Wieners

haha. Ok so this dish is really a type of hot dog. On the way to my apartment in LA from OC I stopped by alpine village. It's a German deli/market and they make the best salamis and sausages. In the meat case these are literally labeled wieners. I made lots of dirty jokes while buying them haha.

To finish the dish I simply baked a potato and some crescent rolls. Look in my previous posts to see how to make the potato. To make the crescent rolls just follow the package directions. For a really nice touch pour some large grains of salt (like sea salt or kosher) into your hand. Press the top of the crescent roll dough the salt becomes in-bedded. This is a simple step that adds a ton of flavor because salt wakes up your taste buds.

For the wieners: bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prick wieners with a fork a few times for venting holes (don't do this around guys, it makes them wince hahahah) Add wieners to boiling water and then turn heat off. allow wieners to heat through slowly for about 5 minutes. Leave extra wieners in water to keep warm while eating.

Mac and Cheese

Blog Announcement: this is recipe #95. If anyone has any ideas about something really good for the 100th meal I'd love to hear them!!!

This dish was made for some friends back home in the OC. I wanted something that would please just everyone and that I could make ahead so that when people arrived at the house all I had to do was bake the mac and cheese and some garlic bread and was able to play drinking games while dinner finished haha. I wanted a hearty taste so I added mushrooms and then came to find that my friends don't like mushrooms. It was still tasty but there were a lot of piles of mushrooms on plates haha

Ingredients:
1 pound penne rigate or macaroni noodles
6 pieces of bacon
2 containers of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 table spoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons of red chili flake
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (reserve 1/4 cup to side)
1 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (reserve 1/4 cup to side)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper


Directions:
1. put a large pot of water to boil. ONce boiling cook pasta to al dente doneness according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Make bacon in a large saute pan. Try to get it crispy so finished dish has texture. Set bacon aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.

3. Add onions to bacon fat and cook over medium heat. Cook until onions are caramelized or translucent. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until tender and cooked down slightly ( about 10 minutes)

4. Make Cheese Sauce: melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk until combine. cook mixture for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, whisking constantly. Add milk and whisk to combine. add nutmeg and chili flakes and allow to simmer. Liquid should thicken in about 10-15 minutes. Once thickend to a saucy consistency add cheese slowly and whisk to combine.

5. Putting it all together. Butter a large casserole dish. Place the pasta in the large now empty pot you originally boiled the water in. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix together. Add mushrooms and onions and stir to combine. Finally add 1/4 of the cheese sauce then stir. add another quarter and stir again. repeat until all cheese sauce is incorporated. Crumble in bacon and stir one more time. Pour everything into the casserole and even the top.

6. To make the topping mix the bread crumbs and reserved cheese. Sprinkle over the casserole. You can place this in the fridge at this point and keep until later that night. I don't suggest making it any earlier then that day.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Pull casserole from fridge while oven heating. When hot add mac and cheese and cook until hot and top is slightly browned.

8. I served this dish with garlic bread and an artichoke but feel free to add whatever sides you want. enjoy!

Eggs and Bacon for Breakfast Again

I always keep eggs and bacon in my fridge because they can be used in a ton of dished but my favorite is to use them for breakfast. I wanted to add more flavor to the scrambled eggs so I finely chopped some onion and sauted it before cooking the eggs. Then dump the eggs in, add a small amount of grated cheese and cook until eggs are done to your liking. I went ahead and made the bacon extra crispy because I love the texture contrast to the eggs and english muffin. You can use any kind of toast but I like the nooks and crannies of the muffin haha.

Shrimp and Four Cheese Ravioli

I used pantry staples to make this dish after a long day of classes. It's nice to be able to stock stuff for days when your tired and sick so you can make yourself something comforting without too much work. There's just nothing like a home cooked meal after a really long hard day.

Ingredients:
Bag of store bought frozen four cheese ravioli (or ravioli of your choice)
1 jar marinara sauce
handful of frozen shrimp (thaw in luke warm water before cooking)

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water

2. Once water is boiling drop pasta. Check package directions for cook time.

3. In a separate pan saute shrimp (seasoned with a pinch each of salt and pepper) in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Cook about 1 minute per side. Add marina sauce to this pan, reduce heat to low and allow to stay on heat until ravioli is done.

4. Once pasta is done you can mix it with the sauce and shrimp and serve family style. For a fancier look you can place cooked pasta straight onto a plate. place a shrimp onto each ravioli and spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the whole thing to finish.

