Game Day Baked Potato Bar

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!

Make game day easy,

and what is easier than baked potatoes.

What makes them not your boring basic baked potato is having lots of toppings.

Everything in our opinion should have lots of toppings,

or dipping sauces to choose from.

 Super Bowl Baked Potato Bar

 Make a cute banner with felt.

Just triangles, ribbon and a glue gun.

This can be coordinated to your favorite team's colors.

 If you can find small serving trays everyone can pile up their

own toppings and sits of your lap easy,

potatoes won't roll off like a plate.

We have seen them at Sam's Club, local party supply shops

and even the Dollar Store. 

 Toppings,

Let your imagination run wild.

You can add salsa, olives,

nacho cheese, heck you can even make it a nacho bar,

if potatoes are not your thing.

Chalkboards are so much fun.

So versatile, you can theme them for any occasion,

even Super Bowl.

 This will be a game changer, and was so easy.

  The extras like the printables

{which are below}

make it even more festive.

 Game play

sized 4x6

Right click to save as and print.

  Toppings sized 4x6

Do you have access to any astroturf?

Cute for coasters and to put your

printables on.

Game day on!

Let's get real, most of us look just as forward to the snacking

as the game itself.  For us it's the snacking and the commercials.

We think with all your friends bringing a different snack, dip,

dessert or drink, go easy with one item.

Choose baked potatoes, nachos, even fondue.

Don't get sidelined trying to make 50 different things.

Choose one and let it be the star.

Now get your snack on!

From your Captains,

Ashley & Katelyn

in the

Just Plane Cute Cafeteria

Cake Pops Tutorial

Let us navigate you through our first experience in cake pop making.

GPS and Autopilot on, 

now let's go!

 This was my very first attempt at making cake pops...ever.

I was nervous and intimidated.  Everyone's always look so smooth and perfect.

Recently I purchased a cake pop kit

filled with all the tools to make and decorate them.

Inside was this very cool little cake pop pan,

really when making them 2 would be very handy to speed

the process up, but every batch turned out perfect in the pan.

 I scoured the internet reading cake pop tutorials,

then pieced together the method that sounded the best to me.

I used a regular cake mix which called for 1/2 C oil and 3 eggs,

I cut the oil to 1/3 C and used 4 eggs.

This to make a firmer cake ball, less sliding off your stick

when dipping.  Believe me you want this, if you cake 

is not dense enough it will slide right off.

 1 Cup water

1/3 C oil

4 eggs

 Grease and flour your pan, both sides.

Don't skip this step.

Ignore my batter color.

I read you want a color contrasting to your chocolate color,

so when you bite in you can see the contrast.

I had bought a white cake mix and had pink chocolates,

in hind site I should have kept it white,

but thought I could make purple with blue and red.

Wrong.

It is more raspberry, but oh well, next time.

On to the steps, 

fill your pan all the way up, do not fill partially.  

You want it filled to the top

to expand and fill in the top too.

 I used Wilton chocolate wafers,

add shortening to keep your chocolate thin.

Depending of how much chocolate you use will depend on

how much shortening.

You really want your chocolate thin.

Bake for 8 minutes.

That's it.

Then let your cakes cool completely

they will pop right out.

Cut the orb type ring around the center off with a knife.

You will want a smooth surface.

{Ignore the ugly nail polish, I have been painting my bedroom}

 This tip seemed to work very well,

poke the cake ball with your stick, then dip the stick into

your chocolate, then insert back in.

This keeps your stick in.

It really did help.  I am glad I read that one somewhere.

Next dip into your chocolate and decorate.

{my tips to follow}

 I think they turned out pretty good for my very first attempt.

It can only get better, right?

 Have you made your chalkboard platter yet?

In case you missed it find it here.

 They were moist, delicious and I LOVE the crunch from nonperils

 {you know the ball sprinkles as I call them}

Changing the recipe some did not make them any less moist.

I don't think I will ever complain about paying whatever the asking price is

for a cake pop again.   There is a lot of work that goes into those tiny

2 bite babies.  But once you are able to get the flow down it can go pretty smoothly, and

1 cake box will make around 60 pops!

That is pretty dang cheap for each pop, so it's worth the effort.

Plus the color combinations are endless, you can coordinate them for the event you are making them for.

Now I feel like the second time around I'll have even more tips

when making them.

Here are my tips:

*I will have my chocolate thinner next time.

Really you want a thin, smooth texture.

Not too thin to not coat, but not too heavy either.

