cooking club: Oreo cake bites

I guess I'm never going to write all the blog posts I have planned in my mind. It's so sad. Here's one that made it. It is copied from another lady's blog. (all things simple is the name of it.)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012

cooking club: Oreo cake bites

I had a bunch of friends ask where they could order the cake bites we served at Patrick and Ashlee's reception. Apparently they were amazingly delicious. I wouldn't know, I never got the time to taste one. Even more surprising, neither did Ashlee. And she helped make all 350 of them! She confessed she was on the LGN (look good naked) diet at the time. :) She cracks me up.

So, I convinced my new daughter-in-law (love saying that :)) to do a demo for our RS Cooking Club. At first she laughed because she said they were so simple to make they didn't need a demonstration. But that's what we love--simple and yummy. And chocolate. And samples to try. And just getting together to have a good time.

We had a "filled to capacity" crowd in my kitchen. Ashlee did a wonderful job. And yes, they weresimple to make.

I don't know that I'd actually consider these "cake-y." The filling ingredients are Oreos and cream cheese, so they're more moist than a cake filling would be.

We placed a duo in mini red and white polka dot liners and packaged them in small cellophane bags. Then we tied them up with pink grosgrain ribbon. (I will forever love pink and red together.) They're the perfect little Valentine's goodie for the sisters we visit teach. Hope they make it that long (*wink*). The liners are from Wilton.

I get asked all the time how to tie a pretty knot. I just use a simple square knot--right over left, left over right. Give yourself plenty of ribbon to work with and then trim the excess off at an angle when you're done. Packaging always looks nicer when you don't scrimp on the ribbon.

Adding a sucker stick makes the perfect "cake pop" for the little (or big) ones. How darling would these be for a baby shower or any special occasion?

Here's the recipe Ashlee used:

OREO CAKE BITES
from the kitchen of: Ashlee McCrary
Yield: 30-35 bites

30 Oreo cookies (about 1 package)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. melting chocolate (I like Wilton brand)
2 squares vanilla almond bark

Using a food processor or placing cookies in a Ziploc bag, crush Oreos into a fine crumb. In mixer, combine softened cream cheese and Oreos. Mix until a soft dough forms. Chill in freezer 20-30 minutes or in fridge for an hour. Measure one tablespoon scoops and form into round balls. Place on wax paper on cookie sheet that will fit in freezer. Chill for 30-45 minutes until firm.

Melt chocolate, following directions on package.

Insert toothpick into frozen Oreo ball and dip in chocolate to cover. Let excess drip off, then place on cookie sheet covered with wax paper. When chocolate is no longer shiny, remove toothpick by twisting to leave only a very small hole. Fill hole with melted chocolate.

Melt almond bark, following package directions. Transfer to Ziploc bag. Make a very small cut in the corner of the bag. Drizzle back and forth over cake bites.

Store in airtight container in fridge.

Ashlee's Tips and Tricks:

• Use only regular Oreos.
• I prefer Wilton brand melting chocolates because they're made with real cocoa, instead of chocolate-flavored like other brands. (I've found them at Walmart in the craft department and at Joanne's.)
• Don't be tempted to use regular chocolate chips to melt. They have a tendency to seize up and become lumpy. Melting chocolate is formulated for melting and dipping.
• Make sure you measure when forming balls to make uniform cake bites.
• As dipping chocolate starts to cool, it will get thick and start to clump. Simply put back in microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power to thin again.
• White almond bark can be found in the baking section of your grocery store.

My Trip continued

Ok, so that idea didn't happen. The trip was long and hectic - also fun and rewarding. I'm settled (kinda) and working and oh so tired.

Day 2 of the trip started with a wreck happening in front of me. I stopped to help and realized the guy had some sort of agenda of his own. He was ticked that others called 911 even though he was the victim of a hit and run. I got back on the road and caught up with the car that hit him. He was having engine trouble from the crash and couldn't go very fast. I called and gave his license plate number and went on to a day going through the mountains (bye Blue Ridge Mountains) and Tennessee. I can't remember where I stopped that night without checking my records but I slept comfortably on an air mattress, sleeping bags and blankets in the back of my car which I was towing. I slept at a truck stop with a whole bunch of truckers and was very safe. I slept with my feet up so that helped with the swelling in my feet, legs and ankles. This problem was the part of my trip that was not good. I'm still fighting the effects today.

