Punkie Pie's Place ...

Red Velvet Holly Cupcakes

2011-12-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Chocolate Holly Leaves

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

For quite a few months I've been experiencing with a variety of cupcake recipes and decorating techniques for a variety of reasons (I'll post about that after that Holidays). I made these Red Velvet cupcakes for a Holiday gathering I was suppose to have this past Friday but things didn't work as planned so I saved the cupcakes for the next evening to share with friends and family to taste while we took photos of my son getting ready for his first-time high school dance.

These cupcakes were made with boxed Red Velvet cupcakes (I haven't found the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe yet so I went with a boxed cupcake) and made my own cream cheese frosting. To make them a tad more festive, I made chocolate holly leaves with red and green candy melts.

Chocolate Holly Leaves

To make the Chocolate Holly Leaves, I printed out a holly template from FreePrintables and then placed a sheet of waxed paper on top of the printout and piped melted chocolate following the template. I got the idea from when I made Turkey Feathers for some Turkey Cupcakes I made a few weeks back.

I have found it to be great fun to make cupcake toppers with chocolate motifs! Thinking up so new ideas to try soon.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.

Note: If you like a lot of frosting you may want to increase this by 50% for 24 cupcakes.

Holiday Cake Bon Bons

2011-12-04T07:03:00.001-08:00

Several times during my career as a stay-at-home and as a working-mom references have been made in regards to "sitting around and eating bon bons". Honestly, I never knew what a bon bon was other than maybe it was some type of candy. If you want the full meaning of a bon bon, head over to the the South of France for a wonderful explanation.

This conversation of "sitting around and eating bon bons" came up in conversation recently. Unfortunately it was not a very nice conversation. But (after some stewing over the insult) I though hey I need to make some of these little delicious treats just see what I've been missing out on. I chose to make Cake Bon Bons (which I guess really aren't bon bons by definition), but this is what I choose to try. These Holiday Cake Bon Bons are adapted from Betty Crocker. I made over 100 of them. And yes, I sat down and ate two bon-bons (someone had to taste test) and then donated the remaining bon bons to the church for my son's high school retreat this past Thursday.

Go ahead, eat some Bon bons !!
Bon bons send good happiness to all moms, dads, and kids.
These would make a delicious teacher or hostess gift.

Red Velvet Cake Holiday Bon Bons

Chocolate Fudge Cake Holiday Bon Bons

Holiday Cake Bon Bons Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cake mix (any flavor)*
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 container frosting
36 oz (from two 24-oz packages) vanilla or chocolate-flavored candy coating (such as Wilton Candy Melts)

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make and bake cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.
In large bowl, crumble warm cake; stir in frosting until well blended (depending on the moistness of you cake, you may want to use only 3/4 of a can so that it's not too sticky or greasy). Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to shape.
Freeze 30 minutes. Shape into balls. (If mixture is too sticky, refrigerate or freeze a bit longer until firm enough to shape).
Line another cookie sheet with foil (I use non-stick foil). In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave 12 oz candy coating uncovered on High 1 minute 30 seconds; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth. Remove one-third of the balls from the freezer. Using 2 forks, dip and roll each ball in coating. Place on foil-covered cookie sheet. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate cake balls about 10 minutes or until coating is set. Melt remaining candy coating in 12-oz batches; dip remaining balls. Serve at room temperature. Store in airtight container.

*For Red Velvet Cake Bon Bons use 1 box of Red Velvet Cake mix and 1 container of Cream Cheese Frosting

*For Chocolate Fudge Cake Bon Bons use 1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake mix and 1 container of Chocolate Cheese Frosting. These would be great with a walnut half added to the middle of the bon bon or even some chopped nuts mixed before shaping into balls.

Enjoy!

Sit back and enjoy some bon bons!

Our Favorite Apple Caramel Pie {Contest Recipe}

2011-11-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

“Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton, Bags by Bloom and Harvard Common Press”

All right, I'm in Tidy Mom's 3rd Annual Love The Contest! It's Thanksgiving so I'm chiming into the contest with our favorite Apple Pie. My son and I love all and any apple pie. Apple Pie is our Traditional Thanksgiving pie as well as my son's traditional Birthday Pie (he's not a cake eater so I've been making Apple Pie for his birthday over the past few years).

I've tried bunches and bunches of recipes to get just the right taste and texture. I've adapted and combined different Apple Pie and Pie Crust recipes and this is what I have come up with to be our favorite Apple Pie.

Birthday Apple Pie ... with candles of course!

14th Birthday (wow, he changed alot in one year!)

13th Birthday

Apple Pie in the Makes ...
Here's our favorite apple pie before going in the oven .. see that yummy caramel topping on top - yum .. this is the key for this pie!

Hot Apple Pie right out of the oven! Can you smell it now .. mmmm
Apple Pie
Ingredients:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar (for apples)
1/2 tsp apple pie spice (or a combination of cinnamon & nutmeg)
8 Large Apples - peeled, cored and sliced. I use a mix of apples such as granny smith, johna gold, and fuji. Or you may use all Granny Smith Apples

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer until thick and gooey (like caramel). Reserve 3-4 tablepsoons of the caramel mixture.

