DIY Photo Coasters!

Today, we are going to talk about an incident in my kitchen that is NOT edible.

This is a CRAFT!



...I know what you're thinking..."WHY are you posting arts and crafts on a cooking blog?!"


well, SHUT UP. It's MY blog and I made these in my kitchen, so it counts.

Plus, these gifts were a HIT at our annual ladies christmas bash!

EASY...CHEAP photo coasters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, for supplies, you will need the following:

 

 

• Photos of your choice. Printed on normal paper with a TONER printer. NOT the inkjets you have at home
• TUMBLED MARBLE 4x4 tiles. <---don't deviate. It won't work. They're like $2 at Lowes for 9 tiles
• Spongey brushes
• Golden brand Heavy Gel Medium
• Golden brand Matte medium
• A spoon

 

 

Step ONE!



Cover the entire tile with a thick layer of Golden matte medium. Let dry.

Step TWO

Cut out the photo with a little bit of a border. Cover them with the Golden heavy gel.

Stick the photo face down onto the dry tile, use the back of a spoon to rub ALL of the air bubbles out of the image.

Step THREE

 

 

Bake the tiles on a cookie sheet with newspaper lining at 200 degrees for 15 minutes

 

Step FOUR

 

Once the tiles are cool, use the soft side of a wet sponge to rub off the paper. The image will remain on the tile!

 

Step FIVE

 

Apply a few layers of Golden matte medium to the completed tile to seal it.

 

 

**WARNING: These tiles won't hold well against heat, so keep the steamy coffee mug away**

 

CHEAP.

 

AWESOME.

 

QUICK!

 

Enjoy!

 

<3S



Two-Toned, strawberries and whipped cream filled low-fat cupcakes.

I couldn't think of a shorter title...

 

 

Are you ready for some blow-your-mind cupcakes?!

 

Yeah, neither was I. But it happened...OHHHH yeah, it happened.

 

Two-toned icing, Strawberries and whipped cream filled, low-fat cupcakes

 

 

 

 

So, now that you've seen their beauty. Let's break it down.

 

 

 

I'm pretty simple. No need to make them from scratch, you can use the $1 mix from Publix and still make them taste like heaven on earth.

*To keep the fat content low, I prefer to use unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil.

This drops the calorie count by half and typically make much more moist cupcakes*

 

BAKE AS DIRECTED...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour yourself some wine while you wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's prepare our filling.

This strawberry filling is AHHHmazing and has never failed me.

It's super easy and always a big hit

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (16 ounces) frozen sliced strawberries , packed in sugar and thawed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Makes:

2 cups of filling.

Instructions:

Step 1

Drain strawberries; reserving liquid. Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups. In large saucepan, combine strawberry liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well. Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely. Stir strawberries into the cooled mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerate until ready to serve

 

(http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Strawberry-Filling-1)

 

 

Whipped cream filling

1 Cup of heavy whipping cream

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbl Powdered Sugar

 

Whip the cream until it starts to stiffen.

DON'T OVER WHIP OR YOU WILL FAIL.

Add vanilla and sugar and whip until peaks form.

DID I MENTION: DON'T OVER WHIP!?

 

OK- Set these aside.

 

NOW- frosting!!

 

I believe that I have mastered my icing recipe. It is based on this recipe.

 

You need:

1/2c Crisco

1 stick of butter (1/2c)

4c Powdered Sugar

1t Vanilla extract

1t Almond extract

 

Whip together the crisco and butter and extracts. Add sugar slowly. (Go ahead, try and add it fast...see what happens. HA! Powder face!!)

 

This icing will appear almost dry when done correctly. Add a small amount of skim milk to soften it up.

 

Now, split the icing into 2 batches and color them. I chose pink and yellow because it is a baby shower.

 

Alrighty, are your cupcakes cooled? Freeze them or something. Get them to be cool. Now.

 

Now, return to your filling. I DO NOT like to use to filling tip

 

I think it's too long and narrow. Remember, we are using REAL strawberries in our filling. They will clog this tip. Use a wide plain 'ol icing tip and fill your bag.

 

Shhh--Spoiler alert!

 

TIRED OF THE MESS INVOLVED IN GETTING FILLINGS AND ICINGS INTO YOUR PIPING BAG??

