Sombrero Cookies

These are great cookies to make with kids or to surprise anyone at a Fiesta! (Just make sure there is no white carpeting...) The surprise inside is guaranteed to have people grabbing a few more! These are a labor of love, but are well worth it in the end!

Ingredients:

1 pouch sugar cookie mix
1 Tbs. flour
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
Food coloring
White icing (cookie dries faster)
Sprinkles (nonpareils)
1 c. mini M&M's

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With an electric mixer, combine the flour, cookie mix, butter and egg together. Divide the dough into four equal parts in separate bowls and color each bowl with your food coloring shade of choice (I used blue, purple, yellow and orange). For this part, you can use a spoon, handheld mixer, or for me I got in there with my hands and mixed the dough and dye until it was almost a tie-dye pattern. Roll each color into 16 individual balls (around 1-2 teaspoons each) and set aside until each color is done. Using a mini whoopie pie pan, press down half of each color of the dough balls (this will take more than one batch). Let cool.

Bump up the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees. Press the remaining dough balls of each color into cavities of a brownie pop silicone mold. Use your finger to press down and up the sides to form a cup shape. Freeze the mold for 10 minutes and bake for 15. They will look terrible inside the mold, but use a spoon to reshape the well in the middle. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, reshape if needed and allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing from the mold. Repeat until the remaining dough is baked. Let them all cool fully.

Pipe the bottom of the cookie cup with the icing. Dip in a shallow bowl of the sprinkles. Flip the cup upside down, place a few mini M&M's in the cup. Draw a circle the circumference of the cookie top onto the flat cookie, and quickly place the flat cookie upside down onto the cookie cup so that the icing circle adheres the two. Carefully flip over and let it sit on a drying rack until the icing is fully set. Repeat for the other cookie sombrero's. And there you have it! Cute little sombrero's that are good enough to eat!

Vanilla Bean Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This moist and dense vanilla bean cake is absolutely divine! The vanilla bean takes this batter to a whole new level, while the sweet buttercream frosting locks in the flavor. Top with fresh berries or dust with powdered sugar and you have an amazing and gorgeous cake!

This recipe is for a triple layer 8 or 9 inch cake. Obviously I have two tiers of multiple layers in the pictures, but all I did was double the recipe (and yes, that makes for needing a LOT of butter!).

Cake:

3 sticks salted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 c. sugar
4 egg whites, room temperature
3 tsp. vanilla
1 vanilla bean, cut in half and seeds scraped out
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8 inch round cake pans with non stick cooking spray (with flour, or use regular spray and parchment paper), and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until a paste forms. Scrape down the sides. Add the egg whites, vanilla and vanilla bean and mix until just combined. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and powder. Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add 1 cup of the milk and slowly mix. Add another 1/3 of the flour, followed by milk, and end with the remaining flower. Scrape down the sides again and mix once more if need be. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden and the inside is cooked through (comes out fairly clean with toothpick, very moist so you may still have some on the toothpick). Cool the cakes fully before frosting.

Frosting:

3 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 c. shortening
12 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
6-7 Tbs. milk

(This will make enough for the cake in the pictures, if you are only doing an 8 inch 3 layer cake, cut in half.) Beat the butter and shortening in an electric mixer until combined. Add in 6 cups of powdered sugar and let mix together. Add the vanilla and 4 Tbs. of milk and mix until smooth. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Test for thickness, and add the remaining milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.

I went for more of a naked cake look, so I frosted about 1/3-1/2 inch frosting between the layers, and then put a very thin layer around the edges, scraping off the excess.

Wedding Deliciousness!

This past wedding I catered my second wedding, only this time instead of just making the food for dinner, I was in charge of the appetizer table, dinner buffet, dessert buffet, groom's cake AND the wedding cake! Not to mention, it was my first wedding cake, ever. It all turned out amazing, and I wanted to share some of the pictures that I took!

Appetizer Table

 

Dinner Buffet

Dessert Table

Groom's Cake

Wedding Cake

The cake was my favorite part of the whole wedding. It turned out beautiful. This naked cake trend sure is taking off! 

Taco Dip

This dip is very easy to make and you usually have all of the ingredients in your home already. If you don't have fresh tomato, feel free to use a mild or spicy salsa. This recipe is very versatile and substitutions can easily be made.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. container light sour cream
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 1/2 - 2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 c. black olives, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and taco seasoning together. Spread in a thin and even layer on the bottom of your serving plate. Top with the shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato and black olives. If you are a huge fan of refried beans, I have started the bottom layer out with that before also, and then continue on with the sour cream, cheese and veggie layers (pictured in the last picture of this post).

(The above picture is from a Lake Placid vs. Jaws themed party)

Fox Baby Shower at Work

Last Friday I held a work baby shower. The theme was adorable! I bought the decorations that were personalized from the website Big Dot of Happiness. I have never been disappointed with anything that I have ever gotten from them. Here are some pictures of how it turned out!

 Vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting.

 Dessert acorns, and a diaper cake.

 Cream cheese truffles.

 Mini ham and cheese croissant sandwiches.

 All of the food and decorations (minus the ones hanging from the ceiling).

