Mexican Layer Bake

 

I made this Mexican Layer Bake last night from the Food & Family Kraft magazine I get and let me tell ya- it's already gone! It was so delicious, we dug in like we hadn't eaten in months! Just a few changes I made, only because I was almost out of one thing and I couldn't find something in another- I will place the changes in the posted recipe below:

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (I made about 1-1/2 lbs)
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/4 cups chunky red salsa - I used 1 cup Pace chunky salsa and 1/2 cup Old El Paso Taco Sauce
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn - here is where I used a 16oz. bag because I couldn't find a 10oz.
3 high-fiber whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)-(I used large, about 9 or 10 inches)
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream (I used Daisy Light)
1-1/2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided - I just used as much cheese as I wanted since I am such a fan... I did follow the directions below though!

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

BROWN meat with onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in chili powder; cook 1 min. Add salsa and corn; mix well. Simmer 5 min.

SPREAD 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking dish; top with one tortilla; next, 1 cup meat sauce, sour cream and 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with another tortilla, 1 cup remaining meat sauce and half of remaining cheese; top with remaining tortilla and meat sauce. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 min. or until casserole is heated through. Top with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted.

 

Lingerie Party Cake

This is a cake I made in June for my friend Sherry's lingerie party- it almost turned out to be a "cake wreck" but somehow I managed! I almost had a panic attack while making this one is all I'll say (first time I had ever felt something like that coming on and hopefully the last, it was NOT FUN!)- that in combination with not having had much to eat in preparation for the party made for a bad time a few minutes before the party for me! I ended up using a 9x13 cake pan for the bodice and the small dome from the Betty Crocker ball pan for the boobies- ha- and shaped it myself. She requested a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting, which I tripled- I think that was my one mistake- I should have made each batch separately, being that it came out too liquid and I couldn't decorate much with it- in a panic, I ended up using black frosting from a tube (which came in handy, even though I totally dislike the taste) and it saved me from having pale black "frills" on the cake. As it was, I decided I would work with what I had. The frosting poured over the cake and it settled in like satin- what's prettier than satin lingerie? Here are the pics Sherry took- yet another wacky happening that night- I took pictures for the blog and realized AFTER THE PARTY WAS OVER, that I didn't have a memory card in my camera. How awful is that?!? Thankfully Sherry took pictures and I got them from her. Here is the cake that caused me the stress of all stresses:

 

 

Financial Peace University Cake

 

For our last Financial Peace University class, I decided to make a cake to celebrate our freedom from credit cards! My original idea involved a 9x13 cake cut in half decorated as a credit card, but with the time crunch I had, I had to settle for drawing it. :o) It was delicious!

 

Baby Showers & Birthdays...

 

 

Oh, the busy life of a baker... So kidding. The weekend before last just happened to be one of those weekends where there is so much going on, you don't know which way to turn. I had a baby shower to attend and a birthday party later that evening. As it was, I was requested to make a cake for each event- to which I gladly accepted, being that I want to get more practice in decorating them! The baby shower was for a girl and I wanted to make a rattle cake- which I have made before, just never decorated it the way I did this time. I took a picture without the handle (pre-delivery) and then one with. One half of the dome was chocolate and the other was golden butter.

The birthday cake was a request of a cake I had made back in August for another friend's birthday, the devil's food with chocolate icing and topped with chocolate covered strawberries, always a fun one to make since I make extra choco-covered strawberries and I LOOOOOVE to eat those! This frosting of course, is the cool whip/pudding/milk combo. Much lighter than regular frosting but just as delish. Needless to say, the cakes were a hit and both parties were great! Can't wait to make more!