In The Kitchen: Cake Pops

Hello Lovelies!
A year or two ago I was on the search for a good Cake Pop recipe or helpful directions. There's many different ways to make them, by using a kit or special trays, but I think I've found the best way to make them and they taste amazing! They're really not that difficult to make, but there's a lot of trial and error. But, I'll try to add some tips that I've found work best that maybe others have yet to discover. Also, I apologize for the pictures. They're not the best I've ever taken!

Ingredients:
White or Colored Melting Chocolates (From Michael's)
Food Coloring (if needed)
Cake Pop Sticks (From Michael's)
Any flavor of Cake Mix (Ingredients for Cake Mix also: Eggs, Water, Oil, etc.)
Compatible Frosting (ex: Vanilla Cake + Vanilla Frosting)
Crisco
Any kind of Styrofoam Block or Circle
Sprinkles (optional)

Steps:
1) Bake the cake as you normally would following the directions on the back of the box. Let cool for an hour or so or you can even do it the night before you plan on putting the cake pops together. 

2) In a bowl, take the cake and crumble with hands as finely as you can. This will take some time and isn't very fun, but it's worth it. 

3) Add about half the can of frosting and mix with a spoon or hands. (Hands are easier) Add more icing as needed until it is sticky enough to roll into a ball and not stick to your hands. I put mine on a baking sheet with some wax paper.

4) Next take a bit of the melting chocolates you plan on using and microwave a bit in a bowl. I do about 1 minute and then add a bit of Crisco and then microwave for another minute. The problem a lot of people find with these melting chocolates is that they are too thick and difficult to use. By adding Crisco, you add a bit of oil to help make it easier to use. I know it's kind of gross, but it works. Don't try using water to thin out the chocolate, trust me, it doesn't work and ruins the chocolate.

5)Then take your sticks and swirl a bit on the end and stick into each cake ball on the pan. I then like to refrigerate them for about an hour so they don't fall apart when I try to put the outer coating on. I did this first with the white but used purple and blue as the outer shells.

6) After refrigerating them, melt the chocolate you want to use and if you're using white you can add the food coloring and Crisco. I like to take the cake pop in one hand and then use a spoon to pour over it a bit and smooth it out. I also added some sprinkles to make them pretty and then I stuck them in my Styrofoam. 

6) Lastly, I refrigerate for a couple hours and then they're ready to eat! :)

All my love,
Hailey

In The Kitchen: Making Macarons

Hello, Lovelies!
Today was my first day of Spring Break and I decided I'd do a bit of baking. I decided to make Macarons! Now, I've never had a "real" macaron from a shop or bakery or anything, but, I thought why not? I'll give it a go! And, they actually turned out pretty well! I found my inspiration from a few pins on Pinterest (mine is http://www.pinterest.com/hnicole40/) and also from Zoella's YouTube Video "Baking Macarons with Tanya." I followed mainly their recipe with the help of this other video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1zbAOQ3EI. Both were extremely helpful and I sort of used tips/directions from both. So, without further adeui, this is how I made Macarons! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients: 

4 Egg Whites (2 refrigerated the night before)

230 Grams of Powdered Sugar 

130 Grams of Ground Almonds

60 Grams of Granulated Sugar

Steps: 

1. The night before, put two egg whites in the fridge.

2. Put 230 grams of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.

3. Add 130 grams of ground almonds (almond meal) in with the powdered sugar. 

4. Whisk slowly and then use a sieve to sift the two ingredients. (This takes a LOT of patience and was probably the most grueling part.) 

5. When finished sifting, add the two refrigerated egg whites on top of the mixture but DON'T mix it yet.

6. In a new bowl, put two more egg whites and add 60 grams of granulated sugar.

7. Use an electric mixer to make a meringue. (This will take time, just be patient. It should be the consistency of shaving cream - light and foamy.)

8. Fold the dry mixture into the meringue until they are thoroughly mixed. (Don't Stir)

9. This is when I separated my mixture and added a few blue and green food coloring drops to one and blue and red to the other to make a pretty mint green and a light purple color. 

   

10. Next, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Hint: I used this template under my parchment to guide the size of my macarons and then removed it before I put them in the oven.)

11. Next, you can use either a piping bag with a large end or a ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner to pipe your mixture onto your baking sheet. (Hint: the ziplock bag actually worked better for me.)

12. Remove outline and gently tap the pan on a counter top to bring all bubbles to the surface.

13. Let rest for 20 minutes.

14. Bake at 300 F for 10-12 minutes or until they have risen and the tops are slightly hardened.

15. Let cool and fill with any kind of frosting, nutella, or anything you want!

All my love,

Hailey

I want to be fit.

     Hello, Lovelies!

     I didn't make a New Years Resolution this year. Mainly because I never follow through with them. So I decided instead, I would give myself a goal to reach by the beginning of my summer vacation.

I WANT TO BE FIT!

     Sounds simple right? I haven't given myself a goal for weight loss or a certain pant size I want to fit into. I simply want to be fit. I want to feel good about my body, and more importantly, myself, all by June 1st. 

     

     That means I need a plan. So I'm going to give myself 3 goals:

     - exercise 3 to 4 days a week 

     - eat right

     - work hard

     Sounds easy enough, don't you think? I will do aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week, eat healthy food and make good decisions when it comes to eating, and work hard to achieve my goals. 

   
     Though exercise is an important aspect in becoming fit, so is eating. You can exercise and continue to eat processed and fatty foods and not make any progress. You need major self control and determination to maintain a healthy and balanced diet if you want to see changes in your appearance and every day life. So that's my goal! 

   
     In the Kitchen will be series of posts aimed towards step-by-step recipes for healthier eating. However, there may be a couple of posts with some not-so-healthy recipes. (I mean, we're only human. Sometimes you need a treat.)

   
     I will use our blog to not only help me reach my goals and stay motivated, but to also share my progress with you guys. Maybe some of you have similar goals for the new year. Or maybe this little post has inspired to you to simply be a better you!

   
     Bear with us as our new topic is something that all three of us have never done before. Hope you enjoy!

     

     Stay gold,

     Kayla