Cupcake Flower Bouquet

I have been in awe of cupcake flower bouquets for a long time now. This is my first attempt at making a cupcake flower bouquet. There are many, many tutorials and videos floating around on the internet. I will make a tutorial to share with you on my next bouquet. In the meantime, I used/followed this video from Fairytailcakes. The only change I made from the video was that I used a white Styrofoam ball with the plastic left on the ball to keep the cupcakes clean (the Styrofaom ball was wrapped in plastic at time of purchase). If you can't find one already wrapped in plastic, I would suggest wrapping the Styrofoam in foil or plastic wrap before adding your cupcakes to the bouquet. I used tissue paper as the filler for in between the cupcakes after I attached them to the Styrofoam ball.



I will be teaching a cupcake decorating class tonight to 30 girls who attend a local University. Our theme is Spring Flowers & Swirls. So I thought a few cupcake bouquets on the tables would be perfect for the girls to look at for inspiration on guidance when decorating their cupcakes.

One catch to the decorating class is that the cupcakes and frosting need to be kosher so all preparation needs to be done in the kitchen where the class will be taking place. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to teach so I need to practice at home before the class. I really didn't want to make too much frosting or spend alot of time making cupcakes since these were just practice before tonight.

To save time, I made boxed angel food cake because you only need to add water to the mix. And it makes 36 cupcakes so lots cuppies to play with. And for the frosting I used canned frosting (eek!) and added powdered sugar to stiffen up the frosting. For each can of frosting I added a heaping 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. It wasn't perfect but it did the job for demonstration purposes.

If you have any tips or comments about cupcake flower bouquets,
please be sure to share with us!

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Do you like Spinach Artichoke Dip??? Then you will love these Spinach Artichoke Pizzas. I've made these countless time and they come out great every time. I made these for my St. Patrick's Day Bunco last night.


Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp Wegmans Artichoke Asiago Dip (Cheese Shop), divided*
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• 1/4 of 6 oz pkg Baby Spinach (about 2 cups), divided
• 1 tsp Pure Olive Oil
• 1 pkg (2 loaves) Traditional Naan Bread

* If you do are unable to purchase this dip, you can make your own. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3 to 4 Tbsp chopped canned artichokes, and 2 Tbsp Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees,

Spread each naan bread with 2 Tbsp artichoke dip:
Top with spinach:

Drizzle with olive oil:
Top each with 1/4 cup (or less) of mozzarella cheese:
Place on baking sheet:
Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until cheese is melted:
Quarter pizzas; serve immediately:

Enjoy!!

St. Patrick's Day Bunco

It was my turn to host bunco this month so my theme was St. Patrick's Day. Tons O' Fun! We had lots of fun, food, and laughs. This post is going to have Lots O' Photos of food, table setup, etc. Hope you enjoy looking.

The table of yummies consist of Rainbow Fruit Platter, Lots O' Green Veggies, Spinach Artichoke Pizza, Mini Reubens, Southwest Eggrolls, Lemon Meringue Pie, Irish Soda Bread, and last but not last the most delicious Guiness Stout Brownies.

Rainbow Fruit

Rainbow Fruit Platter Recipe: Rainbow Fruit

Lots O' Green Veggies:

Look closely and you'll see the green peppers were sliced to look like shamrocks

Mini Reuben Sammies:

Mini Reubens Recipe: Mini Reubens

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Spinach Artichoke Pizza Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Southwest Eggrolls

Baked Southwestern Eggroll recipe: Southwestern Eggrolls (recipe from Annie's Eats - Yum!)

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread Recipe: Irish Soda Bread

Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie (Bought at the Grocery. Yep, I cheated)

Guinness Stout Brownies

Guiness Stout Brownies Recipe: Guiness Stout Brownies from Blondies Cakes
(These are the most amazing brownies you will ever eat!!

Table Settings:

Pot O' Gold
(Snacks for the bunco tables)
Pot O' Reeses:

Rolos:
Pot O' Snickers:I set out some fun St. Patrick Day "wearables" for everyone to wear while playing bunco.
(we all actually had fun doing this - you'll see later)




Bunco Prizes:
Bird Houses & Votive Candle Holders

Fun Times With The Traveling Wig:

There's one person that had a little too much fun with the wig!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!