By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey

“But how do you cover an entire cake with sprinkles Libbie?” –so many people.

It’s really quite easy…you just have to know a couple of tricks!

How to Cover A Cake With Sprinkles
1. Build your layer cake on a cardboard cake round that is the diameter of your cake. Cut a second cardboard cake round smaller than the first and set aside.
2. Crumb coat the outside of your layer cake and place in the refrigerator until firm.
3. Pour your sprinkles (I ALWAYS use Yum Yum Smile Shop Sprinkle Mixes natch!) out onto a baking sheet. (a 9-inch 3 layer cake will take about a cup of sprinkles)
4. Remove cake from refrigerator (it should be firm) and add a thin coat of frosting to the sides.
5. Place the smaller cake round on the top of the cake. (so now you have a small cake round on the top and a large one on the bottom)
6. Holding the cake sideways with one hand on the bottom cake round and one hand on the top smaller cake round, roll the cake in the sprinkles.
7. Remove top cake round and add a light layer of frosting to the top of the cake.
8. Add sprinkles by hand to the top of the cake.
9. Don’t forget a cake topper!

By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey

Every dog and every dad has his day. Check out the fun I had creating the perfect hot dog topping for every dad persona and up your hot dog game this summer!

The Athletic Dad:
grilled turkey hot dog, spicy mustard, sliced avocado, fresh basil leaves, sliced tomato, drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt on a whole wheat bun.

The Drinker Dad: 
beer steamed 100% beef hotdog, whole grain mustard, onions and kraut on a pretzel roll. 

The Absentee Dad:
plain hot dog, white bun and no condiments. 

My Two Dads:
grilled turkey hot dog, sir kensington’s chipotle mayo, edible flowers, herbs and a brioche bun. 

The Professor Dad (my dad) (top dog in photo and in life): 
steamed Vienna Beef® hot dog, mustard, relish, onion, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt on a poppy seed bun.

By Libbie Summers for Terra’s Kitchen
Assisted by David Dempsey

I make homemade yeast donuts once a year. It’s a big production that I subject my family to with much pomp and circumstance leading up to the big day –donut Sunday! But, for donut cravings that don’t LAND on donut Sunday, I make these fast and easy Fancy Donuts!

With a fancy donut, the art is not in the making, but in the decorating. This is how an ombré of matcha colored glaze and edible decorations take a store bought cake donut from boredom to stardom!

Fancy Donuts
makes 12

What you need:
12 store bought plain cake donuts
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Matcha powder
Edible petals/flowers (violas, lilac, blueberry, carnation, nasturtium, marigold, bachelor button, chive)*
White sugar pearls
Sprinkles
Chocolate dipped pretzels
Edible Gold (if you want to be super fancy)

What to do:
Make the glaze: Add the powdered sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk and extract until smooth. Divide the glaze between 3 bowls. Leave 1/3 of the glaze white. Mix in just enough matcha powder to the second bowl to make a pale green glaze. Mix in enough matcha powder to the third bowl to make a darker green glaze. Cover the pale green and dark green glazes with plastic wrap (pushing against the glaze to keep from crusting over).
Dip and decorate the donuts: Working with one color of glaze at a time (white first) dip 4 of the donuts into the glaze and rest on a drying rack. Working while the glaze is still wet, decorate each donut with the flowers*, sprinkles, chocolate dipped pretzels and edible gold. Repeat the process with the remaining two colors of glaze.

*Go sparingly on the edible flowers…a little flower petal goes a long way!

Recipe and Styling by Libbie Summers
Photography by Chia Chong
Food Stylist’s assistant Candace Brower
Video from A Food-Inspired Life 

Zing and beauty. A salad that will make you smile even on the dreariest of Winter days. 

Spicy Winter Citrus Salad
serves 4

Ingredients:
10 citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, blood oranges, clementine, lime)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like heat)
Kosher salt
1/3 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Directions:
Place your cutting board on a baking sheet with sides to capture all the juices as you remove the rinds of all the fruit with a sharp knife and cut each fruit crosswise into ¼-inch rounds. Remove any visible seeds. Arrange sliced fruit on a serving platter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the reserved juices from the fruit, honey and pepper. Salt to taste. Pour mixture over the fruit. Garnish with pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.

NOTE: For a different look to this salad, why not try segmenting your citrus. Here’s a quick fun video to show you how!

Libbie’s Food Styling Props: When the food is so beautiful, you don’t have to do much. Floral fabric is from Fabrika Fine Fabrics. Citrus salad is on a vintage meat tray picked up at Habersham Antiques Market. Bowls with silver rim from the collection of Betty Anderson. Old enamelware serving spoon from an antique shop in Montana. Velvet ribbon tied through the spoon hole brought home from Paris.