Santa's workshop.



December is the start of holiday parties and get-togethers. Mine had me making a not your typical gingerbread house, one made out of sugar cubes for a table center piece. It was a first one for me that did not come as a box kit. Where did I start? Going up and down the candy and baking aisles. I was selecting anything with possibilities. Below is what I came up with. If you decide to make one next year I would recommend you stock up on supplies after this season is over.   


Wilton's Cookie Icing worked really well as glue for the sugar cubes. 
You still have to wait over night for it to be completely dry for solid walls. 
                         

Some things I just could not walk by like these items by Wilton and Martha Stewart.  
They were just too cute.


 Sugar cube's. 





To begin, I used my graham cracker as a base for the walls over a paper doily. (You can use parchment paper.) This makes moving it safer until it's completed.  Use your cookie icing as glue/mortar on your cubes. 

Once you structure is dry with out worry of it collapsing (trial and error for me) move on to the details.
Using the cookie icing and white candy melts as adhesive for the details.
For details, I used red and white M & M's, candy cane candies, Mrs. Fields Candy Bark, Wilton Mini Candy Cane Sprinkles, meringue cookies, Candy Kisses, sugar cones and sugar sprinkles and dots and Ande's Candy Chocolate's Flipz's and mini marshmallows. I did say I went up and down the aisles.
Its all about what you want and for me I ended up with two styles of houses.
I had been going for the elegant and ended up with cute.  

For the fence I used Flipz the cake board for fencing.
I also dusted the M & M's with edible shimmer dust to give a frosted look.

Using Mrs. Fields Candy Bark as the porch and the mini candy cane sprinkles as broader around it.This roof top is candy melt coated grahams. If you're using the candy melts for adhesive then be sure the house is in a cool area. Candy melts do melt and you don't want your roof sliding into your veggie dip.

The sugar cones were coated with candy melts and rolled in sugar sprinkles and once dry other sprinkles were adhered with candy melts to the trees.

This house I used Mrs. Fields Candy Bark as the roof and the Andes Candies as a door and shutters for the window's and sidewalk. Marshmallows were used for a snowman using a food pen for the face and sprinkle as a carrot for the nose.  

Candy melts were used to adhere the sugar cone trees, sidewalk and sign post, then accented as snow.


 Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.


Christmas Cookies in Ann Arbor

Just a short and sweet note on how I spent my day with my sister at Sweet Heather Anne's in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We took a Holiday/Christmas Cookies Class with Heather and her staff. If you ever get the chance, check out the classes she offers.  Below are a few of my photo ready cookies I did in class today.






 This was my first time doing cookies like these. With practice, I may be able to pull these off.  



I think I'm ready to start my Christmas baking now.  Have you started yours yet?

Marzetti and House Party.Fun

**House Party has a new name it is now #RippleStreet.com

On my last post I told you I was picked by Houseparty.FUN to be a host for #Marzetti dressing. This was my first party for Houseparty.fun and it was all new to me.  

Who and what is Houseparty.fun you ask?  I'll give it my best to tell you.

They are a company who picks you to host a home party.  But it's not your typical home party.  Nope, your not selling a thing.  All they want from you is your thoughts and feedback on the products/brands by their sponsor.  It starts with Houseparty.com sending you a party pack.

 The Party Pack 


Inside the Party Pack 

My party pack included from my sponsor Marzetti:  insulated  full-size grocery bags, packs of wonderful Marzetti recipes cards and $1.50 coupons for each of my guests. For the host they sent me eight coupons for free bottles of Marzetti dressings for my guests to sample.  Then they sent two Salad bowls, one for the host and one for a guest.  All this was in my party pack that was delivered ahead of my party.   

The Goodies 




I picked a fall harvest theme for mine, set up a salad bar with the Marzetti recipes on display for my guests to follow and sample the wonderful dressings.  We had a dessert bar and then we played a holiday game with the harvest-colored wrapped salad bowl. I handed out the Marzetti bags which I had embellished with a harvest-colored ribbon and tossed in two style ink pens.  It was full of non-stop laughter which started at three in the afternoon and did not end until quarter to seven.  

 The Bags 




The Bags the Day of the Party 



 Sample Salad Bar 





Sample Salad Bar and Recipe Cards 




All I had to do is host the party; and then fill out a survey that Houseparty.com sent to each of us. Talk about a no-pressure house party!  It was that simple. 

I can't wait to attend or host another houseparty.fun home party. I hope you take a minute to check them out. 


Frankie and the Ghost

Being that Halloween is around the corner and all the stores are putting out their stock I was hit with inspiration when I laid my eyes on Frankie. I couldn't even wait for a sale; he was to cute to pass up.  And just who is Frankie, you ask?  Meet Wilton's Frankie! 


And of course, I just had to create something with him. 
I've added a few new pictures. 







Now you know why I just had to run with Frankie and give him a sidekick for the season.

Here's how to do your own Frankie and Ghost snack cakes.