Place the bottom crust in your pie pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the caramel mixture over the apples. Cover witih top crust. Cut 3 slits on the top crust. Drizzle reserved caramel mixture on the top crust.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Pie Crust
Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 cup butter
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water
1 egg
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix flour, shortening, sugar and salt.
Add ice water, vinegar and egg. Mix until dough forms a ball.
Allow dough to rest in refrigerator for 10 or 20 minutes before rolling.
This dough makes enough for 1 double crust pie and 1 single pie crust. So it's great for Thanksgiving so you can make an apple pie and a pumpkin pie!

Note: This dough freezes well.

Thanksgiving Apple Pie!!

If you have a favorite pie, link up for the pie contest over at Tidy Mom's and maybe you'll win (but I hope I do).

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Turkey Cupcakes {Tutorial}

2011-11-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again .. gobble gobble 'til you wobble!!

Here is a quick and fun way to decorate your cupcakes for your Thanksgiving dessert table or to bring to your child's school party (Oh, I miss those parties, my kids are now 12 and 14 so no more school parties, but they still love special treats at home).

About two weeks ago I taught a cupcake decorating class and as part of the I wanted to demonstrate how to use other foods, candies, etc. to assist in your cupcake decorating. I adapted these Turkey Cupcakes from Betty Crocker.

The cupcakes were made with boxed yellow cake, Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting, Hershey Kisses Candy, and the turkey feathers were made from Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips, Reese's Peanut Butter Chips and Wilton Candy Melts. See below how to make the turkey feathers and how to assemble the turkey cupcakes.

For the Cupcakes, you will need:
Ingredients:

1 box of Yellow Cake Mix
1 can of Chocolate Frosting
Hershey Kisses
Chocolate Candy Turkey Feathers (see how to below)

Directions:
Bake cupcakes according to the package directions. For tasty cupcakes, don't over bake! Follow the directions below on to assemble the Turkey Cupcakes.

For the Chocolate Candy Turkey Feathers, you will need:
Ingredients:

Wax paper
Ziploc sandwich bag (or pastry bag)
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips
Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
White paper (such as printer paper)
Wilton White Chocolate Melts*
Orange food coloring*

Note: You may use Orange colored White Chocolate Melts but I was looking for a lighter orange color so I used food coloring to make them orange color I preferred. (add food coloring to the white chocolate melts immediately after melting, stir until color is incorporated).

Hand draw a feather template where the feather is 3 inches high by 2.5 wide. Next, hand draw a small feather template that is 2.5inches high by 2 inches wide. Here's a sample (where I have the large and small feathers drawn near each other)

Place approximately 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips in a microwave safe bowl. Micorwave until just melted (30-40 seconds. time will vary depending on your microwave.)

Spoon the melted peanut butter chips into a Ziploc sandwich size bag. Close the bag (remove as much air as you can before closing).
Cut a very small opening at the tip of the bag ...Place a sheet of wax paper over your feather template. And now begin to pipe the feathers following your template (use the SMALLER template for the PB feathers). After you've completed the first feather, slide your wax paper over template just enough so that you can pipe another feather. Continue to make 24 feathers (for 24 cupcakes). You will do the same for the Orange White Chocolate Feathers by piping over the smaller feather template. And the repeat the steps for the Milk Chocolate Feathers by using the LARGER feather template.

The photos below show you how to pipe using the smaller feather template:

Leave feathers on wax paper to harden (maybe 30 minutes). You can carefully place them in the fridge if you want them to harden faster. Once they have hardened, carefully remove them from the wax paper.Repeat the above for the Orange White Chocolate Feathers and for the Milk Chocolate Feathers (Use the LARGER template for the Milk Chocolate Feathers).
Note: We loved just eating the PB feathers so you may want to make a few extras for munching.
And Just for fun my daughter made a little chocolate turkey :)

To assemble Turkey Cupcakes:

Frost the cupcake with a generous amount of chocolate frosting:
Insert Milk Chocolate Feather into the frosted cupcake as such:
Insert Orange White Chocolate Feather:
(Do the same for the Peanut Butter Feather - Sorry I don't have a photo for that )

Place Hershey Kiss in front of the feathers:

Ta, Da!! ... Turkey Cupcakes!!
Gobble, Gobble and Happy Thanksgiving!

Queen of Halloween

2011-10-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love decorating and cooking for Halloween. We decorate and light up our house, cook creepy and whimsical foods and treats and have friends over to celebrate before we trick-or-treat.

The house is decorated inside and out (has been for weeks), costumes are made and now I'm thinking of what treats to make for Monday Night.

Last year I hosted two big kid parties (one for my daughter and one for my son). For my daughter we had a Pink-O-Ween Halloween party and for my son just a regular o' creepy party.

Since I've been revisiting some past parties and recipes I thought I'd share some recipes and how-to's with you in the posts following this...

I'll be sharing with you:

RIP Graveyard Dirt Cakes

Recipe Here

Creepy Mouse Truffle Cookies

Recipe Here

Jello-Brains

Recipe Here

Pinky Finger Sandwiches

Recipe Here

Tickled Pink Punch

Recipe Here

Candy Corn Treat Bags

How-To Here

Happy Halloween!

Pink-O-Ween Halloween RIP Dirt Cakes & Pinky Finger Sandwiches{Recipe}

2011-10-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Halloween party menus usually spell gross-out appetizers like grape eyeballs and linguine guts. Elevate to edibly eerie with these yummy apps: RIP Graveyard Dirt Cakes and Pinky Finger Sandwiches from this Pink-O-Ween Halloween Party.

