Willow's First Birthday

This post has been a long time coming. We celebrated Willow's first birthday a month ago and I'm just now finding the time to sort through photos and share the fun on my blog. This is likely going to be a common occurrence now that I'm back to work full time.

The Invitation

A black and white photo with simple circles was the design for the invitations this go round. I'd say my self taught Photoshop skills were a success on this one. Although I created the invitation on my own, I can't fully take credit for the design. I found inspiration by sifting through invitations on Shutterfly. But I will take a great deal of credit for birthing the adorable little girl on the card.

The Cupcake Cake

The cake recipe I used is quite possibly my all time favourite. It is the White Almond Wedding Cake found on Allrecipes.com. I added a few drops of red food colouring to make the cake batter pink and baked it in the form of mini-cupcakes and a few regular sized cupcakes.

I find it easiest to a make a cupcake cake by first figuring out the layout before icing the cupcakes. It took me a few tries to figure out how to make a bunch of mini-cupcakes look like the number one, but I eventually succeeded.

Here is my personal icing recipe:

Almond Buttercream Icing

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp almond extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tbsp milk

Cream together the butter and almond extract. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat well. Add the milk, mix until light a fluffy. Add food colouring as desired.

And voila, a sweet cupcake cake for Willow's first birthday.

Yummy!

Make It Monday: Erasable Meal Planner

Now that I'm back to work part time, with full time employment just around the corner, my focus of late has been on organizing and simplifying to avoid the inevitable chaos. Don't be surprised if my next few projects have an organization focus.

For the last couple of weeks I've been getting into the habit of meal planning as opposed to just pulling something together when I have a few minutes to spare in my day. So, to help simplify and of course beautify  to make it a little fun, I decided to create an erasable meal planner.

What you'll need:

8 x 10 picture frame with glass or plexi-glass
What's for dinner?  - free printable template
Dry erase marker
Picture hook or nail

Directions:

Step 1. Print the What's for dinner? template, trim the excess white space to fit the 8 x 10 frame, and slide it in.

Step 2. Hang.

Step 3. Write directly on the glass and erase clean at the beginning of each week.

Easy peasy.

Happy Monday!

Make It Monday: Ladybug Cake Pops

These cake pops were a big hit for the Ladybug Birthday Party celebrating Sophie's 3rd birthday!

What you'll need:

1/2 of a 9 x 13 cake, cooled

2 1/4 cups of prepared frosting

1 12 oz package of red Candy Melts

24 lolly pop sticks

Cake pop stand - Craft foam works nicely

24 brown M & M's

1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

White and red candy sprinkles

Toothpick

Tweezers

Directions:

Step 1. Crumble the cake in a large bowl and mix in the frosting until well blended. Place the mixture in the fridge for about 25 minutes until it's nice and cold. This step is extra easy if you use an electric mixer for crumbling and blending.

Step 2. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Roll the cooled cake mixture in 1 1/2" balls and place on the baking sheet. Refrigerate the balls for 1 hour until firm or 10 minutes in the freezer if you're in a hurry.

Step 3. Melt the candy melts according to the package directions, dip the lolly pop sticks 1/2" into the candy coating and insert into the cake balls. Return the baking sheet to the fridge to allow the cake pops to firm up again.

Step 4. Remove one cake pop at a time from the fridge, dip it into the candy coating and stand upright in your cake pop stand. Place one M & M on the front of the cake pop and hold gently until it is slightly set and doesn't slide around. Continue with the rest of the cake pops.

Step 5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth. Fill a sandwich bag or piping bag with the melted chocolate and trim the tip to a suitable size for detailing the ladybugs with spots and stripes. Pipe one stripe down the middle of the cake pop starting at the M & M head. Pipe small dots on either side of the stripe.

Step 6. Squeeze the remaining melted chocolate into a small bowl. Working with one cake pop at a time, use a toothpick to place three dots of melted chocolate on the M & M. Using tweezers place two white sprinkles on the melted chocolate dots to form eyes and one red sprinkle on the remaining chocolate dot to form a nose. Using the toothpick add a dot of chocolate into the centre of each white sprinkle to form a pupil. Ah yes, if the tweezers in the directions didn't scare you off and you made it this far I apologize ;) On a positive note after you finish this step you'll be practiced up for a competitive game of Operation.

