BACK TO SCHOOL

     Where the heck does the time go? I swear, I only blinked and suddenly my youngest is in 2nd grade and my firstborn is in 7th grade! Both kiddies were SO excited to be going back to school today. Me? Not so much. I miss them terribly already. Luckily, today and tomorrow are only half days of school. Some of my hopes for this year?

   
      For my son, this year, I hope for a better and less complicated school year. I hope that the beyond frustrating bully issue is finally behind us. I hope that he finds himself, and is comfortable in his own skin, NO MATTER WHAT anyone else says. I hope that he is able to find some friends that he can relate to and that will be there for him. I hope that he continues to excel academically and keeps that awesome brain of his sharp and focused.

   





       For my daughter, this year, I hope that she will continue to blossom socially, as I never did. That she continues to make friends and has an easy time being herself and that she never has to deal with bully issues like her big brother and myself had to deal with. That she keeps her brain sharp and focused, as well, and that she continues to excel academically. I hope that her love of reading continues to grow.

FUNNEL CAKES

      I think one of my favorite parts of going to a carnival or fair has GOT to be the food. (if you know me, this shouldn't surprise you.) The fries (or even better- CHEESE fries... oooh now I want some cheese fries, dang it) the snow cones, and of course, the funnel cakes. I mean, come on- what's better than some crispy fried dough topped with powdered sugar? HOMEMADE crispy fried dough topped with powdered sugar! DUH! Heaven! So without further ado, lets get on with the show!

 You will need:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 whole eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups milk
oil to fry em up in
Powdered sugar to top em

1. Heat your oil in a wide deep pan. You want it to get to 350. I don’t have a thermometer, so I wait a while and drop a little of the batter into the oil. If it starts sizzling away, you’re good to go.
2. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients and give em a stir to combine.
3. Whisk in your eggs, milk and vanilla. You want it to look like a thin pancake batter, so if it is too thick, add more milk, a little bit at a time.
4. Now, you are supposed to use a funnel, hence the name Funnel Cake, but I was too lazy to dig through my cabinets and find mine. So, take a piping bag or a large Ziploc baggie, ladle some batter into it, seal it and snip a small portion of the bottom corner off.
Pinch the end between your fingers til you get over the oil, otherwise…. well, you WILL make a huge mess and you will NOT be very happy with me….at least until you eat one of these babies!
5. Holding the bag about 2 inches above the hot oil (please be careful) start dispensing the batter. You want to make a large circle first, and then just go crazy filling it in with squiggles and loops, if that makes sense. LOL If that doesn’t make sense to you, just look at the picture of the finished funnel cake and you’ll see what I mean. 
6. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and then caaaarefully flip (I’ve found that its easiest to flip using tongs) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. You want it to be a deep golden brown AND done on the inside. It may take you a few tries to get it down, but don’t sweat it. You have PLENTY of batter.

7. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Give it a few minutes to cool off and then sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar over the top. Or caramel sauce with ice cream, or chocolate syrup, or MY favorite, strawberry jam with a lil powdered sugar.
8. Eat that sucker!

Some Pics of What I've Been Baking...

     Going through a lot of my pictures and am finding lots of cakes and other goodies that I've made in the last few months and forgot to post... See, my computer fried a few months ago and I had ALL of my pictures on it- an OF COURSE I had NOT backed anything up. :( And I haaaate posting a recipe without a picture. I know I personally like to have a picture to reference when making something new. So anyways, I have found some pics, some better than others, and I am going to post them here so you know what goodies you have to look forward to. :)  I will work on getting the recipes for them posted. Soooo... Til then, enjoy these pics.

     White Velvet Cake with Strawberry Filling (made when my brother brought my newest niece over to meet us for the first time): 

 

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     White Velvet Version 2: Made for my friend's wedding anniversary.

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     White Velvet Version 3 (yes, this cake is THAT good. LOL) I think this was made for another visit from my brother, but he had to cancel, so my friends came over and we ate it. :)

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      Ready? Ok... White Velvet Version 4: (I promise this is the last white velvet... for now) ;) Made for my brother's birthday.

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     Newest Tres Leches Cake with Chantilly Cream "Frosting" (this is the latest of my cakes and was made for my mama's birthday):

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     Miscellaneous Flower Cup Cakes: (Still working on improving my piping, so cut me some slack. LOL)

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     Oh! Sorry, I almost forgot I made the White Velvet into a mini cupcake. LOL :

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     "Nirvana", Smiley Face and Jack Skellington Cookies:

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     And then there was the Atomic Cake: (Made for a friend's wife's birthday)

     Ok... So that is it for now... I will start hunting through my recipes and posting them as I find em. (I tend to not be the most organized person :\)

DAD

     Been thinking a lot about my dad lately... Still cannot believe how much I miss him this many years later...  This song always brings tears to my eyes... I love you endlessly, my superman, my dad...