Light up your next event with DPS and The Event Company {Orange County Resources}

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Allow me to introduce you to some awesome companies, DPS and The Event Company.  Owned by Anthony Dever, DPS provides sound, lighting and production services which means they help put together some amazing fashion shows, concerts, large corporate parties, and most recently handled the cooking demos with our Queen Bee, Martha Stewart, at several Macy's locations.   They are local to Orange County but spread their amazingness to the surrounding counties as well.  Check out their blog to see some of the ridiculously cool things they've been up to recently.  A few months ago they moved their offices to a new location.  They decided to throw an open house for their clients, friends and family and I was lucky enough to attend with my husband.   

Sensing that their services would be perfect for the wedding and event industry, they rolled out The Event Company.  Providing lighting, cinematography and live music talent, they can totally take your private event to the next level.  Both companies work from their new offices in Irvine and the space is truly gorgeous!  Totally sleek and chic and just from walking in, you immediately want them to take over and produce your event (I mean, I don't really have any events to produce but you know how my head works, I started trying to come up with things...)  They had this gorgeous purple and white dessert table set up in the front room by Cookielicious.  It was the perfect, delicious welcome. 

The party, coordinated in part by Callie of The Event Company, was mainly held in the warehouse space at the back of the offices so there was this industrial, chic feel to the party.  The decor was handled by Larissa of Inviting Occasions and was GORGEOUS!  This picture does not do it justice.  It was simple, elegant, totally cool with just a few florals.  Simply stunning. 

The food and bar were done by 24 Carrots Catering and I was blown away.  For a hearty appetizer/meal, they had a create your own slider bar.  There were bunches of toppings and at least 8 different sauces for you to choose from.  This would be a totally fun idea to recreate at home.  And for desserts they dazzled with some molecular gastronomy.  I'm a wanna be foodie and adore the Top Chef franchise but this was the first time getting to actually try some.  You all should have this at your next party!!!!!!  So fun!  For one dish, they did some sort of an inside out cheesecake pop.  Forgive my lack of knowledge on what was actually happening but here is my take.  They had some dough balls, dipped them in a cream cheesey/whipped creamy mixture then dipped it some super scientific solution (maybe just dry ice?  I'm not a scientist.  I just don't know).  They came out all frozen and fun.  And were quite delicious as well.  But my absolute favorite was the Dragon's Breathe Caramel Corn.  They dipped a ladle of caramel corn into a very mysterious foggy mixture and then served it in these adorable wood dishes (similar dishes can be found here).  Watch the video below of my husband eating it to see why they called it Dragon's Breath Caramel Corn:

Not only was this super fun to eat, it tasted amazing.  I wanted to eat gallons and gallons of the stuff but was minorly self conscious of the smoke coming out of my face.  They also had a signature cocktail that was super yummy which tasted like and orange creamsicle.      

images are mine

I didn't bring a legit camera to the event so these are the photos taken with my husband's iphone.  I was absolutely mesmerized by this light ring hanging over the stage.  For real.  It was perfectly timed to the music and was like nothing I have ever seen.  In talking to other party goers I learned that the strings can actually be hung in a number of ways including straight down as a curtain which can then be programmed to display words!  Oh the possibilities!  DPS seems to be on the cutting edge of not only what is advanced, technologically speaking, but also what is crazy cool.  

Anthony had this insanely good recording artist play the party.  His name is Jasper Sawyer and I'm so grateful to have been introduced to his music.  Everyone on stage was so talented and it was a really great show!  

Check out this DJ booth created by DPS.  I wish there was video of it, the totally unique ways that it could be customized for an event are crazy.  From the colors, words, etc. it can totally sync up with the music and create a really cool vibe for your event.  And DJ Kevin Scott could be the best DJ ever.  He played a cool mix of music that appealed to everyone at the party.  That can be really hard to do when you've got the too cool for school, an older generation and those just looking to dance.  But he killed it!    

