Clown Party Dip
1 cup (236 ml) low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
1/2 cup (118 ml) plain nonfat yogurt
6 radishes, finely chopped
2 small carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped parsley
2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped scallions (white part only)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped pimento
1 teaspoon (5 ml) prepared horseradish vegetable salt substitute, to taste
Instructions
1. Using a potato masher or fork, mash cottage cheese to break up curds. Blend in yogurt and remaining ingredients. Mix well.
2. Chill for 1 hour before serving with raw vegetables or fat-free chips.
Per 1/4 cup serving: 37 calories (9% calories from fat), 5 g protein, trace total fat (0.2 g saturated fat), 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 2 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium
Clown Cake Recipe
8-10 ServingsPrep: 40 min. Bake: 30 min
Ingredients
1 tube (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow or chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons shortening
9 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Red, blue, yellow and green gel or paste food coloring
Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll out cookie dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out with a lightly floured 3-in. to 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Bake according to package directions. Cool on wire racks.
Prepare and bake cake according to the package directions, using two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth.
Place 1/2 cup of frosting each in four small bowls; tint one red, one blue, one yellow and one green. Place 3/4 cup frosting in a small bowl and leave white. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and set aside.
To assemble, place one cake layer on a 10-in. round serving plate. Using some of the remaining frosting, frost top of cake. Top with second layer; frost top and sides of cake.
Using 1/2 cup of the reserved white frosting, spread over nine cooled cookies; let stand until set.(Set aside remaining cookies for another use or decorate and serve along sides of cake).
Cut a small hole in the corner of four pastry or plastic bags; insert a tip and fill each bag with a tinted frosting. Decorate frosted side of cookies with zigzag, star fill-in, ruffle garland or sotas (lace) to resemble clowns. Let stand until dry,
Gently press a clown cookie into the lower left side of top of cake. Using frosting, make three balloons. Pipe strings from balloons to the clown's hand. Pipe "Happy Birthday" on cake. Pipe a shall border around top edge. Pipe two large dots on the back of each clown with remaining white frosting. Evenly space clowns around sides of cake; gently press into cake. Yield: 8-10 servings (about 2 dozen cookies).
C is For Clown Cupcake
Ingredients
1 cupcake
White frosting
1 sugar cone
Colored nonpareils
1 small red gumdrop
2 tufts of cotton candy
2 mini M&M's
2 marshmallow stars
1 medium red gumdrop or gumball
1 yellow banana candy
Red frosting
2 Wintermints candies
Instructions
Lightly frost the sugar cone and roll it in colored nonpareils, adding the small gumdrop to the point. Insert the cone into the top of the cupcake.
Place a tuft of cotton candy on each side of the cone for the hair.
Place 2 mini M&M's in the center of the marshmallow stars for the eyes. The nose is the medium red gumdrop or gumball. The mouth is the yellow banana candy surrounded by a ring of red frosting (use a writing tip). The Wintermints candies make rosy cheeks.
Ice Cream Clown
1 bar semisweet chocolate
4 sugar cones
1/2 pint vanilla ice cream
Candy for decoration
Instructions
Begin by melting a dark-chocolate bar over a double boiler (or in the microwave). With a brush, paint a thin layer of chocolate onto four sugar cones and set aside. Place four scoops of ice cream on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, then wedge on the hats. Decorate each face with candy. Freeze for at least two hours, then peel off and place on dessert plates. Makes 4 servings.
Rainbow Clown Cake
Prep Time:30 Min Cook Time:30 Min Ready In:1 Hr
Original Recipe Yield 1 8-inch cake
Ingredients
3 egg whites
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons canola oil
red paste food coloring
orange paste food coloring
yellow paste food coloring
green paste food coloring
blue paste food coloring
purple paste food coloring
Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2.Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the cake mix, water, and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed.
3.Divide the cake batter into six separate bowls. Use a toothpick to scoop a dab of food coloring into one bowl of batter and stir; add more food coloring, if necessary, to reach the desired shade. Repeat with the remaining colors and bowls of batter.
4.Scoop spoonfuls of batter into the prepared pans, alternating the colors. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the colors for a marbled effect.
5.Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Footnotes
Editor's Note, Food coloring gels and pastes are more concentrated than liquid food colorings and are necessary for this cake. They are available at craft stores and specialty kitchenware stores.