Day 3 continued across the country and ended in Overland Park, KS where I spent two nights with Sarah, Isaac and Allie. They were wonderful hosts and showed me around the town. The best part was just being with them. I miss them so much and could have just looked at them for hours but Sarah would have bonked me over the head. Allie still remembers me. That's pretty awesome. She's the one who changed my opinion of Chihuahuas and I still love that little stinker. I guess you can figure out that saying goodbye to those three produced the watery (aka sobbing) miles for the beginning of Day 5.

My Trip - Day One

This day was hectic and scary. Most of the truck was packed. I had some things in a storage unit that still needed to go in, getting the tow dolly put on and getting on the road. The hardest part was saying goodbye to friends. Ruth and Brother Johnson helped me load the truck and Amy got there in time to watch us close the door. (SMILE). Leah got there in time to say goodbye too. I've been trying very hard to not blubber like a baby (at least until I pull away) when I say goodbye. Those first few miles down the road were watery.

My first leg of the trip was going to Nadine's house and visiting with family. It was so good to see everyone. Allison tried to keep me in tears. Just kidding. We had a great time talking and laughing. We shared stories and remember whens. Felicia didn't know I was at her house on the night she was born. Some of the stories were the kind where you have to say "I have no knowledge of those events . . . " Hmmmm . . . Allison knew most of those.

We had some great Chinese food and I got lots of hugs. It wasn't a long stretch of my trip but it was fun.

Pine Straw

Today as I walked from the parking lot into the physical therapist's building, I cut through a area of pine trees. The smell of the pine straw mixed with the soft cushioned feeling under my feet triggered memories of something I haven't thought of in a while. Travel with me down memory lane . . .

When I was seven we moved into the house on Stroller Ave. It was part of a group of houses all built at the same time. Mom and Dad bought it before they had completely started construction (some of the foundation had been poured) and since the house was on the end of the row of houses, they had the contractor turn the house so it was facing a different direction from the others. All of these houses had been built in what had been woods so there were lots of trees left on the property. Dad liked the pine trees the most so after we moved in he started removing the trees in the backyard that he didn't want and let the pines have their way with half of the backyard. He even made a walkway that bisected the backyard with grass on one side and pines on the other.

As I grew up my brother and I played in the pine straw all the time. Running through the pine straw was a slippery adventure. Falling and laughing like idiots took hours of our time. Probably the most fun was had where five pine trees were close together. We found plywood and boxes and wood and all sorts of junk and built a "fort". Depending on what adventure we were on it could have been a house, a boat, a prison, an Indian camp, a fort from the wild west - you get the idea. Pine straw was used to cover everything and made it a cozy little area. I spent time alone there, just thinking or napping or just daydreaming.

I can't tell you how many times we found spiders and other bugs crawling on us and as a parent I cringe to think of all the bites that could have been serious. Ticks were a big problem too but we were stupid kids and we couldn't see the down side to our forts. We would tear them down just so we could build them up again.

Wow, all this from a smell.

Fibromyalgia and the Weather.

Fibromyalgia is a nasty disease anyway. Hard to diagnose and folks tend to think you are making it up. I feel really bad that it is probable that my mother had this and we all thought she was a hypochondriac. As if having the disease isn't bad enough, feeling the guilt over Mom and so forth - weather changes are unreal. We went from the 90's to high 50's in one day. My body let me know without a doubt that it thought this was a bad idea. Day one was met with severe aches all over (as if I had a bad flu) and chills so bad that my teeth chattered. It took 3 hours under an electric blanket and a quilt for this nonsense to stop. My hands and feet were determined to never warm up. Day two still had pain but added an awful headache that I still have after two days. I'm still cold. My feet and hands are ice blocks. AND it's not cold yet.

