Papier Macheniacs: Embellish!

Ah, your teenager's first Masquerade Ball.
This is the perfect time to get your creative juices going in the area of mask-making. Sure, you can buy masks for a dime a dozen in any department store or party nook. But that's too easy. Where's the fun in that?

So, here is where I teach you easy embellishments that should only take a couple of hours of your time. Heck, you can even do chores in between! :P

We start off with something that's already there. A plain white mask. This is your canvas. You can get it cheap since it isn't dolled up yet. You're handling the dolling up department after all.

Now, think of your masquerade concept. We went with the Phantom of the Opera, so that meant cropping the mask to size. And, because it's a ball after all, adding a bit of zing to it. By zing, we mean texture of the paper mache variant. It's pretty simple. Just cut strips of tissue paper and shape them according to your whim. Stick them on the mask with wood glue. Don't forget to sculpt your design with curves, dips, and rises. Like I said all about texture.

And then, PAINT! We went with a nice, shimmering gold --you know, the kind with the glitters in the paint --to make our sunburst explode throughout the party.

And just like that...
My boy masqueraded dat shizz!

So why not you and your kid start dolling up those white masks to the high heavens? I mean, these canvases aren't gonna artsify themselves. :)

Goodness Graham!

Behold the Graham Cake!

It goes by monikers like Refrigerator Cake and Upside Down Cake --which are all too generic-sounding.  I would rather call it by its prime ingredient:  graham.  And Graham sounds like the name of a nice grandpa who owns a cozy house with a fireplace, so I like it.
This is part of my Dump and Dive Dish Recipes and a mainstay at our Noche Buena Feast.  It's so easy to make. Literally, you just dump everything in and then dive into the munching.

The items you dump:

1 medium-sized pack of Graham Crackers

1 medium-sized can of fruit cocktail, or if you're a minimalist, solo fruits like mangoes or peaches will do

2 packs of Premium Cream (All-Purpose can work but I find the Premium kind to hold better)

1 to 2 cans of condensed milk (depends on how much of a sweet tooth you are)

1/4 shredded or itsy-bitsy cubed cheese

2 tablespoons of choco or mocha powder (optional)

Dumping time:

1.  First off, you beat those Graham Crackers to powdery submission.

2.  Drain the fruit cocktail of its juice and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.

3.  In a bowl, mix the cream and milk together.  And then fold the cheese along with the mixture.  Stir until the ingredients form one pasty concoction.

4.  Get a 2-inch high plastic dish with a lid.  Set it on a level surface.  Here is where all the dumping action happens.

5.  Now, its time for layering --the key to the whole Graham Cake creation.  You can do it in any order you want, but I want to start the first layer with the cream mixture.  It's like the glue that holds everything together.  Pour about a centimeter or 2 of this in the plastic dish.  Make sure the whole bottom of the container is covered.

6.  Follow this up with the same amount of Graham powder, then the fruit cocktail.  Repeat the process --cream, Graham, fruit cocktail.  Just make sure that for every layer, you have good coverage.  You don't want a piece of cherry peeping out from under your layer of Graham.

7.  Top it off with a final layer of cream and fruit slices and maybe a sprinkling of choco or mocha powder.

8.  Cover the container and refrigerate.  Better yet, stick it in the freezer.  And make sure the container still sits on a level surface while in deep freeze.

You can start diving your choppers into this delectable sweetie as soon as the mixture hardens to cake consistency.  I usually start serving after 10 hours of freeze time.  So if you're planning to serve this as an after Christmas dinner dessert, you better get a move on.  Enjoy!