St. Patrick's Day Mini Cakes

I make this green cake every single year during the month of March in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Yes, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day here. And we may or may not have green milk, green pancakes, green eggs, and green toilet water in our house. Ya know, the toilet water doesn't really fit in with the green food, does it? No, but it is green none the less. On to the green cake. This is my mother-in-law's recipe for a super moist almond flavored pistachio pudding bundt cake. It's very easy to make. Throw in all of the ingredients, turn on the mixer for four minutes, and then while you have your food coloring out, go do your business in the toilets. Nothing like multitasking to keep the holiday stress low.

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

1 small package pistachio instant pudding

1/4 cup oil

7 drops green food coloring

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Add all ingredients to mixing bowl. Beat for four minutes on medium speed. Pour into a greased and floured mini bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not under bake. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and carefully remove. Cool on wire rack and dust with powdered sugar.

*To make in a large bundt pan: Pour batter in greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees on center rack in oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes and invert onto wire rack. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Halloween Graveyard Cups

These Graveyard Cups are a Halloween tradition. Even when I try not to make them, I am told that I must do it. And then I'm glad we do because they are yummy. This year I tweaked the ingredients to make a superior recipe. It's basically a chocolate trifle -- with worms. Yum. I made these for my piano party last week. I also made some from Jessica's pumpkin trifle recipe since some of my students are weird and don't like chocolate. We put gingersnap cookies in them and used cinnamon for the "dirt" on top. Thank goodness Olivia helped me make them all. She said she has the "gift of whisking". The pudding was perfect!

Ingredients:

1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)

2 big boxes instant chocolate pudding

16 ounces heavy cream

1/8 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 brownie mix, made according to package CAKE BROWNIE directions

24 Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies

decorating gel

24 gummy worms

24 clear 12 ounce plastic cups

Directions:

Crush chocolate cookies. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons crushed cookies in the bottom of each cup. Cut cooked brownies in 1 inch cubes. Place 5 cubes on top of crushed cookies. Beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together in mixer until it becomes the consistency of whipping cream. Put 3 tablespoons on top of brownies. Make pudding according to package directions. Put about 1/4 cup on top of whipped cream. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of crushed cookies on top. Write RIP on Milano cookies with decorating gel. Stick cookie in trifle. Place a gummy worm beside it. Refrigerate.

*I didn't actually measure each layer. Just estimate and eyeball it. The measurements are just suggestions. Happy Halloween!