Party Season

We are now entering party season around here, and I couldn't be happier.  In addition to planning my munchkin's summer birthday party, I got myself mixed up in another little foodplay project.  My daughter's school has a spring auction to raise money for the school.  What did I donate?  Food, of course!  I offered to bake two dozen custom cupcakes, to be delivered to a lucky child's classroom, home, or birthday party.  It sounds like a fun little project, don't you think?

The only problem is that I'm not that experienced at baking cupcakes.  I have just about never baked fancy cupcakes.  (The fanciest I've ever gotten were little cakes baked in bug cupcake molds and piped with the simplest of frostings ~ whipped cream!)  So there was definitely some risk in promising so much.  Afterall, the word "custom" pretty much implies free license on flavor, color, and even theme.

I was relieved to hear that the purchaser of my little cupcake project isn't overly demanding.  Her daughter is having a unicorn party.  She selected a very specific cake flavor that will be easy to do, and I have free rein on color and how to interpret the theme.  But wait . . . I don't think I can draw a unicorn to save my life.  Amazon doesn't sell unicorn cupcake rings or other types of cupcake toppers.  (Although they sell lots of great ones in other themes.)  What to do, what to DO?!?

I turned to Etsy for inspiration, and now I need feedback.  Any thoughts on these cupcake toppers?  Any idea how I might come up with an equally fantastic diy version?  Any other tips or ideas on how to create a masterful unicorn cupcake?  I'm all ears.

'Unicorn Birthday' by appetiteforconvo

Inspiration for making unicorn cupcakes!

Bottle Cap Image Sheet ... allgirlychicbo... $1.75	Unicorn Happy Birthday... ThePaperLot $21.00	Rainbow Unicorn Birthda... MyPartyGirlFri... $4.75
Unicorn Cupcake Toppers cmariedesigns $0.75	Rainbow Unicorn - Cupca... paperBIRDSonEt... $5.95	18 Unicorn Theme - Cupc... MMKids $18.00
Rainbow Unicorn Birthda... MyPartyGirlFri... $4.75	Cupcake Toppers "W... FlyingTurtleBo... $9.99	PRINT SALE Unicorn Cake... stoopidgerl $17.50

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

{Thank you to handmadeology for this etsy treasury posting tutorial.  I love that I can feature some of my Etsy faves without jeopardizing the legal rights of the individual artists.}

A Nod to St. Patty's Day

I won't comment on the fact that I barely post anymore.  Really, I won't.  I also won't comment on the fact that this blog has become a holiday blog, at best.  Nobody wants to read about my regrets or my promises to do better, right?  OK, good.  I'm glad we're clear on that.

This year St. Patrick's Day is all about beer at our house.  My home-brewing hubby decided to host a home-brew day with buddies from his home-brew club. Can you tell there's a lot of home-brewing happening around here these days?

I wanted to pay a tiny tribute to St. Patrick's Day, and I figured the best way to get a bunch of home-brew guys on board was to . . . well, add some home-brew of course.  So, out popped this chocolate stout cake.

All I did was pull a chocolate cake mix from my cupboard and replace the milk with my hubby's home brewed stout.  The package called for 1 1/4 cups of liquid, so there was quite a bit of beer in my version.  It was a little frothy as it mixed up, and you could definitely smell the aroma of the stout as it cooked.

I didn't want the beer to be overpowering, so I topped it with a straight-up chocolate frosting.  I used the frosting recipe on the cake mix box, which turned out to be extra chocolate-ly.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

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Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to ice 2 - 9" x 13" cakes or a 2-layer cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. brewed coffee
• 1 tbsp. vanilla

Mix the butter, coffee, vanilla, and cocoa until blended.  Add in sugar and milk, alternating between the two as you mix on medium speed.  Then mix on medium-high for 2 minutes.  Spread the frosting on your cake. 

Valentine's Day 2012

This year my daughter and I planned ahead for Valentine's Day.  She was supposed to take some treats to share at her school party, so we pulled out an old favorite and updated it.  A few years ago we made pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and fancy Valentine sprinkles.

This year my little munchkin decided that the traditional pretzel shape is so much more appropriate because it looks like a heart.

This morning she headed to school with a tray full of treats to share with her friends and teachers.  She probably doesn't know it yet, but I also sent her some of these peanut butter sandwich hearts for her snack.  Cute, right?

But back to the pretzels . . .  If you feel like sharing some chocolate with your honey (big or small), these are super easy to make.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate)
• About 35-40 pretzels  (I used lightly salted)
• Sprinkles

Place the oil and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and put the bowl in the microwave.  Microwave on high for forty-five seconds, then stir well.  Repeat several times until the chocolate is completely melted.

Add several pretzels at a time to the bowl, submerging them in the chocolate.  Lift the pretzels out one at a time with a fork.  Place the pretzels on a cooling rack sitting over a tray so that the excess chocolate can drip off.  Sprinkle the pretzels with sprinkles, if using, within a few minutes while the chocolate is still moist.

Once your tray is full, place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.  After the chocolate has hardened, carefully lift each pretzel off the rack one-by-one by reaching underneath the pretzel with your fingers and gently dislodging it from the rack.  Be careful as you do this last step, as some of the pretzels may break.  (I made extra for this reason.  We kept the broken ones to munch on at home and sent the pretty ones to share at school.)