I love when good humans give birth to good humans.  We met Anthony's parents at a birthday party for him a while back and they were awesome.  You can tell that Anthony gets his love of music from his mom who my husband and I bonded with over new wave music.  I adore his sister, Nicole (in the middle in blue) she is absolutely the life of every party.  And his wife Courtney (on the end) is such a sweetie (Oh and a talented interior designer.  I'm guessing she had a hand in the pretty new office.)  Anthony is the real deal.  He is so good at what he does, his happiness is infectious and he is a good person.  In talking to some clients at the party, they all echoed those sentiments and raved about working with both companies.  While some of their services might be too large for your next home party, keep them in mind for your company holiday parties and for the next time you need to throw a concert in your back yard. 

Check out the DPS blog for the cool things they have been a part of recently.

Check out The Event Company's blog and lighting gallergy to see some of their wedding work.  

Social Media Details:

DPS {Facebook} {Twitter}

The Event Company {Facebook} {Twitter}

Sharon

All images are by Reza Allah-bakhski except the crappy ones noted as mine

Pumpkin Faced Oranges with Cloves!

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Did you ever make clove studded oranges for Christmas when you were little?  We did.  These might be two of my favorite smells in the world.  When my boys started asking to carve our pumpkins, I kept telling them no, that it was too early.  Too many years we cut in to the pumpkins, making adorably spooky faces, only to find them all moldy and gross before Halloween.  So in order to have them feel like they were making pumpkin faces I decided to give them oranges and cloves.

Here is the very detailed tutorial:

Get an orange and some whole cloves.  Shove cloves in orange in any face or pattern you want.  Enjoy.

And the kitchen smells amazing when you are done.  I will let you know that these lasted all of 5 minutes with my boys.  They have some sort of inner driving force that prompts them to take apart anything they just finished making. 

Don't want faces?  You can create any kind of pattern or polka dot look from the cloves too.  I call this one Charlie Brown's shirt. 

For some reason I decided to google and see if anyone else had already done this craft AFTER I did it (duh). And of course there are others.  Check them out for more inspiration here and here.

Sharon

all photos are mine. 

Allergen Free Krispy Treats: perfect for parties and sports teams!

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I'm totally a soccer mom.  The season started a few weeks ago and we have the best team ever.  We may not win games (we aren't supposed to be keeping score anyway - so there) but the families of the players are awesome.  We have the most amazing team mom, Chris W.  She has kept all of us organized and set up a cool Shutterfly account to post info and photos from the games.  We have two kids with severe food allergies on the team which can make treat time pretty hard.  Seeing as she has a gluten allergy herself, Chris set out to find a snack that all the kids could eat.  What she found was this recipe for allergen free krispy treats.  My son (allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts) has been able to eat these but that is only due in part to his ability to eat soy.  For those kids with even more allergies, this recipe uses oil instead of margarine!  And what kid doesn't love a krispy treat?!  This is the perfect snack recipe to keep on hand for your kid's parties (chances are there are going to be kids with food allergies - there are 4 the kinder classes at our school alone) and for after sport snacks.  They tasted exactly the same as "normal" krispy treat.  

And to jazz them up a little more, check out what Kim of Celebration Shoppe did to her krispy treats!

Thank you, Chris, for being the best team mom ever!!!!! 

Ingredients:

10 oz. (40 lg. or 4 cups miniature) marshmallows

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

vegetable cooking spray 

Instructions:
Spray microwave safe dish with vegetable spray.  Add oil and marshmallows and heat on high for 2 minutes.  Add vanilla; stir to combine.  Microwave on high for 1 minute longer.  Stir until smooth.  Add cereal and stir until well coated.  Press mixture evenly in 13" x 9" x 2" pan coated with cooking spray using wax paper or spatula coated with cooking spray.  Cut into 2" x 2" squares when cool.

I generally don't let my son eat something that someone else made.  But I felt confident that Chris had the cross contamination thing under control.  And held my breath for good measure.  And he was fine.  And all the kids loved them!  So when in doubt of if there are food allergies present, make these!  I am so grateful that the rest of the mom's on the team have also tried to accommodate the boys with allergies.  I know that they may not outwardly show you their gratitude, but I can tell you it has rocked O's world to be able to eat what everyone else is eating.  HUGE!