Ingredients for RIP Graveyard Dirt Cakes

• 1 (20 oz) package chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 (3.9 oz) packs instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 16 8oz clear plastic cups (for serving)
• 1 package of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies
• Black frosting (pre-made or add black food coloring to canned vanilla frosting)
• Candy pumpkins for decorating
• Pink sprinkles (optional)

Directions for RIP Graveyard Dirt Cakes

1. Put the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process until they become fine crumbs. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the butter or margarine, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla flavoring. Beat on low speed to mix then beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the chocolate pudding mix and milk to the bowl. Beat on low speed to combine.

3.Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture with a rubber spatula.

4. In each clear plastic cup, assemble in layers as follows: first layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs; second layer, 1/2 pudding mixture; third layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs; fifth layer, 1/3 cookie crumbs.

5. Decorate each Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie with black frosting by piping the letters RIP (or whatever you choose) at the top of each cookie.

6. Insert decorated Milano cookie into each plastic cup and place a candy pumpkin next to and in front of inserted cookie.

7. Garnish top of each graveyard with pink sprinkles (optional).

Pinky Finger Sandwiches

Pinky finger sandwiches (above ) are a magical mix of pink bread and a variety of fillings. Make pink bread by purchasing frozen bread dough (such as Rhodes) and letting the dough defrost. Knead pink food coloring into the bread before letting it rise and bake. Slice into finger-sandwich-size slices; fill with either peanut butter and jelly, or turkey.

No-Bake Creepy Mice Truffle Cookies {Recipe}

2011-10-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

For once, mice you'll be happy to see circling your plate. Squeak out an easy win with these simple-ingredient crowd-pleasers.

Another Pink-O-Ween treat...they may look a little creepy but that taste great! What's not to like, Oreo cookies, cream cheese, and chocolate!

Ingredients for Cookies

• 4 (1 oz) squares semisweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup of sour cream
• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs*

Ingredients for Decorating

• 1/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs*
• 24 pink decorating candy or pink Nerds candy
• 48 white nonpareils sprinkles
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 12 (2-inch) pieces long red vine licorice

Directions for Cookies

1. Melt the chocolate and combine with sour cream. Stir in 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

2. Roll by level tablespoonfuls into balls. Mold to a slight point at one end (the nose).

3. Roll each mouse-shaped dough in chocolate cookie crumbs. On each mouse, place pink candy in appropriate spot for nose, white nonpareils sprinkles for eyes, almond slices for ears, and a red licorice string for the tail.

4. Refrigerate for at least two hours, until firm.

*Note: To make chocolate cookie crumbs, use approximately 20-22 chocolate sandwich cookies with creme feeling (such as Oreo cookies). Put the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process until they become fine crumbs. Set aside.

Dash of Deadly Jello-Brain and Tickled Pink Punch {Recipe}

2011-10-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

Just because it's Pink-O-Ween doesn't mean it's Wimp-O-Ween. Keep a little creep factor to capture the Halloween spirit with creepy-crawly beverages and quivering Jell-O molds made palatable in pastels and purples.

Jell-O Brain

The Jell-O brain was made with grape Jell-O and a brain mold (available at craft stores and Walmart in the Halloween decoration section). The grape-matter looks black when displayed on the table, in keeping with the black and pink theme.

Tickled Pink Punch

This punch is very simple, yet does the trick. Mix Country Time (or any brand) pink lemonade drink mix (made according to the directions on the container) and garnish with spider ice cubes.

To make spider cubes, place plastic spiders (wash first) in ice cube trays, fill with water and freeze.

Candy Corn Goodie Bags {How To}

2011-10-23T04:01:00.000-07:00

Surprise Ending

Memorable as Pink-O-Ween is, the evidence will be long gone in your guests' bellies by night's end. Create take-home goodie bags so the dream never dies.

Candy Corn Goodie Bags

Pick colors that match your theme; Debbie used white, pink and black velvet. I adapted a Candy Corn Felt Sachets tutorial to my liking by making the bags larger and sewing the strips of fabric so that the seams were hidden.

Fill the bags with take-home treats your guests can enjoy later. I went with festive pink nail polish, pink candy and Play-Doh for the kids to enjoy at the party, or at home.

Pumpkin Bread Cupcakes {Recipe}

2011-10-15T05:21:00.001-07:00

I'm actually not a a "sweet eater". I tend to go for the salty savory type foods. However, I still enjoy to bake because I love the smell (taste too) and I love that you can be so creative with sweet treats and desserts.

There are few sweet treats high on my list that I really enjoy and one of those is Pumpkin Bread - it is my absolute favorite cake/bread. Especially during the fall months.

The last few months been trying out a variety of cupcake and frosting recipes getting ready to teach some decorating classes at a local community center. Yesterday, I decided make my favorite pumpkin bread recipe (I've been craving it for weeks). The recipe I use makes a lot of batter so I decided to try out some cupcake size pumpkin breads just for fun. So I don't know if you can actually call these cupcakes since it's a bread recipe. I have to say, they came out great and I adore having my own little individual pumpkin bread cup. Even my teenage son walked up the steps to tell me how delicious they were (you know they have to taste good when that happens).

Now I personally I like the pumpkin bread cupcakes plain or sprinkled with a little powedered sugar. However, for those that have a big sweet tooth in my family, I added some Cream Cheese frosting to a few cupcakes. They looked a little "plain" and non-festive for fall so a thought came to mind .. a little drizzle of Marzetti's Sweet and Salt Caramel (new product that's out and was sitting on my kitchen counter) and a sprinkle of brown-sugared candied walnuts would just make these pop! Oh, and that tad of salty would make me happy.

