Hubs and I both happened to have the 4th of July off. We knew we needed to clean our home for the home study visit on Saturday (more about that later) but we really wanted to get away. This desire to get away came mainly from knowing we won't have a "true" vacation this summer. Between my new job and saving for the IC (that's Imaginary Child--the name for the yet-to-be-known little addition) we just really need to spend this summer at home. So, our major vacay happened this weekend. By major vacay, I mean we spent Friday night at the Muny with my parents and then spent the rest of the weekend in their Small Town.
Friday, the Muny was, well, warm. Yes, really warm. My parents have season tickets and it just happened to be my dad's birthday, so we joined them for a delightful picnic and the warmest version of Kiss Me Kate I've ever seen. To be fair, I'd never seen Kiss Me Kate. So it could have been 14 degrees and it would have been the warmest I've ever seen. But it really was warm. My parents are picnic connoisseurs and my dad's birthday picnic included ribs, two kinds of potato salad, three kinds of chips, two kinds of wine, fruit, yogurt, and things I am sure I'm forgetting. We could have fed half of the Muny patrons. But we didn't. We ate and ate and ate just the four of us. I gave my dad an appropriately cheesy singing birthday card. And after we finished our time at the Muny, we drove.
Straight into a deer.
Well, actually, the deer drove straight into us. Yes, we were turning a dark and scary curve at super-low speeds when, out of the woods, Bambi popped up. She was not deterred by seeing three cars in a row. So, brave soul that she was, she ran directly into our car. Her little face was right in our driver's side window and we heard her "thunk" into the door. Now, it's midnight in the middle of nowhere, and we're following my parents and have no cell service and no shoulder on the road. So do we stop? No, no we do not. But we slowed down enough for my parents to wonder. When we all got cell service, they called to check up on us. After hearing our story, they stopped at a side road to check the damage. Would you believe we only had a golfball-sized dent where her sweet hoof hit our door? Believe it, friends. There was definitely dirt smudged away where she landed. I am going to assume, for my own benefit, that she lived happily ever after.
Saturday will be described in the best, shortest way possible: private lake. Friends. Rest. Sun. Great food. Cake pops.
What's that you say? Cake pops? Yes!!
Because I've had so many people ask me (and despite the length of this post) I'm going to share my secret recipe. You caught me, it's not a secret at all. You can go to Bakerella, MckMama, and I'm sure a billion other people who have cake pop recipes. But here's mine.
Step 1: Bake a cake. Any cake will do. Like white cake? Great. Want to make it from scratch? You're crazy, but ok. I happened to make a box of white cake from the store. Exactly as the directions asked. Except for me, I baked it in two pans: half the mix, I dyed blue. The other half red. Because, what says America more than red, white, and blue fatty goodness? Nothing. Except maybe deer.
Step 2: Crumble cake into tiny little pieces. Wait for cake to cool or it will burn like the fire of a thousand suns on your fingers. Not that I know from experience. Wait. Yes, I do.
Step 3: Mix icing (I am into the store-bought variety right now) into your cake balls. Know that it does not matter what kind. Whatever kind you like to eat, make that kind. I made white and then added food coloring. You want to mix the cake and icing completely (you might need to use your hands) until it's just one mush blob.
Step 4: Form into small(ish) balls, lay on wax paper, and freeze for about an hour or until they are hard and very cold and very tightly congealed.
Step 5: Heat the stuff you plan to cover it with. Options include almond bark, Hersheys white chocolate candies, and my new favorite, something called Candi Quick. Don't heat it too much or it will get dry. If you heat it too much, add oil. Do not add water, do not add milk, only add oil. Trust me on this one. Also, if you plan to add food coloring, only add oil based. Trust me on this one. Water based will make you sad. Once it's heated, put a stick in your cake ball (now it's officially a cake pop) and dip in Candi Quick. Tap all the excess off. Add sprinkles if you want. Dry sitting up and don't let them touch. I've found a shallow vase to work, but if you have styrofoam that would be the best, I imagine.
Step 6: Share with your friends and show them how cool and crafty you are.
If your cake balls stop sticking to the sticks or start falling into the Candi Quick, put them back in the freezer til they get colder.
The final result? A big hit at the lake with the kiddos.
Delish. I've spent too much time on the weekend and we're not even to Sunday. So I'm off. Talk soon!
I love your writing style....especially the, "Trust me on this one" 's. I feel like we are just hanging out. :)
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