Cake Pops and Cake Balls

When Kara and I were planning our friend Christina's bridal shower we were trying to decide what we could have as a favor for the guests and Kara  mentioned that she had a friend who made cake pops.  I had never heard of them but I like anything cake so I figured they would be good.  So we got them for her shower and they were GREAT! 

I was in Target yesterday and they had this great book all about how to make cake pops and cake balls and I read how to make them and I was like it cannot be that easy but it seemed really easy.   I didn't buy the book but I did Google it when I got home and I found their site and its actually a blog.  http://www.bakerella.com/  At the site they tell you how to make the cake pops and cake balls and there are a lot of other great ideas and tips as well. 

So I decided to try my hand at making cake balls.  I didn't have any sticks and they said that the cake balls are the best to start with if you are trying for the 1st time.  You simply bake a cake mix as you normally would and let it cool.  I did a strawberry cake mix from Duncan Hines.  Once cooled you crumble the cake and then mix in almost an entire can of ready made frosting.  I used cream cheese ready made frosting.  The site cautions on using the whole can as the pops can become too mushy.  Then you mix it until well blended.  It will be kinda mushy but still firm enough that you can fashion them into balls. Then you roll them into quarter sized balls and put them on wax paper.  Next they have to be chilled for a few hours (or put in the freezer if you are in a hurry).  Once they are cold and firm you melt your chocolate per the instructions on the package and then you dip and cover the balls with chocolate and decorate as you wish, of course.  Place them on wax paper to set.  I used both white and regular melting chocolate for mine. 

If you check out the Bakerella site and see all the awesome pops before you see my pictures below please remember this was attempt #1!  They taste awesome but aren't very pretty!  I am still proud though well because I made them and I worked hard on them. I started with the white chocolate so those are the worst looking and the regular chocolate got better but I still have work to do!  Working with chocolate is tricky but I do agree that practice makes perfect or at least a lot better.  I still have some left over green chocolate melts and some white cake mix so I think I might just make something for Christmas as my next attempt.

Lessons from attempt 1:
1. Allow more time for the cake balls to set and get colder!  I was in too big of a hurry to see what I could do that I did not allow them time to get as cold as they needed to be.  I think this is why they weren't as easy to work with as I would have liked.
2.  Size Matters!  The site says that each box should make 45-50 cake balls.  Well mine made 30 and I did not think to count until after I had started with the chocolate.  I think if they had been a little smaller they would have been easier to work with as well.  They will have to be smaller for sure if I plan to do the cake pops. 
3. Don't over heat your chocolate!  Since I had never worked with chocolate before I had some trouble getting it right for me.  I over-heated and when that happens it won't dip anymore so to fix you have to add a tiny bit of Crisco. I specifically over-heated the white chocolate but had learned my lesson by the time I got to the regular chocolate.   I saved it but I think a good investment is one of those chocolate melters I have seen in the stores. I also need to figure out how to make the chocolate smoother.  Mine was melted but it wasn't as smooth as I wanted. 

So with those lessons in mind here are the pictures of my 1st attempt at Cake Balls!!!  Tell me what you think?

Strawberry Cake Balls

Strawberry Cake Balls

Strawberry cake balls with white chocolate and sprinkles!

Strawberry cake balls with regular chocolate covering with white chocolate drizzle.

Strawberry cake balls with regular chocolate covering with white chocolate drizzle.

Strawberry cake balls with white chocolate and sprinkles! 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful update!

Things have been so crazy busy lately!  I am sorry I haven't updated what I am thankful for but I have been thinking about it each day and over the past few week this is what I have been thankful for!


I am thankful for all the great things that the people in my life have taught me.  Each time I hear the song "Voices" by Chris Young it makes me think of all these things.




I am also thankful for my great friends! I mean I really am!  I am so lucky to have some of the best friends a girl can ask for! Below are just a few pics of some of my best pals!

Me and the Bestie AKA Britt

Me and Steph

Coley and Me and our baby girls

Kari and Me

Kara, Christina, and Me ... the best part of UNCG for me!

Lisa and Me

My Meesha and Me

And me and my friends are just like this because they know they can count on me and I know I can count on them! I love my friends!!!





And lastly for this post I am thankful for music which helps me express myself and makes my life better! 

I will post again soon what else I am thankful for!

Thankful Day 3

Since today is my Nanny Peg's birthday,  I am thankful for her and the fact that she is here celebrating another birthday!  Happy Birthday Nanny!!!

Nanny and Papaw

What am I thankful for? Day 2

Well yesterday I said that I was going to say each day what I am thankful for and today I am thankful for my home.  I know it sounds a bit materialist but I'm not just talking about the wood and bricks that make the house it's the feeling that is home. I love that feeling of familarity and security and just pure unconditional love!

Plans don't always turn out like they should!