I used my favorite Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread Recipe from Allrecipes.com but changed it a tad by modifying the sugar. I replaced the 3 cups of white sugar asked for, to 2 3/4 cups of white sugar and 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar. I did this because I did not have enough white sugar on hand.

Pumpkin Bread Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar (I used 2 3/4 white sugar, and 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. *
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.**

* This recipe makes a lot of batter so I made one large pumpkin bread and 10 cupcakes.

** For the cupcakes, bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

You can serve the cupcakes (or bread) plain. Or pipe cream cheese frosting, using a Wilton 1M tip, top with Marzetti's Sweet & Salt Caramel Dip (heat up in microwave to make drizzling easier) and Brown-Sugared Candied Walnuts. Recipes follow:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

I used How to Make Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting recipe
from How To Eat A Cupcake:

Yields: About 2 cups

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Grated lemon or orange zest, ground cinnamon, or liqueur of choice

Electric Mixer Method:
Have the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temperature. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended. Add sugar one-third at a time and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. If frosting is too stiff, beat for few seconds longer. Do not overbeat. If desired, stir in additional flavoring to taste. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Soften and stir until smooth before using.

Brown-Sugar Candied Walnuts:

I just made up a quick recipe to do this.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3 to 4 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/2 tsp water

Directions:
In a small heavy skillet, combine sugar, sprinkle of cinnamon, and water. Add walnuts and cook over medium heat until nuts are toasted, about 4-6 minutes.

Acorn Candy Cookie Toppers {Tutorial}

2011-10-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some fall cupcake baking week and trying out different cupcake toppers that would be good for fall. I found several ways to make acorn toppers using Mini Nilla Wafers and Hershey Kisses. Here is a quick tutorial on how to make some for yourself. These are easy to make (easy enough for kids to make too) and they taste good.

Nilla Wafer Acorns - Tutorial

You will need: Mini Nilla Wafers, Hershey Kisses and Chocolate Frosting:

Steps:

1. Put a small amount of frosting on the bottom of the Mini Nilla Wafer

2. Place the bottom of the Hershey kiss onto the frosted cookie

3. Add a dab of frosting to the top of the Mini Nilla wafer cookie (for the stem)

All done, here's your Acorn Cookie Candy topper:

The Acorn Candy Cookies make great cupcake toppers or just eat them up!

~Enjoy

Back To School

2011-09-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today was Back To School day for my kids. My son started his first day of high school. And yes, I am in disbelief that he is already 14. I swear just a blink ago I was putting him on the school bus for his first day of Kindergarten. Today, I kind of had that some deep in the gut feeling, as I did 9 years ago .. how will he make it through his first day, will he eat his lunch, will he find his way, will he miss me (yeah, right?!?). Well, just like his first day of Kindergarten, all went perfect and he had an awesome day! As for my daughter, today was old hat for her. She started her second year of middle school today. There's still some anxieties with unknowing, forgetting your locker number, who's in your class, etc. But overall it was smooth transition. She is my organized child (not that my son isn't. But she is SUPER organized). She has her folders, binders, notebooks all color coordinated, schedule memorized and printed and stashed in all various places (just in case), pencils sharpened, chap stick, hair brush, mirror .. all locker necessities in order.

So where does one stash all the necessities in one's locker? There are SOoooo many locker organizational gadgets for lockers. Shelves, ladders, magnetic hooks, mirrors, pencil boxes, they even have Magnetic Motion Sensor Locker Chandeliers (really!). But my daughter wanted something unique in her locker...what, no chandelier??? Nope, no chandelier (I'm thinking she doesn't about the chandelier) ... instead she asked her mom to make her something...yep, that's right. So she picked out some cool fabric I purchased from Ikea this summer and I made her this fabric school supplies organizer (not quite a magnetic motion sensor chandelier): But it's cute, fits perfect and she loves it:

I modified my fabric Bloom Pouch pattern to make the organizer. I will be adding these to my Etsy shop in the next couple of weeks. They make great storage for many things (desk supplies, books, magazines, DVDs, keys, cell phones, small toys, socks, and more).

Happy Back to School!

Ice Cream Sundae {Cupcakes}

2011-08-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Rumor is today is National Cupcake Day .. How about celebrating with an Ice Cream Sundae Cupcake?. I made these back in June for a party and have to admit they were one of the tastiest cupcakes I've made.

They are just boxed cake cupcakes but the combination of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry was a delightful mix of flavors topped with buttercream frosting, chocolate syrup, maraschino cherries, and banana (dried banana chips).

Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cake mix (Such as an 18-1/4-ounce box)
Chocolate Cake Mix
Strawberry Cake Mix
Baking cups
Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
Chocolate Syrup
Sprinkles
Maraschino Cherries
Dried Banana Chips
Disposable or Featherweight Decorating Bag
Decorating Tip #1M

Instructions:

Prepare all three cake mixes according to the directions on the boxes.

Line 36 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the vanilla batter among the cups, then the strawberry, then the chocolate (approximately 3 tablespoons of each flavor of cake).

Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe directions. Let cool.

To Decorate:

Pipe buttercream frosting onto each cupcake using a decorting tip #1M. Top with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, a marsichino cherry and a banana chip.

Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

3-4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifed
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Up to 4 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions:

In a mixer, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute, adding more cream if needed to piping consistency.