*It was just a test run so I didn't use all my chocolates,

next time I will use them all, or melt in a deeper

container.  You want to dunk and pull right out.

The more you swirl and twirl the more the pop falls off.

*I tried 2 different sizes of sticks,

the fatter sticks worked out so much better.

The pop held on much better.

*I will try to have 2 pans.

Especially having to grease them, that step takes a few,

so having 2 pans would have been much faster.

*last tip:

Have a cute Co-pilot to help lick the

batter and choose sprinkles for you.

These will be ready for your First Class dessert,

Your Captain Ashley.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Are you gearing up for Superbowl Sunday?

This recipe is going to be your Game Day Superstar.

You know the snacks are just as important as the big game itself.

This dip is a must! 

 Husband approved, and it will be the hit of the party.

 Buffalo Chicken Dip.
The ultimate Superbowl snack food.
Cheesy, spicy and creamy.

The lineup.

{This is the very first recipe I have ever used

canned chicken.  I thought weird, gross, how will it

taste?  Turns out it tastes great and is so easy}

Cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top.

{if cutting calories you can skip this step}

Dump and mix.

{recipe to follow}

Ooey, gooey dipable goodness.

This recipe is fail-proof.

You will be lucky if you have any left.
Also great warmed up the next day.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 brick 8oz cream cheese softened
1/3 C blue cheese dressing
1/3 C ranch dressing
1/4 C Franks hotsauce
2 small 5 oz cans white chicken meat
{or one large one}
shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Combine first 6 in baking dish
and sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes.

Great served with tortilla chips
or even better serve with fritos scoopables.

This recipe can be altered to your taste.
Like it spicier?
Kick it up a notch with more, or less hot sauce.
Taste it as you are mixing, you can add more of
anything you like.  Cater it to your likings.
You can also add more cream cheese for a thicker dip.

Happy snacking!

Jello Popcorn.

We love the versatility of being able to make this popcorn

in any color, or even combination of colors.

For holidays, colored to match a birthday party,

or even your favorite team's colors. 

 We chose Strawberry Jello for Valentines Day.

There are oh so many ways to serve it.

 Air popper to pop your popcorn.

Or you can also use natural microwave popcorn.

Just do not use butter flavored popcorn.

 {recipe to follow}

You will only need a few ingredients to turn

plain boring air popped popcorn

into ooey gooey flavorful popcorn.

  We sprayed our cookie sheet with cooking spray,

but we think parchment paper would work so much better.

Less sticking.

 Don't you agree serving anything in a mini martini glass

is Just Plane Cute.

2/3 to 1 cup popping corn

{this will make a couple cups when popped}

1/2 C light Karo Syrup

1 C sugar

1 small box Jello

{any flavor, 3 oz}

2 Tbs butter

Sea salt, optional

Pop your popcorn and place in a large bowl.

On stove top melt Karo Syrup, sugar, Jello and butter together

in a sauce pan.  Make sure it is all dissolved and bubbly.

You want it to look smooth and shiny.

Pour over popcorn and quickly stir around

to coat the popcorn.

You may want to do in batches.

Lay on a cookie sheet either sprayed with cooking spray

or lined with parchment paper.

Bake 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

We highly recommend removing from your pan as soon as the 

popcorn starts to cool.  If your pan is not parchment lined,

like our's was not, you will have to scrape that pan for an eternity

to get it off.  It hardens fast and is super sticky.

This is not your peanuts and pretzels folks,

hope you make something Just Plane Yummy

like this.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

After seeing a friend's Instgram who had made these

completely yummy lemon cookies we just had to

make them. They are soft, chewy and perfectly

"lemony" a sugary sweet lemon, just the perfect amount

of lemon not too overpowering.

Get ready for the ingredients....all 5 of them!

A lemon cake mix, 1/3 C vegetable oil, 2 eggs,

lemon extract and powdered sugar.

{recipe to follow}

 I sprinkled mine with more powdered sugar after baking.

It seemed to blend into the cookie while in the oven.

 

 Are you drooling yet?

Did we mention easy?  These babies can be whipped up in minutes.

Like the times you need to take dinner to a neighbor.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

1 Lemon box cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp lemon extract

{use vanilla if don't have lemon}

2 eggs

powdered sugar to roll cookies in

Mix first 4 ingredients with mixer.

Roll into balls in the palm of your hand,

about 1 T scoop size.

Then roll ball in powdered sugar.

Drop onto cookie sprayed cooked sheet,

or parchment paper.

Bake 375 degrees for 9 minutes

No need to flatten then will do that while baking.

Enjoy!