A Birthday Uncake

Laura was craving a Red Robin mud pie for a couple of weeks. She found a recipe online and asked if I would make it for her birthday "cake." It looks totally ugly, but everyone loved it. The ugly problem happened because my homemade hot fudge was still too warm (room temperature) to cover the frozen ice cream and it all slid right off the mountain to the bottom of the plate.

What I would do differently when I make it again is not try to replicate the shape of how Red Robin does theirs. I would start with an Oreo pie crust, then line that with the peanut butter sauce (recipe to follow), vanilla ice cream, crushed Nutter Butter cookies, and chocolate ice cream, frosted with hot fudge, using less ingredients of everything so it all fits in the pie shell. Here's the original recipe.

Red Robin® Mountain High Ice Cream Pie ingredients

Makes 12 servings

6 cups chocolate ice cream

1 cup peanut butter cookie pieces

6 cups vanilla ice cream

1 2/3 cups creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup chopped peanuts

4 chocolate-flavored graham crackers, crushed

1 cup fudge topping

1 (20-oz) squirt bottle chocolate topping

1 (20-oz) squirt bottle caramel topping

Garnish:

Chocolate sauce

1 can Redi-Whip

3/4 cup chopped peanuts

12 maraschino cherries, with stems

Notes:

Directions

Line a 3-QT bowl with Saran wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Soften the chocolate ice cream and pack it into the bottom of prepared bowl. Make sure the surface of the ice cream is smooth and leveled.

Evenly spread the peanut butter cookie pieces over the top; cover the bowl and freeze for at least one hour.

Then, soften the vanilla ice cream and spread it over the peanut butter cookie layer, again smoothing a level ice cream surface. Cover the bowl and freeze again for at least one hour.

After the vanilla ice cream is hardened, use a spatula to spread 2/3 cup of peanut butter over the top.

Evenly spread the chocolate graham cracker crumbs over the peanut butter. Cover the bowl and freeze again for at least one hour, preferably longer.

About five hours before serving, partially fill a sink with warm water. Then, remove ice cream bowl from the freezer and hold it in the warm water for about one minute; you want the ice cream around the edges to soften just enough that you can invert the domed-shaped ice cream onto a plate.

Turn a large plate upside down and place it on top of the ice cream bowl; flip bowl and plate together, gently tapping on bowl until the ice cream dome falls onto the plate. You may have to immerse the bowl in warm water again to release the ice cream dome.

Once released on the plate, cover the ice cream dome with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for another 1 - 2 hours.

Without heating, evenly spread the fudge sauce over the entire surface of the ice cream dome ("mountain"); freeze for 1 hour.

When the fudge sauce has hardened, spread the remaining 1 cup of peanut butter over the entire surface as well; freeze again for 1 hour.

About one hour before serving, use a warm knife to slice dessert into 12 pieces. Place wax paper between the cuts so it is easy to divide when you serve it later. Then cover and return to freezer. If desired, freeze dessert plates, too.

Just before serving (finally!), and on each serving plate, use squirt bottle of  chocolate topping to make 3 parallel (side by side) lines.

Make quarter-turn of each serving plate and use squirt bottle of  caramel topping to make 3 parallel (side by side) lines which are perpendicular to the chocolate lines.

Turn each serving plate so the lines appear as an "X."

Near the back of the "X" design, place a slice of ice cream upright onto each serving plate; spray generous amount of Redi-Whip on top and down the curved edge of the slice, onto the plate over the sauces.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of chopped nuts over the Redi-Whip on each plate; add a cherry on top and serve immediately.

Peanut butter sauce-  (adapted slightly)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream ( you can use half and half)
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup light Karo syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients (except peanut butter) in a saucepan stirring constantly until all ingredients are dissolved.
2. Let the mixture cool completely then add the peanut butter and stir well.
3. It will look like a mess, but keep stirring and it will turn out smooth and still have the grain texture.

It's Laura's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Laura!

The day I got married to Bud

Lake Powell

The day Laura got married to Nick

Alta, Utah

I love her hair in this picture! 

Last summer (2012)

December 25, 2012

For other pictures of this sweet daughter of mine, click here or here or here. Laura, thank you for being such an amazing daughter, mother, sister, wife, friend, party-planner extraordinaire, and for adding to my grandchild tally next November! You are an outstanding example in all that you do. When I grow up, I want to be more like you.
Now I need to go make this for you.

Love you, Lar! Happy Birthday! 

P.S. It's also birthday time for Joette, Satomi, Cooper, and Annie. Happy Birthday to you all! 

Like Banana Pie, But Not

Last week before my sister got sick (again), she made us a wonderful dessert. It was so delicious that the next time I needed to make a dessert, I knew I was going to make the same recipe. Bud's cousin dinner was last Monday, so there was my event.

The recipe is from Six Sister's Stuff. They call it Easy Banana Cream Pie (with Nilla Wafer Crust). I changed it a little bit from what they've done because I thought it needed a little more pudding in the middle. Oh, and I added some toasted coconut to the top because coconut is divine. If Karen was here, it would not have any coconut on it, of course. I liked the chewy texture it added.

