A little late on this one, but thought it might be fun for a birthday, or other event too: Hamburger Cake When your family sits down to dinner and takes a bite out of these "burgers," don't forget to yell, "April Fool's!" Ingredients 1 package (9 ounces) yellow cake mix 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 6 large (4-5 inches in diameter) molasses or chocolate crinkle cookies 1 tube (4.25 ounces) red decorating icing 2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced Prep Time: 10 minutes Baking Time: 20 minutes Makes 6 cakes Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat six 4-inch round ramekins with cooking spray. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Divide cake batter evenly among prepared ramekins. 2. Bake cakes until golden and centers spring back when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Remove cakes from ramekins; cool completely on wire racks. 3. Cut each "bun" in half. Brush top of each bun with some corn syrup. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 4. Place cookie "patties" on bottom halves of "buns." Spread red icing "ketchup" on top of each "patty." Cover each with top half of "bun." Place on individual serving plates. Arrange sliced kiwifruit "pickles" next to "hamburgers." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Main course! THE MAIN COURSE For the chicken nuggets and vegetables, you'll need to purchase some peanut butter logs and peas-and-carrots candy mix. (Both candies are sold by the pound at most candy stores.) On each dinner plate, arrange four or five peanut butter logs and a small handful of the candy mix. Right before serving, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt to each plate. Top with gravy--a spoonful of caramel sauce or butterscotch topping. REFRESHMENTS The last laugh is sure to be yours when your kids try sipping this colorful beverage. It's actually flavored gelatin, so you'll need to prepare it ahead of time. Dissolve a package of dessert gelatin according to the directions on the box (orange to look like iced tea; raspberry, strawberry or lemon to resemble fruit punch). Pour the liquid gelatin into drinking glasses, then place a plastic straw in each. Set the glasses on a tray in the refrigerator until the gelatin firms up. [I]Thanks to Amanda Holifield for sharing this recipe with me![/I]

Dan’s One Pot Stove-top Stew Serves three Ingredients 1. 2-tablespoons olive oil (divided) 2. 3-carrots 3. 15-oz. Can of sliced potatoes 4. 1-medium onion 5. 1-stalk celery 6. 1-teaspoon salt (divided) 7. 1 pound pre-cut stew meat (or ¾-inch thick steak cut into cubes) 8. 3-tablespoons flour (optional) 9. ¼-teaspoon garlic powder 10. ½-teason pepper 11. 2-5.5-ounce cans Spicy V8 juice Prep Instructions 1. Clean and cut carrots to 1-1/2 to 2-inch lengths. Then cut the carrot segments lengthwise into quarters (larger carrots sticks to match smaller) 2. Peel onion and remove “ends.” Cut onion in half and slice each half to have similar widths as carrot sticks. 3. Clean and cut celery stalk into ¼-inch segments. 4. Toss meat in a bag or bowl with garlic powder, pepper, salt, and flour (optional). Cooking Instructions - (Nonstick cookware was used). In a four-quart saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil. In the heated pan toss carrots, potatoes, onion, and celery. Add ½-teaspoon salt. Allow vegetables to brown and soften. Do not over stir. Remove vegetables to bowl and cover. Heat remaining oil in (same) saucepan. In the heated pan, brown the meat on both sides (approximately 1-1/2 minutes per side). Upon browning, reduce heat to medium and add vegetable mixture. Combine meat and vegetables then add V8 juice. Simmer covered for 25 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes. Remove from and let stand for 10 minutes, covered.