Note: You can also add chocolate sprinkles as antennae for the ladybugs. I only did one because I found it tricky to make them point upright.

Cake Pop Storage
Once you've finished making your cake pops, do NOT return them to the fridge as it will cause the candy coating to sweat when you take them out. The candy coating and chocolate will harden at room temperature.

Cake Pop Stand
If you don't want to purchase a stand or expensive craft foam, find a handyman like my husband to make a simple stand like this one. He used 2 x 6 lumber and drilled holes 2" apart and about 2/3 of the way down into the wood. I covered it in tissue paper and glued on some fake leaves for added decoration.

 This dirt cake is a simple two layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting covered in Oreo cookie crumbs.

Happy Monday!

A Ladybug Birthday Party

It dawned on me back in May that a themed birthday party is the thing to do for kids. Well, I asked Sophie what kind of birthday party she wanted and after a few weeks of her saying she wanted a chocolate party she finally blurted out ladybug so I took it and ran with it.

Ladybug Invitation - personal information removed of course.

Thanks to The TomKat Studio Ladybug Invitation post for the inspiration!

Hand Print Ladybug Treat Bags

A little personal touch with Sophie's hand print. Rubber stamps made simple work of the "Thank You!" and names printed on the bags.

Ladybug Cake Pops

These were a big hit. Click the title to link to the directions on how to make these cuties.

The Bug Cake

In my opinion, a birthday party just isn't a party without a cake. Meet the dirt cake with M&M bugs and one big chubby ladybug cake pop.   PS. Sour cream is my secret to a moist cake.

Ladybug Crackers

Ritz crackers, herb and garlic cream cheese, cherry tomatoes and black olives. Voila! These got soggy pretty quick. I think a sturdier cracker would be better.

Red balloons and streamers tied it all off. And the little birthday girl was a happy party goer indeed.


Come back on Thursday if you want to see what's underneath this flowery wrapping paper. 

Hint: A handyman Dad and an artsy fartsy Mom created it! 

Make It Monday: Dessert Stencils

My favourite brownie recipe happens to be the delicious fudgey kind that does not need icing to hide the boringness that characterizes other cakey brownies. You can find the Best Brownies recipes on Allrecipes.com. The recipe there does have an accompanying icing recipe, but I prefer a dusting of icing sugar instead.

I recently made brownies for a last minute poker night. I know what your thinking "Who makes brownies for poker night?" Well, normally I wouldn't, but we had a pre-poker BBQ which included a few friends and Sophie's favourite little girlfriend Ava. Definitely a suitable brownie occasion.

So here are the brownies...

Boring right?

I had a few spare minutes so instead of my usual icing sugar dusting over the whole batch I figured I'd try my hand at making a custom stencil.

What you'll need:

Thin cardboard - a cereal box or file folder will do

A printed or sketched design

Tape

Exacto knife

Mini sieve

Icing sugar or cocoa powder

Prepared brownies, cake or other dessert

Directions: (Photo directions follow)

Step 1. Tape your printed or sketched design to the thin cardboard. I just did a google image search for "card suits" to acquire this one.

Step 2. On a suitable cutting surface (ie. cutting board) carefully cut out the design with an exacto knife. You may have to go over it twice to get through the layers.

Step 3. Remove the tape and printer paper. Lay the cardboard flat on your brownies or cake. Place a small amount of icing sugar in a sieve and tap it gently over the entire stencil.

Step 4. Carefully remove the cardboard stencil by lifting straight up. Voila! You're masterpiece is revealed.

Yum-O! Happy Monday!

Camp Recipe: S'more Cones

Camping is not camping without s'mores right? Graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, oh my!

Although the old fashioned way of making s'mores is great, I opted to try my hand at something new after coming across Quirky Momma's Campfire Cones. Chocolate, marshmallows and fruit all melted together in a waffle cone sounded so tempting. I was a bit intimidated by the waffle cones though, they are so huge and my general lack of self restraint when it comes to sweets would surely lead to my demise. So I went with a sugar cone.

Ingredients:

Sugar Cones

Mini marshmallows

Chocolate chips

Strawberries, chopped

Directions:

1. Mix the marshmallows, chocolate chips and berries together.

2. Wrap a sugar cone in foil leaving the top open.

3. Load the cone with the sweet mixture, right to the top.

4. Fold the foil over the top. Note: If you'll be putting these on the campfire you may want to put a second layer of foil over the cone.

