Cutest Cupcake Toppers Ever

Oh my goodness, these cupcake toppers are to cute. I wouldn't even attempt to make them myself, not when I can go over to Clineffs Confections esty shop and buy em, plus I doubt I could !! Check em out.

Sweet, Seven Layer Dip

Who wouldn't love this. What a great dessert idea. The kids would L-O-V-E it !

Sweet Seven Layer Dip
From Evite
Come on along as I walk you through each decadent, nostalgia-inducing step.
Here's all you'll need to re-create this dessert version of the classic Mexican dip:

peanut butter (standing in for refried beans)
Nutella (as awesome as guacamole)
Marshmallow Creme, aka Fluff to my fellow Northeasterners (this is your sour cream layer)
Shredded coconut (a perfect substitute for grated cheese)
Chocolate chips (instead of black olives)
Salted peanuts (a salty twist, instead of the traditional jalapeño kick)
Gummy bears (stay with me here.... We needed something to represent salsa, and gummy bears at least simulated the colors; plus, they're gummy! and bear-shaped!)
Nilla Wafers and Ritz crackers (your tortilla-esque scoopers)

First you spread a generous layer of peanut butter in a shallow bowl. We chose a glass pie dish so you could see the luscious cross-sections.
Then add an even more generous layer of Nutella. Why more generous? Because it's Nutella. Too much is never enough. Next, spread your fluffy marshmallow creme in a slightly smaller circle so the layers are visible from the top. This layer was a challenge to spread; we had the best results by placing a large dollop in the center and fanning it out to the edges. Then sprinkle on chocolate chips.

Add coconut and salted peanuts to taste. Sweet-toothed tigers can up the coconut, and those who want a little salt to counteract all the sugar can go heavier on the nuts.
Bring on the bears for a splash of color and a chewy surprise ... that was celebrated by gummy fans and vaguely troubling to those who do not necessarily favor a fruity taste that keeps on giving while chewing. Dip your Nilla (or Ritz) deep to get each layer and enjoy!

Turtle Cake

While searching for ideas for my son's 1st birthday party, I came across this in a back issue of Parenting. Though I went with a different theme, I definitely put this one in my idea file. How stinkin cute!!!

Turtle Birthday Cake Design
How to make a turtle birthday cake with fruit chews. Easy, step-by-step recipe, diagrams and pictures
By Karen Tack

Serves 16
Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
Green food coloring
2 (9-inch) round cakes
4 Funny Bones snack cakes
1 jumbo cupcake or muffin
½ cup chocolate frosting
2 green M&M's
1 tube black decorating icing
1 bag Tootsie Rolls
12 green Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews

What you'll need:

1 resealable sandwich-size plastic bag
A serving platter
A bread knife
A rolling pin or a heavy bottle

For the white and green frosting:

Spoon 2 Tbsp of the vanilla frosting into a resealable plastic bag.
Add food coloring to the remaining vanilla frosting to tint it green

Trimming the cake:

Place one 9-inch cake on a serving platter. Using a bread knife, trim the top to make it level.
Spread some of the green frosting on top. Place the second 9-inch cake on top to make a 2-layer cake.
Bevel the edges of the top cake to make the turtle shell's dome shape.
Spread the top and sides of cake with the remaining green frosting; make smooth.

Assembling the cake:

Trim 1 inch from one end of each Funny Bone. Press Funny Bones, cut side in, against the turtle-shell cake for the turtle's legs.
Trim the jumbo cupcake or muffin and place in the front for the turtle's head. Spread chocolate frosting over the cupcake and make smooth.

For the icing decoration:

Snip a small corner from the bag of untinted vanilla frosting.
For the turtle's eyes, pipe white dots onto the cupcake head and attach the green M&M's. Pipe white dots on the M&M's.
Pipe white dots on the tips of the snack cakes for the turtle's claws.
Using the black decorating icing, pipe black eye brows and nostrils.

For the shell pattern:

Press 3 Tootsie Rolls together. Using your rolling pin or a heavy bottle, roll the Tootsie Rolls out on a piece of wax paper. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the flattened Tootsie Rolls into hexagons of varying size. Repeat with the remaining Tootsie Rolls to make 7 brown hexagons.
Press 2 of the green Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews together and roll out on a sheet of wax paper. Cut out a smaller hexagonal shape from the flattened green Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews. Repeat with remaining green Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews until you have 6 green hexagons.
Arrange the chocolate and green hexagons on top of the cake as pictured.
Press some of the Tootsie Roll scraps together and shape into a 2-inch cone. Bend slightly and attach as the turtle's tail.

Cake Anatomy:

Cake Cutout:

Gotta start somewhere

If you read the "Who am I" section you may have a better clue as to why I started this blog. It will be a work in progress as I figure out what the heck I'm doing, but that's kinda the whole point. I want to be clear that this is all for fun and to hopefully pass along good things I've learned onto others. I don't want to appear to be taking credit for anything that wasn't my true and 100% thought and or idea. I want to give credit where credit is due. I am one of those people that when I want to cook something, I go online, look up the recipe and view about 10 and then decide how I want to do it based on what I have learned from others. I really do that with most things. I do a lot of "tweaking" to make many ideas and thought kinda my own. Here is an example. I follow a blog called Bakerella, personally I can't bake, but I would like to.

Her Easter cupcakes were so stinkin cute, I had to try them. I of course I decided this while I was at the store, without the recipe and had no clue what to buy for them. So I just did the best I could in picking out ingredients. Point is, mine are no way as cute as Bakerellas, but I tried and they were still pretty darned cute. And yummy too. So anyone can do it !!



Now here is my attempt

Notice I picked the special one with jacked up eyes to photograph, but not on purpose.

What I've learned form this baking experience is

#1. Go for the sour straws as Bakerella uses, the Twizzlers got soft and floppy way quick which made them hard to stand up straight.

#2. Make a list before buying stuff for a project like this. Duh !!

#3. I should of let all the family kids help decorate the tops, it would of been fun for them.