So this morning I had a doctors appointment in Mocksville at 8:30 am and then I was going to get my car inspected and then I had to get my tags renewed.  I set it up that I would be at work around 11am.  Well doctors visit went good and was right on schedule.  I lost 2.5 lbs since last visit.  I am happy with that but not as much as I wanted but with all the craziness that has been going on with my family I am just glad I didn't gain!  It was the inspection that took forever.  I called Osborne's and they said give us 45 minutes so you don't have to wait so long. So we stopped by Wally World to get some plastic storage tubs and then I got to Osborne's around 10am for them to inspect my car.  I had to have 2 new tires which was 160.00 with out tax!  UGH!  They finally got done at  11:15 am with my car so I was already late.  I texted my boss to say I would be in around Noon then. So I took off for the License plate agency in Mocksville and I will be danged if I didn't get there and I was out of checks! Another UGH!!!  I took off to Lexington to get dressed for work and get my tags.  I got here and got dressed by Noon and texted my boss that I would be in more like 1pm.  Now if  my Tags weren't expired this wouldn't have been such a big deal but they were and I needed them because I wouldn't have any other opportunity to get them.  I took off for the License plate agency in Lexington and of course I get there and it has moved ACROSS TOWN!!! Once again UGH!!!  So I head there and I get my tags renewed and I take off for work and before I get back to HWY 52 I got a call to come get the baby!  She wasn't feeling well.  She's having a terrible time with her allergies and maybe even a cold.  SO I didn't make it into work at all today!  So ALL THE PLANS I had made today were just shot all to heck!  

Good news about today was that Chad started back to work!  No more being laid off! Picture me doing a happy dance right now!  Once he got home I was able to get the things done that I had planned for this evening which was really good.   I went through all of Nisee's clothes and I separated all of her clothes into what she can no longer wear and warmer weather clothes.  I also re-arranged her room.  I switched her bed and her armorie so that if we are rocking her in her room we can see her TV.  She liked it when she saw it!  She was looking around like wow what is this?! 

So a lot of people have been talking about what they are thankful for so I am going to take some time to talk about what I am thankful for.  Today I am thankful for my job and the fact that I have a great boss who's understanding and grateful that I work for an awesome company.   That's today I will have something else tomorrow and each day until Thanksgiving! 

Below are a few pictures from before church this past Sunday!

IDK why but Chad looks Drunk in most of these pics! LOL

I love this picture!

Nisee eating breakfast! :)

THE PANGAN'S!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

This was typed Wednesday November 3rd but I didn't post it until today on here. 

So this has been a LONG week and there are still 2 days left! I had a report that needed to be completed by Tuesday end of day that I got Tuesday morning. Luckily I got an extension b/c I got the report template late.  Then around 4 pm Tuesday it was discovered that there was training gap with some of the CSPs at work. I got asked to train the staff on the gap and so that meant I had to get the training together that night and then spent most of today training it.  Then I had to finish that report and get that turned in today.  I have worked through my lunch every day this week and I didn't get home Monday until 7, Tuesday until 7 and Today until 6:30!  I hope tomorrow is a less crazy day!  I have UMW officer training tomorrow after work in Thomasville but I am looking forward to that!

Things aren't going to well with Mamaw.  We called Hospice in this past Monday.  We were going to call them in earlier but Mamaw isn't a fan so we waited as long as we could.  Shes having trouble walking among other things.  She has gone down hill very fast these past few weeks.  So I spend most Saturdays and Sundays down there with her because I am not sure how much longer shes going to be with us.  To be honest when she was diagnosed they said we are talking months and its been 13 months so we have gotten over another year so we can be grateful for that.  I try to get around to see people and do things but this is my Mamaw and well she just needs me more and soon she won't be here to need me at all.  Please try to remember this when I can't do things or I have to cancel!  I make plans to do a few things but mostly those are during the week when its hardest for me make the 2 hour round trip to her house in Statesville to see her.

To end on a funnier note! This morning on 104.1 they were talking about who your "trump card" would be and asking people to call in.  A "trump card" is pretty much the person who could make you leave your current life to be with them! It's just fantasy and fun!  Some names were Jason Aldean, George Clooney, and Johnny Depp.  I decided to call in and tell them who mine is and I got through.  I told them Sidney Crosby and they were like "the Hockey Player?!"  I said "YES!"  Then Jeff said "So out of all the movie stars and rock stars you pick a Hockey Player?"  I said "Yes"  then Angie chimes in and says "well its good enough for Carrie Underwood."  I then said "He's the best hockey player in the world and not to mention hes HOT!"  That was pretty much how it went. Then they said "As a thanks for calling in hold on and we will get you prize!"  I was surprised to say the least!  I was just calling in to share my infatuation with Sidney Crosby with the triad listeners!  They gave me tickets to the Holiday Market this weekend at the Greensboro coliseum and a gift card to a nail salon.  I thought it was pretty awesome! I am not sure if I was actually on the radio but it was still pretty fun. Even funnier was I called Chad to tell him about it and he thought it was great!  He loved it!  He knows though!  We have had this talk before.  He's always a little cautions when we got to Pittsburgh or a Hockey game! HAHA!!!