5. Heat over the campfire or on the BBQ. Watch them very closely they don't take long, just a couple of minutes depending on how much heat there is.

6. Unwrap and enjoy!

Toddler approved.

Make It Monday: Sandwich Cake

My brother recently celebrated his 30th birthday so I decided to make him a fun birthday cake. Since he loves sandwiches I went with a sandwich cake.

Although it would have been nice to have the filling look like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc. I've always been a big believer that it must taste great first and foremost. So in the absence of creative, funky filling ideas I opted to make the "bread" a little bit on the fancy side.

This cake recipe is adapted from the White Almond Wedding Cake on Allrecipes.com. It's a great sturdy cake that works well for shaped cakes such as this one. And it's delicious!

Marbled Rye Sandwich Cake with Almond Buttercream and Strawberry Filling

Ingredients

Cake:

1 package white cake mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups water

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg whites

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon almond extract

Strawberry Filling:

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

Almond Buttercream:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tsp milk

Olive Cakepop:

1/4 cup cake trimmings, crumbled

1 tsp prepared Almond Buttercream icing

1 square of white bakers chocolate

A few drops of green food colouring

1 small skewer stick

1 or 2 red M&M's

Directions

Prepare the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 x 9 square cake pans.

2. Stir together the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the water, sour cream, oil, vanilla extract and egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on low until all ingredients are mixed and moistened.

3. Spoon 1/3 of the cake batter into a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder and mix thoroughly. This is your chocolate batter.

4. Add the almond extract to the remaining 2/3 of the cake batter and mix thoroughly. This is your white batter.

5. Divide the white batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and shake the pans gently to allow the batter to spread to all edges. Carefully spoon the chocolate batter on top of the white batter to form a spiral. Do not stir or cut through the batter.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the white cake is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 - 35 minutes. Cool completely and set aside.

Prepare the Strawberry Filling

1. Combine the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and crushing the berries slightly with the back of a spoon.

2. Boil for 2 minutes to thicken, stirring constantly.

3. Poor into a bowl and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the Almond Buttercream

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and almond extract. Add confectioners' sugar and beat well. Add the milk and mix until light and fluffy.

Shape the Cake

1. Once the cake has cooled completely, cut a square of parchment or wax paper the size of the cake. Fold the paper in half and draw the outline of one side of a sandwich slice (see image below), cut along the line through both layers of paper, unfold and lay on top of one of the square cakes. Note: To ensure the paper doesn't stick to the top of cake you can spray it with a thin coating of oil. 

2. Using a sharp knife trim around the paper to create a sandwich slice shape. Do the same for the second cake.

Make the Olive Cakepop

1. Mix 1/4 cup of crumbled cake trimmings with 1 tsp of the Almond Buttercream icing. Form into an oval with your hands. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.

2. Melt 1 square of white bakers chocolate in the microwave. Add a few drops of green food colouring and mix well.

3. Using a small skewer stick pierce the bottom of the cake oval and dip it into the "green" chocolate so it is completely coated. Stand upright in a an empty egg carton or some other prop. Press M&M's into one or both ends of the "olive" before the white chocolate hardens. Refrigerate until firm.

Assemble the Cake

1. Lay the bottom layer of cake upside down onto your cake plate or cake storage container. Spread a layer of the prepared Almond Buttercream on the surface of the cake right to the edges. Top with the prepared Strawberry Filling and spread to the edges.

2. Lay the top layer of cake upside down on a piece of parchment or wax paper sprayed with oil to prevent sticking. Spread a layer of the prepared Almond Buttercream on the surface of the cake right to the edges.

3. Carefully lay the top layer of cake onto the bottom layer, forming your sandwich.

 Decorate, serve and enjoy!


Add the Olive Cakepop to the centre of the cake. I opted to make a cardboard sign rather than writing in icing on the cake.

Happy Monday!

Breakfast Pocket Recipe

Yes, it is camping season! May long weekend here we come!

Okay, while there is a lot of excitement around here as camping season approaches there is also a great deal of anxiety. I often question my sanity in the things that I do, but sharing a tent with a rambunctious toddler, 8 month old baby, and snoring husband is by far the biggest sanity-buster yet. So I'm always game for prepping things before hand to increase the likelihood of a smooth camping trip.

