6.08.2008

jill's BTS cake

this is the other bts cake i talked about. jill was my good friend in high school, and she lived close to our school so we used to go to her house for lunch a lot. and when she had this cake, this is all we ate. and we loved it. i actually prefer this one over the chocolate...and that's saying a lot. i love chocolate. so let's get started.

you'll need a yellow cake mix, instant vanilla pudding mix, milk, crushed pineapple, sugar, and cool whip.make the cake according to package directions


(or have your helper do it for you).
while the cake is still warm, poke 9-12 holes in it with the handle-end of a wooden spoon.
this is too many. i always do too many. i like it that way, though.while the cake is cooling, put 9 oz. crushed pineapple in a saucepan,
then add a cup of sugar.
stir together and bring to a boil.
boil together for five minutes
like this.
then remove from heat and let it cool completely.
once the cake and pineapple are both completely cooled, pour the pineapple on top of the cake. make sure the pineapple gets down in the holes, and some on the edges too.
spread it around, gently smushing in the pineapple. smushing...is that even a word? you know what i mean though.
like this.
now make your pudding mix according to the directions--nothing special, just regular pudding.
then pour it on top of the pineapple.
and spread it around, making sure it gets in the holes too.
and on the sides! yum. i loooove pudding. seriously. any kind. oh, except rice pudding. yuck. but any other kind is delish. especially on cake. especially on this cake.
then put it in the fridge for at least an hour so the pudding can set.
after the pudding is set (or right before you serve it), cover it in cool whip. i looove cool whip, so i use a lot.
and make it pretty, with a spoon.
what? you don't know how to use a spoon to make a cake pretty? huh. well, here's a quick video so you can see how it's done.

did that help? i hope so. when you're finished, it should look a bit like this:
people, yum doesn't begin to describe this cake. it actually might be better than....you know. although i forgot to take a picture of the cake after it was cut and on a plate. it looks almost as good as it tastes.

one tip...this cake is actually better the day after you make it, when the pudding has had time to set and the pineapple has flavored the cake a little. but it's still good the day you make it, too. just a heads up. oh, and keep it refrigerated. but i didn't have to tell you that. did i?

jill's BTS cake

one yellow cake mix
one small box of instant vanilla pudding
9 oz. crushed pineapple
1 cup sugar
cool whip

bake the cake according to package directions. while the cake is still warm, poke 9-12 holes with the handle-end of a wooden spoon. while the cake is cooling, boil the pineapple and sugar together for 5 minutes. remove from heat. when the cake and pineapple are both completely cool, pour over the cake. make pudding according to package directions and pour on top of the pineapple. refrigerate until set. add cool whip on top of the pudding once it is set. enjoy!

mom's chicken poppyseed casserole

this is my mom's go-to casserole for taking dinner to anyone. baby born, family member passes away, whatever. this is what she takes. and everyone always asks for the recipe. i have to cut down on the sour cream because a)i don't like sour cream and b) it seems too creamy to me if you add the full amount. other than that, i love this recipe. so let's get started.

you'll need a package of chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, ritz crackers, poppy seeds, and butter.

start by boiling the chicken for 30 minutes, or until it's no longer pink. i generally use strips because they're easier to shred but breasts work fine too (like i have here).while the chicken is cooking, mix the cream of chicken soup with 8 oz. sour cream. spread a little bit on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.


once the chicken is cooked, tear it into pieces into the pan (i know this one is square...ignore it).then pour the rest of the mixture on top of the chicken
and spread it out evenly.
put a tube and a half of ritz crackers in a ziploc and smash it into crumbs with a rolling pin.
can we talk about rolling pins for a minute? this one's mine. it's marble. it was expensive. it works great at smashing up crackers. but sometimes, i think my rolling pin gets a little sad. we use it for smashing crackers, crushing ice, and isaac sometimes uses it as a steamroller when he's playing with trucks. sometimes i think it's saying "seriously? this is what you're using me for? i'm supposed to be used for pastries...pies, tarts! homemade noodles! pasta! other yummy things!" but no. i don't use it for those things. because i don't know how...or even if i do (i have watched it done a million times and i have recipes), i'm scared. and this rolling pin represents my failures and wimpiness in the kitchen. maybe someday i'll get brave enough to try those things. until then, i hope this rolling pin gets used to smashing crackers.

spread the crackers evenly over the cream of chicken soup mixture.

then melt some butter in the microwave. recipe calls for an entire stick. i did 1 tbsp. an entire stick? seriously? yuck. i don't even know why you need it for this recipe. but i can't just leave it all out, since it calls for so much...so i add a little.
see?
now pour it on top
and sprinkle 2-3 tbsp. on top.

i'm not sure what poppy seeds are for. they provide no flavor...in muffins you can crunch them a little, but this casserole? no idea what it's for. but it's in the title, so add it.
see? pretty....sort of.
now pop it in the oven at 350* for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

enjoy!


mom's chicken poppyseed casserole

1 package of chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/2 tubes Ritz crackers
2-3 tbsp. poppyseeds
1 stick (8 tbsp.) of butter

boil chicken 30 minutes. mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream together. spread a little on the bottom of the pan, then shred chicken on top of that. add the rest of the mixture on top of the chicken. crush the ritz crackers and spread on top of soup mixture. sprinkle poppyseeds on top of the crackers, then pour melted butter over the whole thing. cook at 350* for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

6.03.2008

holly's chocolate BTS cake

i can't bring myself to tell you the real name of this cake.
but i'm sure you know it anyway.

my sister-in-law holly made me this for my 19th birthday.
i've had a love affair with it ever since.

i also have a yellow bts cake recipe, which i'll post another time.
for now, let's get started.

you'll need a chocolate cake mix (and with that you need eggs, oil, and water), sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping, cool whip, and two skor bars.

make the cake according to the package directions.while the cake is still warm, take the handle-end of a wooden spoon and poke 9-12 holes in the cake.
this is too many. i always go a little crazy with my hole-poking.
when the cake is completely cool, pour half a can of sweetened condensed milk on top.
make sure it gets in the holes. this helps the cake stay moist and YUMMY.
like this.
now pour half a bottle of caramel topping on top.
make sure that gets in the holes too.
and on the edges.
like this.
now spoon cool whip on top. i like loooots of cool whip, so i do a pretty thick layer.
spread it around, and make it look nice!

now take your skor bars and smash them up into bits while still in the package.
and pour them on top.
like this.
look at that. i'm salivating just looking at this picture. yum. make it today.
you won't regret it (although your hips might)!!

Chocolate BTS Cake

one chocolate cake mix, baked according to package directions
sweetened condensed milk
caramel ice cream topping
cool whip
2 skor bars

bake the cake, then poke 9-12 holes in it with a wooden spoon while still warm. when the cake is completely cooled, pour half of the sweetened condensed milk and half of the caramel on top, making sure it gets in the holes and around the edges. top with cool whip and crushed skor bars and enjoy!