Easy Two Ingredient Ice Cream Cake

This post is brought to you from my other blog Living the Allergic Life. We just celebrated our 2nd of 3 birthdays this month and I wanted to share with you a great alternative to your everyday birthday cake. It's a VERY simple ice cream cake and although the below has allergy-friendly suggestions, you could easily make this with your normal ingredients. In 20 minutes or less, you can have your ice cream cake.....and eat it, too!

It's that time of year again! Birthday times three at our house this month. And when you have a family member with food allergies, it's time to bake up {or freeze up} some creativity! We are kind of burnt out on the same ol' cupcakes all the time, so this year we decided for the first birthday of the month {which was mine} to just take the family to Bruster's Ice Cream. There we can all get what we want, including my daughter who is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. She loves their italian ice and sorbet options. There are about 4 or 5 different flavors to choose from at any given time so it was a great non-cupcake option.

The next birthday was my 6 year old's birthday and she wanted a cake. However, still being kinda sick of the normal cakes we make for birthdays, I decided to make an ice cream cake. We do love an ice cream cake around here, but with my 8 year old not able to eat store bought ice cream cakes because of the obvious milk factor, making one was my best option.

You will not believe how simple this is! It literally took about 20 minutes to make. Less time than baking a cake!!

To make this you'll need either Tofutti brand ice cream sandwiches or SO Delicious brand ice cream sandwiches. I bought SO Delicious brand for this cake at Publix.

You also need Pillsbury Classic White frosting (contains soy) OR another allergy-friendly one suited to your specific needs.

And then whatever toppings you want to use to decorate your cake. I bought Nerds & matching gumballs from the Dollar Tree to decorate ours.

To put this cake together, just stack your ice cream sandwiches on whatever size plate or dish you want and arrange them in the desired shape. I used a rectangular dish and it worked perfectly! Then, quickly spread the room temperature frosting onto your cake, covering as good as you can. Next, I put mine right in the freezer to firm up because ice cream sandwiches melt pretty quickly and ain't nobody got time for that! Nobody. This is when I ran to the Dollar Tree because I realized I needed sprinkles or something to put on my cake. As soon as I got home, I took it out of the freezer and decided to smooth out the frosting to make it look more professional. I put a butter knife in ice cold water and then, took it out and immediately started spreading out the frosting. It REALLY made a big difference and a much smoother appearance. You'll need to reinsert the knife into the ice water a few times throughout the process to keep it nice and cold. Then, when you get it looking the way you want, decorate it! Finally, refreeze it until it's time to party!

The cake cuts very nicely and looks like a layered cake on the inside! My kids called me 'The Best Cake Maker in the World' and said things like, "You should start your own business!"

Mission Accomplished. Amen?

Happy Ice Cream Cake Making to You and Yours!

Easy Chalkboard Necklace {Gift Idea}

Looking for a last minute gift for the teacher on your list?? This has always been a big hit with my kids' teachers. Give your teacher an A+ this Christmas with this easy chalkboard necklace! Here's how you do it.

What you need:
Any size pendant with a flat surface.
Chain of your choice.
Chalkboard paint
Painter's tape
Chalk

Start by taping off the pendant of your choice. Straight edges are the easiest but I have done an oval shape before. Make sure the tape is secure enough so that the paint will not get on the edges.

In a well-vented space {preferably outside}, lay your pendant with taped edges onto a scrap piece of newspaper or cardboard. Spray the pendant with a coat of chalkboard paint. Let dry. Spray again two or three times to get a good coating on the surface.

Let it dry at least a few hours before writing on it with chalk. I like to use chalk markers so they won't scrape the surface, but regular chalk will work. If using regular chalk, wear down the edge of the chalk before writing on the pendant.

It wipes clean with a soft cloth.
Embellish your necklace with a charm or ribbon to give it some extra bling and make it more personal. You can write their monogram or anything you want on the pendant. Be creative!
Then, package it up nice and neat and you're ready to give your gift to the lucky teacher.

What are your go-to gifts for teachers? This works great at Christmas, birthdays, beginning of the year or end of the year gifts. And these are popular for non-teachers, too!

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Dum Dum Cookie Pops {recipe}

{This post is from my food allergy blog, Living the Allergic Life}

We love a good, fun snack in this house and these Dum Dum Cookie Pops are such a happy treat! I love these as an alternative to sending cupcakes to school for birthdays. {Although, our school does not allow birthday treats anymore because of food allergy concerns.} These are a super easy treat and are a great way to use up the Dum Dums at the bottom of the Halloween bag this season. The only exception is that mine are mostly allergy-free for my daughter who lives with 3 major food allergies! You can use regular milk and any sugar cookie mix or recipe for these, just as easily. SO EASY and FUN! Hope you enjoy!

I used the Cherrybrook Kitchen Sugar Cookie Mix {thanks, Dayna!} and followed the instructions on the box using Smart Balance Light {dairy-free}and unsweetened Almond Milk {dairy-free}. Mix according to package directions and drop onto greased cookie sheet.

Then, simply unwrap and press a Dum Dum Lollipop into the center of each cookie dough. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. Package up individually for a great classroom treat!

What's not to love?

