Festive JELL-O Poke Birthday Cake



Happy Birthday Cake for me?  You shouldn't have!

Festive JELL-O Poke  Cake
2 baked white cake layers 9 inch, cooled
2 cups boiling water, divided
1 pkg (85 g) Jell-O Strawberry Jelly Powder
1 pkg (85 g) Jell-OLime Jelly Powder
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Topping divided



Place cakes, top sided up, in 2 clean 9 inch round pans.  Pierce cakes with large fork at 1/2 inch intervals.

Add 1 cup boiling water to each flavour jelly powder in separate bowls; stir 2 minute, until completely dissolved.  Carefully pour red jelly over 1 cake layer, and green jelly over remaining cake layer.  Refigerate 3 hours.

Unmold cakes.  Fill and frost with CoolWhip.  Keep refrigerated.

I haven't quite mastered how to make my cakes look as good as the pictures from Kraft but they do taste Yummy!

Angel Flake Coconut Cake

Yesterday I cooked Easter dinner and we also celebrated my father in laws 84th birthday.  This called for a "Celebration Cake"! 

I decided to try a new recipe  - Angel Flake Coconut Cake.  It was delicious.





Angel Flake Coconut Cake

1 pkg  2 layer yellow cake mix
1 pkg   Coconut (long flaked sweetened)
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg vanilla flavour instant pudding
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tub Cool Whipped Topping, thawed

Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in 2/3 cup coconut.  Pour evenly into two 9 inch round baking pans.  Bake as directed on package.  Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks.  Cool cakes completely.

Pour milk into medium bowl.  Add dry pudding mix and icing sugar.  Beat with a whisk 2 minutes or until blended.  (Mixture will be thick)  Gently stir in Cool Whip.  Refrigerate15 min.

Place one cake layer on serving plate; spread top with 1 cup of the pudding mixture.  Sprinkle with 3/4 cup coconut; cover with second cake layer.  Spread top and side with remaining pudding mixture; press remaining coconut into pudding mixture.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Store leftovers in the refridgerator
- If there are any that is!  I have added this recipe into the family cookbook my boys say it is a keeper!

Better-for-You Peanut Butter Cookies

Lately, I have been looking for recipes that are healthy and that my kids will eat.   This one fits the criteria. (Actually, I might not have mentioned the healthy part to the boys). So easy and delicious.  You really should just double the recipe from the start.  My boys finished off the first one in about an hour!



Better-for-You Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar


Heat oven to 325 F.  Mix ingredients until well blended.  The dough is very soft so chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  This makes it easier to work with.  Roll into 1-inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Flatten with fork.  Bake 15 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.  This is very important.  If you take them off the pan too soon they fall apart - guess how I know this!

I added chocolate chips but they would also be good with nuts, coconut, raisins, cranberies, skor bar etc.

My Grandmothers would have loved this recipe!

Orange Saskatoon Muffins- So Good and Healthy too!

Orange Saskatoon Muffins

1 ½ cup all purpose flour ( I use 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
¼ cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 whole naval orange
1 egg
½ cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen saskatoons  (Could also use cranberries or blueberries)



In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut off ends of orange, then cut into quarters, without peeling. Remove seeds. In a food processor or blender process orange include peel, egg, milk and oil until blended. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Gently stir in fruit. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven 350º for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Try and eat just one I dare you!

The Family Dinner

The family cookbook is done.  It was alot of work but worth it.  I wrapped it in linen t-towels and gave it to family for a Christmas gift. Even the teenage boys!  Perhaps not their favourite but they liked it and will love it as they get older. 

The cover picture is of me and my sister.  We are sitting at a table and chair set that our dad made for us.  What fun it was to have Tea Parties! 

The book has over 40 pages of family favourites and the binder is big enough so that we can add to it as we try new ones.  I am looking forward to sharing with you some of my favouite recipes in the coming year.

51 Ways to a Man's Heart

Hilda Beever was my Grandmother.  She taught me many things, one of which was how to cook.  She was one of those cooks who didn't measure and everything turned out.  I have to measure.  Grandma was a kind generous woman who loved to spend time with her family.  When she cooked a dinner she made sure each of us had our favourite dish on the table.

One of this year's projects is to create a family cookbook.  Including all of Grandma's specialites.  Recently I received many of her cookbooks and they are great fun to go through. 

My favourite is one she used in the 40's when she got married.  It was called 51 Ways to a Man's Heart.  Dedicated to wives whose husbands appreciate good food and to all women who like to please their men.   Grandpa loved those recipes!   Maybe I should give them a try. 

In the mean time my goal is to have the family cookbook finished in time for Christmas and to sew aprons to go with it.  Thanks Grandma for the legacy of the importance of family dinners, good food and special memories.