GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - ALL ABOUT ME - KIMMY RIPLEY

I wanted to do something a little different today and instead of sharing reviews and recipes I want to share some details about ME, in case anyone was wondering who I am! My name is Kimmy Ripley and I am from the city of St. Clair Shores in Michigan. I am very very VERY passionate about food and drink. I try my best to always eat with an open mind and I live for the thrill of trying out new things. This Give It A Whirl Girl food blog was started last June and it such a big joy to share my food and drink experiences with you all!

Today I will be sharing 10 questions and answers on the blog so you can get to know me better! There are going to be a ton of photos in this post so get ready! I know some people who “read” blogs don’t read and just check out the photos, so if you are one of those people you are in luck today!

Me! Kimmy Ripley AKA Give It A Whirl Girl

My hubby and I at Kona Grill for one of my birthdays

Give It A Whirl Girl with some Enlightened ice cream pop

Me and my daughter, Chloe Pearl, at the Heidelberg Project

You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

This is a tough question. I am not a very picky eater and I consider myself to be a foodie! There are so many foods out there that I absolutely love but if I had to choose one thing, just one thing, it would be…

Sushi! – I love love love sushi but I am also a big fan of things like crab legs or lobster tail because they are such a pricey and super rare treat for me.

My go-to place for sushi is Inyo in Ferndale, MI. We discovered this fantastic Asian fusion restaurant through Groupon. Inyo Ferndale is almost always on Groupon, so if you are local be sure to grab a Groupon for this spectacular Asian restaurant. You can thank me later… wink! wink! Their food is top-notch and we are regulars there.

And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pear, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale — And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pearl, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale

Ok guys! I am obsessed with Inyo. Here is a photo of my Walnut Lobster. This was the most recent meal that I ordered

Honorable mention:

Gotta love a big bowl of noodly pho at Minh Chau restaurant (they just changed the name to New Asian Star). Pho is comfort food for me. The broth here at New Asian Star is on-point! The pho that I enjoy ordering has sliced beef, brisket, meatballs, and soft tendon in it. Yeah I said tendon… and it is a weird meat to eat but I do enjoy it here. They also have a pho available with tripe if you are feeling really adventurous.

You can also stop in here for a bubble drink!

Big bowl of yummy pho at Minh Chau (now known as New Asian Star)

Pure comfort food right over here. I love pho at Minh Chau (New Asian Star)!

2) Least favorite food:

Oh this is an easy one. I used to eat some funky stuff when I was a little girl… things I could not fathom stomaching now!

Herrings in cream sauce (ew) I used to eat these fishy fishes straight out of the jar.

Giblets and hearts in my stuffing (ew! ew!) My mom always put those nasty things in my Thanksgiving stuffing. NEVER AGAIN

Liverwurst (ew! ew! ew!) All by itself or on some plain white bread. No thank you!

3) Favorite fruit

Want to know about my favorite fruit? This is an easy one to answer for me… dragon fruit, and that is followed by passion fruit, another favorite of mine. I am a HUGE fan of exotic fruits and I love to create exotic smoothie bowls with these fruits. If you are local, you can usually pick up a wide variety of exotic fruits at Nino Salvaggio.

Dragon fruit can have either a white center or pink center. You never know until you slice it!

[easy-image-collage id=8670]

Exotic fruits that I purchased at Nino Salvaggio

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Truth be told, and many of you all know, cooking and baking is my #1 passion in life! I love to serve up a delicious dish for my little family of 3

Italian drunken noodle is hands down the family favorite over here in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. You can find the recipe for this delicious dish on my blog. Italian Drunken Noodle features Pappardelle pasta, Italian sausage, and mix of peppers with chardonnay wine.

A big plate of Italian Drunken Noodle and a glass of chardonnay

Italian Drunken Noodle - Give It A Whirl Girl's favorite meal to cook — Italian Drunken Noodle – Give It A Whirl Girl’s favorite meal to cook

Honorable mention:

Gigantic mozzarella stuffed meatballs are a big favorite and I have the recipe for these on my blog. This is the kind of meal that I invite my family over for. This recipe serves up a generous portion of meatballs.

CLICK HERE for my Huge Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE!

