Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Balls

One of my grad school peers used to make cake balls out of red velvet cake every time we had a class meeting that also involved food.

They were delicious. They were amazing. And, not that she needed it (at all) but I’m pretty sure she got a point or two added to her exam scores. That's how good they were.

So, I decided that I would attempt the same feat. What grade do I give myself? A solid “B.”

I am deducting points for not explicitly following directions and for working hastily.

But, the end result was delicious. Like, really REALLY delicious.

So, without further adieu, the recipe.

 Red Velvet Cake Balls
(recipe courtesy of Bakerella)

Ingredients and Materials:
1 red velvet cake, prepared according to the box’s directions
1 16-oz. can cream cheese frosting
1 package regular chocolate or white chocolate bark coating (I used both!)
Wax paper and cookie sheet(s)

Directions:

1. Cook the cake according to the directions provided on the box. 

I love having to expend zero energy to whip up a cake. 

2. Wait for the cake to cool completely.
3. Crumble the cake into a large bowl, or back into your stand mixer.

4. Add dollops of the frosting into your crumbled cake and mix. You can mix with your hands, or you could watch your mixer do the work for you.

5. Roll the mixture into quarter-sized balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Here’s the FIRST place where I didn’t follow the directions. Mine were like the size of the half-dollar.) 

6. Chill the balls for several hours. (Here’s the SECOND place where I didn’t follow directions. I was incredibly impatient. I waited one hour. Tops. When they aren’t chilled, they lose their shape and become all bumpy and weird looking. The cake also starts to separate and ends up in your chocolate.) 

7. Melt chocolate in microwave according to the directions. If needed and if you have it, you can thin the chocolate with some shortening. Good old-fashioned Crisco.


8. Use a spoon to roll the balls in the chocolate. The spoon also come in handy for getting rid of the extra chocolate.

 9. Plop them onto the wax paper.

10. Let them set until they are firm.

 11. Enjoy!

"There Is a Possum by the Front Door."

What is it about Christmas that makes it so exhausting?

Is it the excessive shopping and out-of-this-world crowds, lines and traffic?

Is it the stress of being around family?

Is it the overindulgent eating and underwhelming holiday workout regimen?

Or, is it the fact that Christmas is the one week reminder that you’re about to start a whole new year and therefore you ought to resolve to do things better in the new year?

I think it’s the combination of all these things.

When all of the gifts have been opened, when all of the radio stations have stopped playing Mariah Carey, when I no longer have an excuse to watch “Love Actually” and well up with happy tears, I get to thinking, “how am I going to make this year better than the last?”

What does “better” even mean?

Does “better” mean “healthier?”

Does “better” mean “fiscally responsible?”

Does “better” mean “nicer,” “more giving,” or “more obliging?”

I never know.

I’ve got a couple 2013 plans in mind. But they change everyday. I’ll keep you posted.

For now, I’ll leave you with the few pictures I took this holiday.

Happy Holidays, y’all.

You haven't lived until you've tried to force a cat to wear a Santa hat. After giving said cat a bath. 

Elf collars are met with the same disdain, in case you're wondering. 

Christmas gift from Ray. The color is called "Majestic Yellow." Love/

If you saw my old black clutch, riddled with kitty scratch marks, you'd know this new clutch wasn't a "want" gift from Ray, but a "need."

Our Christmas Eve-Eve dinner. 

And this little nugget was near my entryway Christmas morning as we tried to leave to meet my family. A possum. Who played possum and pretended to be dead. Until he really died. Gross.