~Enjoy!

Bunco Night - Picnic Style {Recipes}

2011-07-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

This month it was my turn to host our bunco night. I went with a picnic them (not that you need a theme) for food and prizes. I made Chicken Salad Sliders, Mini Hotdogs in Puff Pastry, Artichoke Squares, Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips, and Bunco Cupcakes. The recipes for all of these are at the bottom of this post, following the photos. Had a great time having everyone over. We looked out and had a great weather so we were able to play bunco outside on the deck as well is inside in the air conditioned house.

Bunco Cupcakes ...

I've been into cupcake decorating lately. You will see more posts soon since I've been asked to teach a class or two in the fall at a local community center. I will be testing out techniques and recipes later in the summer (after we get back from our vacation in Florida).

Chicken Salad Slider Sandwiches ...

I made these using Paula Deen's recipe... what's not to like when it comes to Paula's recipes. These were absolutely delicious served on potato rolls from a local bakery.

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips ...

Always a favorite item to make in the summer when the fruit is so fresh and tasty.

Pigs in A Blanket ...
These are super easy to make and everyone enjoys.

Recipes from Bunco Night
Picnic Style ...

Bunco Cupcakes

1 Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
Buttercream frosting, colored with pink gel food coloring

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (may need more depending on the consistency you want)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp - 2 tsp of light corn syrup (I add this to make a smoother texture)

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 to 2 teaspoons of corn syrup until desired consitency. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

Chicken Salad Sliders
Recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
1 cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup slivered almonds
12 mini slider rolls

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mayonnaise and salt. Toss with the chicken, celery, and almonds in a medium bowl. Serve on mini slider rolls.(I served on potato rolls from a local bakery. Yum!)

Note: For the chicken, I poached chicken breasts in water, bay leaf, celery, onion, salt & pepper.

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
3 peaches
1 pint of blueberries
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Pigs in a Blanket
I found this recipe over at Make and Bake. This is actually a Martha Stewart recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lbs (about 60) mini hots dogs (I used two packs of Hebrew National cocktail wieners)
Cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces, optional
1 large egg
Flour, for working with pastry dough
1 box of puff pastry, or two sheets of homemade puff pastry (2/3 of the recipe here), thawed
poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. Slice all hot dogs about 3/4 of the way length-wise and put a small piece of cheese inside the hot dog. If you're not using the cheese, just poke the hot dogs a couple time with a fork.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry at a time into a 11x14 inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 7 1 1/2 strips, then cut each strip into 4 rectangles, each about 3 inches long.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat (I am out of parchment so I just sprayed my sheets with some baking spray). Wrap each hot dog with a piece of the puff pastry. Using a pastry brush, brush the top with the egg wash and then sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Chill the baking sheet of hot dogs in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Artichoke Squares
Photo coming soon...

Ingredients:

2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts (or 1 large jar),
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
4 eggs well beaten
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
a couple of grinds of black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2-3 drops hot sauce to taste
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or cheddar, gruyere, swiss, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the inside of a small lasagne sized pan (8x 11) with with non-stick spray. Drain marinated artichokes, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Chop artichokes into small pieces. Add reserved artichoke liquid to a heated skillet. Add onions (and garlic if using) and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs well, stir in onion/garlic mix, breadcrumbs, salt, oregano, hot sauce and pepper. Add in half of cheese and all the chopped artichokes. Pour mix into pan and spread out evenly. Top with remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into squares. Serve either hot or at room temperature. Makes 24 squares.

Bloom Pouch

2011-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for a way to sew something for my garden..yep, really... I like to sew things for my garden, such as, cushions for chairs, throw pillows, etc. This year I decided to make some "Bloom Pouches". I was inspired to do so after reading a variety articles on growing flowers, fruits and vegetables in portable bags. Such as this article /review on portable garden bags by Gardener to Farmer.

I decided to start small with some pouches for herbs and small flowering plants. I have made a few larger ones but have not photographed them yet (I will soon). They add a nice little touch to any garden. You can directly plant your plants in the pouch or place a plastic or clay planter in the pouch itself.

These pouches are holding peat pots with herbs...this works too. The pouches are made out of decorative outdoor canvas and lined with a layer of nylon to prevent leakage...

I directly planted these impatiens right in the the pouch...dirt and all. This pouch is made from outdoor canvas but it is not lined purposely so that the water can drain from the pouch and allows oxygen to flow. I also adde a chalk cloth tag to label the plant...

I've been thinking about adding these to Punkie Pie's Boutique Etsy shop. Leave a comment and let me know if this is this something you buy or use in your garden. Thanks!

Cupcake Wars & {Giveaway}

2011-06-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

My son will be moving up from middle school and into the high school next year. Next week is their Moving Up Ceremony. During the celebration they can participate in a cupcake wars game. We all know cupcakes are hot, hot, hot right now and there's so many great ideas that people come up with. To be honest I haven't come up with any ideas on my own but I couldn't resist in participating in the cupcake making. I LOVE to make cupcakes! Why is that? I have no idea!

A few months ago I made these Rainbow Cupcakes for my Taste Tempters Cooking Club and have been thinking I may make these in addition to two other types (still deciding on the other two). The recipe for these rainbow cupcakes can found at Our Best Bites. They are delicious!

