Sparkleberry Sweets

My little brother graduated from college last weekend so of course, I made cake pops!  Happy Graduation Tim!

I saw these going around on Pinterest and had to try them.  I made them as shown on Pinterest with strawberries and angel food cake and found them dry.  So I tried again, adding pineapple and serving with fresh whipped cream.  Yum!

Tropical Citrus Smoothie

I came home this morning from a 9.5 mile run and needed a little post-workout snack so I whipped up this smoothie and it was so good that I had to share.

Put in your blender: equal parts frozen strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, and a big spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate.  Pour in enough liquids to reach the top of your frozen fruit, about a 2:1 ratio of raspberry lemonade to water.  If you need more liquid to keep your blender moving, just add more raspberry lemonade.  Sooooo delicious!

Two Peas in a Pod Cake Pops
I saw these on Bakerella’s Pop Stars page a while back and was determined to make them for a friend’s twin shower. This was my first time with fondant, but it worked out alright!

Wild Rice and Mango Salad

I’ve had so many requests for this recipe that I’m going to post it here even though it’s not a “sweet.”  I especially love this served with a buffet of other salads but I make it for lunch standalone all the time, simply because it is so quick.

This recipe really exposes my love affair with Trader Joe’s. You can buy every one of the ingredients there.  The quick rundown is this: make the rice, mix in everything but the mangoes, toss with a citrus vinaigrette, and lastly, stir in the mango.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  A note - I never measure these ingredients but the quantities here will give you something to start with.  This serves about 6 people as a side dish.

For the salad:

2 bags Trader Joe’s Frozen Rice Medley mix 

3/4 cup Trader Joe’s Frozen Mango chunks, cut into half inch pieces

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces

1-2 medium scallions, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 small shallot -minced  (skip this if you’re in a hurry)

2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper

Cook two packs of rice  medley according to package directions and empty into a medium mixing bowl.  Add walnuts, cranberries, raisins and scallion.  

In a small bowl, combine mustard, shallot (if using), and vinegar.  Whisk in olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour dressing over rice mixture and stir until evenly coated.

Add mango and stir just until combined so mango doesn’t get mushy with lots of stirring.  If you have an orange, grate a little orange zest on top of the salad.  Add salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Little sweets for an Easter egg hunt this morning

These little fire engine cake pops were very time-consuming but worth it. I only found one picture online for inspiration so I’m posting a few pics detailing the steps I took in case anyone else out there gets a request for fire engine cake pops.  Happy second birthday Sean!

P.S.  My dad is a firefighter and pointed out to me that the sirens should actually be red and white but I didn’t have white rainbow chips and I thought blue added a nice contrast.  :)