Venison Chili and Cornbread 2

I wanted to use some of the deer meat that's in my fridge and I was craving something spicy so I made another chili. I used slightly different ingredients for the chili but I made the exact same cornbread so for that recipe look in my December post. This chili has a more tex-mex feel then the last one and is a lot less spicy which is good because the other one was almost painful spicy.

Random tip: make sure to always read the entire recipe to see what you need to do and where the recipe is going. That way you can be prepared for any steps and not surprised at the last minute while cooking.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless venison rump, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes and their juices
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 can black beans
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped fine
2 cup sour cream
1 lime
cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Cut up deer into bite size pieces. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and half of chili powder. Place a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add beef to pan and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.

2. Add onion and celery to same pan and saute over medium heat until translucent (about 10 min). Add garlic and saute another minute. Add tomatoes and saute another minute. Add salt, pepper, rest of chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano. saute for 1 minute. Add stock and liquid and any water needed to cover meat. Allow liquid to come to a simmer, cover partially and cook about an hour to an hour and 1/2 or until meat is tender.

3. While meat is cooking make corn bread batter. Bake after meat has been cooking about an half hour.

4. When deer is tender add the can of beans and it's liquid. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.

5. Make sides: Grate cheddar cheese, chop cilantro, and mix sour cream with a squeeze of lime.

6. Serve corn bread with chili and sides and enjoy!

Braised Beef with Orzo Risotto and Vegetables

I made this dish with my chef friend Susan and my cousin Jenna. We made jokes that Jenna had gotten my old apron because before I was given a chefs coat from the Shea Center I used the lederhosen apron. It feels good to move up haha. I love cooking in her kitchen because it has just about every ingredient you could possibly need or want. Including a huge spice drawer! haha.

Ingredients:
Braising Liquid:
1 onion
2 carrots, peeled
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
2 cups San Marzano tomato puree
3-4 cups of beef or chicken stock
bay leaves
parsley
thyme

Orzo Risotto:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup minced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 cups boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
6 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley


Directions:
Beef:
1. Chop onions and carrots into a rough dice. Saute in a large pan over medium heat with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and cook another minute. add stock and herbs and bring to a boil. Allow to reduce for about 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

3. Cut round steak into three or four pieces so it will fit in pan. Place into a preheated 300 oven for about 3 hours or until beef is tender.

4. When beef is about finished make risotto and any other veggies you'd like to serve. We made mushrooms with pearl onions and carrots.

Orzo Risotto:
1. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add orzo; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in 6 cups boiling water and salt. Simmer uncovered until orzo is tender, liquid is absorbed, and risotto is creamy, stirring often, about 18 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Mix in thyme and peel, then parsley.

4. Serve up everything together on a plate. Make sure beef has lots of extra sauce! Then grab a fork and enjoy!!!!

Angry at Hollandaise

I tried to make Eggs Benedict. I had already made some bacon and toasted the english muffin. I poached the eggs after finishing the sauce but when I was ready to spoon the sauce over the finished product, the sauce had broken!!!! When a sauce breaks it means the emulsion that was holding it together isn't doing it's job. This happened because I let the sauce get too hot. One way to save it is to put a teaspoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of sauce in a new, clean pan. Whisk together then slowly add sauce while constantly whisking and this should re-emulsify it. This didn't work out for me. Then I tried a new, clean pan and whipped an egg yolk in it. Then I slowly added the sauce back to the pan while whisking continuously. This didn't really work for me either and I was starting to get frustrated and hungry so I decided to just fry up an egg for the english muffin and bacon.

I'm going to try this dish again on another weekend. When I first made the sauce it was creamy and delicious so I have hope for the next time. I suggest giving this sauce a try because it will build a lot of basic skills for other sauce making. There aren't too many ingredients and none are expensive. Just try to have some patience and get ready with a back up plan just in case.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, completely melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes.

2. Fill a different medium saucepan with a couple inches of water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and the cold water. Whisk until the yolks are light and frothy.

4. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until the yolks are thickened and light, about 3 to 4 minutes. (If the eggs begin to scramble or the mixture is cooking very quickly or gets too hot, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk to cool). Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk for 30 seconds to cool slightly.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set the bowl over the hot water. Slowly drizzle the butter into the eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. (If the sauce is very thick add a few drops of warm water to adjust the consistency so it is creamy and light.)