I don't know if it's coincidental or what, but I keep running into cupcake ideas on the internet, FB, cook books, friends, etc. Today in my FB, this Marvelous Monday GIVEAWAY from A to Zebra Celebrations came up. So be sure to check out her awesome Giveaway of a $75 gift certificate to the Cupcake Stand shop. If I don't win, then I hope you do! :) :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to all that celebrate this blessed holiday...

Easter dessert was at my house this year. I love decorating the dining room for all occasions, celebrations and parties. For our Easter dessert table this year, I decorated with printables from Anders Ruff's EASTER has SPRUNG Printable Design Collection, and found some wonderful tutorials and great recipes on the internet to make it all come together. I even made a very novice tutorial of my own on how to make a decorative paper wrap for a 6-pack plant container for a quick tablescape decoration.

Follow below to see all the fun tutorials and great recipes ... all great things to use for any celebration...just use your imagination...

Desserts and Colored Easter Eggs to be had later in the day after eating at a local restaurant for an Easter buffet.

Edible Easter Grass...very strange...kinda tastes good...the kids got a kick out of it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Cake:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

reheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.

Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and well blended. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Lemon Angel Pie (this was my favorite)
Recipe from Your Homebased Mom

Lemon Angel Pie

Ingredients:
4 eggs, exasperated
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups whipping cream

Directions:
Beat 4 egg whites, gradually add 1 cup sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff, but not dry. Spread on bottom and sides of buttered 9 inch pie pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Cool.

Take 4 egg yolks and beat slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind, 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook until thickened in microwave for 4 minutes (stir every 30 seconds) Cool.

Whip 2 cups whipping cream and fold 1/2 of whip cream into lemon mixture. Pour into cooled meringue shell. Top with the remaining whip cream. Chill for 24 hours.

Napkins & Forks (for eating yummy desserts)

Wrapped each yellow fork with a pink paper napkin, then tied a "Happy Easter" tag on each one with ribbon (tags from the Easter has Sprung printable design collection).

Easter Egg Coloring

From this ..

To This..

My daughter's quote on the yellow egg above "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" ... her favorite saying.

Kids working hard on their egg coloring.

Paper Crafting

A few close-ups of how I used Anders Ruff Easter has Sprung Design Printables

For an added touch of Easter-ness, I made some paper covered clothespins withe Anders Ruff printable paper and tags (using my paper covered clothespin tutorial from this past Christmas)

My daughter has quite the collection of Iwako erasers .. she even had a watering can and flowers to add to our Easter grass decoration.

Easy as 1-2-3 Happy Easter banner

From the Easter has Sprung collection, I printed the Easter banner on cardstock and cut out each letter and sewed the letters to some dark pink pom-pom trim and ribbons.

Cupcake Socks

I like to add one handmade gift to my kids baskets. This year it was Cupcake Socks. Seven Thirty Three has come up with an adorable gift idea using those thick cozy socks. Here’s her tutorial on how to make sock cupcakes! For the paper cupcake holders I some of the printable paper designs from the Easter has Sprung design collection. I cut a decorative borders around the 12 x 2.5 paper using my paper border punch.

I made two cupcakes for each of my kids. Each cupcake has 3 no-show socks rolled up, topped with a Dove chocolate Easter egg. I wrapped each cupcake in a plastic treat bag and tagged each one. Each treat bag had a card saying, "This cupcake in not to eat. It was 'baked' with love to warm your feet!" Love, The Easter Bunny (got this from Seven Thirty Three).

6-pack Plant Wrap

I love fresh flowers but didn't have a chance to get Easter flowers so I grabbed a 6-pack of pansies at the grocery store and my plan was to plant them in a decorative container but I didn't get the chance to get that either...so I quickly made this 6-pack planter wrap for the pansies and placed the pansies on some plastic and then put this cute little wrap around them. This worked great since the pansies were only going to be on the table for a couple of days and wouldn't need watering.

Cut a 10 inch x 2 inch piece of decorative paper

Make a decorative border using a border punch

Cut this strip of paper into two pieces so that you have a 6 inch x 2 inch and 4 inch x 2 inch

Line up the two pieces of paper (front to back), punch holes in each corner with a paper hole puncher.

Slide a piece of ribbon through the punched holes in each corner

tie in a knot or bow

Trim the ribbon to desired length

After tieing the sides together, open like a book and you will have something like the above. You will now want to make another one of these and then be sure to tie all the sides together to make a bottomless box.

Place your 6-pack wrap around the container of flowers and then place all on a tray or something that will keep your table from getting wet or dirty from the plants.

Earth Day

Earth Day was on Good Friday, the same day we were coloring Easter eggs. Without doubt there's always an egg or two that don't make through the color process. So I kept those egg shells, cleaned them out and then sowed some herbs in them in honor of Earth Day. (This would be in addition to the 700 plus seeds I have sowed for my gardens this year).

Flower Eggs

Some where on Facebook a DIY tutorial from Pizzazzerie for flower eggs popped up and I was totally drawn to them and HAD to make them!! I SOooooooooo love her blog and I'm in total awe of her talent. I could droll all day reading her blog along with reading Anders Ruff...

Here is what I came up with using her tutorial . Of course I had to make one in every color...they were fun and easy to make and oh, so cheerful.

