1960's Themed Birthday Cakes - Meatloaf & Old Record Player

This was one of the cakes at my daughter's sixties-themed birthday party. A "Meatloaf Cake", so fitting for the era! Served up in a slice with candy peas and carrots.

I made this cake to look like an old record player! It fit in perfectly with the time period...a the sugar cookies for the sides were a nice touch.

Homemade Caramel Apples

These really are the best caramel apples ever!

Ingredients:

12 Large Apples

1 cup Butter

3 cups Brown Sugar

1 1/2 cups Light Corn Syrup

28 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:

Wash and prepare apples by inserting wooden sticks. Melt butter on low heat in a two quart saucepan. Add in the next three  ingredients and stir constantly at low heat until the mixture reaches 213 degrees on a candy thermometer (approximately 30 minutes). This is not a typical caramel apple temperature, but it works great for these. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let stand for about three minutes before dipping the apples.

Tilt the pan to the side, dip the apples  one at a time and place them on a parchment lined tray for cooling.

Enjoy the plain caramel apples or add desired toppings.

Yield 12 Large Apples

Store at room temperature. Apples will last for up to three days.

*Note* This is a family favorite recipe I found online at tammysrecipes.com. In the original recipe it also calls for 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon that we did not include in our list of ingredients.

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

two 9-inch uncooked pie crusts
3/4 cup peas and carrots, mixed
1/2 cup cooked chicken
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp chopped parsley
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp Onion Salt
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth mixed with 2 Tbsp Cornstarch


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Set one of the 9-inch pie crusts in the bottom of a glass pie dish. Fork holes into the crust for breathing. Pour in filling mixture. Set the second 9-inch crust over the top. Trim and fold in the edge of the pie. Cut slats in the top to breathe.

Bake for one hour and fifteen minutes or until golden brown.

*Yield: one 9-inch pie

Aglio di pollo Pasta (Garlic Chicken Pasta)

For the Sauce:
Ingredients-
14.5 ounces can Chicken Broth
3 Tbsp Heavy Whipped Cream
1 tsp Parsley, fresh or dry
1/2 cup Zinfandel Wine
Pinch Garlic Salt
2 heaping Tbsp Grated Romano
2 Chicken Boullion Cubes
1/4 cup finely Chopped Onion
Heaping tsp Crushed Garlic
1 tsp White Corn Syrup
2 Tbsp Parmesean
1/2 lemon, sqeezed
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/8 cup Water and set aside.
Directions-
Combine the first 13 ingredients in a sauce pan and let simmer. Add the cornstarch mixture.
Set Aside

In a steamer, while the sauce is cooking, steam one finely chopped Roma Tomato and 1/2 cup Spinach

For the Chicken:
Ingredients-
2 cups Breast Tenderloins  or stir fry strips
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp Crushed Garlic
Directions-
In a skillet, cook the chicken in the oil and garlic until slightly browned and cooked through. Cut up and Set aside.

Serve the sauce, garlic chicken and veggies over one package of your choice of pasta. We like to use Penne or Fettucini.

Amelia Bedelia Birthday Cake

For my daughter's 13th Birthday we did an entire Amelia Bedelia theme. 

Amelia is made of marshmallow fondant (and so is the couch, the scenery/wall behind her is sugar cookie painted with food coloring.

Mr. & Mrs. Roger's house is sugar cookie too, but I fully free handed  everything on it with food coloring . I tried keeping it as close to the book as I possibly could.

And..this is where Amelia "put out the lights" in the back yard of the Roger's House, also made of sugar cookie.

Creamy Caramel Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup Butter

3 cups Brown Sugar

1 1/2 cups Light Corn Syrup

28 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:

Melt butter on low heat in a two quart saucepan. Add in the next three  ingredients and stir constantly at medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Yield 6-8 cups

*Note* This is a family favorite recipe I found online at tammysrecipes.com. In the original recipe it also calls for 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon that we did not include in our list of ingredients.