Never Forget September 11, 2001

So as the song says, "Where were you . . .?", I was at work. My boss was out of town because her father was dying. We were talking on the phone and in the background I could hear the TV in the hospital room on Good Morning America. In the middle of her sentence she got distracted and said, "A plane just flew into a building in New York!" I was in front of my computer so went to CNN.com and pulled it up while we were still on the phone. We hung up to pay attention to what we were watching and I told my co-worker. We sat stunned and watched it unfold. I knew my kids were two hours behind us so I called them to make sure they knew what was happening. My co-worker called her family. Since two members of my family were in the military I knew this was going to impact our family. I went home and got a small TV and brought it back so we could watch while we worked. That was when I felt the strange sensation of realizing there was no air traffic. The other part of it was the roads were practically empty. I guess everyone was glued to TV's and computer's like we were.

I watched in horror as we learn about the Pentagon being hit and the plane in Pennsylvania. My co-worker was upset because she had family in Pennsylvania and I have lots of family in Washington, DC. It turns out that one of my cousins was at work in the Pentagon. Facebook would have come in handy during that time. Now when I see posts from folks who are in the path of a hurricane or in the areas that are flooding or earthquakes shaking up the world I think about how easy it is to get the news out that we are safe. Facebook has a definite upside in this respect. We wanted to get in touch with everyone we loved just to see how they were being affected on those days after our sense of security was shattered. As in the song, I wanted to hold my family close. I couldn't do that since they were far away. It was so frustrating to me.

One last note on this whole experience. Pride for America. I remember what it was like before the attacks. I was a kid when men and woman fighting in Vietnam came home expecting to be accepted for doing their duty to our country. This was a time of military drafts and many didn't have a choice of whether they fought in the military. Yet when they came home they were subjected to being jeered at, spit on and treated as if they had done something wrong. Idiots were burning flags in protest. Most people didn't even own a flag much less flew it outside their home or business.

That changed quickly. This attack woke us up to the complacency of our nation. Songs like Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" played on the radio immediately after the attack. Then Alan Jackson's song "Where were you?" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" came out and they were played on all kinds of stations, not just country stations. Flags were flown outside homes, on windows, on cars and practically every store you went into had a sign that said they were proud to be an American. I think that we tend to forget things like that when it's not in our face every day and that is sad. It shouldn't take a disaster to appreciate the blessings we have for living in this country.

We see attacks in other countries and shake our heads. But that is far away and of course, it could never happen here". Oklahoma City being bombed was horrifying but that was"one crazy person, right"? Suuuurrrreeee . . . still it couldn't happen again. NYC had a bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993. Once again most thought this was an anomaly. We are safe from the attacks like they have in the Middle East, right? WRONG! We live in a time where countries full of people are being taught that Americans are evil and the enemy.

So yes, never forget September 11, 2001. Not just because so many people died or because so many people were heroes that day and in the months afterward. We don't need to be afraid each and every day. BUT we do need to be aware this is the day and age we live in now. Be diligent and aware, not afraid. Count your blessings and know that family is precious. Life is precious. Remember to tell your family and friends you love them and cherish them. Safeguard them, watch over them. Be proud of the land you live in and the freedoms we enjoy. I know that those freedoms we enjoy makes it easier for lunatics to do stupid things but I don't want our freedoms taken away because of them. Remember, prepare and be aware. Then love and live.

NOTE: After I posted this I found a video and song that I liked. Maybe you will too. At youtube.com search for "I Remember" by HopeWeChange.

Spring 2011

One of the advantages of working 3^rd shift is that I get to come home at dawn. I’ve been able to see some really cool sunrises. I also have been able to watch the seasons change in the early morning light. I’m not sure why it makes a difference but it seems to for me.

This particular spring has been fabulous. It may be because I may be moving to a different climate (HOUSE, SELL YOURSELF!!!) It may be because if I do move I will probably never see my NC again. It may be that it was an exceptional spring. Who knows? One thing is for sure – the colors were outstanding. The white dogwoods were full and luscious. The pink dogwoods put on a show that I can’t remember seeing lately. I watched the leaves as they started coming out and I’m pretty sure I saw every shade of green. The “popcorn” trees popped, the red maples were vivid and the azaleas were lush. The spring flowers like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and so forth exploded from the earth.

I must say that if this was my last spring in NC – it was GREAT!