Three Great Halloween Cake Ideas

If you're celebrating Halloween with a party this year, chances are that you'll want to have a stunning cake to wow your guests. Here are three Halloween cake ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Haunted House:

For those who are ambitious in the kitchen, a haunted house makes a perfect Halloween cake. Take one sheet cake and frost with black or brown frosting for the base of the cake. Then, with a second sheet cake, cut up pieces of cake to construct a "house" which is held together on top of the base with frosting (and wooden skewers, if necessary). Then frost the house and add windows, doors, scary pumpkins, and spooky bats. A graveyard beside the house with creepy ghosts and spindly trees is an added bonus.

Kid-Friendly:

For kid-friendly fare, a spider web Halloween cake is great. Cover a plain round two-layer cake in black frosting. Then, pipe on white frosting in the shape of a spider web. In the center of the web, create a large spider, either with frosting or with non-edible decorations like a black pom-pom and pipe cleaners.

Scary:

A scary Halloween cake is perfect for more grown-up gatherings. Body parts are a great idea: a cake in the shape of a severed hand, skull with oozing green filling, or bleeding heart can all be simple to make but have a huge effect on your guests. If you can't find a cake pan in the shape that you want, get creative and look at other cake pans that you might be able to use to achieve the shape you want. If all else fails, just make a sheet cake and cut it into the required shape.

Your next Halloween cake can be as tame or as spooky as you like it. The important thing is to have fun with it and make it a truly unique part of your celebration. When the sugar highs wear off and the costumes have been tucked away into the closet, everyone will remember the effort you put into making your Halloween cake special.

Gorillaz: The Sounder

Artist: Gorillaz Album: G-sides Song: 04 The Sounder WARNING: PARENTAL ADVISORY! EXPLICIT LYRICS! THIS IS NOT THE CLEAN VERSION! ALBUM WISE!!! NOT SONG WISE!! This video is for listening purposes only. I did not create the song nor the album art. All credit goes to Gorillaz and it's creators.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4rVaEwoPJs&hl=en

Two Delicious Lemon Cake Desserts

Sunday dinners and holidays were always a special treat at my mother-in-law's house. She was famous throughout the county for her wonderful desserts. Here are two lemon cake recipes she enjoyed making. Sadly, we lost her in April 2008, but these and other recipes bring us sweet memories of her joy in serving her family nutritious meals and delicious desserts. Happy mealtimes bring a family together through memories shared. Build some memories for your family and try these wonderful lemony desserts today.

Lemon Meringue Cake
(makes 12-16 servings)

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Deluxe Cake Mix
1 regular-size package lemon pudding and pie filling
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Using 8 inch round cake pans, make and cool cake as directed on the label. Cook lemon pudding and pie filling as directed for pie filling. Cool 30 minutes according to the box instructions; stir several times. Beat egg whites until frothy; gradually add sugar; beat until stiff but not dry. Split each cake layer into 2 thin layers. Stack on cookie sheet or oven-proof plate, spread lemon pudding between layers and on top of cake. Spread meringue around sides of cake. Bake at 450 degrees F for about 5 minutes, until light brown. Cool to room temperature before serving. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Lemon Pound Cake

1 package Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Deluxe Cake Mix
1 Package lemon instant pudding mix (4 serving)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Crisco oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
10 lemon drop candies

Blend all ingredients in large bowl, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake in a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan at 350 degrees F for about 45-55 minutes, until center springs back when touched lightly. Cool right side up for about 25 minutes, then remove from pan.

Glaze: Blend 1 cup confectioner's sugar with either 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Drizzle over cake. Press lemon drops into the glaze at equal distances.

Salad Toppings - Top 10 Ways to Make Your Salads More Tasty and Filling!

OK, so summer is approaching very quickly and most of us are turning our attention to getting in shape in time for bathing suit season.  At this time of year, salads become our friends. We turn to them for their delicious lightness, for a quick bite and for their tried and true body shaping qualities.

But uninteresting salads can make for a very dull meal and a very unhappy eater.  And if you don't top a salad the right way, you are going to very hungry, very quickly.

So here my top ten salad toppings to turn your salads from boring to delightful! Some of these tips are useful for eating salads at restaurants and others are for homemade ones.  If you decide to create homemade salads and bring them with you to work, you may want to try those new salad plastic containers that hold the salad in one part and the dressing in another.  That way your salad and salad toppings will be crispy when you decide to eat them.

1. Double the lean protein (turkey, chicken, eggs, fish) - add chicken and turkey or salmon and eggs.  Do this especially if you often feel hungry after your salads.  A little more protein may help you go the extra mile to avoid the vending machine in the afternoon.

2. Add beans, like black, kidney, cannelloni, or garbanzo.  Beans have lots of great complex carbs, fiber and protein.  They also help to fill you up and keep you that way.

3. Create your own dressings as salad toppings. My favorite is a combination of orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and Grey Poupon mustard.  You can add some olive oil to make it even richer.  I especially like this dressing with spinach leaves.

4. Add some fruit.  Fruit can be great salad toppings.  It can turn a boring salad into a sweet sensation.  My favorites are: orange slices (fresh or canned), strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple slices (fresh or canned). If you are using canned, sugar-free fruit, use the juice to mix into the salad dressing.

5. Add some hummus, Baba-Ganoush or mashed white beans to your salad or salad dressing.  This may sound odd, but it is actually quite delightful. 