 

GOT ONE OF THOSE MASSIVE PLASTIC CUPS FROM RESTAURANTS (IE. DICKEYS) LYING AROUND??

 

Game changer!! Welcome to the simple life.

 

Ok, poke the middle of your cupcake and squeeze until the cupcake puffs up just a teeny bit.

 

OK, I know what you're thinking. IT CAN'T BE THAT EASY.

Um, it so IS!

 

OK, return to frosting. I use the large closed-star tip

Returning your piping bag to the big cup, carefully spoon in your pink frosting on one side of the bag

yellow on the other

 

 

Knead it slightly to get excess air out.

Here's what you should look like:

 

 

Now check it out!!!!!

 

 

How pretty!

 

 

Marbled two tone filled cupcakes.

 

Now, if you're planning a baby shower, here's a cute little decorating idea:

 

Use Jelly Beans and Gummy Life Savers to make little pacifiers to decorate the cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

How pretty!

You're welcome!

Now go enjoy!

 

 

Fouth of July treats!

Happy Fourth of July Folks!!!!

Wahoo Independence day! The greatest mid-summer excuse to not go to work and throw a big BBQ bash!!

I bet you're dying to know what I'm doing! <--I'm just THAT interesting

Well, wonder no more!

My honey and I have been invited to a bash at our neighbors place.

These are neighbors we have only met once, and though I'm sure we made a fine (PSH, AWESOME!)  impression, it is in my nature to go overboard in attempting to better that impression.

SO, I went to super target this morning...an hour and $70 later, I came out with

-Meatballs

-Frozen mixed berries

-Hawaiian bread rolls

-Fresh strawberries

-BBQ sauce

-White chocolate

-Pink Moscato champagne

-A Korean BBQ slow cooker sauce

-Blue sprinkles

-Diet sprite

-Wax paper

-Frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate

Then I threw it all in a crock pot and waited 2 hours.

JUST KIDDING!

BUT....in less than 2 hours you can do all of these fun and easy party platters!

Start here:

Meatballs. Crock pot. 2 sauces. Plop them in and let them work.

Now, while that's working, take your bread rolls, squish them flatter (cuz they're big suckers!)

Mix oil, melted butter, parsley and garlic powder into a bowl.

Slice each roll in half and spread your sauce

Bake at 350 until they're crispy.

I only made one package of the rolls into garlic rolls. I left the remainder plain so that people can choose.

These rolls are going to serve as buns for your meatballs.

BAM- instant meatball sliders!!!

Next, melt your white chocolate in the microwave. It only took a minute for me.

Setup a little conveyor belt

Strawberries>Melted white chocolate>Blue sprinkles>Cookie sheet covered in wax paper

Dip your strawberries in the chocolate and then the sprinkles. Careful to leave some of the white chocolate showing. 

Yummmm

CRAP- Now I have leftover chocolate AND sprinkles!

At this point, I begin frantically searching my house for something that I can dip into these spare ingredients.

SCORE!

POPCORN.

This idea is genius and freaking DELISH

pop a bag of popcorn, while it's still hot, mix in your sprinkles and melted chocolate.





THAT's some good stuff!

NEXT we're going to made the pink champagne punch!!...But I haven't made it yet, so that'll be posted later!

Have fun today! Be SAFE!

<3S

Skinny Asian!

Skinny Asian day!!

Yes- those people are so damn skinny...

If I ate Chinese food every day, I would NOT look like that...

I LOVE Chinese food...like LOVE!!!

The inventor of Lo Mein is a dang genius.

But it's SO GREASY! UGH!!!

Want to have a quick, delicious, take-out worthy HEALTHY dinner tonight?!

I threw this meal together in less than 30 minutes-

YUP, move over Rachel Ray...

I already had all of these ingredients lying around the house.

Grab:

1. A box of whole wheat or veggie sketti. (I used veggie 'guini)
2. Low Sodium Soy Sauce (Don't have that lying around?? Use Dale's...it's the same dang thing...)
3. Hoisin Sauce
4. 1/2 a chicken bullion cube
5. Fresh garlic
6. Chicken breast (sliced and cooked...go buy that boxed stuff in the lunchmeat isle...or, like me, use your left over fajita meat from Chillis...)
7. Veggies (I ONLY like onion, so that's all I'm using...but go ahead and grab some brocolli and those little mini corn thingeys...)
8. Oil (You're supposed to use dark oil like sesame, but who has that lying around?? I went EVOO..)
9. Crushed or ground red pepper

So, OBVIOUSLY...the first thing you want to do is cook your pasta.