This party turned out great! I will be posting the vanilla bean buttercream frosting recipe in the near future. 

The cheese truffles are from the Pampered Chef recipe that I have added to my blog before (Savory Cheese Truffles). I just added a mini pretzel stick instead of toothpicks for an edible handle.

The acorns are Hershey's kisses, mini Nutter Butter cookies, chocolate chips, and chocolate frosting (little dots piped on to help hold everything together).

The punch is just Sprite Zero with a mixed berry Kool-Aid packet.

The mini sandwiches are mini croissants cut almost all of the way through. I spread a sweet mustard on the top and bottom, added a triangular slice of sharp cheddar cheese (cut to fit), and a folded piece of deli ham to fit inside. Simple and delicious.

Shrimp Dip

(The above picture is from a Lake Placid vs. Jaws themed party)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick butter or margarine

4 green onions, chopped

4 oz. Bumblebee canned tiny shrimp, drained and rinsed

         (you can use 2 cans if you prefer a bolder shrimp flavor)

In a microwavable container with a lid (or use paper towel/napkins) microwave the above ingredients for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir everything together and microwave again in 30 second intervals until everything is melted and hot all of the way through. Our family always serves this recipe with Triscuits on the side (it makes it onto the menu to most of our family gatherings).

Deconstructed Deviled Eggs

This is the BEST way to make deviled eggs. It is so easy and cuts down the mess while eating them in half. You can taste every ingredient so much better, and it takes about 1/4 of the time to make! Not to mention they last a lot longer while sitting out at a party (I know everyone like myself hates when the egg mixture normally forms a "film" on the outside). You HAVE to try them!!

Ingredients:

12 (or more) hard boiled eggs ("Baked" Hard Boiled Eggs)
1/2 c. miracle whip, light (or mayo if you prefer...I can't stand mayo)
1/2 c. mustard
Fresh dill

Cut each hard boiled egg, that has been peeled, in half and set on your platter. In a small bowl, mix the miracle whip and mustard together. I piped the topping on using a container that resembles a ketchup bottle. You can use a pastry bag with a tip on the end, or just use a Ziplock bag and cut the very corner off. Top each egg with a small piece of fresh dill. You will be in heaven!

 (The above picture was from a Lake Placid vs. Jaws themed birthday party)

 (The above picture is from a 4th of July party)

"Sushi" Ham Roll-Ups

 

(Picture above is from the Lake Placid vs. Jaws themed birthday party)

Ingredients:

White bread, crust cut off (the whole loaf, save crust for PB2 and Jelly French Toast Bake)

String cheese, unpackaged (I used Bakers, Light)

Carrot sticks

Dill pickles

Onion and chive cream cheese spread

Thin sliced deli ham

Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of white bread out. Cut the carrots and pickles the same length as the bread, and then quarter each lengthwise. Cut each piece of cheese in half Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on top of the slice of bread.Place 1-2 pieces of ham on top, leaving a small edge. Place a piece of carrot, cheese and pickle together at one end of the bread. Roll up like you would a pinwheel, until the seam is faced down. Repeat for the remainder of the "sushi" rolls. I like to refrigerate them overnight so that they are easier to slice. At least refrigerate for an hour or more.

Mini Sausage Bites

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry, cut in 3 strips where the sheet unfolds
1 pkg. Johnsonville Vermont Maple Breakfast Sausage, boiled, casing removed
1/4 - 1/2 c. Beer pub style mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry so that it is about half as thin, and about 1/2-1 inch wider. Spread the mustard in an even thin layer on top of the pastry. Place a breakfast sausage on the end of the pastry on top of the mustard and roll until it touches the pastry again. Cut, press down with fingers to seal, and set aside on a cutting board. Repeat for the remaining breakfast sausage. Once they are all wrapped in the pastry, cut into about 4-6 bite size pieces and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

These are unbelievably messy to put together. However, once you try one you won't regret putting them together!

(Picture above is from my Lake Placid vs. Jaws birthday party)

Lake Placid vs. Jaws birthday party!

Growing up, my sister and I couldn't like the normal types of animals like puppies, kittens and bunnies. My favorite animals were alligators and crocodiles, and hers are sharks. (My poor mom...). So this year, even though I am in my mid to late 20's and she is slightly over 30, we decided to have a joint gator and shark  birthday party! The decorations turned out cute, and the food was perfect for the occasion! Here are some pictures of the party food and decor! (Recipes to come).

("Seaweed Balls" - Spinach Cheddar Balls, "Bone Slices, Cast of Swamp People" - Sausage wrapped in puff pastry)

 ("Bird Eggs" - Deconstructed Deviled Eggs, "Swamp Dip" - Spinach Artichoke Dip)

 ("Sushi" - Ham roll-ups, "Catch of the day dip" - Shrimp Dip)

 (In the 3 section warmer is "Chum" - shredded BBQ chicken, and "Human Remains" - Hawaiian cocktail weenies with pineapple and cherries)

 ("Ocean Waves Cake" - white cake with buttercream frosting and strawberry filling,

"Swamp Cake" - chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip buttercream frosting.

Bottom right is my sister and I (I am the one on the right) blowing out our birthday candles)