It's All in the Toppings

Red tomatoes
White crema
Blue corn tortilla chips

We Ate Wild

I know my posts have been a bit slow in coming lately. I admit it ~ it's been a very rough week!

Back to a lighter topic ~ our WILD party last weekend! Per Emily's suggestion, I used many of the contents of her food exchange box for our WILD meal. We decided to eat at our coffee table ~ a WILD idea, I know!


First I made a homemade tomato bruschetta topping for the Wasa multigrain crackers she sent. This worked really well since these crackers are so thick and could absorb all the juice from the tomatoes. And the recipe is a keeper ~ will post soon!


Then I put together a salad with the garlic vinaegrette. These guys were keeping little fingers from stealing too many cucumbers!


I cooked up some farfalle pasta, accompanied by Emily's pesto. I topped it with shredded Parmesan and pine nuts.




I'd say this meal made for a very good-looking plate!


Have a look at our WILD dessert ~ espresso chocolate.


Thanks, Emily!

We Got Wild

You may remember that a few weeks ago I received a mysterious box in the mail. The box came all the way from my new penpal in Tennessee, and it was loaded up with tasty surprises. As part of our food exchange we gave each other a "challenge." Emily's challenge to me was to "Get WILD in the Kitchen," and she sent me lots of goodies to get me started. She planned a four-course Italian dinner for me, and she even sent me these zebra print napkins to set the tone.


I have to say that this challenge was LOADS of fun! As I started the pasta, my toddler and hubby began assembling these masks:


I found these mask printouts online ~ aren't they cute?


I just wish I could have captured all the animal sounds they inspired around here. This house really DID get wild!


I'll share more about our WILD evening soon. . .

Bugs

What's your favorite bug to eat? A butterfly?


Dragonfly?

Ladybug or bumblebee?


I'd go with the butterfly. And do you prefer to top your bugs with super sweet American-style icing, or with barely sweet vanilla whipped cream?


I prefer the vanilla cream. Any guess what I like to eat alongside my bugs?


Colorful berries, of course. You get the richness of freshly whipped buttercream without all the sugar. This combination might even have fewer calories. But then again...who really cares when you're eating bugs!

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Vanilla Whipped Cream

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and vanilla. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form, then pipe onto your favorite vanilla bug cake.

Window Shopping

On our trip last week we spent some time in Carmel. There's a lot to say about Carmel, but one of my favorite things to do there was window shop. And perhaps the window I stared at the longest was at the Carmel Bakery. This little establishment has been in business since the early 1900's and they're still baking in style. Their window showcased their cute side:


It showcased their ability to "wow" customers:


And there was a little humor thrown in there, too:


After staring a bit, we finally realized that the gingerbread men were not actually being "wowed." They were really frightened by their neighbors:


Don't you love witty confections? And the ice cream, coffee, and *brownies* at this place aren't bad either!

Countdown to St. Patrick's Day

I love foodplay, so I hope to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day in the next few days. Round 1 is done!

I made these with an apple cinnamon pancake mix from my favorite pancake house. Coincidentally, it is also my favorite place to get southwestern treats like queso dip.



During college, Kerbey Lane Cafe was a go-to spot for my hubby and I whether it was night or day. I was thrilled to discover that they now sell some of their specialties as products. Back then we frequently had breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast, but our favorite thing to do was mix the two. Strawberry pancakes with a side of chips and queso dip? It was not un-heard of at our table.

Ah, to be in college again. And to be in Austin again, for that matter!

If you ever have a reason to visit Austin, you should definitely check this place out. Day or night, breakfast or dinner, they've got something for everyone.

Make it Sprinkle-y

Here's to an oh-so-sweet weekend!


If you care to try these out, you should know that they are down-and-dirty easy. I just melted some chocolate chips in the microwave, coated half of several large pretzel sticks, and then rolled them in the brightest sprinkles I could find. Unfortunately, I underestimated the amount of sprinkles it takes to do this and thought that I had enough on hand. What was supposed to be a Valentine treat for all of my toddler's teachers at her school turned into a yummy treat for just us to enjoy at home. Next year will involve better planning ~ and more sprinkles in the cupboard!

Christmas Visuals

I'm finally getting around to posting about Christmas. Better late than never!

We usually have an intimate Christmas at our house, joined by a small handful of relatives. This year we had a few more visitors than usual, with a total of 6 adults and 2 children. I did my best to have a few Christmas decorations out, but I always keep it fairly simple.

We had a nice tree with tons of presents underneath...or rather around.


I brightened up my brown tablecloth with some red accents ~ crab apples, of all things! They looked so beautiful and red at the store that I just had to use them for something. So I cut a little slit in the top of each one and used them as placecard holders.



I have a snowflake hole punch, so I added one final red accent by coloring the paper underneath red.



I love making centerpieces using edible components. It's my favorite form of foodplay. Usually I just see what's most beautiful at the store and throw it in a nice dish of some sort. This year I layered cranberries and mixed nuts in a trifle dish. Fun!





By far my favorite Christmas visual from this year was the gingerbread house that my toddler and I decorated. I bought the gingerbread pre-assembled. Then I added red and white icing accents.



And finally my toddler decorated it with candies. She got really into it, and I thought she did a great job.


I was also pretty proud of the candy cane I drew freehand.



Hope your holidays have been filled with nice visuals, too!