Go ahead- boil the water...add some EVOO and make your noodles...

I'll wait...

Are you still cooking??

Hurry up...

Attention: If your meat and veggies ARE NOT precooked- heat up your wok with EVOO and START NOW.

OKAY- Now that your noodles are almost done, throw some oil in a WOK.

"S, you forgot to give me any measurments?!"

NO, I didn't...I don't measure. Just pour in enough oil to cover the bottom.

Wait until that oil gets hot...the secret to cooking in a wok is HOT HOT HOT.

Next- I toss in my garlic. I DID NOT use enough garlic in this recipe. I would mince up at least 6 cloves because I am using an entire box of pasta.

Once the garlic browns, toss in your meat and veggies

For a little pop of flavor, I added half of a chicken bullion cube (that's solid chicken broth) and a small amount of water to liquify the bullion.

Mix in about 3T of Hoisin sauce and almost double the soy sauce.

Like heat? I do!!! ---Add some red pepper. As much as your heart desires

TOSS AWAAAYYYY...

TOSS TOSS!!!

OKAY- everything hot and steamy? Take it off the heat and toss it occasionally. Let it soak up the liquids

OMG- how GOOD is that?!?!?!?!

Do you know how many calories are in that?!

Neither do I...but you can't go wrong with those ingredients!!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

Until next time!!

<3 S

Minnie Mouse Low-Cal Cupcakes?

Kids only turn one once...

Well- you only turn every age once, but that's neither here nor there

So, when my girlfriend told me that she was having a birthday party for her beautiful little girl, I was eager to contribute!

In search of savings, she found these cute little minnie mouse invitations on sale at the store and sent them out...

Now- Minnie mouse has become the theme, even though that was never the plan...

Her main request? Try and make the cupcakes "healthy"

Which is impossible, but it is possible to lower the calorie content.

This post is filled with CRAZY cool baking tips that may change your life!

They changed mine...

A few days before the party, I started the fondant bows

You want to roll out some pink fondant

((I'm a HUGE Marshmallow Fondant (MMF) fan!

1 pack of little marshmallows, melted

1/2 bag of powdered sugar

Lots of elbow grease and crisco))

Using a pizza cutter and a bakers mat, I cut 3 inch strips of pink fondant

Using an old make up brush and some water (it works as glue on fondant) I brush the tips and the center of the strip

Fold the moist ends into the center

Use a very small strip of pink fondant to cover the ends and wrap around the center.

ALSO- buy yourself some mini oreos.

HERE IS WHERE I BLOW YOUR MIND...

Wanna go Low-Cal with cupcakes?

Grab a box of cake mix

and ONE CAN of diet soda...

ANY flavor of diet soda will suffice. GET CREATIVE!

Drop the two ingredients into your mixer, turn it on, walk away

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DIET SODA AND CAKE MIX ARE REALLY THE ONLY INGREDIENTS?!

Yes. And it will come out moist, fluffy, DELICIOUS

LIVE CHANGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Add Diet orange soda to yellow cake for creamcicle cupcakes

Add diet rootbeer for rootbeer float cupcakes

Add diet sprite for completely normal tasting cupcakes

NO EGGS

NO MILK

NO BUTTER

NO OIL

This moment just happened....savor it.

Okay- moving on...

Want to get no-mess even sized cupcakes everytime?

Pour your batter into a large ziplock

cut a corner

squeeeeeze away...

That was LIFE CHANGER number two!!

Pipe on your icing...

I live in Florida...

Add a mixture of cornstarch and milk to your icing recipe to make a

high humidity

icing.

It'll hold up in our lovely weather

Add vanilla AND almond extract to taste heaven

Using a straw and some old purple fondant, I cut out a thousand little dots to make polka dots on the cupcakes and used mini oreos as the minnie ears

HOW CUTE!

ENJOY!!!!

There's another look at the finished little guys...such a delicious, lower calorie HIT!