I Love Stella & Dot

New Discount Fashion Website

2011-08-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

You need to check out this discount fashion website that I've come across...it's called Style Find. Check out the website by clicking HERE. You'd be amazed by all the fabulous find that you can find. With over 200+ fashion brands, thousands of editor's picks to shop and incredible deals on the hottest designer styles, StyleFind is shopping made simple. The editor's scour the internet to find the perfect pieces for you, and when you register to become a member of StyleFind (it's FREE!) you will receive exclusive access to unbelievable designer deals! I came across this site by being a BzzAgent. Interested in learning more about this site and being a BzzAgent, follow this link by clicking HERE You won't be disappointed!

ENJOY!

NEW 2011 Fall Line is Out

2011-07-13T20:39:00.001-06:00

I have VERY exciting news! The new Stella & Dot Fall Line is now available! There's so much to choose from. Here are a few pics of these new fabulous jewels:

AND my absolute favorite!

Check out my website to see the rest of the New 2011 Fall Line at: www.stelladot.com/tammyshannon

AND/OR

Contact me directly to find out what kind of deals I'm offering to celebrate the release of the new Fall Line at: tamshan@yahoo.ca

I look forward to hearing from you!

Tammy

Cheese Unbrella

2011-06-22T21:16:00.000-06:00

I found this on the site referred to below. This was too adoreable not to share!

To make these interesting finger food for your party, all you need are Babybal cheeses and straws.

Isn't it the easiest party appetizer idea? It's also a fun and healthy item to pack into your kid's lunch box!

2011-05-31T22:59:00.000-06:00

Saucy coconut shrimp

Prep Time : 10 min
Cooking time : 10 min
Makes : 2 servings, 1/2 recipe (178 g) each

What You Need!

1 tsp. oil
1/2 lb. (225 g) uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup canned light coconut milk
3 Tbsp. Kraft Crunchy Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. lite soy sauce
1/4 cup thin mango slices

Make It!

Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook 1 min. Stir in garlic and crushed pepper; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Transfer to bowl; cover to keep warm.
Add all remaining ingredients except mangos to skillet; cook on low heat 3 to 4 min. or until peanut butter is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring frequently. (Do not bring to boil.)
Stir in shrimp and mangos; cook 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently.

2011-05-31T22:58:00.000-06:00

Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Slice

What You Need

5 cups chocolate ice cream, slightly softened

14 Chips Ahoy! Cookies, crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, melted

1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Light Whipped Topping

1 square Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Make It

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spread ice cream onto bottom of pan. Mix cookie crumbs and margarine; sprinkle over ice cream. Cover with ends of foil; gently press crumb mixture into ice cream.

FREEZE 6 hours or until firm.

INVERT dessert onto plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Frost dessert with Cool Whip. Coarsely grate chocolate square; sprinkle over dessert.

2011-05-31T22:55:00.000-06:00

Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie

Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 2hr 25m

Ingredients

8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate, melted
4 cups crisped rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
2 pints mint chocolate-chip ice cream, slightly softened

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the chocolate and cereal until the cereal is completely coated. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Freeze just until firm, 5 to 10 minutes.
Spread the ice cream in the prepared crust and freeze, covered, until firm, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

2011-05-31T22:53:00.002-06:00

Ribbon Lanterns

Martha Stewart Living, July 2007http://www.marthastewart.com/268402/ribbon-lanterns

For each, you'll need 1 paper box lantern and 4 lengths of ribbon, each measuring 9 times the height of the lantern.

We used satin and grosgrain ribbons, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

Ribbon Lanterns How-To
1. On one top corner of the lantern, measure 1/2 inch from top and 1/2 inch from side; mark with pencil.

2. Using a craft knife, make a horizontal cut at marked point, toward center, equal to ribbon's width. Make another cut, 3/4 inch down.

3. Repeat process to make pairs of cuts on all corners of lantern (except on top and bottom panels).

4. Starting at one bottom corner, thread ribbon through the 4 cuts on that side, loop ribbon over lantern, and thread other side, leaving an equal overhang on both sides.

5. Place another ribbon parallel to first; repeat threading.

6. Give lantern a quarter turn; thread remaining 2 ribbons, looping over first pair.

7. At each bottom corner, knot the 2 adjacent ribbons together, about 3 inches down. Gather all ribbons, and knot together, about 5 inches down from first knots.

8. Trim bottoms of ribbons at an angle. String hanging light through lantern, following manufacturer's instructions, or hang lantern as is.

2011-05-31T22:49:00.000-06:00

Easy Ice Cream Cake

Marcus Nilsson

Serves 6 to 8
Hands-on Time: 10m
Total Time: 1hr 10m

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
6 ice cream sandwiches (3.5 ounces each)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped

Directions

1. Line an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with a piece of wax paper or parchment, allowing the paper to hang over both long sides.

2. In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.

3. In the bottom of the pan, arrange 3 of the sandwiches in a single layer, cutting them to fit as necessary. Spread with half the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and whipped cream.

4. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.

5. Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a platter. Discard the paper and serve.

Tip

Upgrade this kid-friendly treat with chopped candy bars in place of the chocolate chips. Try 2 bars of Heath, Snickers, Butterfinger, or Nestlé Crunch.

