We plan to put Teddy Grahams in the water, sitting inside Gummy Savers, and then also have a few Teddy's laying on the sides, on pieces of Fruit by the Foot cut to look like Beach towels. And adding some palm trees or those cute Asian umbrellas!

** this cake turned out SO CUTE!! And sold for $250, the most EVER in the cake auction....

If you are brave enough to try this, please let me know!!

Coconut Macaroons

I made these once, then forgot all about them! Yeek! They were so moist and chewy! MMMM! My son loved them, and he hates most everything!! haha

Coconut Macaroons

1 – 14oz. pkg. sweetened coconut
2/3 cup flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla (or 1 tsp. almond & 1 tsp. vanilla)
Melted Chocolate (the kind that hardens) *Optional

Mix coconut and flour. Add milk and vanilla. Mix well.
Scoop tightly onto heavily greased baking sheet.
Bake at 325 for approx. 20-25 min. or until golden.
Drizzle with melted chocolate or dip ½ of cookie into chocolate.

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. (once again, not my picture, but they look IDENTICAL)
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Lori's Own Famous Chicken Salad

Alright, here is another one of my own wacky creations. In this recipe, I am only putting the INGREDIENTS. You can make as much or as little, and add as much or as little of each thing as you see fit. :) The only thing that you must do is cook the chicken this way, and also use Italian dressing AND mayo for the mix. Otherwise, go crazy!

Lori’s Famous Chicken Salad

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
Kojack or cheddar cheese. Cubed into ½ to ¼ inch pieces.
Green pepper – chopped medium fine
Italian Dressing
Real Mayonnaise
Mrs. Dash GARLIC AND HERB
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil


Place chicken on baking sheet. Splash a little olive oil on each breast. Salt and pepper each breast. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash generously over each breast. Bake 400 for 20-30 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) or until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, prepare the cheese chunks and green pepper chunks. Add salt and pepper and soak them in Italian Dressing to marinate a little.
Next, SHRED CHICKEN while its hot using 2 forks. It’s much easier to shred while it’s hot. Let chicken COOL. Add shredded chicken to the cheese and peppers. Once you mix them together, add mayo until it’s as creamy as you like it. CHILL well before serving.

Next you can do one of two things… This recipe is the bomb on sandwiches, OR you can make it extra saucy (add a little extra Italian and mayo) and add pasta to it for a delicious pasta chicken salad (chill well before serving).
ENJOY!

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.will post pics soon!
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Bacon Wrapped Sausage Balls

Pork FAT RULES!! According to Emeril haha. The same friend who brought Oreo truffle balls into my world, brought these into my world. Can you say "Party in your mouth??? " Let me just say, after trying these - yes you can! Once again, another HUGE hit here at work for Pot Luck day..... Everyone had my balls in their mouth that day!! (I also brought the Oreo balls that day). teehee!

Bacon Wrapped Sausage Balls

1 package sausage (Jimmy Dean)
Italian Bread crumbs
2 eggs
Raw bacon - sliced in half as one piece is too long.

Mix raw sausage and eggs until smooth. Add in bread crumbs until
the mixture is thick enough to form 1” balls. Wrap balls in bacon.
Bake at 350 for approx. 30 min.(on slotted pan) or until
bacon is cooked.
*** put drip pan underneath to catch drippings***

SO GOOD!

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.(the pic is not mine, but that is what they are)

Oreo Cheesecake Truffle Balls

OH MY HECK these are sooooo amazing!! A friend's husband brought these to one of our gatherings, and my life has not been the same since! LOL! Just kidding, but for REAL, they are so scrumptious! They literally melt in your mouth. Make these for your next gathering, and you WILL be the hit of the party!!

Oreo Cheesecake Truffle Balls

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg. Oreo cookies – ground up in food
Processor – (whole cookies, including the cream)
1 – 8oz. pkg. cream cheese. Softened
Melted chocolate. (the kind that hardens when it cools – such as choc chips)

DIRECTIONS
Grind entire package of Oreos and mix well with
softened cream cheese. Put in fridge to get firm.
Shape into 1” balls and dip into melted chocolate.
Let cool on waxed paper. Enjoy!!

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Thai Soup

Yum Yum! This is one of my favorites too. Heck, they all are or I would not be putting them on here, hahaha. So, this is a very mild, yet very flavorful and delicious soup that is SUPER easy to make.. you could very easily add some heat to this soup as well to spice it up! Once again, this recipe has a lot of wiggle room for variation - so add whatever you think will be good! MMM, I want some right now!!

THAI SOUP

1 onion chopped
1 can bamboo shoots - drained
1 can water chestnuts – drained
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
Cilantro chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Green onion – chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 pkg (4) precooked Chicken sausage – chopped into bite size pieces (I use garlic and herb flavor)
1 large can chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 pkg frozen spinach – thawed and drained
1 TBLS vegetable oil or olive oil

Sweat onion and mushrooms in large dutch oven or soup pot in oil until soft. Do not caramelize. Add sausage and cook about 5 minutes. Add broth, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, cilantro, spinach and cook on low heat until heated through (you can add water or more broth if needed). Remove from heat, add more chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions and coconut milk. Stir and serve. ** shrimp can also be added to this recipe. Enjoy!