Huge mozzarella stuffed meatballs simmering in the slow-cooker

A big plate of mozzarella stuffed meatballs served over spaghetti noodles

Pineapples stuffed with a teriyaki chicken is another family fave but it is somewhat complicated and tedious to create. You can find the recipe and learn more about this gluten-free dish on my blog.

Pineapples stuffed with teriyaki chicken are a fabulous summer meal

[easy-image-collage id=8689]

5) Favorite desserts I have created

I love to bake cakes even though I am not the most talented baker and cake decorator. I created a bubblegum cake and a cotton candy cake. These cakes and cupcakes were a ton of fun to create and even more fun to eat!

Here are some photos of my favorite baking projects:

Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake - Let's Get The Party Started — Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake – Let’s Get The Party Started

COTTON CANDY CAKE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - Gluten-Free - How I Created It — COTTON CANDY CAKE

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

I don’t know how I can pick one here. I am a self-confessed coffee addict and I am also addicted to my energy drinks (have to have at least one a day!). My favorite energy drinks are by Bang Energy. With flavors like Unicorn and Cotton Candy, how can you resist?

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

I recently started getting into craft beer and hard ciders. I was always attracted to the labels and packaging. It is so fun and colorful! I grew up my entire life, hating on beer, and saying it tasted like pee. Then one day I went to Hop Cat and I went there with the intention of giving beer a whirl and I ordered a flight with three different craft beers. Guess what? I enjoyed each and every one of them! I was impressed with myself that I gave craft beer a chance. I love craft beer and the entire drink experience with them. I love all of the unique flavors out there… Lucky Charms cereal, etc. etc.!

So sorry for the poor quality photo! I apologize but here is a photo of me with my first craft beer! I gave it a whirl at Hop Cat in Royal Oak, MI

First flight of craft beer for me at Hop Cat and I loved each one of them!

Rekorderling Passion Fruit hard cider – This was the greatest hard cider I have tried!

An assortment of craft beers... all delicious! — An assortment of craft beers… all delicious!

Cranium Crush - Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale — Cranium Crush – Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale

An assortment of craft beers that I tried out. And we save all of the bottles and cans and display them in our basement.

8) Favorite candy

Jelly Belly Raspberries & Blackberries are my favorite candy! What is yours?

There is no better candy than Jelly Belly’s Raspberries & Blackberries! These berry flavored candies are extremely highly addictive to me and I will kill a bag in just a couple of minutes!

9) Favorite post on the blog

I am nearing 200 published posts on the blog and if I had to choose one favorite post I simply can’t. I am going to declare a tie here. The two posts that were my favorite to do were both local reviews. I would love to visit more places nearby and review them. The local reviews I have done are my top performing posts. Here we go…

Modern Cone Review

and

Kawaii Bubble Tea Review

Modern Cone is an ice cream shop in St. Clair Shores that specializes in creative ice cream concoctions. This is the place to go if you want a unique ice cream concoction that is fun to eat, and very Instagrammable!

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Cereal Killer ice-cream Stacker available at Modern Cone

Kawaii Bubble Tea is located in Clinton Township, MI and they have some of the best bubble teas (boba) that I have ever tried. They also have a wide variety of macarons available. If you have never ever tried boba you definitely need to check out this place. It is a very fun drink experience.

Enjoying our boba drinks and macarons at Kawaii Bubble Tea in Clinton Township, MI
What a fun experience for all of us!

Honorable mention:

Tou & Mai is located in Detroit’s midtown area and they offer some very unique desserts. I tried their halo halo (Hello Hello is what they call it). You can read the review on my blog where I spill all the beans about this awesome dessert destination!

Tou & Mai Review

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

This is an easy question to answer. Menchie’s and Orange Leaf are definitely my favorite place to grab a dessert. I am obsessed with frozen yogurt, also known as froyo. You can read my Menchie’s review on the blog.

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation — Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation
Edible art!

Menchies Heritage Village in Warren, MI toppings bar

Final thoughts

I truly hope you enjoyed this post over here at Give It A Whirl Girl. I would love to hear from my readers so leave me a comment here and tell me about your favorite food!