6. Serve immediately or keep the hollandaise sauce in a small bowl set over warm, but not hot water, for about 30 minutes or in a warmed thermos for about an hour. (DON"T LET IT GET TOO HOT!!!)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made this dish because there was a farmer's market on my campus. There were some beautiful potatoes and garlic and they were both only 1$ per pound so I got a lot out of excitement. Mashed potatoes imeediately came to mind when I came home but I wanted to lighten it up a little. Instead of cream or milk I used stock which added a richness of flavor for less calories. This dish is an easy side dish and can be great for a date but make sure you both eat some so 2 garlics will cancel each other out. haha.

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
olive oil
3 large russet potatoes
3 tbs butter
1/4 cup of warmed chicken stock (possibly need more)
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Cut the head of garlic horizontally in half so all the garlic cloves are exposed. Placed this into an aluminum foil boat. Pour some olive oil on top and a pinch of salt. Wrap up the package and place it in a preheated 375 oven for 20-30 minutes or until garlic cloves are soft. Allow to cool

2. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Put in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a heavy pinch of salt and heat over a medium high flame. Cook until potatoes are fork tender.

3. Take the head of garlic and separate the cloves. Now you just pinch one end of the clove and the garlic should come out, kind of like toothpaste in the tube. Drain potatoes. Heat chicken stock in the microwave for about a minute. Combine everything in a bowl along with the butter and some salt and pepper. Use a masher and make sure to taste and adjust to your liking.

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Oh that title isn't a typo. I left out the jelly on purpose. I've never liked jelly on my PB sandwiches ever since I was a kid. From 1-3 grade I ate a peanut butter sandwich every day. Then I just couldn't look at peanut butter and had to take a 5 year break. Then at a friends house all there was was peanut butter sandwiches so I had one and fell in love again. Now I'm still in love with PB but now I love it in moderation so it will be a long lasting love haha. I don't think I need to give directions to this meal but I suggest white bread, crunchy peanut butter, and salted kettle chips. It's simple and delicious and pleases everyone of all ages.

Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

I made this dish to use up the rest of my shredded chicken because I ran out of my taco secret sauce. Plus I wanted to try to use the chicken in a healthier way. If you want you can use bottled teriyaki sauce by itself but I added a few things for extra flavor and balance

Ingredients: this is for 2 servings of chicken
2 cups white rice
1 cup shredded chicken
Lime wedges
For Sauce:
1/4 cup store bought teriyaki marinade/sauce
1/8 cup water
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp red chili flakes

Directions:
1. Cook the rice. Place 1 tbs butter in a sauce pan and melt. Add 1 cup rice and allow to toast for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups of liquid (either water or stock or a mix) cook 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.

2. While rice is cooking combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Make sure to taste it. Want it spicier?-more chili flake. Too salty?- more water.

3. When rice is finished heat sauce over medium heat. Add chicken and heat through for about 2 minutes.

4. Put some rice in a bowl and top with chicken and a little extra sauce. I like to add a little extra soy sauce to the rice and a squeeze of lime juice over the whole thing. This is delicious, quick and healthy. enjoy!

Penne Alfredo with Chicken and Shrimp

I whipped this dish up because some friends were stopping by on the way home (hey pat and steve haha) I had some shredded chicken from the tacos, frozen shrimp in the freezer, whole wheat penne, and a lot of milk to use up. I made a basic white sauce (fancy name: bechamel sauce) and then flavored it for this dish. If you want some spice in this dish add a good amount of red chili flakes.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken (large pieces)
10-12 shrimp
1 1lb box whole wheat penne rigate (rigate means it has ridges)
Alfredo sauce
2 Tbs melted butter
2 tbs flour
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water

2. In a large sauce pan saute shrimp. Drizzle about 1 tbs of olive oil and cook shrimp (over medium heat) for about 1 minute per side or shrimp are pink. Don't over cook because the shrimp will get tough. Then cut the shrimp into 2 or 3 bite size pieces. Set shrimp aside until later.

3. Now, make the sauce while the water is boiling. Melt the butter in the same pan as the shrimp (less dishes this way haha). Add the flour and whisk until it forms a thick paste (this is called a roux, remember? it thickens the sauce later) Cook this paste for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Add the nutmeg, paprika, and garlic powder and cook over low heat until sauce starts to thicken.

4. Drop pasta into water. Cook according to package directions but it should be about 10 minutes.

5. Add cheese to sauce mixture and taste. Check if it needs salt and pepper and add as much as needed. Continue to cook sauce over low heat until it is the consistency you like (I mean it should look saucy and like other alfredo sauces you've had in restaurants)

6. Drain pasta when finished cooking. Add it back into the large pot. Add cooked chicken and shrimp. Pour sauce over and stir everything to combine.

7. Plate up large bowls for everyone. Maybe have some garlic bread on the side and garnish the dish with parsley or basil.