Easy Banana Cream Dessert (adapted from Six Sister's Stuff)

80 Nilla Wafer cookies, crushed (about one 12 oz box)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese (light is fine)
2 cups powdered sugar
2 (8 oz) containers Cool Whip, thawed (light is fine)
1 box (5.1 oz) banana cream instant pudding

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk (skim is fine)
3 bananas, sliced

Directions: 
Mix together the crushed cookies and melted butter. Press into a 9x13" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.
Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 container of Cool Whip. Spread on top of cooled cookie crust.
Beat together the banana cream and vanilla pudding with milk. Let stand for about 4-5 minutes until it has thickened. Spread on top of cream cheese layer.
Spread sliced bananas on top of pudding, covering the entire pan.
Spread the last container of Cool Whip on top of the bananas. Let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving (I found that a whole container on top was a little too much. Use your own judgment). 
Top with caramel sauce, sliced bananas and crushed cookies as a garnish (totally optional, but it makes it look good. I preferred mine without the caramel sauce, but I'm just a little crazy that way). 

Miniature Golfing

I went to visit my daughter a couple weeks ago. We got to spend a little time with Caleb (it was his dad's weekend, so we only got to borrow him for a few hours). so we went golfing.

Silly faces

This was our best attempt at getting all three of us in the photo. 

Caleb was our ball retriever so we didn't have to bend over. 

After all, he's closer to the ground than we are. 

Last hole. On your mark, get set, go!

All done. 

We had a great time! 

It's Not Even My Birthday

Last night we went to dinner at the Outlets at Traverse Mountain to celebrate a major achievement for my son-in-law. After dinner and a detour at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, we stopped in the kitchen store to see if they had a beater-blade to replace the one that broke some time ago. They had it, but it cost $30. I was not willing to fork over that kind of dough.
Bud and I had seen a couple days earlier, some Kitchen Aid machines at Costco. They were on sale for $279. The price at the kitchen store was $399 for the same machine. Nothing like realizing you had a bargain up your sleeve to make you want to cash in on it.

Today while we were at Costco for a totally unrelated reason, my sweet husband asked me if I wanted to buy the little...and then he used his hand to make a circle in the air...at which time I guess that his pantomime was asking if I wanted a new mixer. I told him that if they still had a red one, then it was a sign and if they didn't, that was a sign as well. At first glance, all we could see were silver ones (which would mean I didn't get a new machine!), but after looking past the ones stacked on the outside, we (I) delved deeper and after moving about five boxes of mixers, I found a red one! THAT was the sign I was hoping for! So now when my silver one dies (which it will probably do soon), I'll pull out this ruby-beauty and keep on going. Bonus- it includes the beater-blade that I didn't want to spend $30 on at the kitchen store. Bonus-bonus- it comes with a free offer for a pasta attachment ($149 value).

I have such a nice husband.

Cheater Orange Rolls

Every month we have a missionary meeting that includes a potluck breakfast, so I'm always on the lookout for good ideas so as to not tarnish my reputation that I seem to have acquired there.
Part of the problem, however, is that it hast to be something I can put together quickly because the meeting starts at 8:00 and I don't like getting up any earlier than I absolutely have to, so speed is essential for my food offering.

This isn't the best picture in the world because it was taken in the car just before we entered the building for our meeting. But since I'm told I can't post a recipe without a picture, it will have to do. These kept my reputation intact. They go by the name of Cranberry Orange-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls over at Pillsbury.com, but I think they should just go by the name of Cheater Orange Rolls. The picture shows the recipe doubled and baked in a 9x13 rather than a 9-inch round pan.

Cheater Orange Rolls
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (gross. I used pecans. I can deal with pecans. Walnuts are just wrong)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (known to the rest of the world as Craisins)
2 T butter, melted
2 T honey
2 tsp orange juice
1 can (13.9 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated orange-flavor sweet rolls with icing

Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix all ingredients except rolls and icing. Spread in ungreased 9-inch round cake pan.
Separate dough into 8 rolls; set icing aside. Place 1 roll in center of pan and remaining rolls around center roll.
Bake 24-27 minutes (watch that timing- mine was done at 20 minutes) or until deep golden brown. After removing pan from oven, immediately invert onto a heat-proof serving plate. Cool for five minutes.
Remove cover from icing; microwave on 50% power for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over rolls. Serve warm.

Easter and Sherbet Slush Punch

It was wonderful having grandchildren visiting to make Easter morning so exciting.

We invited our extended family over to share dinner with us. We're waiting for their arrival...

Jason and Kyanna helping with the Easter egg hunt pick-up.  

I love this picture of Miss O. 

They had a lot of fun! Thanks, Cheryl, for providing the candy to go inside the eggs, and for everyone who contributed to make the dinner so excellent! 

My mom was assigned the punch but she forgot half of it at home, so we went to plan B.

Sherbet Slush (from our Family cookbook- page 322), by David Knowlton)
1 pkg. frozen raspberries
1 gallon pineapple sherbet, softened
4 bananas, chopped and slightly frozen
2 2-liter bottles of Sprite or other lemon-lime soda
In a very large bowl, mash the raspberries. Add the sherbet and then bananas. Mix it together and pour Sprite over mixture until it reaches desired consistency.