Paris-Themed Birthday Cakes

I made this Eiffel Tower completely from sugar cookie and two colors of royal icing for my daughters eighteenth birthday.

The inside was layered with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla cake.

The other individual cakes, each a different flavor.

My little french painter is made from marshmallow fondant and food coloring, but his easel and painting are pure sugar cookie- I painted the painting myself with more food coloring.

One more cake...with the candles!

For more on this party please visit This Link

Military Soldier and Tank Cake

 This is the tank I made for my son on his birthday made from mini fondant covered Oreos, Pretzels, and the inside was chocolate cake.

 Our cute little soldier, fighting for our freedom, is made completely from marshmallow fondant-even the teeth.

For more ideas or photos from this party, please visit stitchingitalltogether.blogspot.com

Jungle Monkey Cake

This is the full "Jungle Cake" I made for my son's last birthday party. For more on the party Click Here.

This marshmallow fondant made monkey is enjoying his own runt's banana. I had these monkey's sitting in different places around the cake, so you could see them at almost every angle.

The giraffe is made from the same marshmallow fondant, but the tree trunks are just giant pretzels with some fondant leaves... and apparently the giraffe thinks they're yummy.

The elephant was surrounded by the monkeys.

Mr. Hippo decided to go for a little swim during the party.

Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

4 quarts Water

1   14 oz can Beef Broth

1  8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 cups Sliced Carrots

1 Onion, diced

2 1/2 cups Cooked Beef, shredded or cubed

1 cup Barley, cooked and rinsed (to avoid cloudiness)

5 Tbsp Beef Bouillon
1  1/2 Tbsp. Onion Salt 

Directions:

In an 8 quart stock pot bring all ingredients to a simmer and let simmer for at least two hours.

Corn Bread Squares

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/4 cups Milk
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp Melted Butter


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350* F. Combine the first five ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine Milk, Eggs, Oil and Butter. Mix well. Add to flour mixture and stir until blended. Pour into a greased 8" square baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cut into squares and serve with butter.

German Pancakes

Ingredients:

3 Eggs

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Milk

1/4 teaspoon Table Salt 

1 1/2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400* F. Pour the first four ingredients into a medium sized bowl and beat contents until smooth. In a parchment-lined, 9" round cake pan, pour in the melted butter, then add the batter to the pan. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cake pan and top with slices strawberries and powdered sugar or whipped cream.

Wizard Of Oz Cake

I made this cake for my daughter's tenth birthday, she wanted the full Wizard of Oz theme for this one.

This fun cake was made of fondant cornstalks and yellow brick road. The tree was made from large, long pretzels, then covered in rolled-out tootsie rolls. The leaves and apples on the tree were also made from fondant, but the characters on the cake are just plain plastic, unlike in some of the other cakes I've done.

Dorothy's house has landed on the witch and is made of sugar cookies, royal icing and a tootsie roll roof. The tornado is made of colored, piped, and baked meringue rings.

This was a side cake I made just for my daughter, who was dressed up as Dorothy that day and needed a Toto. The basket is made of weaved bread dough. Inside of the bread basket is Toto, made completely of cake with a taffy tongue and a fondant nose and decorated in butter-cream icing. The ruffle is made from fondant as well.

Nancy Drew Mystery Cake

Nancy is tied up in the den while the robber is going through the bedroom. In this cake we hid "jewels" for the kids to find as they ate.

The "bomb" cake I made to go with the "Nancy Drew" cake

The robber decided to tie up poor Nancy. She is made completely of marshmallow fondant and food coloring and is sitting on a "tootsie roll" chair.

The Living Room Scene

Nancy is tied up in the den.

The robber, also made out of marshmallow fondant, is raiding the bedroom of its jewels. the headboard to the bed is made of chocolate candy melts.

The jewelry was made of marshmallow fondant, edible pearl decorating candy, and edible shimmer powder. The office chair, bed and dresser were fondant covered rice krispy treats.