Chicken Tacos 2

I was in class with my friend Tim and we were talking. He said he was going to make chicken tacos and ever since he said that I've been craving them. To make this dish I would normally boil the chicken but I decided to use a rotisserie chicken instead, and here's why...

Reason I love rotisserie chicken:
1. It saves at least an hour of cook time
2. Less germs because there's no raw chicken
3. They use a spinning rotisserie which keeps the chicken extra moist
4. It's less than 10 dollars
5. It's healthier than other meats

Now the whole chicken gives you enough for about 20-25 tacos. If you have a lot of people make sure to use enough chickens. I made the exact same recipe as I did in my September posts. I used side dishes like onions with lime, cheese, lettuce, and secret sauce. Sorry, still can't share the secret sauce. haha.

Prime Rib and Green Bean Risotto

This is a dish I made as a quick dinner after a long day of classes. I found my left over prime rib and my green beans and after going through my cabinets I saw the arborio rice and viola! this dish was born. haha. To make this dish use the basic risotto recipe from my September post. Since the meat and green beans are already pre-cooked add when the rice is finished cooking, pull them out of the fridge so they come to room temp before cooking the dish. Just add the prime rib, beans, and parmesan cheese all at once and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes or until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted.

Game Time

For the super bowl I really wanted to throw a big party and make lots of food but that just didn't happen due to busy-ness. I simply chilled with a friend and watched the game but I still walted to cook some type of game food. It was between chili and fried ravioli and the ravioli won out because it's quicker to make. I made this dish in October. The only difference in this recipe was the size of the ravioli. I fried some where I cut the ravioli in half and I made some bite size ones. The key to cutting a large ravioli is making them about the same size so they fry evenly and coating the edges with cheese showing really well. If they aren't coated well the cheese will come out while frying and it won't be pretty or easy to clean.

I served this with marinara sauce but it would be just as delicious with alfredo sauce or pesto sauce. You could make up a large batch of ravioli by breading them in advance and heating up a few sauces. Then fry them up right before guests arrive and serve on a large platter with small bowls of different sauces.

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies

It's month 2 of "cookie of the month" for my cousin Alexa. She loves white chocolate so I decided instead of adding it in the cookies, I'd make a simple glaze and put it on top. Don't have the time for this? just throw the chips into the dough with the nuts, they'll still taste great! If you want something fancier, you can add dried fruits like cherries or apricots. Just chop them up and add them to the dough.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks in a separate bowl mixed with 1 tsp of vegetable or canola oil.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff. Fold in the chopped macadamia nuts and possibly dried fruits into batter. Over mixing leads to tough cookies

4. Drop heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. To make this step faster, use a small ice cream scoop. The uniform size allows for more even baking. Bake for approximately 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

5. Place the chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 40 seconds until chocolate is melted. Make sure to stir it before microwaving longer. Then use a spoon or squeeze bottle and drizzle the glaze over the cookies. I did free form, circles, and dipping half the cookie totally in chocolate. If you have kids this could be a fun part for them to decorate the cookie after you've baked them.

Prime Rib Pasta

I had a lot of left over prime rib from my dinner last week. I've been making sandwiches but to spice it up I wanted to make a simple pasta. I was thinking about beef lasagna and I thought to myself, why not use the prime rib and ingredients from that dish but make it so it wasn't so much work and time. I was lazy since I had classes all day so I didn't do the garnish below but I highly recommend it because it always impresses people.

For a fancy garnish make a parmesan crisp. It's reminiscent of the bubbly top of a lasagna. For this you'll need a silpat. This is a non-stick baking sheet that's flexible. It's great for candy work and you can find them for 15-20$. you can use a sheet of aluminum foil but getting the crisps off will be difficult so make extra to prepare for breakage. Take a Tbs of grated parmesan cheese and spread it into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. It should be thin and flat and make sure all the cheese is touching with no holes in the crisp. Make as many as needed for your serving size plus a few extra. Bake under a preheated broiler for 2-4 minutes. Keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly. When they're a golden brown color remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Then place on top of your finished dish. There easier to work with if they are still slightly warm.

Ingredients:
whole wheat spaghetti
jarred marinara sauce
left over prime rib cut into bite size pieces
parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pull prime rib out of fridge so it gets closer to room temp. cut into bite size pieces while meat is still cold

2. Add a few tablespoons of salt into the water and drop the pasta. Cook about 7 minutes but check your package directions.

3. In a sauce pan that will hold the finished product add a dab of butter and allow to melt. Add prime rib and season with salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for about a minute.

