Basketball Cake Tutorial

Wow... 2 months. Has it really been that long since my last post?! Ay Caramba! Lots going on lately.

Check out my other blog for details --->

I actually have a ton of stuff to catch up on so I am going to just do really short posts. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll answer those and add them back into the posts.

These cakes turned out so cute! They were for my little brother's basketball championship game for his team. It was super simple. 

I made 8 inch round cakes and stacked them 2 high with frosting in between. I cut the cakes so they rounded off as much as I could on both the top and bottom (to try to make them look as round as possible without falling apart). This would also be really cute if you used a dome cake pan to truly make it round. I colored some buttercream orange (using water-based food gel) and covered the whole cake. Looking back I wish I had done the orange a little bit darker but I think I actually ran out of orange color and that's why. :)

Once you do that, take plain twizzler black licorice for the stripes and lay one across the middle of the cake. You will have to use more than 1 rope for each line. Try to connect them away from the bends because they tried to stick up on me and wouldn't stay bent how I wanted them to. 

Lay a rope perpendicular to the one you just laid (see pictures) and you can just start them right on each side of the first one (make sense?). 

 

Then take about 3 orange m&ms- you can get plain orange m&ms at certain party stores. I went to Zurchers- and lay them down (with the m&m brand facing down) starting at the corner of the licorice on each side (again see picture). Do about 2 rows. You want them to be as close as possible. It looks better. Laying the 3 m&ms down helps you measure where your outer licorice lines should go. Now lay down your last outside licorice lines. To get a bit of a rounder effect, curve the licorice at the bottom back towards your main middle line just a little bit (see picture- right licorice is curved in a little).

Voila! And there you have it. These are not difficult to make but do take a little bit of time and dexterity since you have to place each m&m.

I want to say I used about 12-16 oz of m&ms by weight to cover these 2 cakes and 1 package of black licorice (I think! I forgot to write it down so if it just doesn't seem right when you are buying the m&ms, go with your gut. Extra m&ms never hurt anyone. That was my philosophy). I bought way too many m&ms so now  extras are sitting in a dish on my desk waiting for on-lookers to come and eat them. They are sitting right next to the new Sherbert Oreos I had to get for my work people because they looked weird... yeah, they're pretty sweet (as in sugary... not awesome). Not my favorite. Other people liked them though..... tangent.

If you really want to know how many I used... you could count the m&ms on the cake. =D

Anyway, they were a big hit! So fun. Try them out for your next sports party!

New Lifestyle Blog: Life with Sara Jane

Hello everyone!
I am in process of creating my new Lifestyle Blog called "Life with Sara Jane". It will contain all of my awesome ramblings and allow this blog to continue solely for desserts. Oh what joy!

They will both continue to be mine but will both have different content obviously. This is for all those who are interested in my desserts and don't want to sift through my other awesome non-sense (really?! Do these people exist?) So head on over real quick and please check it out! Subscribe to email over there if you want to continue getting all of my posts (not just desserts)!

I am in process of moving over most of my non-dessert related posts to this site so if you are looking for one here and can't find it... it probably moved over there!

{Here is the link}

Life with Sara Jane

I'll include the link in the nav bar above too!
Can't wait to start this new blog that will include so many awesome things to do, gifts to give, places to be and people to help! Come along with me on some new adventures!

Crossfit, Protein Shakes and German Chocolate Cake

Ok, so I'm not saying this is a good idea... 

it's just what I do to make my protein shake enjoyable so I thought I'd share.

I use this protein supplement to make 8 oz shakes. It gives you 25 gm soy protein. boom. deal.

 

It's also nasty.

I am no quitter though so I found a way to make it really tasty!

I've tried to add it to my fruit smoothies and it just makes them taste funky. It doesn't work. no bueno.

It was just missing something.... what was it?

Oh yeah, sugar.

;)

So I found a great way to make it flavorful and tasty.

Caramel syrup. 

Just a small squirt will do (about 1 tablespoon).

Yep. For the pittance price of 50 calories and 10 gm of refined death sugar... I get to enjoy my shake. I'm cool with that right now. You might even be able to get away with less (but why?!). For you health crazies out there, you can probably even find a decent sugar free caramel syrup (however it's debatable if that's really healthier). ;)

Try also chocolate syrup. Mmmm....mmmm....

You get the picture. Try it! You will be surprised!

So, yeah. It makes you want 2 servings of your nasty health drink. :)

*****

Crossfit Day 2:

Dear Diary, 

Crossfit kicked my but today. I wanted to cry. Not like an emotional, more like a physical stress induced cry.... it was weird. I've never felt that before. No, I did not cry. :)

I was so sore from the workout yesterday that I could hardly walk up stairs. I found the solution to this though with the help of Michelle.... just don't walk up stairs. deal. But want to know what's worse than walking up stairs? Walking down them... my legs keep giving out on me. I get a little weak in the knees, shake a bit, get a little hyper-extension going and stumble down the stairs like I just got double prosthetics. It's probably pretty awesome to watch... not so much to experience.

