Dessert Friday! Cake batter, cake batter, and more cake batter!

Late post today. I had a job interview that was out of town and I went to the gym before that. I did get to visit with a friend after the interview, so it wasn't a long drive/quick trip/long drive home. I think it went well, so *fingers crossed*!

I made a "cake mix" themed treat day for someone for her birthday. I am still a bit obsessed with all things cake batter flavored, so don't be surprised if you see cake batter flavored desserts (and a smoothie, maybe??) in the future.

Pinspiration: 
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396629192/ - No Bake Cake Batter Truffle
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396629196/ - Cake Batter Crispy Rice Treats
I also used the cookie recipe from the crispy rice treat recipe.

Before I started, I measured out the cake batter. And tagged them with Post-its. Of course.

I did double the recipe for the truffles, but it was really hard to work with the dough, so I would recommend making separate batches if you want more truffles.

No Bake Cake Batter Truffles (modified):

1 1/2 c flour
1 c white cake mix (yellow works too)
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c white sugar
1 t vanilla
1/8 t salt
3-4 T almond milk
2 T sprinkles

Truffle Coating:
16 ounces white candy melts (or any color)
4 T white cake mix
Sprinkles

1. Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined.
2. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. Add 3 T of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency.
4. Mix in sprinkles by hand.
5. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet.
6. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
7. While dough balls are chilling, melt candy melts in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely.
8. Using a fork, dip truffles into melted candy coating and shake of excess by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.
9. Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

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Review:
Uh-mazing. Make these. Now. More pictures of deliciousness (these went FAST).

Cake Batter Crispy Rice Treats:

3 T butter
1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
1/3 c white cake mix (or yellow... or really, any would do)
5 c crispy rice cereal
1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows.
2. Stir until the marshmallows begin to melt, adding in cake mix one spoonful at a time so it's combined.
3. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture.
4. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix.
5. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles.
6. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

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Review: I thought these were just ok, but I got a LOT of compliments on them. And they're just as easy as regular treats.

Cake Mix Cookies:
1. For every 6 oz of cake mix, combine with 1/4 c vegetable or canola oil and 1 egg.
2. Stir until mixed.
3. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

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Review: Good for getting rid of extra mix!

Slow Cooker Thursday: Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603397651059/

I apologize for the lack of photos. I actually made this a couple months ago and only managed to get one. But the finished product looks a lot like the original (minus the chocolate bar for decoration).

I am still kind of new to steel-cut oats. I like the texture, but the jury is still out on whether or not it is good the next day.

I modified the original recipe because I didn't have coconut palm sugar or stevia, so I've listed the version I used below.

My only photo. Everything mixed up and starting to cook.

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients
1 c steel-cut oats
4 c water
1/2 c coconut milk
1 T cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1 T brown sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the water, milk, and vanilla. Whisk in the cocoa, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in the oats.

Oil the inside of your slow cooker (or use cooking spray - this prevents the oatmeal from sticking). Pour in the above mixture.

Set your slow cooker to LOW for 1-2 hours, and turn it to WARM before going to bed. In the morning, stir and eat!

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Review:

I found it to be bland. Maybe because I changed it a little. I separated it into 4 servings and then refrigerated 3 for future mornings. The next day, I warmed it up as-is and wasn't a fan. I couldn't even finish it. The following morning, I tried pouring cold coconut milk on it after I warmed it up and it was better. Next time, I may try pouring milk on it before I warm it up. After I try to figure out what would make it less bland.

DIY Magnetic Chalkboard in Frame

Pinspriation: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603397298061/

When I first saw that post, I was extremely interested. I have had this thing with chalkboard paint ever since I first saw the chalkboard refrigerator on Good Luck Charlie (no, I don't have kids, don't judge, it's a cute show!). Make my own chalkboard? How exciting! A good place to begin. A framed chalkboard.

At the same time, I was getting ready to move. I have more than one set of magnetic poetry that I insist on putting up even though it hardly gets used. But it is a pain in the butt to put up and take back down. So I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I had a piece of metal framed that could hold some of the words?"

Light bulb went off. What if it was magnetic AND a chalkboard?? I had 2 ideas... painting wood with paint that would make it magnetic and then a layer of chalkboard paint OR paint a piece of metal with chalkboard paint.

Since the reviews for magnetic paint made me less than confident about my first idea, I wanted to try the second.

I found a framed painting at Saver's (a thrift store). The frame was pretty much what I had in mind and it was only $3. I didn't manage to get a picture of the art. It was dolphins swimming. It looked like a 10 year old did it. I took the painting out and took it to Goodwill (MAYBE someone will want it??). This is the frame pre-paint:

I really just noticed now that those are pictures of dogs that my cat is ferociously attacking.

