Cake balls look like a truffle but are made with cake mix.
“I saw them on a blog before Christmas last year,” says Sandra Herman of Fort Wayne. “The varieties that could be done are endless.”
Herman, 63, now looks for different ways to make them, and she says her favorite are from a fudge cake mix and coated in chocolate.
“But I have also made ones from a strawberry cake mix and coated in white, which were also very good.
“And, we really liked the result when I varied the recipe a little and made some German chocolate ones by using that kind of cake mix and mixing it with – instead of the cream cheese frosting – a container of the German chocolate frosting that has coconut and nuts in it, then dipping the balls in milk chocolate,” she says.
Herman retired after 28 years at Navistar. She was also the matron at the Allen County Jail for the last four years that her husband, Jim, was Allen County sheriff.
In addition to writing a blog (addhumorandfaith.wordpress.com), she likes to read, play golf and visit the couple’s two children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Q. What’s your favorite cookbook?
A. “The Herman Reunion Cookbook. I typed it. This is my cookbook. It’s all regular cooking. It’s not recipes people made up for a cookbook. I might do another one in a smaller version that’s my favorite recipes and stories for my blog.”
Q. How many cookbooks do you have?
A. “I have a bunch in a box in the attic. At this point in my life, the ones I actively use are three or four.”
Q. You mention that you’re a Weight Watchers member. How long have you been a member?
A. “Three years. And this time, I really get it. The way I know is that I now actually read labels for nutrition and calories. I lost all but 10 pounds in the first year.”
Q. What do you do to keep meals healthy?
A. “I use Egg Beaters in almost every recipe that calls for eggs. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference. We have really made a difference in the way we ate.”
Q. How so?
A. “We don’t have potatoes – very seldom. We eat a lot of broccoli.”
Q. What’s an example of a meal?
A. “Those Steamfresh packages – one of those with a salad and grilled chicken breast.”
Q. Who is your cooking idol?
A. “My mom, the late Aileen Reed.”
Q. What advice would you give a beginner cook?
A. “Don’t say ‘I can’t do that.’
“When Jim and I got married, neither one of us could cook. I remember one of our first meals. We had a pound of hamburger and we put it on the table and looked at it and asked, ‘What shall we make with it?’ We got out the Betty Crocker cookbook. We found a recipe that said to shape it around a chunk of cheese on a stick and bake it. We only had sliced American cheese, so we broke it up, stacked the pieces to make a block. Shaped the hamburger around it and cooked it. Then we thought, ‘What shall we eat with it?’ We had potato chips with it.”
Q. What one word would you use to describe your cooking style?
A. (Laughs.) “The first word that comes to mind is ‘freelance.’ No particular style. Just like a salmon swimming upstream. But I’ve come a long way.”
Q. I still can’t wait to …
A. “Jim and I are hoping to take a trip out West.”
Q. I still want to learn …
A. “How to put videos on my blog.”
1 cake mix (18 1/2 ounces), any flavor
12-ounce container cream cheese icing
6 ounces of flavored confectioners’ coating (available in discs or as a bar, in white, dark or milk chocolate or whatever flavor or color desired)
Prepare a 9-by-13-inch cake using the directions on the package. After cake cools, shred it in a big bowl with two forks, making it like fine bread crumbs. Add cream cheese frosting and mix until well blended. Even in a chocolate cake, the frosting disappears into the crumbs and makes them sticky. Use your hands to roll the mixture into balls and chill them (Herman places them in the freezer).
While cake balls are chilling, melt coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Dip the balls in melted coating using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Decorate the balls with sprinkles or extra melted coating, which has been put in a bottle with a tip. Place on waxed paper to set. Makes 36 servings.
12-ounce package of Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli florets, cooked and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
3 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
8 ounces Neufchâtel cream cheese, room temperature
10 3/4 ounces 98 percent fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1 stick light butter
14-ounce can 99 percent fat-free chicken broth
5-ounce box of whole wheat chicken stuffing mix, plus bread crumbs from 1 heel of whole wheat bread
Mix broccoli and Egg Beaters and spread over bottom of a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with chopped cooked chicken. Mix cream cheese, soup and milk. Pour over mixture in pan. Melt butter and mix with broth, stuffing mix and extra bread crumbs. Spread over top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated Splenda, divided
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 cup light butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup granulated Splenda, Splenda brown sugar blend and light butter in a blender or food processor; pulse four times or until crumbly. Set aside.
Combine apples and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Spoon apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan, lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
2 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cooked chicken breast, finely diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
30 mini phyllo shells (in grocery’s freezer section)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss together the finely chopped chicken, chilies, cilantro and cheese. Place the phyllo shells on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of the chicken filling into each shell. Then add about 1 teaspoon of the egg mixture. Let the shells sit for about a minute so that the egg can settle to the bottom. Then add about another teaspoon of the egg mixture to each shell, filling them close to the top.
Bake the shells until the custard-like filling is set, about 15 minutes. After the shells have cooled, you can freeze them for up to two weeks. To serve, reheat them at 350 degrees until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 30 servings.
12 thin slices Genoa salami
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
24 sugar-free mini-gherkin pickles, drained
Spread each salami slice with a thin layer of whipped cream cheese. Place two gherkins, end to end, in the center of each slice of salami. Roll up each slice, jelly-roll style. Cut each roll in half and secure with toothpick. Makes 24 appetizers.