4th of July Jello Cake

Jello cake is my favorite cake.  Just ask my mom.  I always requested a cherry Jello cake for my birthday when I was younger.  I love that the cake is cold, seems light and the frosting is amazing!  I thought it would be fun to try to make my favorite cake a little festive.  (Any excuse to make it!)  It worked out great!

Jello Cake

1 white cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box)

1 (3 oz) pkg of Jello any flavor (for this recipe I used 1/2 a box of Berry Blue and 1/2 a box of Cherry)

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

Frosting:

1 container Cool Whip

1 (3 oz) pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 tsp vanilla

Make cake as directed on the box.  Let the finished cake cool for 20 minutes or longer.  Then use a fork and poke holes all over the cake.  Mix 3/4 cup boiling water with your Jello.  After all of the Jello is dissolved, add the 1/2 cup cold water.  Then pour the Jello over the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator to allow the Jello to set up.   (For this cake, I stirred up my cherry Jello first.  I made the whole package of cherry, but only poured 1/2 of it over the cake.  The other 1/2 I put in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator to eat by itself.  I then let the Jello in the cake set up for a couple of hours.  I then made my entire box of berry blue Jello and let it cool to room temperature.  I then added a few more holes to the cake with my fork and poured 1/2 of the Jello mixture over the cake.  The other 1/2 I put in the refrigerator to eat later.  I then put the cake back in the refrigerator to allow the berry blue to set up.)  After an hour or so, you can begin to make your frosting.  Mix together the Cool Whip, pudding, milk and vanilla.  Frost the cake and store the cake in the refrigerator.

Oven Fried Broccoli

I really do NOT like broccoli, but I know it is good for me, so I keep trying it.  I am okay with in stir fry or fresh and dipped in ranch dressing, but I can not eat it steamed as a side dish.  Yuck!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try.  There was no direct link to the recipe, it was just listed under the picture.  The pinner claimed that her husband would rather have this oven fried broccoli instead of french fries.  I thought there was no way it could be that good.  I am happy to report that it is that good!  It really doesn't taste too much like broccoli and it has a crunch to it.

Oven Fried Broccoli

1 bunch of broccoli

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt & pepper (just a few shakes of each)

olive oil(I use a few tablespoons, just enough that when you shake the bag there is some on each piece of broccoli, but not so much that you have olive oil puddled in the bottom of your bag)

Cut your broccoli into little pieces and put them in a Ziploc bag.  Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Seal the Ziploc bag and shake until all the pieces are coated with olive oil and the garlic is spread about the broccoli.  Pour it out on a pan (I use my Pampered Chef stone) and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes.  

I like to add carrots to the mixture too.  The finished product has a garlic taste and the broccoli is crunchy.  My 3 year old even asks for seconds!

  

Gymnastic Medals/Trophies Display

I am so excited!  We finally finished my daughter's shelf for all of her gymnastics medals.  I wanted something that was easy to add more medals to and we were also able to set trophies on top.  I searched Pinterest and put a few ideas together and came up with this.

I had my handy husband make it for me and then I painted it and added the vinyl lettering that I cut out with my Silhouette machine.  It is comparable to a quilt rack.  The bar the medals are hanging on is similar to a paper towel holder.  You just slip it out of one side, add your medal and slip it back in the hole.  

This could work for any sport!  My son is already asking for one for all of his soccer medals.

Monster Cookie Bars

We are loving these Monster Cookie Bars!  Best part is the recipe makes two 9x13 inch pans or one 11x17 inch pan.  I like to make one for our family and give one to a friend.  (The dough is really good too, but eat with caution because there are raw eggs in it.)

Monster Cookie Bars

Cream together:

1/2 c. margarine (you can use 1 cup to make them chewier)

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar 

Mix in:

1 c. peanut butter

3 eggs

Add:

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 c flour

2 1/4 c quick oats

and then add:

1 c. M&Ms (or Reeses Pieces)

1-2 c. chocolate chips

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Use an 11x17 inch pan or two 9x13 inch pans.