Anyway. After I found the frame, I took a trip to a home improvement store to see what my options were. After I spoke to a very-unhelpful associate, I managed to find the smallest piece of sheet metal that would still fit in the frame. And a pair of tin snips. I probably could have borrowed those, but I didn't want to tell anyone my idea for fear it would be stolen or I would be made fun of. Maybe I'll find another use for the tin snips some day.

I had already purchased the chalkboard paint. It was on sale at Michael's (or I had a coupon... I don't buy things at Michael's full price unless I absolutely need it). However. Then something great came along... LivingSocial had a chalkboard wall decal for sale. Six feet long and could be cut to any size. Without hesitation, I bought it. Imagine the possibilities! And it's removable!

So about five months after I purchased the frame, metal, and tin snips and about two months after I purchased the chalkboard decal, I got to work.

That paint is supposed to be red. It is CraftSmart "Wash Away" paint from Michael's. I chose wash away paint because it was the only paint I had that size. I do have other colors, but I thought red would be a good one. Well, pink works too.

Ignore the white lines... That's my attempt at blurring. I only used one layer of paint, because I didn't want it to have a crisp, clean look. It's a chalkboard. They aren't generally crisp and clean. So I hid that from the cat while it dried.

She managed to get a little paint on her anyway. Oh well, it's non-toxic.

This was a lot of work. The tin snips I bought were the cheapest they had, so it took a lot of work. And metal doesn't cut the same way paper does. Paper is flimsy. Metal is not. So it took a lot of bending. I drew lines with a permanent marker so I'd know where to cut. I wasn't too concerned with how it looked because it would be covered and in a frame.

The decal was easy. I cut it slightly bigger, just to make sure it was the right size. It removes easily, so even though it took a couple tries to get it lined up right, it wasn't a big deal. Getting it in the frame was a little trickier than I thought.

There are only 4 brackets on the frame. I needed to fill in the gap between the bracket and the sheet metal.

That didn't help the corners, so I ended up just taping it all the way around (with pretty duct tape I got in the $1 bins at Target).

Done! I've since added a lot more of the poetry, but I wanted to see how well it worked and it works great!

Organizing All the Cleaning

I wanted to organize all of the fancy lists on Pinterest (I know... even more than they are already organized on Pinterest). I'm kind of obsessed with binders (I have a couple others I'm working on). So I made this:

Here are some good lists you can print out. Pick the ones that work best for you.

Daily cleaning:
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398168317/ - 10 Daily Steps to a Cleaner Home

Weekly/monthly maintenance cleaning:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398432247/ - 30 Minutes per Week to a Cleaner House

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398156914/ - Deep Cleaning Monthly Schedule

Schedules (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly):
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398260562/ - Cleaning Schedule
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395769403/ - Cleaning Calendar
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398136001/ - House Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396400941/ - Master Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396095406/ - Cleaning Calendar
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395565045/ - Chores

"Spring" or 30 day cleaning challenges:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398161380/ - 30 Days to a Clean House
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398268793/ - Thorough Spring Cleaning Checklist
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398451063/ - The 31 Day House Cleaning Routine
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025715/ - Spring Cleaning List of Chores
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025682/ - Spring Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025712/ - Spring Cleaning Checklist
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025678/ - The Mother of All Spring Cleaning Checklists (which, ironically, I find to be lacking)
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395654693/ - Spring Cleaning Challenge (copy and paste list into Word)

Helpful cleaning tips:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398268786/ - Stain Removal Chart
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395503330/ - Laundry Stain Cheat Sheet
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398067768/ - Clothing Care Symbols (I don't know about you, but I can never remember what any of them mean)
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396401296/ - Laundry Guide to Common Care Symbols

I recommend saving all of the print-outs to your computer, in case you want to go back and reprint and the site has been moved (or, heaven forbid, we lose Pinterest). I have a folder in My Documents called "Making Life Easier" with a sub folder "Cleaning All the Things".

Organizing: Emergency Car Kit

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398013765/

I don't have kids, so I customized my kit for things I know I'd need. Especially on nights I can't make it home and need to crash at a friend's.

I went for the $2 box because I wanted it to be purple. :-)

Inside:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
2 hair ties
Travel pack of tissues
Body wash/lotion (some random kind that doesn't even smell that great)
Deodorant
Shampoo
Cotton swabs
Facial cleansing towelettes
Tampons/pantyliners (not pictured because I thought of them later)
Anti-bacterial wipes
Baby wipes (they came free in a sample box and could be very useful in a pinch)
Pad of paper
Pen
One baggie (snack size) with Band-Aids, alcohol prep pads, safety pins, and tweezers
One baggie (snack size) with ibuprofen, cough drops, and premenstrual relief
Pack of gum
Plastic grocery bag

It tends to stay cooler in my trunk, so I'll put it in there (so things don't melt/explode), towards the back, so it's accessible from the back seat (which folds down), for easier access.