You'll need:

  • Little Debbie Fall Party Cakes (10 cakes per box)
  • Kraft Jet-Puffed Ghost Mallow Marshmallow  
  • Brach's Autumn Mix 
  • Wilton Candy Melts in Vibrant Green (12 oz. bag)
  • Wilton Icing Decoration aka Frankie (12 count) 
  • Wilton Food Writer Pen
  • cookie sheet
  • small Ramekin bowl
  • Parchment or Wax paper 
Take your Food Writer pen and add faces your Ghosts Mallow. Set aside on a cookie sheet-lined with wax or parchment paper - to dry. Melt 1/4 cup of Candy Melts in a small microwave-safe Ramekin bowl, (increments of 20 to 30 seconds) stir until melted. Take your Ghost Mallows / Frankie and dip the very bottoms into your Candy Melts and attach to your Fall Party Cakes. Remember to leave room for a candy pumpkin or two (just dip them into melted Candy Melts). Let stand until the candy melts have hardened, about 5 to 10 minutes.

The sprinkles on the Little Debbie Fall Party cakes remind me of fall leaves. 
I love Wilton's Vibrant Green Candy Melts; they make for a great monster green look.
Wilton also has other Halloween characters to choose from. 


I hope your little Ghosts and Goblins enjoy these snack cakes. 

 I know mine did!!  




Super hero's and pirates... Oh my!


Hello again.  As I said in my last post I was busy in the early half of August making a Spider Man cake for my nephews 5th birthday. It was done in fondant and butter cream frosting.  I found the Spider Man figure and car at Meijer.   I took a hint from a book of my sister-in-law’s and got crafty with my cake board by gluing a red satin ribbon around edge to help bring it all together.




This past week I did a pirate theme cake for a friend’s son, made of fondant and butter cream frosting.




The ocean was a half sheet cake swimming with gummy fish. 


The ropes and the cannon were created from fondant; but, for the sails I used bamboo skewers stained with brown food coloring and then I pierced them through parchment paper to create the sails.  



The cross bones were done with a foodwriter, while the treasure chest is fondant and filled with edible pearls. The boat cake was made from small oval pans, then carved, frosted with butter cream, and then covered in wood impression fondant.  


I hope you enjoyed my adventures with a super hero on the high seas! 
Until next time matey, arrrgh!






Hello again! I've been busy; first with St. Patricks day, I did a butter cream covered chocolate cake for a friend who had been bugging me for a cake since Christmas.   Oh and bought a new camera.  Check out the little clovers on the sides, and that's Christmas (shh don't tell anyone) sugar sprinkles around the edge.  



Then in late March there was the 2012 Great Lakes Minni classes.  I had a really great time, learned a lot and met some really nice people from around the world.  I took another of Nicholas Lodge's classes.  He knows his stuff.  Even gave me some helpful information to use for a bridal shower that I can't wait to try. 


              Next was Bronwen Weber's class. What a nice, sweet and fun instructor.  She showed us how to hand mold chocolate.  Then cover it in fondant. It's not as easy as it looks, takes a lot of hand strength.

Take a look below we stared out with a board and wire. 


Then we worked and worked a large block of molding chocolate by hand. Then we molded it on to the wire frame.  That's all chocolate! Lets just say after class I wanted nothing to do with a candy bar after smelling chocolate for three hours.  Great way to drop some pounds. Then we rolled out fondant to cover him in and added the hair like impressions.




That hair's a lot of work. 




Turns out we made this cute little guy.

No two were alike in our class.  Sadly his ears were a little heavy and stretched but check out his tail wrapped around his back side, how cute!

That about sums it all up for March.  I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.  I spent mine with my family and though it was a bit chilly we had an egg hunt for the kids.  They had a ball of a time, did I say anything about the talking eggs we added?  I found them at one of my favorite places to shop, The Christmas Tree Store.

Love Bug Cakes

Semi Hand-crafted  
Love Bug Cakes   


Here's a fun little dessert to make for Valentine's Day.   


 You’ll need:    
Little Debbie "Be My Valentine" Cakes (10 count 11 oz. box)
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Drops (8 oz. bag)
Jumbo Topping Cherries (12 oz. jar)
Red Candy Melts (12 oz. bag)
Heart Sprinkles
Parchment or Wax paper
Wilton Foodwriter pen in Black
Microwave safe glass measuring cup (8 oz. size)
Cookie Sheet
Bamboo Skewer
Take your glass measuring cup and your candy melts and in increments of 10 to 30 seconds melt your candy wafers. Stir until melted.  Meanwhile place your drained jumbo cherries on a paper towel. Line the cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and lay your valentine cakes on it.
Take your bamboo skewer and poke into one towel dried cherry (about 1/4" deep) and dip it into your melted candy melts/candy coating until completely covered. This is your bug body. Raise slowly and let excess drip off. Carefully place on your valentine cake, leaving room for the Hershey drop. Slowly remove skewer.  Once in position place a Hershey drop (writing facing inward) against the cherry body.  This is your love bug head. 


Once your love bugs are in place let stand until firm 10 to 15 minutes or shorten the time by chilling them in the freezer until firm about 5 minutes.  When firm take your black food writer pen and draw a line down the center of the back for the wings. You can draw hearts or spots on the wing sides or take your bamboo skewer and dip the tip into your melted coating and touch where ever you want to glue your heart sprinkles on the wings.  Follow the same process for the face. 


Now you have your very own Love Bugs!

Notes:  
Depending on how many jumbo cherries and Little Debbie "Be My Valentine" cake boxes you purchase, you can get about 20 cakes. I found most of these food items on sale, coming in under $12.00. 
Hope you enjoy these with your little Valentines.                                                                                


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