Valentine's Day Cake Pops

I made my first cake pops about 3 years ago. After that first round, I decided I was NEVER going to make cake pops again. They fell apart, my kitchen was a mess, and I wasted about $30 worth of baking supplies. The problem was that my kids LOVE cake pops. They always ask for them at their birthday parties, and they are crazy expensive to buy already made! So, I decided to give them another shot. This time, I would do some research FIRST, and see what I should and shouldn't do. Unfortunately, I found lots of tutorials that gave me very mixed results. So, I set out on a mission to do lots of experimenting and find out for myself what worked best. After LOTS of trial and error, here are the steps that I have found to give me satisfactory results EVERY time.

Start by baking your favorite cake. It can be any flavor that you'd like. For these pops, I used a box cake mix that was Strawberry Flavored. Sometimes I make a my cake from scratch, sometimes it comes from a box mix. Both work great. 

After your cake has baked and cooled, use a knife to cut off the edges, and then crumble to rest of the cake into a large mixing bowl.

Once your cake is crumbled, add about 2 Tbs of icing to the bowl. If your cake is super moist, you'll want to use a little less. If it is super dry, you'll want to use a little more. This can be homemade icing, or icing from a can. I prefer making homemade buttercream, but again, icing from a can gives about the same results.

Next, with clean hands, mush the crumbled cake and icing together. You are going to want it to be the consistency of Ground Beef. You do not want it to be too moist, or else your pops will fall apart.

Once your icing and cake a well combined, roll the cake into round balls using your hands. If the cake will not stay together, but crumbles apart, then you need to add some more icing. If the cake won't form a ball because it is too soft, then you added too much icing.

Once you have formed all of the balls, place them on a piece of cling wrap and stick them into the freezer. **In this tutorial, i'm showing your how to make Heart Shaped Cake pops. If you just want to make traditional cake pops, you can ignore the next few steps, and go ahead and stick your cake balls into the freezer.

To make heart shaped cake pops, use your fingers to slightly flatten the cake balls. 

Next, pinch one end of the flattened cake ball to make the bottom point of a heart.

Use a butter knife to make a small indention in the top of the cake pop, and use your fingers to round out the edges.

Once you've formed all the hearts, lay them out on a tray and stick them into the freezer. **If you are making traditional cake pops instead of the hearts, you are going to pick back up at this step. 

While your cake balls are chilling in the freezer for about 20 minutes, go ahead and gather the supplies for decorating. My favorite coating to use are these Candy Wafers. I get mine from Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a bag. They come in all different colors and flavors.

Sprinkles are necessary, but come on, sprinkles make everything better.

Go ahead and lay out some more cling wrap onto your counter top, and have your cake pop sticks ready. 

Right before you pull your cake balls out of the freezer, go ahead and melt down your candy wafers. I like to use these small bowls, and work in smaller batches. Also, I add about 1/2 tsp. of coconut oil to my candy wafers. I've found that this small amount helps to thin the chocolate out just the right amount without making it greasy. 

Once your cake balls have chilled in the freezer for 20 minutes, pull them out. Take one of your Cake Pop Sticks, stick the tip into the melted Candy Wafers, and then insert it into your cake ball. 

Repeat until all cake balls have a stick. Then, place them back in the freezer for another 10 minutes. Do NOT skip this step or you will regret it! 

After 10 minutes is up, I reheat my candy wafers, and then pull 3-4 of the cake pops out of the freezer. I've noticed if I pull them all out, the last ones are too soft by the time I get to them. Go ahead and dip the cake pop in the melted Candy Wafers. I like to use a spoon to help drizzle it over any spots that got missed during the dip.

After you have dipped the pop, GENTLY tap the stick on the side of the bowl while SLOWLY twirling the cake pop. If your cake pop starts falling off the stick, then they are not frozen enough and need to be in the freezer longer. 

If you plan to use sprinkles, you need to apply them as soon as you are done dipping the cake pop. 

After you have dipped, and decorated, stick the cake pop in a stand to let the candy wafer coating harden. If you don't have a cake pop stand, a large block of Styrofoam works great. 

Once the coating has hardened, then you are DONE! :) I like to wrap my in a small clear treat bag, and tie it off with a little ribbon if I'm going to be taking them somewhere. If they are being made for a party, then I usually just display them in my Cake Pop Stand. 

I hope this tutorial helps you. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. If you make cake pops after reading this tutorial, post them on Instagram, and tag me in the photo! ;) 

How to fold a Bow Napkin

Hi friends!

Something I've started doing recently, and have fallen in LOVE with, is making an effort to set our table each night when i'm cleaning up the kitchen. I have so many pretty chargers, table cloths, cute napkins and adorable dishes that I hardly ever use. So, i've been trying to make more of an effort to use them! Plus, I love getting ready to eat a meal, and already having the table set.

I've started experimenting with different ways to fold my cloth napkins, and this cute bow has become my go-to. Not only is it super simple to fold, but it's also adorable! I thought i'd throw together a little tutorial so you can see just how easy these are to fold.

The steps are so simple, and you end up with an adorable accent for your table. 

Step 1. Lay your napkin out flat. I like to do this on the table, as it makes it a little easier. Don't worry if your napkin is a little wrinkled; by the time you fold it you won't be able to tell.

Step 2. Fold napkin in 1/3rd "Hot Dog Style".

Step 3. Fold Napkin in 1/3rds again. 

Step 4. Fold napkins in 1/3rd again, but this time length wise.

Step 5. Fold the napkin in 1/3rd one last time.

Step 6. Roll the napkin up. It doesn't have to be too tight, but tight enough to be able to slide it into a napkin ring in step 7.

Step 7. Slide the rolled napkin into a napkin ring. You can use any style napkin ring, I just really like these simple ones for the bows.

Step 8. Keep the napkin ring in the center of the napkin, and slowly unroll the napkin. Shape the napkin to make sure both side are even, and then you are done! 

See, I told you it was super simple! I usually got ahead and roll a bunch of them after I wash a load of the napkins. Then, I store then in a drawer in my China Cabinet and just pull them out as I need them. 

Hope you try this tutorial out! If you do, leave me a comment below, or post a picture on Instagram and tag me! :)

How I always have fresh rice on hand.

Our family eats ALOT of rice. Mainly my hubby. He LOVES it.

Cooking rice takes FOREVER, so here's my little secret to always having fresh steamed rice on hand.

I like to cook our rice in our Aroma Rice Maker. We've had this rice maker for about 4 years, and we love it. Simply add the rice, add the water, close the lid and tap the button. Super simple, and clean up is easy.

After the rice is cooked, I take the insert out of the rice maker, and let it cool on my counter for about 15 minutes so that it is easier to handle.

Next, I take quart size freezer bags, and scoop 2 cups of rice into each bag. Squeeze all of the extra air out, and flatten the bag. Then pop them in the freezer!

I like to flatten them because it makes them super easy to stack in the freezer, and helps to thaw out quicker than if it was all in one big clump.

You can thaw it out by popping it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or setting out on the counter while you prep the rest of your meal.