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

Also…

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

Follow Give It A Whirl Girl on social media

Give It A Whirl prepping a from-scratch pizza

At Tony's I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split — At Tony’s I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split

Learn more about this COLOSSAL banana split in my Tony’s I-75 restaurant review

Chloe Pearl and I cooking a from-scratch pizza in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen

Did you enjoy this post? Here are more posts at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

SHOP PYKNIC ON AMAZON (One of my favorite brands… all food/drink related items too!)

April 26, 2019 12

White Elephant Gift Guide At Perpetual Kid & GIVEAWAY

I have some fabulous white elephant gifts included in this gift guide from Perpetual Kid. Perpetual Kid is an online store for adults who are young and heart and love to inject some fun and humor into their lives. This is a great source of novelty gifts. Besides the food-related items here, they have way more to offer beyond that. I highly recommend checking them out because they can be a one-stop shop for all of your holiday shopping needs. Perpetual Kid has something for everyone! I have narrowed down my favorite food-related items in this Friday Faves shopping guide.

Not sure what a white elephant gift exchange is?

The white elephant is also known as a Secret Santa Gift Exchange. I prefer the term White Elephant though. The rules of the game are fairly simple. There is an excellent blog post about how to do a white elephant gift exchange.

Let’s say there are 12 people participating in the white elephant gift exchange.
Everyone participating brings a wrapped gift without a name tag on it.
You write down the numbers 1-12 on a small piece of paper and fold it up.
Everybody chooses a number.
The person with the number 1 chooses a wrapped gift.
The next person can either steal the gift that #1 had or they can choose a wrapped gift.
If person #1 has their item stolen, they choose another wrapped gift.
Player #3 either steals a gift from player 1 or 2 or can choose a wrapped gift
You can set your own rules about how many times an item can be stolen. Some people will allow an item to be stolen once, twice, or three times. It is your choice.
You continue this process until person #12 goes up to steal or choose the last wrapped gift.
At this point, everyone should have a gift.

Current offers and deals at Perpetual Kid

$10 OFF and FREE SHIPPING on orders $49+ USE CODE THANKS

15% OFF orders $75+ and FREE SHIPPING use code ONLINE

$25 OFF and FREE SHIPPING on orders $125 – USE CODE SANTA

50% off SALE PRODUCTS with coupon code EXTRA50

Be sure to check out the SALE PAGE for all offers and deals!

A GIVEAWAY TOO!

Check out the gift guide, do a little shopping, and then scroll down to enter the GIVEAWAY for a $25 Perpetual Kid gift card. This giveaway is open to anyone 18+ that lives in the United States and Canada!

Say Cheese-burger Mug

This “Say Cheese” Burger Mug makes for one heck of a great white elephant gift. Who wants to drink coffee out of a boring coffee cup when you can drink out of an extraordinary one like this? Perpetual Kid has a wide variety of various coffee mugs and these always make great gifts.

Horny For Food Oven Mitt

If you are on my Give It A Whirl Girl blog, chances are you are horny for food! Am I right? I don’t think I can be wrong. These Horny For Food oven mitts are hilarious.

Unicorn Tea Infuser

This unicorn tea infuser is the most magical tea infuser around. Make someone’s next cup of a tea an enchanting one!

Rainbow Wine Stopper + Drink Marker Set

Where are my wine lovers at? And where are my rainbow fanatics? I’m right over here and I love and adore this rainbow wine stopper. This wine stopper also includes six colorful wine markers.

Holy Toast Bread Stamp

This bread stamp is a bizarre white elephant gift. You can emboss your bread with some holiness. Behold the miracle when your holy toast pops up out of the toaster!

Continue reading “White Elephant Gift Guide At Perpetual Kid & GIVEAWAY” →

November 30, 2018 66

BigMouth Food Novelty Gifts – Gift Guide + #GIVEAWAY

BigMouth is a brand that makes a loud statement with their fun and unique novelty gifts. I put together this novelty gift guide in hopes of making you laugh and smile and find the perfect gift for the person in your life that has a great sense of humor, and knows how to cut loose and have fun! These novelty gift items from BigMouth would also be excellent for gift giving if your family or friends participate in a white elephant gift exchange.

