How to make Easy Bake Oven cakes

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/10/2012 (4721 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Reena,

I read your solutions weekly and use many of your answers. Now that I have a granddaughter with a modern, Easy Bake Oven, I would like to know if there are homemade recipes we can use. The commercial ones are very expensive.

Also, we have sow bugs in our house (which are very common in our area). I have heard that keeping moisture out of the basement really helps but is there any other solution to get rid of them?

Thank-you, Jean

 

Dear Jean,

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake mix:

Stir together 6 tsp. flour, one quarter tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. cocoa, one quarter or less salt and 4 tsp. sugar. Add 6 tsp. milk and three quarter tsp. shortening. Pour into greased pans and bake according to instructions on the oven box.

White Cake Mix: Follow same ingredients but substitute cocoa with two drops vanilla. Makes one cake.

As you mentioned, sow bugs are a real problem in places where moisture and humidity are high. To find out where sow bugs are entering, look near (or in) floor drains or nearby damp wood such as paneling or baseboards. Also, look underneath that cardboard box in the basement you haven’t moved in quite some time. Are you able to caulk openings and put in weather stripping wherever needed? A perimeter pesticide spray may help break the cycle for a short time but will not eliminate the problem permanently. You may reduce the populations by sprinkling a small amount of diatomaceous earth, boric acid or borax and icing sugar around the house and in cracks.  Damp or wet mulch will encourage insects, especially if it is not kept below the level of the building siding or stucco. Glue boards work quite well on catching sow bugs, but if you don’t address the cause, the problem won’t go away. Make sure that you are using a dehumidifier and lots of ventilation.

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Dear Reena,
My family has an unusually high variety of allergies but we all have one thing in common, we love ice cream. We don’t have an ice cream maker but would appreciate so much if you could give me a delicious recipe for Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream? I would list our allergies but it would take too long however, we are not allergic to dairy products.

Thanks, Meghan

 

Dear Meghan,

Homemade ice cream without a machine requires a bit of time to make because you need to stir it a few times during the freezing process, but when you make it yourself you have a better idea of what is going into your body.

Ice Cream Directions: Into a tall metal bowl mix: 2 cups heavy cream and 2 cups 2% milk, 1 cup sugar, one quarter tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. peppermint extract and 4 drops green food colouring.

Place mixture in the fridge for one hour and then into the freezer for 40 minutes. Remove and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Doing this will break up the ice crystals that have begun to form. Freeze for 40 minutes. Remove from freezer and stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Mix using an electric mixer. Freeze again for 40 minutes then beat with an electric mixer.

Pour into a plastic container and seal with a lid. The more you beat and freeze, the smoother the ice cream. If you use an ice cream maker, this project takes about 20 minutes and the ice cream is really smooth. Final freezing time varies from freezer to freezer.