Nutritional Information
Calories 440; Calories From Fat 53%; Fat 26g; Sat Fat 15g; Cholesterol 64mg; Sodium 155mg; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 47g; Fiber 2g; Sugar 31g

2011-05-17T20:28:00.002-06:00

Celebrate: Lolipop Centerpiece

Candy Buffets are all the rage. In fact, they have become a bit of a Cabrera Celebration favorite. For my sister’s wedding, I created this fun centerpiece. Super easy, and great for any occasion.

To create one of your own just follow some of these simple tips.

Use floral foam at the bottom of your container to hold the candies.
A little hot glue at the bottom of each stick before you stick it through the foam will help secure the pops.
Gumballs and jellybeans make a great filler to cover the foam. I glued the gumballs in place and just poured in the jellybeans into the center.

Here is how it looked on the table, fun and simple!

2011-05-17T20:26:00.000-06:00

basket weave vases

Salvaged some cartons and jars from being thrown into the landfill and woven the cartons into this pair of bright vases.

I made them in theme of the beautiful colors of our globe: the warp and weft are in cool blue and vivid green hues, and the vases are topped off with beautiful white clouds of hydrangeas. Just the kind of décor my kitchen table needs this spring!

For each vase, you will need two milk or juice cartons of the same size and a jar, some paint and a hot glue gun.

1. Cut the cartons to preferred height, making sure that they are taller than the jar for containing the water for your bouquet. Paint the cartons. If you want your vases to be a single color, you may skip this step for now and paint after the cartons are woven.

2. For each vase: cut one carton into 1/2″ strips vertically, making sure not to cut out the bottom, and cut the second carton into 1/2″ strips horizontally.

3. Start weaving by sliding the horizontal strips into alternating vertical strips.

4. Continue weaving until you reach the top and glue the top pieces together so the basket weave does not come undone.

5. Fill your jar with water and place inside the woven carton and arrange your favorite spring blooms.

Winnie the Pooh Invitations

2011-05-17T20:16:00.000-06:00

I actually had another uber cute, 3-D invitation idea, but these little guys are being mailed far and wide, and these bottles seemed sturdier. I'm using the other packaging idea for the favors.
The invites are always the first peek into how an event is going to be, and I want people to want to come just to see what will follow the invitations!

I found the jars on this website. They are only 50 cents for the bottle and the cap. The shipping was as much as the bottles, so they ended up being a dollar each. It's not a bad price, and it was the best I could find when shipping/bottles were combined.

I 'lifted' some clip art using google imaging, and added these to address labels. I'll add the guest addresses to the labels. I put my return address on a small sticker on top (I blotched out the addresses, not because *you* aren't totally on the guest list, but.....)

The jars have a smooth belly, and a smooth back. I'm going to place the mailing stamps on the back. (2 regular priced stamps, I'm going to see if I can find one that sort of kind of goes with my theme, and I'll share the final invites pre-mailing in a few months).

For the innards, I bought this bee punch for 'confetti' from Michael's, it's Martha Stewart...in my head, she'd approve. I printed off a simple invitation with info from the front using a 'food quote from Pooh.'

"It's more fun to talk with people who doesn't use difficult words, but rather short easy words like How about Lunch?"

On the back, I found a bunch of sweet quotes from pooh, and a little square with a bee. I inked both of the edges, and then glued them down to a larger sheet of brown paper (5x7). You can click to read those, but they will be on a lot of other shower related things in the the future as well.

I added a little hive I cut out free hand, and a bee from a stamp with a little buzz I dotted onto the back.

I rolled it up, tied it up with some ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and slipped them inside the bears with the bee confetti.

teddy bear cookies

2011-05-17T20:13:00.000-06:00

Need a fun rainy day project for the kids? Here’s some black and white teddies from Land O’Lakes. Just roll up all the sizes of balls from the dough, stick them together and you’ve got cute little teddy bears! Fun lunchbox treat, too!

Teddy Bear Cookies

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened
1 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Divide dough in half. Place half of dough into medium bowl; stir in chocolate until well mixed.
For each teddy bear, use either vanilla or chocolate dough or a combination for two-toned teddy bears.

Shape 1 large (1-inch) ball for body.

Place onto ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Shape 1 medium (3/4-inch) ball for head, 4 small (1/2-inch) balls for arms and legs, 2 smaller balls for ears. Attach head, arms, legs and ears by overlapping slightly onto body. Add additional small balls for eyes, nose and mouth, if desired. Use fork to make claws on paws.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until body is set. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack.

Cool completely.

How to make Pink Fuzzy Slipper Cookies out of Nutter Butters

2011-05-06T23:00:00.002-06:00

How fun would it be to serve Pink Fuzzy Slipper Cookies on Mother's Day
or for a slumber party, spa party, or even a baby shower?