If you are in the market for novelty gifts you are in the right place! I included some fun coffee mugs, wine glasses, snow tubes, beach blankets, a beer mug, and some pool floats in this novelty gifts guide. Novelty gifts are always fun to give. Christmas should be a memorable time and novelty gifts like this are true conversation starters and laughter initiators.

If you are an Amazon shopper and have Amazon Prime these novelty gift items include free two-day shipping. Not an Amazon Prime member yet? No problem. Sign up and start your FREE 30-day Amazon Prime trial today.

If you would like to shop from this novelty gift guide, simply click the links or the images to shop. Easy peasy!

BigMouth Inc. Mornings Suck! Funny Gift Coffee Mug 20 oz.

The face of this mug says, “MORNINGS SUCK!” and it has a multicolored lollipop handle. I had to put this at the top of my novelty gift guide because this mug is hands down my favorite from BigMouth and you are not going to find a better deal on this mug than what Amazon is offering it at (and it ships for FREE with Amazon Prime).

BigMouth Inc Stemless Wine Glass (On Cloud Wine)

Attention wine lovers! You are seriously not going to find a more amazing and incredible wine glass out there for the rainbow-obsessed person in your life (me! me!). This Cloud Wine stemless novelty wine glass is not only adorable and creative but chances are, you are not going to knock this one over.

Big Mouth BigMouth Giant Frosted Donut Snow Tube Ride On

Now here is something fun for the donut lover in your life! This is a pink glazed donut themed snow-tube ride-on inflatable.

Check out the other food-themed snow tubes below. These novelty gifts would make a memorable gift!

There is also a cheeseburger, peppermint, and slice of pizza available on Amazon. This is sure to produce and result in a good time next time the snow falls. I live in Michigan and I know my 8-year-old daughter Chloe would have a blast playing in the snow with this sled.

**Big Mouth BigMouth Giant Frosted Donut Snow Tube Ride On**

BigMouth Inc Giant Inflatable Taco Pool Floats, Durable Pool Tube with Patch Kit

Next up is a fun taco pool float from BigMouth brand. I know, I know it is winter but if you live someplace warm or are patient enough to wait for the return of summer then this BigMouth taco pool float would be perfect for the Mexican food lover in your life.

BigMouth Inc Unicorn Farts Mug, Ceramic Cup for Coffee and Tea with Handle, Funny Magical Novelty Cup

The rainbow unicorn farts mug from BigMouth is for the person in your life that likes to start the day with a bit of humor injected into it. This novelty mug would make a great gift and might just become the go-to mug in the gift recipients stash of mugs. I love and adore the rainbow handle on this one!

BigMouth Gigantic Cupcake Beach Blanket, Towel

These beach blankets from BigMouth come in a variety of fun food-themed designs! Which one is your favorite? Be sure to check these novelty food towels:

- Hotdog

Pizza

Avocado

Cheeseburger

Sushi

Popcorn

Pineapple

Cotton Candy

Red, white, and blue popsicle

PopTart

Buttery toast

Strawberry

Watermelon

Tropical drink

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

**BigMouth Inc Gigantic Cupcake Beach Blanket– Fun Beach Blanket Perfect for The Beach and Pool**

Continue reading “BigMouth Food Novelty Gifts – Gift Guide + #GIVEAWAY” →

November 13, 2018 7

Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Mix (Gluten-Free) – Giant Cotton Candy Cast Iron Skillet Cookie – Tried It Out Tuesday

Pamela's Sugar Cookie Mix Review and Giant Cast Iron Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie by Give It A Whirl Girl

Welcome to this week’s installment of Tried It Out Tuesday. This week I will be discussing a fun dessert that I created using Pamela’s Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix. I created a giant sugar cookie using a cast iron pan and it is naturally colored and tastes just like cotton candy! This was my first time trying out Pamela’s Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix and if you have been following along you might have noticed that I am a big big fan of her other mixes. I love the ease of use and I also love the ways you can get creative with them and customize your recipe. Just use your imagination and the sky is the limit!

Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie Skillet w/ Pamela's Sugar Cookie Mix (Gluten-Free) GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie Skillet w/ Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Mix

Pamela's Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Pamela’s Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix

Give It A Whirl Girl with Pamela's Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - Kimmy Ripley — Pamela’s Products Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix

Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Mix Review

& How I Created A Cast Iron Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie

Cast iron is the way to go!

For this tasty adventure, I used my 10.25″ Lodge Cast Iron Pan. I think of cast iron pans as an essential tool in the kitchen and if you ever want to make yourself a giant skillet cookie, cast iron is the way to go! I preheated my oven to 350-degrees and sprayed my skillet with coconut oil.

Oil up that cookie

The back of the bag for the sugar cookies suggested using butter but I swapped that for coconut oil, thinking that was a healthier way to go. To start up this recipe I placed the coconut oil and one egg in my KitchenAid stand mixer. I whipped it up for a bit and also added a generous splash or Lorann’s Cotton Candy Flavoring Oil. It suggests using this oil to flavor hard candy but I have had much success using it as a baking element. I then slowly added in the dry mix.

Making a beautiful cast iron sugar cookie

Once the mix was about ready to go I gave it a squirt of red natural food colorings from Simple Truth (Kroger). The red color comes from beetroot. After the color was mixed in I took my ball of cookie dough and spread it out evenly into the cast iron pan. I made sure it was spread evenly and that it went all of the way to the edges. Then guess what? It was SPRINKLE TIME! I busted out my nonpareils and my bottle of Mr. Sprinkles and gave the cookie a heavenly shower of sweet sprinkle goodness!

No such thing as too many candy sprinkles!

I often wonder how many people get turned off by my usage of candy sprinkles (insert a nervous LOL here). I happen to love them and I feel that a little extra sugar isn’t going to kill me. You only have one life to live (YOLO) so if you want the sprinkles, don’t hold back! Give whatever it is a good dousing of them. I enjoy eating clean as much as possible but I’m not going to restrict myself constantly and tell myself I can not have this and I can not have that. I am not a militant clean eater by no means. Just wanted to clarify that. I think of myself as a free eater that has a lean towards health and wellness. Balance, people!

Cast-iron gluten-free cookie before baking - Pamela's Sugar Cookie - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Cast-iron gluten-free cookie before baking – Pamela’s Sugar Cookie

Baking the cast iron sugar cookie

Back to the process! I was not sure how long to bake this so I kept checking on it. I started off at 10 minutes and that was not enough. I checked again a couple minutes later, nope! I am going to say it probably took about 15 minutes for this to be completely baked.

Decorating the cast iron sugar cookie

I allowed the cookie to cool and then got to making some royal icing for it. I beat one egg white with my whisk attachment and added a little more cotton candy flavor to it… a very tiny bit! Once the egg got frothy from whisking I slowly added one cup of organic powdered sugar to it. I loaded up my Wilton Dessert Decorator with the icing and the smallest tip. This is a neat baking tool to have on-hand if you do not have piping bags. Just load it up and squirt!

Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie Skillet (gluten-free) GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie Skillet (gluten-free)

I am so very pleased with every single mix of Pamela’s I have tried so far. You can see my previous posts about Pamela’s mixes here:

Marshmallow Cake

Cotton Candy Cake

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Marshmallow Brownie Skillet

Also, if you have been reading my previous posts or following me on social media I have been using the Lorann’s Cotton Candy Flavor Oil frequently. If you are a lover of cotton candy and enjoy baking I would like to say that you truly need that oil in your life. The flavor that it gives your baked goods is phenomenal!

I wish you could all eat a piece of this giant skillet sugar cookie that I created. It had a wonderful texture throughout it and the taste was spot on. When my husband approves of my gluten-free baking then I know it was a smashing success.

Have you ever created a giant cast iron skillet cookie? What did you create? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear all about it.

August 28, 2018 4

Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Egg-Free)

COTTON CANDY CLOUD PANCAKES by Give It A Whirl Girl - How I Made Them

Hey guys and gals! Going to make this post short and sweet because I already blogged today but I have to tell you all about my brinner (breakfast for dinner) that I shared with my daughter, Chloe! May I present to you (drumroll please) Cotton Candy Cloud Gluten-Free and Egg-Free Protein Pancakes! These cotton candy pancakes had the most fascinating taste and texture. It was like eating carnival food but it is healthy-ish!

Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes

Ingredients used in the Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes

Here are some of the ingredients I used. Missing in the photo is the Lorann Cotton Candy Flavor Oil and the candy sprinkles I used. I used up the rest of that oil and now I have bubblegum flavor on the way. Oh my goodness!

Some of the ingredients used for the Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes

I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix for the first time and it won’t be the last time. That mix was amazeballs!

I also used Chef Shamy’s Honey Butter Vanilla Bean and Barleans Butter Flavored Coconut Oil. All of these ingredients added up to a super amazing fluffy cloud-like pancake. I subbed the egg with the butter flavored coconut oil because I was out of eggs. Oh well! It worked out fab in the end.

Extra protein in the pancakes!

Also, for added protein for the milk, we went with Bolthouse Farms Unsweetened Protein Plant Milk. An 8 oz serving of that milk has 10g of protein… woohoo!

Gotta have my candy sprinkles!

I mixed some sprinkles into the batter because why not? They are not going to kill me. I think the pancakes themselves are healthy so a little added sugar won’t hurt.

Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes

Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes - Gluten-Free, Egg-Free — Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes – Gluten-Free, Egg-Free

What I loved most about this pancakes were their light and fluffy texture and that is why I am calling them cotton candy clouds. I loved the lightness of these pancakes and they tasted marvelous. I am really proud of the outcome of this recipe I came up with. My only regret is not making enough for both of us, and we had to share this plate. I’m greedy and I wanted my own plate!

What do you enjoy for brinner (breakfast for dinner)? Are you more into sweet or more into savory? My brinners are almost always sweet.

Want to learn more about the products used to create these cotton candy pancakes?

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. THIS HELPS MAKE FOR A BETTER BLOG EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF MY READERS. ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS MAKING IMPROVEMENTS ON THIS BLOG.

August 9, 2018 0

The Most Scrumptious Gluten-Free Cotton Candy Cake & How I Created It

This morning I would love to share with you about my experience with the Wilton Easy Layers cake set and how I made my gluten-free cotton candy cake. I blogged about this cake pan set on a recent Friday Faves post and I ended up ordering myself one and I am so happy that I did. I ended up creating the best cake I have ever made in my life yesterday! I am truly proud of it and I was happy to serve it to my mother, who came over for a t-bone steak dinner. The cake that I made was the most perfect dessert to serve to her and she fell in love with it. And of course, my daughter, Chloe, was absolutely in love with this cake. She assisted me in making it and it is always a joy to work alongside her in the Give It A Whirl Girl Kitchen.

Cotton Candy Cake by Give It A Whirl Girl — Cotton Candy Cake

Here is how I made my gluten-free Cotton Candy Cake

Here is how I used Wilton Easy Layers Cake Pan Set

The Wilton Easy Layers contains 5 pans that are 6 inches in diameter. They are pretty shallow pans. They have a non-stick coating but I still sprayed mine with a bit of coconut oil just in case I had a problem with my cake sticking. The pans will fill up one standard size serving of cake batter. These cake pans will also all, conveniently, fit inside the oven at the same time due to their small size.

Most of the ingredients I used in the Cotton Candy Cake - Give It A Whirl Girl — Most of the ingredients I used

Pamela’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix

The cake itself was made with a gluten-free mix by Pamela’s. I used Pamela’s Vanilla Cake Mix. I have used this mix once before for cupcakes and I was very satisfied with the taste and texture. What I also love about the gluten-free mix is that it is non-GMO, uses no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives, and no high fructose corn syrup.

Lorann’s Cotton Candy flavor oil

I achieved the cotton candy flavoring using a bottle of Lorann’s Cotton Candy Flavoring Oil. This was my first time using a flavoring oil of this kind and I heard that a little bit can go a long way but I ended up having to use about half of the bottle to get the flavor I was going for. I really enjoyed the flavor of this, though it was not exactly like cotton candy. I will have to explore other flavor oils and extracts from this brand because I am just not a plain vanilla person.

