Cupcake Camp O.C. this weekend!
This weekend I will be donating prizes AND cupcakes to Cupcake Camp O.C. A charity event at the Atrium Hotel – 18700 MacArthur Boulevard in Irvine, Sunday August 1st from 3-6pm.!
I will be baking and also entering the baking competition, stop by for a good cause!
Snack bar how-to
You don’t really need a how-to for this, I just wanted to show you how easy it is to set up a snack bar. They are great for parties because it gives the guests the opportunity to ‘graze’ and socialize as they please.
I am partial to glass jars, which are fairly cheap at Target. Like in an old time candy store , glass allows you to see all the colors and textures which makes the idea of ‘snacking’ that much more desirable. But you don’t need fancy jars – vases, bowls, those all work too.
Salty and Sweet snack bar
A nice combination of salty and sweet makes for great party snacks. It will make your guests keep coming back for more. I did these for The Baby’s Batman themed party and the kids loved it, but their parents loved it even more!
Cookies and Milk bar
Who doesn’t love cookies with a nice cold glass of milk?? Again, I just like to get a bunch of different flavors – I baked three different kinds, hoping that there would be something at appealed to everyone.
Chips bar
Chips are great because they come in a variety of textures and are fairly inexpensive. I chose these based on trying to get different flavors and how the colors would look next to each other too.
Cereal bar
A cereal bar is a unique fun thing to have at a party. You can get a variety of different flavors and colors and they look GREAT in glass jars. It makes people nostalgic for their youth and there’s something comforting about eating a small bowl of cereal for dessert!
themed snack bar
This was for a Hawaiian themed 1st birthday party so I tried to get all ‘local’ snacks: Kakimochi, Kimi Boro balls, Pocky, Li Hing candy, Diamond Animal Crackers, Green apple candies. Whatever your theme may be, stick to it and your guests will get a big kick out of it.
For all these ideas I made signs to go with each snack. It makes it easier on the guests and by themeing with your color scheme or party theme it will tie your whole party together!
Shave Ice Cupcakes
Wonder why the ice isn’t melting? It’s SUGAR!
Shave Ice is THE thing to eat in Hawaii, so for a Hawaiian themed 1st birthday party, I thought I’d make…SHAVE ICE cupcakes!
ingredients:
Cupcakes (I used Very Vanilla Cupcakes, recipe – here.)
frosting
red sanding sugar
blue sanding sugar
yellow sanding sugar
4 oz styrofoam cups
red cocktail straws
wooden spoons
The key to making it look like shave ice is to go with the typical ‘rainbow’ shave ice colors. Yellow in the middle, flanked by red and blue on the side.
Place the sugars into separate bowls, then use a spoon to carefully stick the sugar to a freshly frosted cupcake. The tiny granules of the sanding sugar start to look like fine pieces of ice.
Once the cupcakes are frosted and sugared, place them into the 4oz styrofoam cups, this really helps make them look realistic…
but if you really want to put it over the top, add a thin red cocktail straw and a wooden spoon: two things which complete any shave ice and make these faux ones look VERY real. After searching and searching (I am a perfectionist as you know) I found the PERFECT wooden spoons at the WEBstaurant store! Thank goodness or I’d probably whittle them myself…don’t try me.
Lined up, they make a great addition to any summer dessert table. Best of all, they’ll never melt!
and the winner is…
I am back from Comic-Con and it was crazy – in a good way! It was so nice to meet so many blog readers who also love comics too!
But I know what you’ve come back here for – to find out the winner of the giveaway! Out of 158 lovely comments it seems that a lot of people love the Root Beer Pulled Pork! Which is great ’cause it’s one of my favorites too.
And the winner of the giveaway is…
#81 – Ellen Kim! Congrats! Email me with your contact info!
Now that things are back to normal new recipes will be going up this week and I’m also offering free shipping this week in the shop. Thanks for reading!
**GIVEAWAY**
I will be gone this week for the San Diego Comic Con! If you are coming, stop by and see me at Small Press table N10!
If you’ve been reading this blog you know my love of gadgets, and now here’s your chance to WIN some of my favorite things…
One of my tried and true items is my musubi maker. Not just for spam musubi, I also use it for desserts! Brownie ice cream sandwiches, rice krispy ice cream sandwiches – ok, maybe I just like ice cream.
Another favorite is my Lego man mold. Sure it’s for ice, but you know I think it’s perfect for making chocolate cupcake toppers.
Finally, this isn’t a gadget, but it is hard to find – so you blog readers might appreciate it – Hello Kitty pasta! aka the cutest pasta in the universe.
If you want a chance to win this fabbbulous prize package just leave a comment on this post from now until Sunday. Tell me your favorite recipe from this blog that you’ve tried, or heck, just why you come here to read. Like cupcakes? Scared of fondant? Love bacon? Let me know! I’ll announce the winner next week, thanks for reading!
