Layered Ice Cream Cake

Who wants to pay $30 for an ice cream cake?

Not me!

Here's the economical (about $12) and delicious cake I made for Tom's 4oth and for Jake's 12th birthday.

There are 6 very loud 12 year olds in my basement right now, and they all seemed to dig this cake. I found the recipe in the Sept '09 issue of Family Circle.

Ingredients:

15 Oreo Cookies

1 T milk

8-9 ice cream sandwiches

1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream. (I used chocolate instead)

1 pint vanilla ice cream

1 pint strawberry ice cream

1 container (8 0z) Cool Whip, thawed.

Directions:

1. Coat bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Line sides w/ wax paper, using spray to help adhere to pan. Trim paper to pan height.

2. Finely crush 12 Oreos in a food processor or blender. Add milk and pulse until mixture holds together. Set aside.

3. Unwrap ice cream sandwiches and cut into quarters. Stack strips of sandwiches on end, packing them snugly around waxed-paper-lined pan to form cake's stand-up edge. Spoon cookie crumbs into center of pan; press firmly over bottom. Freeze 1 hour.

4. Let ice cream flavors soften for 15 minutes. Stir until firm but easier to spread. Spread ice creams in pan one at a time to make layers. Top with thawed whipped topping. Break up remaining 3 Oreos (0r 5 or 6 or 7!) and decorate top of cake. Freeze overnight.

5. To serve, remove sides of pan, then waxed paper. Let cake stand at room temp for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! We sure did...

I So Deserve This

It’s that time of year: class parties, sports practices, field trips, and “theme days.” At my very best, I do a fairly shoddy job at all of these things. And as you may recall, I’ve put myself on probation from all class parties because I become a raving lunatic. Other people’s kids irritate me, and I find myself shrilly lecturing them on baby Jesus’ sacrifice rather than keeping my mouth shut and handing out the juice boxes.

I try my best to costume my children for theme days, but both kids have admitted the results are spotty at best. I thought the King Tut costume I made with felt and a glue gun looked great, until I saw Cleopatra, Ramses, and the others.

The gecko I made was adorable—Hello? Ping-pong balls for eyes? A tail that attached and detached with Velcro? It was my crowning moment of motherhood, but Molly dismissed it saying she looked, “too cute.”

Birthday presents? Not so hot at those either. And tell me you’ve noticed that just like a bunch of spring lambs, there are many, many kids born this time of year. I feel like every time I turn around, it’s time to buy another gift. My kids frequently receive $25-30 gifts from peers at birthday parties, so the $10 I spend “Looks cheap-y Mom.”

Teacher gifts? I do better at this, chipping in for the collective cash gifts that make life easier. I don’t try to get creative or clever—still smarting these 30 years later from when my mother handed my teacher a pineapple—A PINEAPPLE! As a gift. I thought I would die.

Sooo, I’m skipping the kids’ Easter parties today (yes, at private school you can call it Easter), but I need to gear up for Colonial Day right around the corner. The fact that the costume I throw together will be crap is a given.

But yesterday we received the list of food to bring for the feast. Now I’m usually very lucky, and I get assigned something like “corn” or “plastic spoons.” I looked with pity on my friend Karen when she had to roast a whole turkey last year and have it delivered to the school by 11 a.m. She lamented the fact that she was out $50; I secretly wondered how she drew the short straw.

This year’s list has some nice and easy items like “drinks” or “bread of your choice.” I’d like you to look at what I’ve been assigned. Yep. "Chicken Pie." With 2-page recipe attached from the “American Girl Felicity Cookbook.” It’s no secret that my kid has been acting up in class lately. A lot. Touché, Mrs. Roberts, touché. I was a teacher for 7 years. I would have given me the Chicken Pie, too.