One of my friends is a cooking magazine junkie and I benefit from her habit. She really can't walk by a magazine rack without making a purchase. The glossy covers emblazoned with mouthwatering photos of the newest recipes captivate her attention and before she is even aware, at least one magazine is in her shopping cart. Whenever she comes to my house, she has a few magazines in hand to show me some new discovery. The other day she brought along a Better Homes and Gardens magazine filled with cupcake ideas and she was so excited to show me how they turned Nutter Butter Cookies into flip flops to top a summer themed cupcake. My friend continued to flip through the magazine talking about various cupcakes, but all I could think about was different ways to use the peanut shaped cookies to make some other footwear. I went down the list of shoes - sneakers, pumps, clogs, cleats ... then it hit me. Slippers! Pink fuzzy slippers. Since slippers have a fairly simple design, I was certain I could replicate them using the cookies. I was so excited to get started working on my new project as I thought it would be a perfect idea for Mother's Day. How cute would they look when served with breakfast in bed?

That afternoon I ran to the store, bought a package of cookies, and got busy in the kitchen. Each slipper would only require one half of the cookie, so I split the cookies and scraped out the filling. The creamy peanut butter centers tasted very similar to that of the peanut butter fudge used to make buckeyes (a traditional candy popular in my home state of Ohio), so I whipped up a batch of the fudge and mixed in the cookie filling. Yum. It had the perfect flavor and a small scoop of the fudge set on top of each cookie was easily molded into a little slipper.

The next trick was getting the slippers to look fuzzy. I melted some pink candy coating, dipped two slipper cookies, and used a fork to spike the wet coating. They looked odd. They just weren't fuzzy enough. I thought about using coconut tinted pink, but tasted the cookie with some coconut. Not good. Next I tried sprinkling the pink candy coated slipper with pink sanding sugar. Too shiny. Then I sprinkled on some pink jimmies. Nope. As I was looking around for inspiration, I came across a bowl of shaved dark chocolate that I had used earlier that week to coat some truffles. The chocolate shavings had a nice fuzzy quality, so I grabbed my rotary cheese grater and grated some pink candy coating and sprinkled it over my pink slipper cookies. It was the perfect fit.

Before you begin, if you don't have any experience melting chocolate, read my my tutorial on chocolate making. If you can't find pink confectionery coating / candy melts, you can follow the directions in the tutorial to add pink coloring to white candy melts. To make the "fuzz" for the slippers, you need to be able to grate some of the confectionery coating. So, you'll need to pour 2 ounces of the colored candy into a parchment paper lined rectangle container then place it in the freezer to harden. Allow it to come to room temperature, then grate it using a box style cheese grater. You can use this technique if you do have pink candy melts, but don't have a rotary cheese grater.

Sweet Pink Fuzzy Slipper Cookies (Makes 15 pair of slippers)

Ingredients:

15 Nutter Butter Cookies
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I choose Jif)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
20 ounces pink confectionery coating / candy melts
Special Equipment Needed:

#70 mini ice cream scoop (or a spoon)
rotary-style cheese graterparchment paper lined baking sheets that fit in your freezer
paper towels

Instructions:

Pull apart the two peanut shaped cookies. Scrape the peanut butter filling off of each cookie using a knife or spatula, not your teeth:) Reserve filling.

Combine peanut butter, unsalted butter, whipping cream, and salt in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat for 20 seconds. Stir. If butter is not completely melted, heat for 10 second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Stir in powdered sugar. The fudge will become very thick. I usually finish stirring in the powdered sugar with my hands.

Notes:

I know most buckeye recipes don't call for heavy whipping cream, but I have been using it for a while and like how it effects the texture of the fudge. It is perfectly creamy.
Don't pack the powdered sugar into the measuring cup or you will have more sugar than needed. If this happens, your fudge can be come too thick and dry. To fix this, knead in a bit of heavy whipping cream until the mixture is malleable but still stiff.
If your kitchen is very warm, you may need to refrigerate the peanut butter fudge for about 30 minutes before trying to mold it into the slipper shape.

Use a #70 mini ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop out 30 balls of fudge (about 2 teaspoons each.) Roll each scoop into a ball. Place a fudge ball on one end of a cookie. Use your finger to press around the edge of the fudge ball and the edge of the cookie sealing the two together. Repeat with the remaining fudge balls.

Use your finger or the end of a wooden spoon to make an indentation in each fudge ball. Pinch around the edge of the indentation creating the opening of each slipper.

Grate 4 ounces of the pink candy melts using a rotary cheese grater. Pour grated candy onto a plate.

Melt 16 ounces of pink confectionery coating/candy melts. Hold onto a slipper cookie by the sides of the Nutter Butter. Dip the cookie, peanut butter fudge side down, into the pink candy coating. To ensure that the top of the cookie and the indentation get covered in candy, move the cookie back and forth a few times in the melted candy. Lift the cookie out of the candy melts and allow the excess candy to drip off. I suggest you dip the cookie back into the candy melts, then quickly pull it out, then dip just the top of the slipper cookie back into the candy melts, then pull it out. Repeat this process three or four times. It will help pull the excess candy off of the slipper cookie. Lift the slipper cookie up out of the candy melts. At this point you may need to tap the cookie to remove any excess candy or you may have to use your finger to move some melted coating into the slipper's opening.

I tried dipping the entire cookie using a candy dipping fork, but found that the slipper cookies are awkwardly top heavy and difficult to dip. Also, I ended up with misshapen cookies if excess candy pooled around the bottom. I thought they looked much better when the bottom of the cookie was not coated in the candy.