Sharon
photos are mine.  recipe found here.

The Healthy Cowboy Kitchen - Tasty, healthy food

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I'm so excited for my friend, Katie!  She started her own company, The Healthy Cowboy Kitchen, making, healthy, unprocessed and totally yummy foods and you can now find her at Farmer's Markets all over Orange County!  We tried her popsicles for the first time today and you HAVE to try them!  They are coconut milk based and amazing!  Miles tried the Summer Peach with pieces of raspberry and cinnamon (which added the most subtle and perfect flavor!).  I tried the Cantaloupe Mojito (no rum, darn :).  So here is the deal.  It was simply phenomenal.  It was refreshing, and because it is made from nothing but ripe, REAL fruit, the flavor was out of this world.  The fresh mint added the most pleasant herbyness and I think I could have stood there and eaten them all day long.  Except that they were starting to melt and Miles was totally sticky and I have an aversion to messes.  But seriously if you have kids, you need to take them to get these popsicles.  Delicious and a great way to introduce them to natural foods.  She also sell Spicy Bean Burger Patties which I don't know too much about so you should probably track her down and ask her about them.  

Her Roasted Corn Salsa was crazy good.  It was seasoned just perfectly and was really flavorful.  She has the magic touch with cumin, which can easily go from "Oh, hello there.  I'm cumin.  Pleased to make your acquaintance" to "Come here.  I'm about to punch you in your throat."  I finished this container and immediately got sad that I didn't buy more for the rest of the week.  It was THAT good.  

She also sells 3 kinds of energy bars.  RAW energy bars.  I'm not a follower of the raw diet.  It frightens me a little.  But I really wanted to try these.  She makes a sort of Orange/Cranberry version, a Lemon/Ginger version which I am kicking myself for not sampling and this Lime/Coconut version that I would marry if it was legal.  While I try not to have nuts in the house due to food allergies, I just had to try this.  Lime might be my all time favorite flavor (sorry basil) and you could see the lime zest throughout this bar.  The flavor was amazing (totally running out of adjectives, I know!  And I don't think sounds will translate well via type so I'll add an extra exclamation point to drive my point home)!!  Forget Luna bars, these are the thing for me.  I'm not sure what the shelf life is but if I can just get enough to get me through to the next Farmer's Market, I'll be okay.  

Find Katie and her Healthy Cowboy Kitchen at these Farmer's Markets:

{Tuesdays}  Irvine Farmer's Market at Irvine Historic Park 

{Fridays}  Rancho Santa Margarita 

{Saturday}  Laguna Beach (may not be there every day as she fills in when people can't make it)

(sorry these are the best links I could find!)

Katie works from a kitchen out of Laguna Canyon and I'm so impressed with her whole operation.  These popsicles would be a perfect treat for your next kid's party!  I love to support small, local businesses and this one is for such a great cause, YOUR health!  Read Katie's story here and become inspired.  She'll be updating her blog again as soon as she gets in to the swing of things but you can check out a post she did for me {here}.

Way to go, Katie!!!  So proud of you and all that you stand for.  

Sharon

all photos are mine. 

Shaken Basil Iced Tea

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I go through flavor phases.  Right now I am totally in to basil.  Yes, I'm still thinking of that basil gimlet from San Diego.  I tried to make one and it just didn't turn out right.  But I still want that basil flavor.  I figured that I shouldn't continually try cocktail recipes all day long so I decided to boost my regular iced tea.  I've been adding basil to my iced tea for a week now but decided that shaking it might make it even more perfect.  I was not wrong.  

I made the iced tea in my Keurig and I use the Celestial Seasonings Unsweetened Black Iced Tea.  I do not like my tea sweet, but I am sure you could also use one of the presweetened teas available.  Just don't make me drink it or I'll gag.  For those of you that don't have a Keurig, I'm so sorry for you!  Just brew your tea however you usually do and then watch the sales so you can buy yourself one because they are awesome.     