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.this is not an actual photo of my soup, but it is EXACTLY the same :)
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Island Meatballs

OMG, these are mine and everyone's FAVORITE creation of mine. My honey requests these more than anything else!! This is 100% my own creation too! Which is something I am proud of :)

Island Meatballs

1 package ground chicken
1- 8oz. can crushed pineapple. Drained, save the juice
Chopped cilantro – about ¾ cup
Plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
Ground ginger
Crushed garlic (about 1 TBLS)
Onion powder
Salt and pepper
Mr., Yoshida original sauce

Mix chicken, eggs, cilantro, pineapple, and spices together. Add bread crumbs until mixture is firm enough to make balls. Sautee in oil in large skillet or wok with high sides until golden brown and cooked through. May have to do in batches. Salt meatballs again once they are out of oil. Once all meatballs are cooked, add them all back to the pan. Add pineapple juice and enough Yoshida sauce to coat them. Stir fry in skillet on high heat – stirring constantly until sauce becomes thick and glazed over meat balls.

..**Photo to come next time I make them!
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Easy Potato Pancakes

So, my guy.. he is Polish and asked me to make him something called "Plotsky's". Well, after a little research, I learned that meant POTATO PANCAKE. lol. So, I looked online at a few recipes, and then combined them in my head and whipped them up.. and BAM! They turned out SOOO GOOD! The measurments are really vague, because I just eyeball almost everything....... BUT, you can figure it out, I have faith in you!!

Potato Pancakes

4-5 cups shredded russet potato – peeled.
DO NOT RINSE
2-3 eggs
2/3 cup shredded or very finely minced onion (about 1 small onion, depends on how much onion you like! LOL)
Flour to thicken – about ½ cup give or take
Salt and pepper

Add eggs to shredded potatoes and onion. Salt and pepper generously. Mix. Add flour until batter is thick enough to hold form when put onto griddle. Scoop mix onto oiled griddle and flatten and spread it out with the spoon. Cook on medium high heat until golden and firm enough to flip. Keep cooking until both sides are dark golden and center is cooked through. Salt while hot. Serve plain or with sour cream and applesauce!

Enjoy!

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mmMMmm Cake Cookies

Ok guys. These are THE BOMB! The absolute easiest cookies EVER! AND, they are super soft and you can make any flavor combination that your crazy imagination can come up with!! I made these using strawberry cake, and added candied cherries and chocolate chunks. Then I made them again, used white cake, with the cherries, chocolate chunks and pecans. OMG, yum! I really love this recipe, and you will too!

Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 (18 oz.) package cake mix (your choice)
2 eggs
1/2 C. shortening
1 tbsp. water
1/2 C. chopped nuts, dried fruit, or chips (your choice)
powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a wooden spoon or mixer, combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes.
2. Shape into 1" balls. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.
3. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, 10-12 minutes.
4. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies

ENJOY!!!

..((this is not a pic of my batch.. but they turn out just like this!)
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My First post!!. Turkey and Veggie Patties

Ok guys, bare with me! This is my FIRST EVER recipe post!!

This was a recipe that I just made up one night with ingredients that I had around and MY GAWD -- its delish!! Everyone I serve this to loves it! They are super easy to throw together, and you can vary the ingredients as much or as little as you want based on your preferences... Just have fun with it!

TURKEY AND VEGGIE PATTIES

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey (one package)
1 can mixed vegetables - drained. (Potato, carrot, corn, mix etc.)
5 slices whole wheat bread crumbled
2-3 eggs depending on size
2 teaspoon onion powder (amount depending on your taste)
2 teaspoon garlic powder (amount depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste
Seasoning Salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (enough to coat skillet)

Directions:
Preheat skillet to medium high and add oil.

1. Mix all wet ingredients and spices in bowl with your hands. 2. Add as much crumbled bread as you need to make mixture firm enough to make patties.

3. Form patties about 1 inch thick (they will be very wet still).

4. Cook in skillet in a small amount of cooking oil until golden brown and cooked through (about 5-6 minutes per side). I usually Sprinkle with salt and pepper once or twice throughout cooking.


TIPS: The wheat bread is key.. it makes the recipe have a sweet undertone and keeps the patties moist. (Hint, wetting your fingers with water keeps the mixture from sticking to you when you are forming the patties) ENJOY!

WELCOME!

HI!! My name is Lori.

Welcome to my blog "Yummy Tummy!" This is my first EVER blog, so its a constant work in progress! Well, to sum it up... I love to cook (and eat)! So, I decided I wanted to create a blog sharing my creations and my experiences with you!!! I also love to eat out and try new things... and if I am brave enough, try and reproduce some recipes on my own! I am always trying to make new things, and using my friends and relatives as my guinea pigs!

I will add recipes as I make them, or as I try new ones. I will post them all and let you know of any changes I make to recipes that I try!

(RECIPES AND POSTS ARE LISTED TO THE LEFT UNDER BLOG ARCHIVE<<<< )

So, without further ado..... Let the FUN BEGIN!!

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