Zelda Cake

I spend a whole Saturday making a birthday cake for my brother-in-law. Behold my Link’s Shield Cake:

I followed most of the instructions provided by Nerdy Nummies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nO54RZeblQ), though I had to figure out a few things on my own. If you want to make this cake, please remember the following tips before you get started:

1. Find an image of the shield online and print it. You will need this image for the next tip.

2. Make a paper template of the shield and each of the decorations (such as the triforce).  It will take one 8.5 by 11 sheet and a bit of another sheet of paper to cover the length of the cake.

--- I cut out all the decorations from the image I printed and placed them on my shield template. This helped me visualize what I was going to do.
--- I used the shield template to cut the cake and the decorations templates to cut the fondant.

3. Prepare all the fondant ahead of time.  By the way, I had “sky blue” icing dye, which was a bit lighter than the blue I needed.  I added a few drops of black to darken my blue fondant. Remember to keep your fondant covered or it will dry out.

---Do not cut the fondant ahead of time.  Cut the shapes just before you’re ready to assemble the cake.

4. Use your own cake recipe. I used this one: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/best-one-bowl-yellow-cake-recipe/ (delicious!).

This was a lot of work, but my brother-in-law was very happy, so the effort was worth it :-)

Last-Minute Enchiladas

“It’s the middle of the week, and dinner time is fast approaching. What can I make for dinner?”

This is how Last-Minute Enchiladas came to be.  I had a few chicken breasts in the freezer, and that I was not going to make pasta again!

This recipe is quick and easy. There are quite a few shortcuts that make preparation a breeze.

Looks like a lasagna,doesn't it? :-)

Serves: 3-4 people (about 7 large enchiladas)

Ingredients:

*Three chicken breasts (the ones I used were frozen)
*Flour tortillas (I prefer these because they are softer than corn tortillas)
*A jar (16 oz) of your favorite Salsa.  I used Wegmans’ mild salsa.
*1 or 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
*2 cups of veggies (sliced or “julienne”).  I used onions and peppers of different colors: red, orange, and yellow
*1 teaspoon of chili powder
*Additional salt to taste

For the broth and to cook the chicken:

*Enough water to cover the chicken (4 to 6 cups)
*Veggies.  I used chunks of onions and peppers, and a few garlic gloves
*One chicken bouillon

Getting all of the ingredients ready:

• Begin by boiling the water with all the ingredients listed for the broth (see above).
• Once the water boils, place the frozen chicken and wait for the water to boil again. Lower the temperature to medium, and let the chicken cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Make sure the chicken is fully cooked before you remove it from the water to let it cool down.
• Sauté the sliced peppers and onions in olive oil.
• In a medium pot, combine the salsa and a cup of the chicken broth (the leftover water from the chicken you just cooked), and bring this mixture to a boil. Add the chili powder and turn down the heat to low-medium. Let the sauce to cook for about 20 minutes or until it is reduced a bit. Once it is done, taste it and add salt if needed.
• Shred the chicken by hand or use a fork. Once the veggies are cooked, add the chicken to the mix and cook it for a few minutes. Then, once the salsa is cooked, add about half of it to the chicken mix. Reserve the rest of the sauce.
• Add 2/3 of the Mexican cheese to the chicken mix and turn off the heat.
• Lastly, use a spoonful of sauce to “grease” a 13X9 baking dish. You may use a cooking brush to spread the sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan.  

Assembling the Enchiladas:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place a generous amount of chicken mix on a tortilla.  Roll the tortilla and place it in the baking dish with the seam down.  Repeat this step as many times as needed to fill the baking dish.  I used seven flour tortillas.
• Pour the remaining sauce on top of the tortillas, and use a brush to distribute the sauce evenly. Sprinkle the additional Mexican on top.
• Lastly, place the enchiladas uncovered in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!