Marshmallow pops
If you need a quick and easy treat for a party, I’ve got ‘em. I made these for a Snack Bar at a kid’s birthday party. No one can resist chocolate covered marshmallows. NO ONE.
ingredients:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (I prefer Callebaut)
1 bag regular sized marshmallows
sprinkles, nuts, etc
Poke the stick into the end of the marshmallows. I use extra long lollipop sticks so that I can get TWO marshmallows on one stick. Set aside.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate down to a nice runny consistency. I like to use bittersweet chocolate, just because the marshmallow itself is so sweet, there’s no need to go into a total sugar coma overload. The bittersweet is a nice contrast.
Dip the marshmallows into the chocolate to coat. I like to leave the bottom ‘white’ of the marshmallow showing, just to give people an idea of what they are eating.
Then coat with sprinkles. Nuts, candies, whatever you like. Color coordinating with the party’s theme is always a winner.
Place the dipped sticks on a silpat lined baking tray. Place these in the fridge to set.
I like to bag them up with a ribbon for a nice presentation. The kids love these because….well, let’s face it – pure sugar. These make great favors for a party!
Minnie Mouse fondant heads how-to
You know how I LOVE Disney – well these Minnie Mouse cupcake toppers are perfect for a Disney fan’s birthday!
ingredients:
fondant
black gel dye
red gel dye
white frosting
Start by dyeing the fondant black. I always use gel dye and might I suggest investing in some disposable gloves, as the black is UNFORGIVING on your skin. Dyeing fondant black is hard, you don’t want gray tones – so you have to just keep working with it. If it’s not dark enough, let it dry a bit, then add some more color. Just keep working it in.
Once you’ve got the black you want – get a template ready. I just printed out some random ‘Mickey head’ images and sized it to the scale I wanted (these were mini cupcakes, so they were only about 1.75″ in diameter). Roll our your fondant on a flat surface, lay the template over and cut out the image. Set aside to dry.
Now the bows – if you know Minnie she has a GIANT floppy bow on her head. I’ve seen people do ‘Minnie’ cupcakes and they have this itty bitty bow on a big ol’ head. Nope. This Disney fanatic is here to tell you to stay true to the characters, do your research, Minnie wears a giant floppy bow, and traditionally it’s red with polka dots.
To make the bows – dye fondant red, then sculpting it with just your hands, make two little triangles with rounded edges. Put them together, almost like a butterfly, then add a little round ‘knot’ in the middle.
Lay the bows on the black Mickey heads and suddenly…they are Minnie!
Now just pipe on some white dots on the bows and she’s ready to go!
Place the heads on top of the frosted cupcakes – I used chocolate-y cupcakes (recipe, here) in red and yellow wrappers. VERY Mickey and Minnie.
Ice Cream!
It is HOT, folks. I will be having a giveaway on Wednesday, so stay tuned. This weekend, why not try out some of my favorite ice cream recipes, ’cause it’s hot, did I say that already? ~melting~
Inside Out Ice Cream Sandwiches
A cute twist on an old favorite.
Root Beer Float Ice Cream cupcakes
Aw, yeah – I’m on a boat! I cannot resist root beer – and these are soooo cute and yummy.
Ice Cream Jello
Two, two, two desserts in one!
Watermelon Ice Cream Bombe
The family favorite. Nothing is more refreshing in the summer heat. Hm – except for real watermelon, maybe?
Fancy PB & J
Not your ordinary pb&j – wanted by only the best bounty hunters.
ingredients:
King’s Hawaiian sweet bread rolls
peanut butter
jelly
bananas
honey
sea salt
I’m a big fan of King’s Hawaiian sweet bread rolls because they are just the right size for a snack, or two…or three. I cut them in half, and spread one half with peanut butter, the other with jelly. Typical, right?
Then I slice some bananas, drizzle a little honey and sprinkle just a touch of sea salt.
And THAT is your fancy pb & j right there. No one can resist them, not even Boba Fett.
Grilled Salmon
This is an Ina Garten recipe, you KNOW I love her and you KNOW her recipes are always perfect. The fact that there is only 4 ingredients makes this the easiest dish ever – I didn’t change a thing – it tastes amazing!
ingredients:
3 salmon filets about 2-3 pounds
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
In a small bowl mix the dijon, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic. Place the salmon in a pan and pour the sauce over it.
Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for just 15-20 minutes. Ina’s recipe says 10 mins, but I’ve found that just a touch longer (not too much) is perfect.
While the salmon is marinating, prep your grill. I used an indoor grill cause it’s all I had, and it worked just fine.
Take the salmon out of the pan and place on the hot grill, skin side down. (Throw away the marinade, people! We don’t food poisoning up in here.) Depending on how thick the fish is, grill for about 5-8 minutes before flipping it over. I suggest using a large flat spatula so the salmon won’t break up. Once flipped, grill for another 5-8 minutes. Let the fish rest for about 10 minutes before you serve.
I’ve found that this recipe is great hot or cold, it’s just so tasty and good quality fish makes all the difference too, of course. The kids love this and always ask for seconds – which is all any mother could ask for!