Add some basil to your cocktail shaker.  I used about 5 leaves.  I could have even put a few more for an even bolder basil flavor.  I added a smidge (what?  That is not a technical enough measurement for you?) or a tablespoon or so of iced tea and muddled the basil.  Yes, that is an ice cream scooper that I used to muddle.  If you don't know what muddle means, it means to gently smoosh the basil to release the oils.  Add the ice to the shaker, add more iced tea.  Then shake what your mamma gave you.  Pretend you are in the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise.  I've never actually seen that movie but it sounds like there are probably drinks in it.  Am I right? 

This was also my son's first photo shoot.  In the middle of me taking pictures of the ingredients, he walked up with what appears to be a mini car motor of some kind and started saying, "click."  He is hilarious.  I think I am going to have him be a regular contributor.   

This really did turn out so good!  It was amazingly refreshing, had a lovely basil flavor and made me feel a little fancy.  This would be awesome to serve to guests.  It is a nice way to take something kind of ordinary and make it special.  

Plus I saw this at the store a few weeks ago.  Magazines are never wrong.  Your welcome. 

Sharon

All photos are mine. 

Serve Ciao Bella Sorbet at your next cocktail party!

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You guys know that I had a makeover by Mom's Fashion File, right? (said sarcastically and with a wink).  I'm not trying to rub it in to those that didn't win, or brag about how fantastic I looked "after".   It was an amazing opportunity on so many levels.  I met many beauty experts and successful professional bloggers but it really came down to the amazing group of sponsors they put together including those from their Secret Style Suite party.  The absolute highlight for me (and not just because it contained alcohol that I required before the fashion show) were the cocktails created using some of the Ciao Bella Sorbets.  (Remember I posted a brief snippet about them about a month ago?) Absolute cool fantasticness and you SO totally need to set up a bar at your next party. 

Ciao Bella uses all natural ingredients and delicious, bold flavors and is a favorite of my family.  I am dying to try the Peach Ginger Sorbet though, so if anyone in Orange County runs across it can you let me know! I look at every market I visit and have yet to find it! 

Follow Ciao Bella on Twitter and Facebook! 

Here are some recipes for you to try out.  You will not be disappointed!

{peach ginger margarita}

1/2 pint CIAO BELLA Peach Ginger Sorbet

1/2 pint CIAO BELLA Lemon Zest Sorbet

1/2 cup lime juice

1 cup tequila (white or golden)

1/4 cup Cointreau

Ice Cubes

Optional:  salt for the rim

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Pour into a margarita glass with a salted rim.  Add more ice as needed.

{wild blueberry lemon drop}  I heard RAVE reviews about this one

2 oz. citrus vodka

1 oz. Cointreau

2 oz. lemonade

CIAO BELLA Wild Blueberry Sorbet (very soft)

Optional:  sugar for the rim and CIAO BELLA Lemon Zest Sorbet

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.  Pour into a chilled martini glass with a sugared rim.  Garnish with a small scoop of Wild Blueberry or Lemon Zest Sorbet!

{blood orange sparkling sangria} This is the one I had...PERFECTION!

One bottle sparkling wine (can use white or rose)

1/2 cup Cointreau

1 pint fresh raspberries

1 pint strawberries (cleaned and cut in to small pieces)

CIAO BELLA Blood Orange, CIAO BELLA Prickly Pear Sorbet or CIAO BELLA Peach Ginger Sorbet (all good options)

Pour wine and Cointreau into a pitcher.  Delicately add fruit and ice.  Pour into glasses and garnish with CIAO BELLA sorbets.  

{pickly pear bellini}

Sparkling wine (prosecco, cava or champagne)

CIAO BELLA Prickly Pear Sorbet

Optional:  fresh fruit for garnish, CIAO BELLA Blood Orange Sorbet or CIAO BELLA Raspberry Sorbet

Pour the sparkling wine into a champagne flute leaving plenty of room at the top.  Slowly add a small scoop of the Prickly Pear sorbet to the glass.  Be mindful as it will likely foam up over the rim of the glass.  Cheers!  

