Mar 12, 2012

Springtime Tulip Cookies!

The weekend was perfect here in sunny SoCal and the flowers were making their seasonal debut, especially in my kitchen. Butterflies were visiting. And ladybugs too. Getting ready for springtime baskets of nature’s smiles. I can hardly wait until our real garden is as colorful. With gentle friends fluttering and buzzing about. Spring.  Officially 8 days and counting. Have a sweet, colorful week. Sugar Recipe & Tutorial Royal Icing Recipe & Tutorial Colors used: Americolor – deep pink, electric green,… [Read More]

Filed Under: DIY Treats, Spring & Easter Cookies Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mar 4, 2012

A Big, Beautiful Birthday Cupcake with Tushie Cookies!

jumbo birthday cupcake with stars and fondant ribbons

Only the most glam birthday cupcake would do for my wonderful friend, Suzi, and her most fabulously stylish daughter, Rebecca June, who describes herself on her blog as an ~ Interior Designer. Jewelry Addict. Clothes Horse. TV Junkie. Wife and Mother to a Rescue Dog. Suzi and Rebecca sparkle. Some people just seem to do that. I knew my design had to include glittering stars – (made from thinned royal icing, piped and filled in on top of cloth covered… [Read More]

Filed Under: Cupcakes & Party Cakes, DIY Treats, Tushie Cookies Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Feb 24, 2012

Decorated Nautical Cookies!

The fleet is in! Are they nautical wedding cookies? Nautical Save-the-Date cookies? Nautical birthday cookies or nautical baby announcement cookies? Let’s set sail … … and send up the flags. Let’s signal L.O.V.E. … and Happy Birthday to my love bug, G.E.J., who turns 21 this weekend. Save-the-Date for a nautical wedding or to announce the very special arrival of a new member of the crew. The Scrabble possibilities are endless when you know the nautical alphabet or you can… [Read More]

Filed Under: Birthday Cookies, DIY Treats, Party Favors, Summer & 4th of July Cookies Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Jan 25, 2012

Mini Boston Cream Valentine’s Day Cupcakes!

mini boston cupcakes

Three words… Begin with the cutest mini cupcakes wrappers ever by Meri Meri. They are part of the give-away I’m hosting that ends on Friday. Fill them with your favorite vanilla cupcake batter.  My recipe is at the end of this post, hot stuff. While the cupcakes baked I made Julia Child’s recipe for pastry cream.  And just like Julia, I made it thicker and added a little cream after it completely cooled to thin it out.  As Julia said,… [Read More]

Filed Under: Cupcakes & Party Cakes, Dessert, DIY Treats Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dec 23, 2011

Decorated Snowflake Cookies!

‘Tis the season for making a flurry of snowflake cookies. Sugar cookie recipe and tutorial. Roll, cut and bake. Royal Icing Recipe and Tutorial. Outline. #2 tip. Fill in. Lightly sprinkle with rainbow Disco Dust. Sunlight refracted through the chandelier. Individuality. Shiny silver dragees. Finishing touches. Snow drift. Flurries. Mini Snowflake Tutorial. Bearing gifts. To all my readers, new friends I have made along the way, and to the loves of my life, all unique and beautiful … … Wishing… [Read More]

Filed Under: DIY Treats, Winter and Christmas Cookies Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dec 13, 2011

The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever!

This spectacular cinnamon roll is the centerpiece of our Christmas morning breakfast and is greeted with the same anticipation at our holiday table as the Cratchit’s plum pudding is at theirs. The recipe relies on using store-bought frozen bread dough, thawed, and an overnight rise in the fridge while Santa makes his rounds. Pop it in the oven while opening presents and the scent of warm cinnamon throughout the house is what a holiday morning is all about. Of course,… [Read More]

Filed Under: DIY Treats, Musings, Seasonal, Specialty Treats, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Nov 7, 2011

Mini Cupcake Spiral Tower (Autumn, Fall)

Mini chocolate cupcakes decorated with over-sized dragees and fall themed fondant cut-outs literally reached new heights in my kitchen for a fall open house party this past weekend. We’ll get ‘up close and personal’ so I can show how you how I made this. It’s not as complicated as it looks. Trust me. They’re just a bunch of little ol’ chocolate cupcakes dressed up all fancy like. The number of cupcakes needed depends on the size styrofoam cone that is… [Read More]

Filed Under: Cupcakes & Party Cakes, Decorations, DIY Crafts & Decorations, DIY Treats, Specialty Treats Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nov 1, 2011

Bat Cookies! with Steamed, Rolled Fondant

decorated bat cookies

Our power was off all morning to mid afternoon so I’m a little late in posting to wish you a happy Halloween so “Happy Halloween” at last! Late, late, late last night after we returned home from a wonderful dinner with our lovely friends I began this project- Yep, sometimes I can be a little batty when it comes to making and decorating cookies. When I’ve got an idea I’ve got to see it through. The cookies were for a… [Read More]

Filed Under: DIY Treats, Fall & Halloween Cookies, Party Favors Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oct 27, 2011

Halloween Cocktail Time!

Question: “What do black Cosmo martinis garnished with sparkly disco dust and a beating heart on a wooden stake have in common”? Answer: “It’s what for dinner come Halloween for me and my ghoul friends”. This year I’m going ghoulie glam with a sparkling rim made with thinned candy coating or white chocolate tinted with icing colors and sprinkled with disco dust. “Ghoulie Pink Sparkle Rim” “Twilight Red Sparkle Rim” I wrote a post on the particulars and challenges of… [Read More]

Filed Under: Cocktails, DIY Treats Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Oct 11, 2011

Decorated Fall Leaf Cookies! A Tutorial (with rolled fondant)

With the autumn breeze swirling colored leaves to my kitchen back door, I had an idea for decorated leaf cut out sugar cookies using rolled fondant that created a different look than using royal icing to decorate them(to see leaf cookies decorated with royal icing click here). With fondant, I could blend the colors together to make them softer and muted.     The first step was to make individual colors of fondant.   I used Satin Ice rolled fondant… [Read More]

Filed Under: DIY Treats, Fall & Halloween Cookies Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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