6. Make your own glazed nuts as salad toppings.  Dry roast some walnuts or pecans and then add some honey or maple syrup to the pan to coat the nuts.  Take them out of the pan and separate them before they cool, so they don't clump.  The nuts become a flavorful addition to a boring salad.  This is great if you have a sweet tooth that you are trying to control.

7. Add cooked diced sweet potatoes or regular potatoes. Dice some potatoes into squares.  Coat them in some olive oil and fresh rosemary and roast them until they are soft. Then toss them over mesclun greens.  I especially like this salad with roasted asparagus spears and sliced eggs.

8. Add apples and pears.  Cube up some apples and/or pears and sprinkle these on top of your salad.  I especially like to mix apples and pears with walnuts and have them over spinach.

9. Skip the leaves.  Chop up tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocadoes.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.  Enjoy.

10. Change up your vinegars and oils.  Spend some time in the oil and vinegar aisle at your local health food store.  A new vinegar or oil can really change up your dressings and make for tasty salad toppings.  Try mixing apple cider vinegar with apple juice and spicy mustard.  Or rice wine vinegar with mirin wine (in the oriental section) and orange juice.  Another suggestion: toasted sesame oil and rice wine vinegar with orange slices over cabbage greens.    

Do Da Stanky Leg

We be doin' dat stanky leg up in da house.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_TBiYD2abM&hl=en

Shockers Squeez Tongue Trippin' Lemon

'Shockers Squeez' is the brand new line of candies from Willy Wonka. 'Squeez' is a liguid/gel/goo candy, that is packaged inside a resealable squeezable tube. The flavor I'm reviewing has the tongue twisting name of 'Tongue Trippin' Lemon.'

It's very tart, no doubt about it. A bit less so than the bite size solid, chewy, original Shockers that I have been known to eat from time to time, but it will definitely get your attention if you're not expecting it. The 'goo' has a fairly thick consistency, just slightly thinner than, let's say, a tooth paste. It's a little gritty, but that's not a bad thing; it adds quite a bit of texture. Not unpleasant at all.

As far as lemon candies go, this may actually be the best I've ever tried. I'm generally not all that big on the flavor, but I really did enjoy this stuff. The product design is very child oriented, so I can of course never be seen consuming this in public, but I don't doubt that I'll be sneaking a tube into the house from time to time.

Not sure which I enjoyed more, the lemon, or berry variety of 'Shockers Squeez.' A draw, I guess? They're both great, and any 'tart candy' fan will gain great pleasure from them. 130 calories is dished out per 1 tube serving, along with 32 grams of carbs; not exactly diet friendly, but great for 'hypering' up a hated neighbor's kid! Speaking of kids, if you give a tube of this to a special little one in your own life, keep an eye on him or her; these could get messy in a hurry! Look for them soon where other Wonka products are sold. Enjoy!

A Trip to Cadiz

CADIZ GOT TALENT!

This city in Spain can be called the hub of all kinds of creative talent because it host's the third largest carnival in the whole of Spain. Music, Dance, Street acts and various other performances are held in this so-like theater place which has no comparison to any other stage.

The major highlights of this carnival are its talented comedians whose acts are satirical. They use instruments like guitar, kazoos and base drums. The carnival starts around Shrove Tuesday in February or early March and lasts two weeks. The Plaza holds a firework display daily along with puppet shows for the children.

Cadiz's history can be traced back to 3,000 years making it one of the oldest inhabited cities in Western Europe. Other than the carnival the city is full of unique elements and boasts of its very ancient architecture which includes medieval walls, cathedrals, carved doors and streets acknowledging ancient heroes.

The city which was unheard of has now very recently come into the limelight due to the renaissance and the city's effort to restore historic buildings and it's newly instilled civil pride.

While around the city's Old Town, you see narrow streets leading to ancient squares, cafes and restaurants. Various ancestral homes like the Admiral's House and House of chains are to be seen for sure. The mansion La Santa Cu Eva has an awesome collection of Goya paintings.

The beaches are the finest parts of the city. The backdrop scene in a famous James Bond flick was the Playa de la Caleta which is 400 meters long between the castles of San Sebastian and Santa Catalina. These beached provide the best view of the place. The most tantalizing beach is Conil de la Frontera with whitewashed villages on its sandy shores. It is lined with beautiful eateries and guest houses.

The seaside in this region are also popular for their Atlantic weather and rough sea which attracts wind surfers and the kite surfers as an attractive bonus.

Cadiz also supports wildlife in its five national parks. Donana, is the most popular and one of the finest parks in Spain. The various other parks like Los Alcornocales, La Brena, La Bahia de Cadiz are famous for cycling, hiking, canoeing and bird watching. The paintings in the caves of the national park can be located back to the medieval times.

The streets of the city's Old Town are full of tapas bars which are open till the wee hours in the morning provide superb nightlife to the city. The most famous bar is located at the north of the Plaza de San Francisco. At the seaside there is Barabass on Calle Munos Arenillas on Playa Victoria.

The love for art of people in this city shows in their amazing theme parties. The famous club Deep Ocean has the most beautiful crowd and another place called Woodstock Bar is equally popular.

Cadiz is also famous for its regional dishes and its seafood cuisine. The highly famous ones are omelettes with prawns, noodle with prawns and clams and other dishes with shell fish. Other than seafood the most famous dish is Aceitunas Alinadas.

Cadiz's rich cultural treasure which is unique in its own way from the rest of the country is highly welcoming and will fill you with happy memories throughout no matter whatever you go there for.