Buy your ingredients here:
Dum Dum Pops, 200-Count

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Art You Can Eat {a birthday recipe}

As promised yesterday, here's the second version of birthday cake for my young artist in residence. I really didn't want to make cupcakes or cake again and while I was brainstorming on something creative to make for my girl's actual birthday, she asked me if I'd make her some chocolate chip cookies. She has been allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts since birth so there are quite a few baked goods that she doesn't get to enjoy. {And plenty of those I've tried to make allergy free and they just didn't pan out.} This time, especially since it was her special day, I decided to find a way to make some for her. Only while I was thinking about it, it hit me that I could make her a giant chocolate chip cookie and decorate it like a cake. I'm all about killing the hypothetical two birds with one stone. Amen? Since I was completely out of 'her' chocolate chips {vegan}, I had to make a trip to Whole Foods. You can imagine how delighted I was to find an allergy-free chocolate chip cookie mix made by Cherrybrook Kitchen in the baking aisle of Whole Foods! This completely made my day because I could use this convenient mix and know that it would most likely turn out well versus trying to make my own from scratch without eggs. So, I snatched it up for $5.99 and was on my merry way.

I love Cherrybrook Kitchen because they make several allergy-friendly mixes, etc. that really help a mom out in situations like these. They are careful with processing and every product I've used of their's has worked out wonderfully and tasted yummy. It makes life with food allergies a little more bearable.

Follow package directions by mixing the mix + 1/2 cup dairy free buttery spread like Smart Balance Light or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread + 1/4 cup water. Mix until it forms a soft dough.

Spread out your dough onto your greased pan or onto a round baking stone {mine is from Pampered Chef}. I used a piece of plastic wrap to help me smooth out the dough without getting my hands messy. Then, I took my dough roller {also from Pampered Chef} and rolled it on top of the plastic wrap to make it the same thickness all over.

Take the plastic wrap off. Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool, then decorate.

It was a big surprise for my girl when she got home from school and saw her giant chocolate chip cookie. The artsy design made with frosting, just made it that much better.

It was a great day! I'm pretty sure she'll remember this one forever.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing this with a few of these friends.

An Artistic Birthday {the 'cake'}

As I mentioned yesterday, my little artist just celebrated her 8th birthday! It was a highly anticipated day, as it is for most children, and she had some high hopes for celebrating. We went out of town last weekend to visit family so that meant we'd be celebrating her birthday there with family and then again on her actual birthday. For the first celebration, I made an artist palette with cupcakes.

For the palette, I used foam board and just cut out a shape that resembled a paint palette. You can buy this at the dollar store or Dollar General - super cheap! An exacto knife or pocket knife will work just fine. I used a box cutter. Just be careful and go slowly. Be sure there is something underneath to protect your counter or whatever surface you are cutting this on.

The cupcakes were made with Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix and a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree with a 1/4 cup water. Just mix it up and pour into cupcake pans about 1/2 full (3/4 full if you want a bigger cupcake). Bake according to package directions. {These cupcakes were dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free using all of these ingredients because my daughter is highly allergic to those 3 allergens. You can bake yours however you want, but these baked with pumpkin are so moist and delicious!}

For the icing, I used Pillsbury Vanilla icing {again because it contains no milk, egg or nuts}. Then, I added food coloring to make different colors for my 'paints'.

As you can see in the pic, I only put 8 cupcakes on the palette. The rest of the cupcakes were iced with plain white icing. My little artist was thrilled with these cupcakes. She declared me the best baker ever.

My job here is done.

Come back tomorrow and see what her second 'cake' looked like! She was just as excited, if not more. I even surprised myself with this one!

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Eight {a birthday celebration}

Today is a BIG day!

Eight years ago today, my 2nd daughter was born. We had no idea what our little family was missing out on until she was born! She was our first child to be born with beautiful blue eyes.

The silly girl in the family. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't hear her laughing and trying to make everyone else laugh. 

Her favorite hobby is drawing. She's our artist in residence and has a pencil in her hand about 90% of the time.

This sweet girl loves her family. She has a sweet spirit and is full of compassion for others. She is very tender hearted.

Her best friend was born just a few hours before her on the same day. They love to tell people their story. They were born in the same hospital, same room - just a few hours apart. Same doctor. They have the same middle name. They also have the same house - meaning the same floor plan of house by the same builder. They have a sweet friendship and everyone in their Sunday School class has heard their story - over and over again. They've been talking about their birthday for weeks now. It's the biggest day of the year for these two girls - and they think everyone should feel the same way about it. I'm pretty sure this friendship will last a lifetime.

God has given us eight beautiful years with our girl and we are so blessed. Our family would not be complete without her. God has great plans for her life. I can already see a little bit of who He is shaping her to be and it's very exciting to watch her grow and mature. What a privilege it is to be her mom!

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Bunting Skirt {Tutorial}

We are gearing up for a certain little blonde headed girl's 4th birthday this weekend so I've got birthday party on the brain. I made her a ruffled pillowcase dress and matching capris yesterday and intended for her to have it for her birthday and for some pictures I was taking of her. Then, today I came across this picture and I had a vision. I love buntings {pennants, flags, what-have-you} and would have them all over the house if I wasn't trying to purge and deep clean right now. So, I figured, 'Why not wear one?!' Well, not me. But my little birthday girl! Actually, you can wear one I made for big girls - you can find it here in my shop, but this tutorial is for the little girl in your life. The link above shows you how to make one using that shop's supplies, but this tutorial shows you how to make one with the pillowcase you have leftover after making the pillowcase dress. Or just use a new pillowcase. The hemming is already done for you, and the side seams. All you have to do is sew a waist seam, thread elastic through and sew on your bunting! It doesn't get any easier than this, Folks!

I'm linking with these parties!