4. Add 1/2 cup or marinara sauce per serving of pasta to prime rib pan. Lower heat to it's lowest setting and allow to heat slowly as pasta finishes cooking.

5. When pasta is cooked, add to marinara pan and stir to combine. Sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese and serve.

21st Birthday Dinner! (finally!)

Sadly I got strep throat on the day of my birthday. Definitely not the way I wanted to spend my first hours of being 21. I was hoping to get extremely drunk and make good food and instead I got to sit in pain. great. But now I've made up for it by making my dinner, inviting over friends, and having a grand old time!

I made prime rib because it's my favorite food and since it's expensive I save it for special occasions. I used the exact same method I used in my Christmas dinner post for the prime rib, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I wanted to do a meal that I'd already made and I know I like so I wouldn't waste any efforts cooking that I could save for drinking haha.

Everything was really delicious and I had a great time making my b-day cake a meal. I'm excited to be 21 so know I can try to pair wines with my food and I can now add wine to sauces which adds so much flavor! I suggest you try this meal for a special occasion for someone special too you!

My Birthday Cake

One of the presents I got this year was a set of 4 tier cake pans. I really want to try to make cakes with fondant like the pros do and getting the cake pans is one of the first steps. I really love ice cream cake and I wanted to challenge myself with this cake so I made a chocolate chip ice cream yellow cake. I made a simple vanilla butter cream for the frosting. For this cake I used box cake but made the icing and ice cream from scratch. If you want to make this simpler for yourself go ahead and buy some ice cream and icing at the store. You can get really creative with decorating. I used chocolate but you could make different colored icings or use candy to make the cake look pretty. I like that I can mix and match a lot of flavors in this cake. By flavoring the icing, cake, and ice cream the possibilities are endless. When decorating try to use things and flavors that are in the cake so that everything taste cohesive.

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix and egg,oil and water according to package directions
1 gallon store bought or home made ice cream of your choice
1-2 cans of store brought frosting

Home Made Frosting:
1 stick of butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 to 8 tbsp milk

Directions:
1. Make ice cream according to January's recipe post of chocolate chip ice cream.

2. Back Cake according to package directions. You can use tier pans like I did or 2 8 inch or 9 inch pans. Make sure to spray pam or butter and flour your cake pans for easy removal later. For filling the tiers: Fill the biggest pan first. Fill each pan with a thin layer then add to the layers if you have extra batter. Try to make them as even in height as possible. The baking time will be weird for the tiers so you'll have to check often after 15 minutes. Each layer is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

3. To make frosting: Combine melted butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until it looks like chalky beads. Add vanilla and milk one tablespoon at a time until mixture is a spreadable, creamy consistency. If it gets too runny add more sugar- if it gets too stiff add more milk.

4. To Assemble the cake: Have ice cream at room temp or a spreadable consistency. Make room in your fridge for a sheet pan because you'll be freezing the layers. Level off the tops of the cakes with a long knife. Then your going to cut the cake layers in half. If it's not perfect it's ok. Take your time and carefully cut the cake. If you don't want to risk this you can put the ice cream layer right on top of the cake layer but you'll end up with thick layers in the end.

5. Spread ice cream in a thick layer on one half of the cake. Try to make it about 1 inch thick. Work quickly so ice cream doesn't melt. Once finished put other half of cake on top of ice cream. It'll look like a giant ice cream sandwich. Once finished with a layer place in the freezer and allow to set for 30 minutes. Repeat this step for each layer of the cake.

6. Now it's time to put the frosting on the layers. The best strategy is to put a lot on top and work it so it spills over the sides and runs down. It's a lot easier to remove extra frosting than keep adding it. At the same time make sure you have enough frosting for each layer. Start with the largest tier and work your way smaller. Once you've frosted a layer replace it in the freezer and take out the next. You don't want the ice cream to melt during this step. Once you have a frozen basic layer of frosting all over the cake feel free to decorate with other frosting colors or candy.

7. Time to put this whole thing together! Do this step right before serving unless you have lots of room in your freezer to hold it. Stack up the layers using a large spatula. Do this carefully so you don't ruin all your hard work. If your going to transfer this cake anywhere you'll need to add inner support. You can do this with toothpicks or longer wooden skewers if your tiers are thick. Simply Stick the toothpick or skewer through two layers of cake and cut them so they are even with the tier. Add the third tier and more support.

8. Once the cake is all stacked up feel free to garnish with more decorations. Keep it in the freezer until it's time to serve. Then just add some candles, make a wish, and serve it up!!