How I created the frosting for this cotton candy cake

For the frosting, I decided to go with a homemade buttercream. I had a fridge full of different kinds of butter from Chef Shamy so I gave the Honey Butter Vanilla Bean a whirl. Chef Shamy serves up a high-quality butter with no weird ingredients… just pure butter. It is also gluten-free. This particular vanilla flavor produced the most glorious buttercream I have ever whipped up. I used Simple Truth Organic Powdered Sugar with the butter and a few splashes of almond milk. The flavor of this buttercream was out of this world. If I had to give myself a grade it would be an A+. It really was that great!

Coloring the cotton candy cake

Now let’s get on with the color. Yes, this time around I was naughty and used artificial colors… GASP! It’s true that I did. I’m not proud but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and YOLO! I used Betty Crocker’s Neon Gel Food Colors for the pink and the purple. Gel food coloring is some pretty potent and powerful stuff. They really do produce gorgeous coloring on your creations. I don’t know why but for the neon pack they do not include the color blue, so for that, I used a Kroger brand neon blue. I am so pleased with how the colors turned out!

A ton of candy to top it all off!

And for that gorgeous candy that is all over the cake? I created my own mix of sprinkles with several different brands. The sprinkles with the big bits are pieces of candy that were from Celebrations By Frey. My local Kroger store sells them but I can not locate them on Amazon. The bottle of sprinkles is titled MixLicious.

Final thoughts on this gluten-free cotton candy cake

I am super duper pleased as pie (or should I say “cake”) with how this cake turned out and I was proud to serve it to my family. It really did taste as good as it looks. I am not a professional baker so I am aware that the cake is a little sloppy but I am always working towards bettering myself as a chef and as a baker.

This cake was so incredibly fun to make with my daughter and I could do this every single day if I had the funds (and if I wanted to be on 600lb Life). I am going to definitely be working on more cakes in the future and I might even get brave and give fondant a try. I love the way fondant cakes look. They are edible art! The beautiful cakes that I see on Instagram and on food blogs are so inspiring.

Slice of gluten-free Cotton Candy Cake by Give It A Whirl Girl — Slice of gluten-free Cotton Candy Cake

So tell me… what is your favorite flavor of cake? Leave me a comment and let me know. Would love to hear from my readers. Comments always brighten up my day.

Did you enjoy this post? You might like these:

BUBBLEGUM CAKE w/ Pamela's Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix by Give It A Whirl Girl — CLICK HERE TO READ THIS POST

Cactus Pear Nice Cream RECIPE with Pomegranate and Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites — CLICK THE IMAGE TO LEARN MORE

Find out more about the brands I used to create this cotton candy cake!

August 8, 2018 11

Our Visit To Roger’s Bulk Candy & Ice-Cream – Because Sometimes A Girl Just Needs To Have Fun

Roger's Bulk Candy & Ice-Cream Shop REVIEW (Eastpointe, MI)

We have all heard the expression, “You will feel like a kid in a candy shop”. Yesterday I was that kid in the candy shop! Last night I came up with the grand idea to visit Roger’s Bulk Candy and Ice-Cream in Eastpointe, MI. As you may already know I often promote a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. I believe in living your life and having fun every once in a while though. I feel that eating should be all about BALANCE. I regularly opt for healthy meals but sometimes I like to just cut loose and enjoy whatever the heck I want.

I heard about Roger’s Bulk Candy and Ice-Cream on the news just recently. I could not believe that I lived in the area of this place for so long and had no clue that it even existed. When you first step foot inside you will see an explosion of color, candy, and the huge variety of ice-creams that are available. This place just looks absolutely fun from the first moment that you get a peek inside. This place is floor to ceiling candy wherever your eyes looks.

This was a very exciting excursion for my 8-year-old daughter, Chloe. We ended up going there on a whim and planned it out as a surprise for her. We did not tell her where we were going, we just drove over there.

We had a blast walking around the store and looking at all of the candy that you can help yourself to. It is a bulk candy shop and the candy is sold by weight so you can buy as much or as little as you want. If your sweet tooth is calling, this is the place to be.

Roger’s has been in business for 12 years now. They have over 500 types of candy and they have something for everyone. Seriously, if you have a problem finding a candy to take home with you then maybe you have a problem lol! Most of the candies here are nostalgic candies that date back to your childhood. Seeing these candies sure did bring in a tidal wave of memories!