Set the slipper cookie on the plate filled with the grated pink candy. Wipe your fingers on the paper towels because you will have candy coating on them. This is a messy job! Immediately sprinkle grated pink candy over the cookie, coating the entire thing. Let the cookie sit in the candy shavings for a minute. Then remove it and set it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat, dipping and coating each of the slipper cookies. Freeze slippers for 5 minutes to set the candy coating. Remove from freezer and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Store in an airtight container.

These adorable little slipper can be made in a rainbow of colors.

These fuzzy slipper cookies can work for so many different occasions: Mother's Day, slumber party, baby shower, spa party, get well soon, retirement party, and even...

FATHER'S DAY!

These adorable little brown slippers were dipped in tempered milk chocolate and sprinkled with milk chocolate shavings. Whether you use tempered milk chocolate or light cocoa candy melts, you can create these brown fuzzy slippers using the method above.

Have fun making these slipper cookies, and be sure to send me some pictures of your creations. If you post pictures of your slippers on a blog, please let me know so I can add your picture here, and link to your site. I just love to see how other people interpret my ideas and use them for their own parties.

These cute slippers are one of my favorite ideas. If you like it as much as I do, please share it with others by clicking on the share buttons below. I'd be grateful to anyone who adds this recipe and reviews it on Stumble Upon. THANKS

Just two Cupcakes. Literally!!

2011-05-06T22:58:00.002-06:00

You ever have one of those mornings/days/nights when you REALLY want a cupcake, or two in case you have someone to share them with, and you don't want to make a whole batch be it box mix or scratch but you want a cupcake. And you want it bad?

Well a friend of mine, who is a fellow cupcake fan, showed me this post from How Sweet It Is blog a few weeks ago. A recipe that makes JUST TWO CUPCAKES. No making a giant bowl of batter and baking only two. But enough batter to make just two. How awesome is that??? And in her post she says its a one bowl cupcakes for two but with having to melt butter in something I can't call it a one bowl process. Maybe a one big bowl one smaller bowl. And her recipe is for vanilla cupcakes which I made first and loved and then I adapted the recipe to make chocolate cupcakes for two. Also using one big bowl one small. So here are my pics of the process for the vanilla cupcakes. Also bonus here is since there aren't many ingredients this takes just a few minutes to whip up the batter. Takes longer to preheat your oven!!

Bowl

Egg white

Sugar

Whisking

Oops spilled some vanilla

Melted butter. Yum

Dry ingredients

Batter all mixed together

Milk

Two cupcakes ready for oven

Not bad of a mess for just two cupcakes

OH yeah!! Frosting! I remembered I had some Oreo crumbs in my freezer from something else I had made and I had some whipping cream so I whipped up Oreo whipped cream frosting

cream, powdered sugar, vanilla no spills this time

mmm whipped cream

you want to know what's insanely tasty? Oreo whipped cream.

Fresh out of the oven. Not sure why this pic came out so bright. You can see there are two vanilla cupcakes though. That's the point. Ha

Again. Sorry for the need to wear sunglasses to look at this picture. I didn't use a flash I swear. Not sure why so bright. But again. Just two cupcakes

I guess for some reason I felt that I needed more things to clean since these cupcakes didn't require much cleanup from making. So I got all fancy and got out a piping bag to frost the cupcakes with

Totally worth the mess.

I couldn't stop licking the Oreo whipped cream out of the bowl. It was that good

The cupcake was kind of flat ( I like more of a dome) so I compensated with a sky high swirl of frosting.

So thanks again to How Sweet It is for this recipe. I will post it at the end

Now for MY version. Chocolate

I liked these better than the vanilla. Has nothing to do with the gal that came up with the vanilla. Those were good. I liked how the chocolate were a bit denser and moist. The vanilla I made were a little drier and lighter.

I went crazy and melted a whole two teaspoons of chocolate chips. I know. Out of control

I subbed cocoa powder for one of the tablespoons of flour

I also used oil in place of the melted butter. Just to see the difference

I also used my bigger pan ( 12 cup as opposed to my 6 cup) and I filled the empty cups with water. Didn't do that with my vanilla. And this batter made slightly more so my cupcake liners were FULL

Beauty eh?

Oh yeah. Frosting. I had some coconut Italian meringue buttercream in my freezer. Always good to have frosting in the freezer just in case...

These were so yummy. And I shared with the husband both times. I'm nice like that

So there ya have it. Cupcakes for two. Vanilla or Chocolate. And I am thinking the possibilities really are endless. You could do any citrus flavor for the vanilla ones. Like for example lemon cupcakes use lemon extract instead of vanilla and add in lemon zest, same with orange or lime. For the chocolate you could use any type of cocoa powder and chocolate to melt from milk to dark or even add espresso powder and use coffee instead of milk to make a mocha cupcake. See lots of possibilities

Here are the recipes for the cupcakes only. For the frostings I just winged the Oreo whipped cream and already had the coconut frosting on hand. So frost with whatever you want.