Happy Easter

Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

2011-04-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

My husband and I really enjoy Indian cuisine but we rarely have a chance to eat it. Our choices of Indian restaurants in town are limited. So I decided to try making some of our favorite dishes here at home. Last night I made Chicken Makhani aka Indian Butter Chicken. I do have say, this tasted excellent. Even my son devoured this delightful dish. I found several recipes online and I am sure some are more traditional than others but I chose a recipe that uses ingredients that are easily available. I adapted my recipe from Joelen at What's Cookin', Chicago . I love her blog and truly have had wonderful luck with any recipe I use from her site. You can find her recipe here and my changes below ....

Recipe adapted from Joelen at What's Cookin, Chicago

Chicken:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds chicken on bone, cut into large pieces (keep leg pieces whole)
1 teaspoon garam masala (I used Tastefully Simple's Flavors of India Seasoning Salt)
1 pinch cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy/hot)

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala (I used Tastefully Simple's Flavors of India Seasoning Salt)
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried cilantro)
1/4 cup finely ground cashews (the cashews act as a thickening agent. I didn't have any on hand so omitted and it still turned out great)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala (or Tastefully Simple's Flavors of India Seasoning Salt) and cayenne. Cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by heating 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander and bay leaf. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half, yogurt and cilantro. Reduce heat to low, and add the browned chicken. Simmer for at least 1 hour (or until chicken starts to fall of the bone), stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the ground cashews and stir. Serve over steamed basmati rice.

NOTE: You may make this recipe with 1 lb of boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces and reduce the cooking time from 1 hour to 10 minutes.
~Enjoy

Messenger Bag

2011-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

This week my kids are on Spring Break. We have a few day trips planned for the week which always involve shopping some how or me carrying water bottles, snacks, wrappers, packages... I really dislike carrying small bags, packages around when sight seeing but I like the idea of having a roomy sling type bag to carry those little souvenirs and whatnots. I made a messenger bag using this quick and easy tutorial from Fabricworm. It really came out nice and I had it finished within two hours. You can add as many pockets, zippers, etc. that you want to this pattern (which I plan to do on my next bag).

It's Spring Break week so this is just a short post since it's family time this week. I must pack and get ready for our next adventure - NYC it is!

By the way, Fabricworm has great fabric and wonderful service (I am not affiliated - I just love her online shop.)

Popovers & Egg Salad

2011-03-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last minute dinner idea for a quick meal needed on a Friday night... Popovers and Egg Salad.

I love popovers and I never think to make them...tonight I was planning on making this Egg Salad recipe but forgot I had no bread in the house (hey, it's Friday). So I decided to whip up a batch of these delightful popovers. These are real quick to make and my family thinks they are yummy (not very often they ALL like the same thing). My kids love them with jelly.

Egg Salad
Recipe is adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 ounce cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (you can use more or less)
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
3/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
6 popovers (or 3 pita breads) halved
6 lettuce leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Miracle Whip, and mayonaise. Add the celery, relish, dill weed, salt and mustard. Gently stir in eggs. Line popovers (or pita halves) with lettuce; fill each with 1/2 cup egg salad. Yield: 3-6 servings.

Popovers

Ingredients:

6 tsp. unsalted butter, for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 scant teaspoons salt
3 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, milk, and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir to combine (some small lumps may remain); do not overmix. Set Aside.
Place 1/2 teaspoon of butter in each popover tin. Place in the oven until butter begins to bubble (approximately 1-2 minutes).
Using a 1/2-cup measure, gently pour batter into the center of each prepared popover cup. Transfer tin to oven and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes more. Immediately invert pan to remove popovers, and serve.

These are great for egg salad, chicken salad or any other type of sandwich filling.

St. Patrick's Day {Rainbow Jello Trifle}

2011-03-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Making "rainbow food" seems to be quite popular lately...cakes, cupcakes, candies, and jello are just to name a few. I love the idea of the rainbow jello so I made a Rainbow Trifle for our St. Patrick's Day dessert.

I admit there's a mistake here because I didn't follow the directions closely on the white layers. You will notice mine are a bit 'lumpy', the white layers should be smooth. (It still tastes the same, but next time I'll give myself more time and be more precise). So read ALL the directions before making :) ...

You will need:

6 - 6oz boxes of Jell-O (Grape, Blue Raspberry, Lime, Lemon, Orange and Cherry / Violet, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red - so use whatever flavors you like).
2 boxes of unflavored Knox Gelatin
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (I ended up using 2 cans)

Step 1:

Mix 3 envelopes (there's 4 envelopes in each box) of unflavored Knox Gelatin with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water
Mix until gelatin dissolves
Add 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Mix until combined well
Set Aside

Step 2:

Make your Grape Jell-O Using the quick method on the back of the Jell-O box (You can use which ever flavor you want. I wanted Violet to be my first layer.)
Pour the Grape Jell-O into your Trifle bowl
Place in the refrigerator and let set for 20-25 minutes

If you do not use the quick method, you will need more time to let the Jell-O layers set

Step 3:

Pour 1/3 cup of the Sweetened Condensed Milk mixture on top of the set Jell-O (you may want to use more depending on how thick you want the layer)
Place in the refrigerator and let set for 10-15 minutes

NOTE: The condensed milk mixture that you have made and set aside will most likely solidify while sitting out. So place the mixture in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to liquefy again (this is where I made my mistake in the first few layers..it was all clumpy - still tastes good..but would look much nicer if I did it correctly)

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 alternating Jell-0 and Sweetened Condensed Milk mixture. If you run out of the sweetened condensed milk mixture (like I did), just make a second batch using Step 1.