37626153_10156513817074420_8717762104448253952_n

37596244_10156513816769420_9154968695481565184_n

37695347_10156513817004420_3642783422704779264_n

37580649_10156513816934420_5143498296471322624_n

37661431_10156512589229420_1619769657814679552_n — gumballs galore

37562516_10156512589359420_1723051951857336320_n — Hershey Kisses in every color

37669745_10156512588849420_2919800947725041664_n — Jones Soda and Stewarts soda

We ended up getting a little variety bag of sour candies. Then it was time to figure out what we were going to get at the ice-cream area of the shop. There is a huge assortment of ice-cream available and if you are seeking out something a little healthier, Roger’s does offer smoothies made with fresh fruit.

37592501_10156513816889420_389638054408617984_n (1)

37627888_10156513816689420_6367038971913961472_n

37487940_10156513816839420_3893067002587119616_n (1)

We decided we would order a banana-split and share it. This was no ordinary banana-split either. We did not go with the basic vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. We wanted a colorful, Instagram-worthy banana-split with some fun flavors. We chose Superman, cotton candy, and anniversary cake. We had the usual toppings on it: strawberry (on the Superman), pineapple (on top of the cotton candy), and chocolate (topping for anniversary cake). We really were not sure how this would all pan out but this really did come together as a memorable banana split that we all enjoyed!

If you are local to this spot definitely stop in and give it a whirl! This was a wonderful experience for all of us. We also really enjoyed the helpful and friendly staff. Roger’s Bulk Candy & Ice-Cream will surely put a smile on your face.

What is your favorite kind of candy that takes you back to your childhood? My favorite has always been those little raspberry and blackberry candies. Leave me a comment below!

Roger’s Bulk Candy & Ice-Cream LOCATION

15020 E. 9-Mile Road, Eastpointe, MI

July 22, 2018 7

You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

Honorable mention:

2) Least favorite food:

3) Favorite fruit

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Honorable mention:

5) Favorite desserts I have created

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

8) Favorite candy

9) Favorite post on the blog

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Honorable mention:

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Final thoughts

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

Follow Give It A Whirl Girl on social media

Did you enjoy this post? Here are more posts at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

SHOP PYKNIC ON AMAZON (One of my favorite brands… all food/drink related items too!)

Share this:

Like this:

Not sure what a white elephant gift exchange is?

Current offers and deals at Perpetual Kid

A GIVEAWAY TOO!

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Mix Review

& How I Created A Cast Iron Cotton Candy Sugar Cookie

Cast iron is the way to go!

Oil up that cookie

Making a beautiful cast iron sugar cookie

No such thing as too many candy sprinkles!

Baking the cast iron sugar cookie

Decorating the cast iron sugar cookie

Have you ever created a giant cast iron skillet cookie? What did you create? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear all about it.

Related posts:

Share this:

Like this:

Ingredients used in the Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes

Extra protein in the pancakes!

Gotta have my candy sprinkles!

What do you enjoy for brinner (breakfast for dinner)? Are you more into sweet or more into savory? My brinners are almost always sweet.

Want to learn more about the products used to create these cotton candy pancakes?

Share this:

Like this:

Here is how I made my gluten-free Cotton Candy Cake

Here is how I used Wilton Easy Layers Cake Pan Set

Pamela’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix

Lorann’s Cotton Candy flavor oil

How I created the frosting for this cotton candy cake

Coloring the cotton candy cake

A ton of candy to top it all off!

Final thoughts on this gluten-free cotton candy cake

So tell me… what is your favorite flavor of cake? Leave me a comment and let me know. Would love to hear from my readers. Comments always brighten up my day.

Did you enjoy this post? You might like these:

Find out more about the brands I used to create this cotton candy cake!

Share this:

Like this:

What is your favorite kind of candy that takes you back to your childhood? My favorite has always been those little raspberry and blackberry candies. Leave me a comment below!

Roger’s Bulk Candy & Ice-Cream LOCATION

15020 E. 9-Mile Road, Eastpointe, MI

RELATED POSTS:

Share this:

Like this:

Disclaimer – The Fine Print