One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes for Two

by How Sweet It Is

One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes for Two
serves 2
1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla (yes, a full teaspoon – they are super vanilla-y!)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.
In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.
(side note: mine took about 15 minutes to bake)

Chocolate Cupcakes for two

by me. A Cup Full of Cake

Chocolate Cupcakes for Two
serves 2
1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
or 2 tbsp canola oil
1 coffee or chocolate extract
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 tsp chocolate chips melted and cooled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.
Melt chocolate chips in a small bowl in microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted. They will still hold chip form so stir when they are completely melted. Set aside.
In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in extract and oil and stir until mixed. Add in melted chocolate. Scrape into the bowl with a spatula since the amount isn’t much. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Divide batter equally between the two cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.

My notes: This makes 2 cupcakes depending on the size of your muffin tin. I have two that are slightly larger than my others so those the batter doesn’t quite make it to the top of the liner. My smaller tin the batter fills the liners completely with none left to make a third. The first time I made these as the one bowl vanilla cupcake recipe I didn’t fill the other spaces with water and the cupcakes came out really flat. This time I filled them just under halfway with water and I sprayed a bit of nonstick cooking spray around the edges of the two spaces where the cupcakes were going to be baked so in case they poofed out onto the edges they wouldn’t stick. Also these took me 20 min to bake not 10-12 like the vanilla ones did. But even with those mine weren’t done until 15 min. Just depends on how long you preheat your oven and if it has even heat all throughout or if there are hot spots. Since you are making just two cupcakes its easier to make sure they get baked directly in the middle of the oven.

Also since the chocolate chips aren't that many I think next time to make it easier to scrape them out of the bowl once melted I will add the oil in with them and then melt and cool. That way they're easier to scrape out.

some boozy desserts for cinco de mayo....!

2011-05-06T22:56:00.002-06:00

....some desserty-serts for the grown-ups around here to celebrate the festive 5th of may!....is it terrible that i don't even really know the history of cinco de mayo?...aside from going to get some great mexican food and beers...? ok according to the all knowing wikipedia....cinco de mayo is a mexican civic holiday commemorating mexico's victory over the french on may 5th, 1862 during the battle of puebla...oh and apparently only really celebrated here in the US as an excuse to get some great mexican food and beers....great back on target then....!

.....first some margarita cupcakes....used a boxed vanilla cake mix but also added a box of this stuff.....

...i just added the jello powder to the dry mix and added an extra egg more than what the box calls for....and to give it a little something something....also injected them with some real margarita (prob about 4 mL) .....not because i wanted to drink a margarita at 1 pm on a saturday or anything....(ps those kiddo medicine syringes come in handy, right?)

....the icing is lime buttercream....my fav vanilla buttercream but with the juice of 2 limes added in place of some of the milk, and the zest of one of the limes mixed in at the very end.....this stuff would make an awesome icing shot...!

....i used a "lime wedge" made from candy melts because i didn't want the tops getting soggy or wet from a real lime wedge.....i've gone over how to make candy melt toppers a gagillion times....but you can find the basics here....

.....and because margarita cupcakes were just not enough also made some.......

....i wanted to make them with some dos equis in the spirit of cinco de mayo, but didn't have a chance to pick any up....so it's made with a birra moretti.........i couldn't really find any beer jello or gelatin recipes (go figure) so i had to wing it.....with:

beer jello

1 cup of beer

2 packets of knox gelatin

1 cup of water

6 packets of splenda (or you can use 1/2 cup of sugar)

icing or cool whip topping

lime garnish

....add the gelatin to cold beer and let sit to thicken....heat 1 cup of water to a boil then remove from heat.....add gelatin/beer mix to hot water and mix with a whisk.....add splenda and mix again.....pour into your cups and refrigerate (i let it sit over night).....once solid....top with frosting or cool whip topping (i used the lime buttercream from the cupcakes above) and garnish with a lime slice....very simple!

...the cupcakes may have been the best cupcakes i've made to date....the lime/margarita cupcake with the lime buttercream was so very awesome and the injected margarita was not too much and didn't make the cake too soggy either....

...the beer jello tasted like beer jello!....but not overpowering for jello or anything....not my favorite dessert but definitely not terrible either....the 41 year old kid tasted it and said it was ok...but he'd rather just drink a beer vs eat some beer jello...i can't argue with that...!....but it was fun to experiment and it was so simple and took no time at all really.....

...anyway hope everyone has a great cinco de mayo tomorrow---can't wait to get some great mexican food and some real beers...!

DIY Mother's Day Corsage: Felt Dahlia Flower Brooch

2011-05-03T21:49:00.000-06:00

This Mother's Day, make something beautiful for Mom.

Wondering about what to make Mom for Mother's Day? I've been thinking about traditional gifts like flower corsages and lockets, and I decided to combine the two. This felt dahlia pin has a secret pocket in the back that can hold a picture or message for your favorite mom.

You'll need:
- scissors
- Fabri-tac adhesive
- two sheets craft felt, one for the flower and one in a contrasting color for the back
- needle and thread
- brooch pin (available in the beading section of craft stores)
- a bit of thin cardboard (a cereal box from your recycling bin will be perfect for this)

Also helpful, if you have them:
- pinking sheers
- a rotary cutter, mat and ruler
- a sewing machine

We'll be cutting out a bunch individual petals, and above I show what I think is the most efficient way to divide up your sheet of felt. First cut a 3.25 inch diameter circle from your flower color felt. (Do this first to make sure you don't leave yourself too small a scrap at the end.) Then cut three 1.5 inch strips, two 1.25 inch strips and one 1 inch strip of felt. In the contrasting color (here, the green), cut a 2 inch diameter circle and a 1.25 inch square. Cut a small indent into the square.