I came across a recipe for Breakfast Pockets from Budget Gourmet Mom. She makes these pockets to keep in the freezer for quick grab and go breakfasts during the week, but when I saw them I immediately thought "camping sanity saver!"

We're cereal eaters around here. Yes, even on the weekends. Don't get me wrong I love a good bacon and egg breakfast, but it takes time, the dishes pile up and we like to get our days started quickly so we can have some fun. Camping is generally the exception. There's nothing like a warm breakfast on a cool morning in the campground. So, these breakfast pockets will be my saving grace.

Breakfast Pocket Recipe - this has been adapted from Budget Gourmet Mom

Ingredients:


Dough
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup warm evaporated milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup bread flour (if needed)


Filling
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrowns
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper, diced
3 cups cooked ham, cubed
4 green onions, chopped
4 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated


Instructions:


Dough
1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn it off
2. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water
3. Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt and 2 cups of the flour, beat until smooth
4. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until a soft dough forms. 
5. If your dough is still a bit sticky add the additional 1/4 cup of flour or as much as needed. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, place in the warm oven and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling
1. Heat oil in a large skillet and saute hashbrowns over medium heat until thawed.
2. Add the garlic and bell pepper, cook about 5 minutes. Add the ham and green onions, cook another 5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl mix eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the cooked ham and vegetables. Stir until eggs are set.

4. Remove the pan from heat, add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are combined.

Assemble the pockets:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with foil.
2. Punch down the dough and divide it into 16 equal balls.

3. Roll each ball into a 7 inch circle. Top with 1/3 cup of the filling, fold and pinch shut.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pockets are slightly golden.

 Pack them up for camping:
1. Wrap each pocket in parchment paper and then in foil.
2. Warm up over the fire or BBQ. I enjoy these cold too!


This is a very versatile recipe. Change up the filling to whatever you desire. I think I'll be trying a pulled pork version of these. Once I do I'll post it here.


Happy Camping!

Make It Monday: Chocolate Accents

My Mom recently celebrated a birthday for which Sophie and I decided to make a batch of cupcakes. I didn’t want it to be just an ordinary tray of cupcakes so the wheels in my head were turning, but all I could think of was cupcake cake designs that were more suited to folks still celebrating single digit birthdays. You know, flowers, rainbows, butterflies, barnyard animals, etc.

In my attempt at making them look a bit more grown-up I decided to try my hand at making some chocolate accents to garnish the cupcakes. Here’s a tutorial if you’re facing the same dilemma.

What you'll need:

Chocolate - chips, chunks, chopped up bars, whatever you like really

Saucepan

Glass bowl to fit over the saucepan

A second glass bowl

Piping bag or Sandwich bag

Scissors

Cutting board covered in foil

Step 1: Temper the Chocolate

Tempering your chocolate helps ensure that your chocolate accents end up hardening properly and will have a satisfying "snap" when you break them as opposed to being bendy or floppy. There are several sites and videos that explain how to temper chocolate and they all seem to be slightly different so here's what worked for me.

In a saucepan bring a small amount of water to a simmer and rest a glass bowl over top. Add your chocolate and stir constantly as it melts.

Bring the melted chocolate up to a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Remove the bowl from the heat, dry the bottom and transfer the melted chocolate to a clean, cool glass bowl.

Stir the chocolate and allow it to cool to a temperature between 88 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see in the picture below my thermometer only goes as low as 100 degrees so I had to guesstimate.

There, now your chocolate is tempered. Quickly move on to Step 2 before your chocolate cools too much.

Step 2: Create Chocolate Accents

Fill a piping bag or sandwich bag with your melted chocolate.

Cut the tip. Cut a small amount off first and test the size, you can always cut further up if the hole isn't big enough.

Now for the fun part, get creative and pipe whatever designs you want onto a foil covered cutting board.

Once you're finished, put the cutting board in the fridge to allow the chocolate accents to harden, about an hour or so. 

Gently lift the chocolate accents off of the cutting board and voila, you're finished.

Now you can add them to cakes or cupcakes, or whatever suits your fancy. If you're not going to use them right away simply store them in a resealable container in your fridge until you're ready to use them.

Yum-O!

Happy Monday!