Baking Ham Breaking Bad

Mike and I probably had the most uneventful Valentine's Day EVER.  I DARE You to challenge me!

I even anticipated how lame it was going to be so I made the card to reflect it... and embraced it.    This year we really don't have much.  We are planning our wedding and I lost my job (I had to quit because I had a bad spinal tap and was unable to commute to NYC).    We decided that instead of going to an overcrowded, overpriced, hot spot we would bake a ham and watch something on Netflix.    I had never baked a ham so I thought it would be fun.

I love to bake and Mike loves baked goods.   Here is what KILLS me about him.  HE LOVES BOXED CAKE.  I could probably make anything from scratch (HAPPILY) and he requests boxed cake.  On Pinterst I saw a pin to drop a Hershey Kiss in the center after 5  minutes of baking.    I would attach the link here for you but when I went to follow it there was nothing more to the pin.  We used Hershey's Dark Chocolate.    It was supposed to give you a "molten" type situation.  I am going to try this again with better quality chocolates and with real cake.  This was my test run.  I think the actual method might not be bad.  It was gooey and in the middle.  Once they were cooled (next day) it is like having a solid kiss in the middle of your cupcake.  If you are not expecting it you might choke on it.

I was using the ready to decorate icing store tubes.
Doesn't quite allow for great piping but I couldn't resist a red
Boston Terrier.  

For the record.  I don't bother with cupcake liners when
Mike is just going to eat them right away.

"YOUR VALENTINE'S DATE PLAN IS TO BAKE A HAM & WATCH SONS OF ANARCHY?"

                                                           

To Make this card:

To our knowledge this is Kakie's Craftery's Own Technique:

1. I went on google Images.  Found the Image of Saul that I liked that was 2 tone and clear.  

2.  I printed the image and then scanned it and enlarged it a great deal (I don't remember how much)

3. I then painted Saul.  With glue in stages.  I used the same glue that you use with embossing stamps.  (same method).   Sprinkle desired embossing powder on areas where wet glue is.  Make sure you paint a very very thin layer of glue (about same amount when stamping).

For those of you who do not know what heat embossing is.  Here is an example.  

4.  Once all of the areas are covered with embossing powder use heating tool.   I was upset at this point because Saul did not turn out as clear as he was before he was heated.   Still Impressive but... It was better in powder formation.  Allow Saul time to cool off then cut out.

5. I painted over "BETTER CALL SAUL"  That was very simple.  I then outlined it with a red pen.  I originally was using  glitter markers by American Crafts.  They ended up ripping apart the paper and then thy blue died in the middle of the project.  I find all of their products to be of poor quality.  Stay away.  

6.  I hot glued 4 pieces of cardboard together for Saul's backing.  This way he sticks up further.  See how he is raised? 

6.  I cut the two pages of card stock to 8" with a paper cutter and then used an Elmer's glue spray adhesive that I have.  It was my first time trying out a spray adhesive and it worked wonders!    I then mounted all of the smaller items onto the 8" pieces and that's how I got my Son's of Anarchy/Breaking Bad Valentine's Day Ham Card.

**I realize I may have overly simplified my instructions and made them seem easy.  If I hadn't had mistakes this card would have taken me about 5 hours to make.   From start to finish (google image search and all) If you have questions please ask!

This is the card that Mike made for me.  It is my requirement.  I love his drawings.

This is Mike & Oliver.  So Cute.  Yes, I got flowers and ham.  

Chocolate Coffee Trifle

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything that I have baked so I have looked through my phone/facebook and found the most requested picture and recipes It is a huge hit at family gatherings and is quite easy to make! This is a recipe that I originally found on the internet (possibly from allrecipes.com) and then made many of my own adjustments to. Feel free to find the original.
You will need:
Trifle Dish/Glass Bowl
Boxed Chocolate Cake
1 small box instant chocolate pudding (sugar free to keep it healthy- haha)
1 package heath bar crunch
heavy whipping cream (as much or as little as you want)
instant coffee grounds
chocolate syrup
Kahlua liquor
powdered sugar

Bake cake in 9" round pans as directed and allow to cool-- SO SIMPLE, RIGHT?

Make Pudding in a bowl and allow to cool in fridge -only needs a few minutes. -- STILL EASY!

Pour whipping cream into mixer on low setting with whisk attachment. gradually bringing the speed up. When is starts to thicken i sprinkle in about 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and then 3 tablesppons of coffee gournds. it may be more coffe. you want the whipped cream to be a light tan color. it looks gross at first but the coffee will dissovle. i promise. I should have my meaurements in front of me for you... I usually buy the 8 oz containers. I find one to be enough.-- THIS IS IMPPORTANT! YOU WILL WANT TO ADD A LOT OF SUGAR TO YOU WHIPPED CREAM. DO NOT DO THIS. The whipped cream alone does not taste amazing. I know. Just you wait until it parties with everyone else... By the way you, should have whipped it good.




Here comes the hard part... Layering.

Cut the cake so that it fits into your trifle dish. I actually use the trifle dish as my guide to cut the cake. When cutting the cake you want to remember that you will be fitting two-three layers of cake into that dish. It seems easy now... Just you wait.

Once the first cake is nicely placed in the trifle dish I coat it in kahlua. Don't be shy with the booze.   Every time I make this I add more.  I find the more I add the better it tastes!

Now put a layer of your chocolate pudding on. I plunk it in the middle and then smooth it outward with a spoon so you get cleaner edges. Do the same thing with the whipped cream. Do a layer of heath bar also.

Repaet your cake layer again. Repeat the Kahlua again and the following steps. Top with choclate syrup drizzle and heath on top.


You must refridgerate this for a couple of hours before serving. You can make all of the ingredients ahead of time. You have to assemble the day of delivery.

I have also assembled this in single servings and cooked the cake in a cupcake pan.  I bought my big trifle dish at Kohls.  It is made by the food network.  It looks like they make the individual trifle dishes (posted link below) now.  I don't know if they still make the big trifle dishes.  :)

Food Network 4-Pc. Glass Trifle Bowl Set (Google Affiliate Ad)

GOOD LUCK!

So I've made this numerous times now.  This past time I had the genius idea to cut the cake circle in half.  The difference was amazing.  It was so much easier to assemble this way and much cleaner looking.  You also will not be able to see that you cut it as you coat it in pudding anyway.  I also baked my cake 2 days ahead of time and did basted the Kahlua on it though out those days.  It was amazing.

This is the big one I just made.

 Once again I had an extra cake layer so this time I use my pastry rings and cut small cake circles and did the layering in the cups and took them to my brother's house for a gathering.  I think they were upset I only had 6.  Haha.  These bad boys are always in high demand!

If you are using plastic cups like I did make sure that they aren't broken!  I guess one of the rims broke on one of my cups into a trifle and ended up in someone's mouth.  He survived and still liked the trifle... So I was let off the hook easy.  :)