Finally, cut a 2 inch diameter circle from your cardboard.

Now cut your flower color strips into 1.5, 1.25 and 1 inch squares respectively. If you need more petals you can use the bit of leftover felt to cut more squares. I ended up needing fifteen 1.5 inch petals, thirteen 1.25 inch petals and nine 1 inch petals, you might find you need more or fewer to fill in the flower. To form the petals cut each square into a rounded petal shape, with a wide base and a pointed tip as shown above. Put dots of glue in the lower corners and fold each side over so that they meet in the middle.

This is the most frustrating part of the project -- the glue can take a while to set and if you don't hold the petal shapes in place they will pop open. I found this to be true for both the wool felt and the polyester felt I tested. I made a few versions using felt from various sources and found the higher quality wool felt to be a bit thicker, which meant that it took longer to set, but the colors were richer so I was willing to wait. I used a heavy stainless steel skillet to hold my folded petals down while they dried, as shown above. Luckily, the Fabri-tac adhesive won't bond to the metal of the skillet, so you don't have to worry about petals stuck to your pan.

While the petals are setting you can prepare the back of the flower. Glue the cardboard circle to the center of the 3.25 inch flower color felt circle. Then dab glue on the overhanging part of the felt and fold it over the edges of the cardboard, wrapping it around to the back. You might need to put a saucepan on top to weigh it down while it sets. This will be the base for the petals, and the folded edges on the back will be covered by your contrasting felt circle at the very end.

Now grab your contrasting felt square and circle. Position the square at the bottom of the circle and stitch it around three sides to make a small pocket that opens to the side, leaving enough room at the top of the circle to attach the pin. You can put a few small dabs of glue on the pin before you hand stitch it into place at the top of the circle. I used contrasting thread that matched my flower, but you can use whatever thread color you'd like.

When the petals are set, it's time to glue them to the flower color base. Glue the 1.5 inch petals around the edge of the base, positioning them in about 1/4 inch. As you work be sure to snug the base of the petals as close together side by side as you can; the more you can fit on the base, the more dramatic the results. Next, glue a row of the 1.25 inch petals about 1/4 inch further in towards the center of your pin. Do the same with the 1 inch petals, leaving about a 1 inch circle in the middle.

To finish the center of the flower cut a 1 inch circle from the remaining flower color felt using the pinking sheers, or cut a wavy edge with scissors. Also use the pinking sheers to cut a thin strip from the felt; you can cut two strips if you think you'll need them. Glue down the small circle in the center of your flower to cover the ends of the smallest petals. Then curl the thin strip into a tight spiral and glue that to the very center.

All that is left to do is to glue the contrasting colored backing to the back of the flower, covering the back of the cardboard, and find a picture -- or write a little note -- small enough to slip into the secret pocket. Then wrap it up and present it to Mom!

R is For Rose Basket Cupcake

2011-05-03T21:46:00.002-06:00

See what's in bloom with these rose cupcakes.

Ingredients

1 cupcake
Chocolate frosting
Green-tinted coconut

5 candy or frosting roses
3 strands red whip licorice

Instructions

Unwrap the cupcake and frost in a basket-weave pattern using a basket-weave tip, as in the inset photo. (An easier alternative is simply to pipe a decorative edge around the top of the cupcake.)
Add the coconut grass and the candy roses. Braid the licorice for a decorative handle.
You can also make your own roses with a rose tip and pink frosting.

Slipper Cookies

2011-05-03T21:45:00.000-06:00

Surprise Mom with a pair of these comfy-looking cookie treats. Mom's heart will feel as warm and fuzzy as her favorite slippers when she lays eyes on these cute cookies.

Ingredients

2 halves of an oval sandwich cookie
1 doughnut hole
frosting

shredded coconut tinted with red food coloring
pink decorators' gel

Instructions

To make a pair, first separate the 2 halves of an oval sandwich cookie (we used a Cameo) and remove the filling with a butter knife.
Next, slice a doughnut hole into thirds. Coat the rounded sides of the 2 end pieces with frosting (you can eat the middle piece), then roll them in shredded coconut tinted with red food coloring to create a pair of fuzzy slipper tops.
Use a dab of frosting to stick each slipper top to a cookie sole, then adorn the edges of the cookies with pink decorators' gel stitching.

Resin Mother's Day Coaster Tutorial

2011-05-03T21:35:00.002-06:00

Make Mom feel special with a home made coaster embellished with your favorite picture of you both! This tutorial is inexpenside and great for beginners. Send us pictures of your finished product and we'll add it to this page and our gallery.

You will need:
Coaster Mold 893
Flower Petals
Mold Release
Picture of you and mom
Resin Colorant (optional)
Reusable Mixing Cups
ResinObsession Stir Stix
ResinObsession SuperClear Resin

<><>

1. After Mixing your resin and spraying your mold with mold release, pour a thin layer of resin in the outer circle of the mold. You just need enough to cover the bottom of the mold.