Here was today's workout:

SWOD:

Deadlift- 10 lbs

warm up

5,3,2,1

Working Sets

5 x 3

WOD:

10 Hand Raise Push-ups

20 sit-ups

20 squats

40 mountain climbers (my shoes fell off with these)

Repeat.... 6 times!

Everyone else had to do 30 squats and 8 reps, suckers! Since I'm weak and sissy, Andrew modified it for me. Andrew is the owner and trainer. He's really great at explaining technique.

I did it in 27:12 but I finished!

I am 100% sure this is the hardest I have ever worked out in my life. To the point of physically being unable to do that last squat or last sit-up.

Oooouuuuch! I really thought I wasn't going to be able to finish the squats but I did. :) And I'm glad I did it!

I got a really good night's sleep last night after my first workout and woke up energized and ready for the day. I started to get sore around midday today.... I shudder when I think of what punishment tomorrow brings to my poor aching body. I'll be returning upon my recovery. I have to. I paid for March already. baaaahhh.

Well, that's about it for my crossfit adventure today.

Out!

*****

On an awesomer note.

I made a cake!

First cake in months!

Here she be.

so pretty. It makes me happy looking at it.

It was really nice to be baking again. I even attempted writing on it! 

{I don't write on cakes... when I worked at a bakery, I was banned from writing on cakes}

What I love about this cake is that when I am finished, I feel like I have made a substantial cake, a big impact on the world. It's heavy and takes 4 hours and is amazing.

You might even recognize her from last year.

Here is the recipe I posted before.

Best German Chocolate Cake Ever

It's really pretty awesome.

Enjoy!

A Special Valentine's Day

Even though it is February, I feel the warmth of the sun as I sit next to my sweet Ben's grave. Today I have been embraced by his sweet comforting arms. It is a beautiful day. A warm day. A day I will always cherish. I know I can say this is the sweetest Valentine's Day yet. It's one thing to be hugged by your beloved's body. It's another to be hugged and enveloped by his spirit. It's like nothing I have ever experienced before. It is not something that can be explained and only something to be experienced by an eternal companion, by that person that completes your soul. I hope Ben is hugging each of you in his own way today. I hope you feel this warmth on this special Valentine's day with your dear one and only companion.

I received this beautiful flower arrangement from Ben's sister, Emily's, parents-in-law, Karen and Gene Phillips. I do have to say this was my favorite arrangement for a few reasons. 

#1- Ben's favorite flowers are roses. He has always loved and wanted roses in our garden. The combination of white and orange is so beautiful too.

#2- My favorite flower has always been lilies. Any color.

I absolutely love roses too. Those are up there with lilies.

#3- Lilies and roses were our wedding flowers.

So this bouquet was very special, unbeknownst to the wonderful senders.

I decided these would be perfect to take to Ben today.

 

So pretty.

I don't want to leave even though my fingers are beginning to numb. It is so sweet. Such a sweet feeling. So happy. So eternal. That's what I am feeling. An eternal happiness. 

I thank God for this gospel.

Happy Valentine's Day.

The Little Things {Ben's Silver Watch}

I just read Aspen's (sister-in-law.... but really just a sister) blog post here.

I wrote a comment on her blog and just wanted to share a thought.

It's "The Little Things" that I have been thinking about lately because that's what this earthly experience is about... little things. Little things are wonderful and may seem like big things but they are still just little things.

"The Big Things" are only in the next life. Only God turns little things into big things. I am full of greater anticipation than I have ever been. Oh, how great our joy will be of those big things if we find such joy now in these little things.

Another little thing.

 Ben's watch will always remind me of Ben because..... he always used to wear his silver watch and nice dress clothes on a regular basis. He was a very clean and kempt boy.

Many of you may have never known him this way if you met him after he started working in landscaping about 6 years ago. Dressing up routinely kind of died with having a dirty job. :)

But I still remember it and I love it.

The Little Things {Fresh Flowers}

Fresh Flowers will always remind me of Ben because....... I received so many beautiful flowers for Ben's funeral and I think of him when I see them.

The Little Things {Showers}

Showers remind me of Ben because....... I was only allowed to take 8 minute showers because he couldn't stand to have me away from him. ;) 

{Ok, it was more of a fear that something medical would happen to him and he would need something but I'll stick with the former excuse}

P.S. I call these my "Love Pangs". Those sweet little things that give you a glimpse of Ben in them and a short little stab to the heart. I am happy to have them though so I can remember all those little things I may have forgotten and write them down now.