Fun Food

Technically speaking, none of the following has anything to do with cake baking/decorating and what have you.  But it is fun, therefore, I shall post.  Enjoy the pics and recipes!

Fun Food #1:  Deviled Eggs

My little sister loves deviled eggs.  And what's not to love?  It's like egg salad, but not as messy (unless you're the one making them...).  And they're fun to decorate, too.  I didn't have a recipe for these, but it's pretty basic:

• Hard-boil the eggs.
• Let the eggs cool down (I use ice water)
• Peel off the shell and cut the eggs in half
• Scoop out all of the yolks and put them into a bowl
• Add mustard and mayo to taste and mix it all up.
• Use a piping bag with star tip (or one of these fancy things) and pip the mix into the eggs.
• Sprinkles with paprika and top with parsley (I used it fresh from my herb garden)
• Ta-Da!

Fun Food #2:  Cream Cheese Penguins

Admit it.  These guys are adorable.  Not to mention tasty.  I made them for our Jonas Brothers CD Listening Party/Olympic Synchronized Swimming Party.   Here's the recipe from allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS 

• 18 jumbo black olives, pitted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 18 small black olives
• 1 carrot

DIRECTIONS 

1. Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
2. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

We have a lot of cream cheese at our house since they have Bagel Fridays every week at my Dad's work, and he brings home leftovers.  Unfortunately, we ran out of jumbo olives before we ran out of cream cheese; so if you've got lots of C.C., then buy a couple cans of jumbo olives.  Also, Wal-Mart had "medium" olives, not small.

Fun Food #3:  Cake Balls

Something semi-cake related.  I made these with the ruined cake from Kayte's birthday.  I think I had too much icing/not enough cake, or something.  Because they are kinda droopy and the texture was off (gooey).  My little sisters and brothers loved them, but I wasn't a fan.  I will try again, though.  (The Bakerella blog/flickr slideshow inspired me!)

Here are some good recipes (unlike whatever it was that I attempted!):

• Cake Balls from allrecipes.com (I'd like to try the German Chocolate variation)
  
• Bakerella's Cake Balls on a Stick
• Bakerella's Red Velvet Cake Balls
• CakeCentral's Cake Ball Tutorial

It is also probably important to note that the cake should cool completely before adding the icing.  I believe 16oz is the norm.  I hope that everyone who tries these has better luck than I do! ;)