2. Sprinkle in a thin layer of petals. It doesn’t need to be perfect, we will be adding another thicker layer of petals.

3. Pour another thin layer of resin until the petals are about half covered. Allow this layer to cure until “gummy” (approx. 2 hours).

4. Sprinkle another layer of petals until you have reached your desired effect.

5. Pour a layer of resin until the basin is about two thirds full. Using the end of your stir stick, push the petals down, touching the stir stick to the bottom of the mold basin, until you are pleased with the arrangement of the petals. Allow to cure until hard.

6. Pour a thin layer of resin into the center of the mold that just barely covers the bottom. Allow to cast until hardened.

7. Cut out the picture you want as the center of the coaster (We have created a downloadable template for you to cut around).

8. After all resin in mold is fully casted and hard, place your picture in the center of the circle. TO prevent air bubbles from forming under the image, try to slide your image into the mold rather than plopping it straight down.

9. OPTIONAL: You can add color to your last pour of resin to compliment your flower petals. Follow your specific colorants mixing instructions to achieve your desired result. Pour the last of your resin into the mold, about 1 mm away from the top.

10. When fully cured, take coaster out of mold and VOILÁ! You have an inexpensive gift from the heart to give to the leading lady in your life on Mother’s Day.

Lemon Meringue Flowers

2011-04-30T23:41:00.002-06:00

Lemon Meringue Flowers

These simple floral meringues are a perfect pick for spring. And with bright bursts of lemon, they taste as sunny as they look.Forming these blooms is a cinch. Don't worry if the petal points look a little messy at first -- the candied peel at the center of each flower will cover any flaws.To package the cookies as a gift, print this grass design onto card stock. Slide it into a cellophane bag, add meringues, and you've got a sweet little package.
http://www.marthastewart.com/335407/lemon-meringue-flowers

Rated

61100(1)

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Yield Makes 40

Ingredients

- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- Salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 40 squares (1/2 inch each) candied lemon peel
Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk egg whites, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until foamy. Slowly whisk in sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks just begin to form. Fold in lemon zest.
Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Pipe forty 5-petaled 1 1/2-inch flowers onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (For each petal, pipe a small mound of meringue, and drag it into center to form a teardrop shape. Repeat 4 times, working in a circle.) Place a candied lemon square in center of each flower.
Bake until meringues are crisp and lift off parchment easily, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Let cool.

Bunny Fold for Napkins

2011-04-30T23:39:00.002-06:00

Bunny Fold for Napkins

Tools and Materials

Cotton or linen napkins, starched

Easter-rabbit-shaped napkins are a festive detail for the holiday table, and they only require a few simple folds. Well-starched crisp cotton or linen will transform into the sturdiest bunnies. Fold napkins the day before your meal so your "warren" is full when guests arrive.
Step 1
Fold starched napkin into thirds to form a rectangle. (If you're using a square napkin, you'll need to fold in half, and then fold in half again to get a long rectangular shape.)
Step 2
Crease in half to create a center line for reference; fold top corners down along this line.
Step 3
Fold up from bottom corners along dotted lines.
Step 4
Bring left and right edges together on center line.
Step 5
Flip upside down and over. Turn up bottom point.
Step 6
To fasten: Fold left and right corners back; tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base.

Red Velvet Ice Cream

2011-04-30T23:33:00.002-06:00

Red Velvet Ice Cream

Red Velvet Cake reminds me of Valentine's Day, so maybe that's why I was insistent on making Red Velvet Cake when I got together with my art school girls the day after Valentine's Day. I used Jennifer Appel's recipe for Red Velvet Cake from The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook: More Than 80 Recipes for Irresistible, Old-Fashioned Treats, but used the recipe for her Cream Cheese Icing rather than her Red Velvet Icing. I made cupcakes instead, and reduced the cooking time to 30 minutes. I got about 28 cupcakes from the recipe, and lots of extra frosting -- bonus!

With any good cake comes ice cream, and therefore, I felt it necessary to make a Red Velvet Ice Cream. I have had a Red Velvet Ice Cream before -- I am a big fan of Stone Ridge Creamery's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream. But, I wanted to try my hand at it.

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 red velvet cupcakes, frozen, then diced into 1/2 cubes
cream cheese frosting
red sanding sugar

How to:

Heat cream, cocoa powder and sugar in a medium sauce pan, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a rolling boil.
In a small bowl, mix together whole milk and lemon juice to make "buttermilk".
Transfer hot cream mixture to a large bowl and add milk and lemon juice mixture and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
Chill mixture thoroughly in fridge.
Freeze ice cream in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add in the diced cake. Then add a few shakes of sanding sugar (as desired). Finally, swirl in three heaping tablespoons of cream cheese frosting.

Voila.

Ring Cupcakes

2011-04-30T23:30:00.002-06:00

When I first saw Karen from What’s New, Cupcake? share her fun Ring Cupcakes on The Today Show, I knew I wanted to give them a try. After a couple tries, I figured out how to make them, and decided to do a video to show you how just how easy they are.

