Graduation Cake Pops

 

Cake balls + sticks = cake pops.

I recently graduated from high school (yesterday) and wanted to make some baked goods for my friends. But not just any baked stuff...I wanted it to be somewhat symbolic of the occasion, so what better way to do so than make cake pops that look like graduation caps?! I followed what blogger Bakerella did in her cake pop grad cap tutorial, and they came out beautiful! Here is my version of it with a step by step picture tutorial. 

INGREDIENTS and MATERIALS

-1 box of cake mix (I used white)

-1/2 tub of icing 

-0.5kg of candy melts (blue)

-Yellow m&ms 

-Peanut butter cup candy molds

-Candy sticks and bags

DIRECTIONS

 Bake your cake according to the directions on the box.

Let your cake completely cool, then what I did was cut off any crust from the cake so it looked like this. This will make your cake pops more smooth. 

Cut the cake into 4 different pieces/squares, and rub them against each other to create a crumble.

...until it looks something like this (shouldn't have any big pieces)

Take 1/2 tub of icing (I used french vanilla)

Mix together (w/ spoon or hands)

Roll it into small balls (I used a little less than 1 tsp spoon as my guide) 

MAKE SURE YOU ROLL IT UNTIL ITS SMOOTH!

Let it chill in the refrigerator (I actually let mine sit in there for 24 hrs) 

 Then melt your blue candy molds and fill the bottom (I suggest the sides too) of the mold with the candy, and then place your balls in it. (lol)

Then fill the rest of the molds with more candy until filled and then stick in a lollipop stick inside the cake (only halfway)

Let it sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or until hardened, and pop them out from the back of the mold. DO NOT PULL FROM THE STICK, otherwise it'll fall apart and that'll be a waste :(

For the square part of the hat, I just poured melted candy over wax paper, let it dry a bit, then cut square shapes, put it in the fridge for 5 minutes (or until hardened) and got my shapes!

Glue your m&m atop, using the melted candy molds as an adhesive.

Then glue your cap onto your cake pop.

I actually liked using an egg carton while doing this.

That's it! (not really...it took me quite a while to make these) 

I made 26 cake pops, with A LOT of cake balls left over (I ran out of candy molds, but I didn't wanna make that many anyways) so I wrapped the remaining balls in plastic wrap, then wax paper, and put it in another bag and froze them so I can use them when I make cake pops another time!

Veggie and Ricotta Penne Pasta

I love pasta. I don't know anyone who doesn't like pasta. But, I'm trying to be and eat healthier, so I always try to find ways to re-vamp and 'healthify' meals/recipes. A lot of pasta recipes that I find have cheese in it, which is high in calories and high in fat. But, moderation is key to anything! I came up with this pasta dish that does have cheese, but very little of it - so, you get to enjoy a 'cheesy' meal without all the extra added calories. I used light ricotta cheese in this dish, so it really decreased the amount of fats and calories. Also, I used whole wheat pasta in this dish, which is something I usually use anyways when I cook pasta.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of uncooked whole wheat penne

1/2-3/4 cup of frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn) 

1/4 cup of light ricotta cheese 

2 tbsp of shredded cheese 

1 tsp of garlic spread* 

1 tsp of olive oil

2 pinches of chili flakes**

Salt, pepper - I added a lot of pepper, few pinches of salt

*you can also use 1/2 tsp of olive oil + garlic: put the olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic

**instead of chili flakes, you can just sprinkle some cayenne pepper over the pasta

SERVES 1 BIG PORTION, OR 2 

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook your uncooked penne in 1 cup of water, and cook your frozen veggies in another pot until done. Once cooked, set to aside.

2. Take your garlic spread (or SEE NOTE) and let it melt on a skillet. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil as well, and add in your chili flakes. Stir for 30 seconds. (medium heat)

3. Add in your drained veggies and fry them for 1-2 minutes.

4. Turn the heat down to a low-medium, add in your ricotta cheese and cooked penne.

5. Add your pepper and salt, and mix together for around 1-2 minutes.

6. Turn the heat off, and add in your shredded cheese. 

Cheesy Quinoa Fried "Rice"

My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish I made a few weeks ago. I'm posting the recipe now because:

1. I have an exam tomorrow, and the next day, and the following Monday, but instead of studying, I wanted to update my blog (...very smart of me)

2. THIS IS TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE (though I am quite late at doing so)

Anyways! This recipe contains pieces of chicken, corn, beans, cheese...LOOK AT ALL THOSE AMAZING INGREDIENTS. This dish is quite healthy as well, so if you're looking to up your protein intake, you'll find it in this recipe (beans, chicken), and there's a ton a fiber that goes along with beans. This is kind of like fried rice, but with quinoa. :)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of COOKED quinoa 

1/4 can of black beans

1/3 cup of cooked corn niblets

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper 

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 of a medium onion

1/4 cup of shredded cheese (or less)

1/4 cup of cooked chicken breast/shredded

salt, pepper - to taste (I sprinkled a generous amount of pepper, and maybe 2-3 pinches of salt?)

SERVES 1

DIRECTIONS

1. After you cooked your quinoa, take 1 cup and set that side. (you can find how to cook quinoa somewhere online if you don't know how to! - you can find basically anything online nowadays) 

2. In a skillet, pour your oil into a pan and saute the onions around for 1 minute.

3. Add your beans, corn, and chicken to the pan, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add in your quinoa to the pan, and add in the cayenne, salt, and pepper.

5. Turn off the stove, and add in your cheese.

TA DA! That's it. Super simple and SUPER easy - also, it's so good. SO good.