Once you've finished all layers, top the Trifle with dollops of Whipped Topping and Garnish with Chocolate Candy Coins (If you want).

Happy St. Patrick's Day !!

Fabric Shamrocks {Tutorial}

2011-03-14T04:15:00.001-07:00

Last month, for Valentine's Day, I made Fabric Hearts using this tutorial over at How About Orange. And while making them I thought to myself that it be fun to try making Fabric Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day and Fabric Easter Eggs for Easter.

Here are the shamrocks I made for St. Patrick's Day. There are so many things you can do with them .. make a garland (or bunting), gift topper, use them to make a wreath, or just hang them around the house.

Here is a small garland I made for the door in my sun room (too bad it's never sunny)...

St. Patrick's Day Wreath ...

Look ..It IS spring! ... little tiny birds nest .. I've been watching mama make it...

This is our "party, holiday, celebration room" ... aka Dining Room .. I place a few on my hutch

Using the tutorial from How About Orange's Fabric Heart Garland, I came with some steps (or if you will, a tutorial) on how to make Fabric Shamrocks.

Step 1: Cut and Stiffen your fabric:

Cut a 14x14 inch piece of fabric (you can cut larger or smaller pieces - what ever works best for you). And then you will stiffen the fabric piece(s) with a fabric stiffener, such has Stiffen Quick, to stiffen the fabric piece(s). I used the microwave method (per directions on back of the bottle) since it's quick and easy:

Place something on your table or counter to protect from the fabric stiffener spray. I just cut some plastic grocery bags and laid them down on my work space.
Spray your fabric (according to the directions on your fabric stiffener).
Microwave or let air dry. For Stiffen Quick and my microwave it took 30-45 seconds to dry and stiffen the fabric. Note: I placed some paper towels in my microwave to protect it from getting all sticky from the fabric stiffener.

Once the fabric has completely dried, press your fabric pieces so that they are flat and are rid of any wrinkles. I used a dry iron. But the steam iron worked ok too (I did not effect the fabric, the iron or ironing board cover) - I actually preferred the steam ironing results.

Step 2: Make a set of four paper shamrock templates (or use my templates):

You will need to make four paper shamrocks that get progressively larger than the previous one.
I found a shamrock printable pattern over at Family Fun that I used to make my shamrock templates. I printed the pattern, cut out the smallest shamrock, scanned it, and then sized it according to my liking. Starting with the first shamrock, I made 3 more shamrocks by increasing the size of each one so that each one was a bit larger than it's orginal (I made each one about 10% larger than the previous one). You can do this yourself with whatever shamrock photo, clipart you have. Or If you'd like to use my Shamrock Template, feel free to do so.

Step 3: Trace and cut out your shamrocks from your stiffened fabric:

Print and cut out your paper shamrock templates (if you haven't done so already)
Trace the paper shamrock templates onto the back of your stiffened fabric ...

Cut out the 4 shamrocks that you traced on the fabric ...

Step 4: Sew your shamrocks:

Lay the shamrocks on top of each other, starting with the largest shamrock. Centering each shamrock (center and line up the up the best you can)...

Pin the fabric shamrock pieces ....

Starting at the stop of the largest shamrock, sew down the middle of all the shamrocks (stop right before you get the the stem of the smallest shamrock) ...

Step 5: Press your sewn shamrock:

Fold and crease the sewn shamrocks in half at the sewn line (fold back over front)...

Press, with an iron (set at the cotton setting), down the sewn crease...

Open the ironed shamrocks ... and Ta Da ... here's your "3D" Fabric Shamrock!
Make as many as you want! Decorate how you want! Etc.!

My dining room has temporarily became my crafting/sewing room. My 'real creation' room is in our basement but it has been so dark, dreary, snowy, and rainy that I need to be near as much natural light as possible to keep myself from going insane! :)

You can see some of the crafts I've recently made (Fabric Shamrocks, Fabric Flowers (under Fun Stuff post), Valentine's Day Candy Sundaes)

Spring is almost here so I'll be moving back to my basement studio real soon so we can have our dining room back.

400 Fan Celebration {Giveaway}

2011-03-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to have reached 400 Facebook Fans
so I am celebrating by giving away this
"Summer Soiree" Mug Rug & Cozy set...

What is a Mug Rug ....

A mug rug is an oversized coaster for your mug or glass or cup and has room for a snack on the side! I love having my coffee (or tea depending on the day and time) next to me while working at my desk. So I made myself a mug rug and cozy and I truly enjoy having this little set on my desk. It's nice to have a designated area on my desk for my coffee or tea and small snack (for even a small breakfast plate or lunch plate fits nice on here).

The mug rug and cozy are both insulated to protect your desktop and to keep your hot drink warm for a longer period of time.

If you'd like a chance to win this set, follow the instructions below the photos ...

Punkie Pie's Boutique would love for you to win
this adorable "Summer Soiree" Mug Rug & Cozy
by entering this 400 Facebook Fan Celebration:

Contest Details:

Mandatory Entry: You must become a Facebook fan by Liking Punkie Pie's Boutique on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did. (Please don't like and then unlike after the contest)

Additional Entries:

Leave a friendly comment
Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments)
Tweet about the giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet (you may TWEET DAILY for 1 bonus entry each day)
Post on your blog/website about the giveaway and comment with the link (for 2 bonus entries)
Leave a friendly comment (you can just say "Hi")

Giveaway Rules: Giveaway will run until March 24th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

Good Luck!!