I think any Mom would love the Ring Cupcakes! They would also be a cute idea for a little girls birthday party. Don’t miss Cupcake Chronicles Newsletter this Friday…I’ll be sharing how to make High Heel Shoe Cupcakes!!

Mother’s Day Ring Cupcake Supplies:

Mini Cupcakes
Ring Pops
Buttercream Frosting or Decorators Icing
Candy Melts
Various candy and sprinkles for decorating

Loyalty Card Holder

2011-04-30T23:27:00.002-06:00

Today I’m going to show you how to make an alphabetized organizer for your loyalty cards. You could also store your business cards inside. My point and shoot camera also fits perfectly in it!

I saw something like this that was made with vinyl at a favorite quilt shop, but they were asking $18.00 for it! We all know the benefit of knowing how to sew, and how it can sometimes save us money. (That is, if we aren’t hoarding fabric!)
You’ll need:

10” x 11” piece of fabric

10” x 11” piece of coordinating fabric

10” x 11” piece of fusible featherweight interfacing (not the thinnest you can get, but not the thickest either—thick enough to hold some shape to the holder)

one magnetic snap

coordinating thread

Printed Pattern A and Pattern B, taped together where indicated

Printed Alphabetizing Cards: 1, 2, 3, and 4 (optional)

Cut out one pattern from both fabrics and the interfacing. Also cut out one 1.5” x 1.5” square interfacing for the magnetic snap.
Iron the interfacing cut from the pattern onto the wrong side of the main outer fabric. Iron the small square of interfacing onto the wrong side of the lining fabric, at the top.
Take one of the rectangle “arms” of the pattern and line up perfectly on the edges, right sides together. Sew with a 1/4” seam.
Now line up the two edges that have a black line marking them, and sew those, right sides together.
So you’ll have a sort of box side now.
Repeat with the other “arm” on the outer fabric.
Now do the same thing to the lining fabric.
Next we’ll place the magnetic snap. Crease with your fingers a line marking the bottom of the holder.
Measure up about 3/4” of an inch, mark, and insert one side of the magnetic snap so it’s on the outside of the outer fabric. For more thorough directions on how to insert a magnetic snap, just google it and you’ll find all sorts of tutorials.

Insert the other half of the snap on the right side of the lining, leaving about 1” in order to be able to sew around the snap. You may want to adjust the snap placement to your liking, but keep in mind when placing both sides of the snap that you’ll want to place it so the edge of the snap is at least 3/4” from the top of the lining because you will be sewing around the snap, so adjust the spacing of the snap in order to have enough space to work around when sewing the lining flap. Tip: if you are having a hard time getting around the snap on the lining, try using your zipper foot.
Insert the outer fabric into the lining, right sides together as pictured below.
Pin around the flap and the edges of the holder. Leave about a 3” opening on the straight part (not pinned in the picture). Now sew around the edges, making sure to leave the 3” opening for turning.

I had to take off the U-shaped part of my machine to sew around the edges since it is small. And it looks a little crazy. Adjust often so you don’t sew a layer you aren’t supposed to. Make sure your needle is in the down position when adjusting so that your stitches remain even.
When you get to the corners of the flap, turn the holder a 90 degree angle to you have a nice, square corner stitch. I also backstitched a few times in the corners to reinforce.

Clip the corners and also the curve of the flap.
Pull the outer fabric through the 3” opening. Iron well, pin, and then topstitch around the edges, again reinforcing the corners with backstitching if desired. (next 3 pictures)
Cut the alphabetizing cards out, if desired, and place those many loyalty cards into your new holder. Finding one of those cards has never be easier!

Cupcake Gift Boxes

2011-04-30T22:55:00.002-06:00

cupcake gift boxes

{Create a twisted fabric/ribbon cupcake}

add accessories & done!

{create a chocolate shavings felt cupcake}

add some accessories & done!

{create a ruffled cupcake}

add accessories & done!

...throw them in some fancy cupcake liners

& pause to marvel over your awesome "baked" goods!

I Love Stella & Dot

New Discount Fashion Website

NEW 2011 Fall Line is Out

Cheese Unbrella

Saucy coconut shrimp

What You Need!

Make It!

Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Slice

Make It

Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Ribbon Lanterns

Easy Ice Cream Cake

Celebrate: Lolipop Centerpiece

basket weave vases

Winnie the Pooh Invitations

teddy bear cookies

How to make Pink Fuzzy Slipper Cookies out of Nutter Butters

Just two Cupcakes. Literally!!

some boozy desserts for cinco de mayo....!

DIY Mother's Day Corsage: Felt Dahlia Flower Brooch

R is For Rose Basket Cupcake

See what's in bloom with these rose cupcakes.

Slipper Cookies

Surprise Mom with a pair of these comfy-looking cookie treats. Mom's heart will feel as warm and fuzzy as her favorite slippers when she lays eyes on these cute cookies.

Resin Mother's Day Coaster Tutorial

Lemon Meringue Flowers

Lemon Meringue Flowers

Ingredients

Bunny Fold for Napkins

Bunny Fold for Napkins

Tools and Materials

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Red Velvet Ice Cream

Ring Cupcakes

Mother’s Day Ring Cupcake Supplies:

Loyalty Card Holder

Cupcake Gift Boxes