Go try it.  Now.  

Sharon

Top 2 photos by Amy Winkelmann for Cupcakes and Cutlery

Bottom 2 photos by Bella Diva Photo (see more shots of the Ciao Bella Table from the party here)

Bertolli's Into the Heart of LA {Part Two}

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If you are jumping in to part 2, this past weekend I was part of an amazing culinary tour of Los Angeles put on by Bertolli.  We tasted all kinds of authentic Italian cuisine and met the most amazing restaurant owners and chefs.  This was really a once in a lifetime experience.  And I am extremely grateful to have been a part of it. 

Click here for {part 1}  

{stop 4}

We left off in part 1 with a visit to a fresh pasta restaurant.  Our next stop was right across the way, Il Norcino Salumeria, still in The Market at Santa Monica Place.  To my delight, we were now going to get to taste some Italian cheeses.  Also owned by Piero Selvaggio, this cheese bar offers a crazy assortment of cheeses, cured meats and accompaniments like olives and this kick ass chutney made from red pepper and vanilla beans.  Seriously, look in to it.  We met Jhems (pretty sure he is the only non-Italian in this operation.  His real name has to be James, but when said with a charming Italian accent it becomes Jhems.) the cheese monger and he told us a little bit about what the store has to offer and what we were sampling.  What?  More prosecco?  I thought you'd never ask.  We tasted a selection of meats, my fave being the Speck.  Stacie introduced us to Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine.  I've had it before but this time I learned something new.  Once thought to be a laughable by wine aficionados, the bubbles serve a purpose when paired with food.  When eating oily meats (when I read that back it sounds really unappetizing but we all know that salamis and prosciuttos are the sh*t) Lambrusco cleans the pallet and removes any left over residue.  We did a little test of our own and it was rad.  Totally worked.  I am thinking about brushing with it instead of the usual paste going forward.  They have a counter, similar to what you might find at a sushi bar and you can do tastings guided by the knowledgeable staffers.  I 100% plan on coming back to do a wine and cheese pairing in the very near future.  With a driver.  Have I mentioned how much I liked being driven around?   

This was such a great group of people.  I'm so lucky to have been apart of this group.  I learned from each of these amazing people and can't wait until our paths cross again.  From the back row, left to right:

Romy, me, chef Nico, Kristina, Chef Fernando, Andrea, Piero Selvaggio, Stacie {back row, left to right}

Adam, Melanie, Amir, Chrystal {front row, left to right}

Jhems mentioned that they have a cheese there that was eaten by Marie Antoinette...I'm putting it on my list of things to do. 

{stop 5}

My college internship and first job out of school were right off 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica mere steps from our next stop, Cafe Bellagio.  I have passed this cafe tons of times (okay, well not that many because I could only handle the commute for 4 months before I gave up my show business dreams) but never been in.  Marco, the owner, was so warm and happy to have us.  He explained the difference between ice cream and gelato (ice cream uses cream,  gelato uses more milk and is more airy) and also that they are served at different temperatures.  Chef Minutz made us vanilla and strawberry to try.  We were told that he had perused the local farmer's market that morning and decided to make it for us.  Yeah, especially for us.  I am not a vanilla girl.  Nor am I a strawberry girl for that matter.  With both of these, though, I wanted to sing-talk a cheesey, deep voiced boy-band interlude; something like: "Strawberry.  You so sweet.  You make my knees weak.  Forget about all that whack stuff I said about you.  Let's do this."  My visit was wrapped up pretty quick with a true LA moment.  I can only describe it as a habitat-challenged woman descending on the vats of fresh gelato like a moth to a flame.  Who can blame her?  But! I never saw her eat it.  I only saw her make some sort of gelato soup with a Styrofoam cup she had and some leftover water on the table.  Marco, God bless him, was as gracious with her as with us.  And we all left on our next adventures.  Us, to our last stop on the Bertolli LA tour, the women??? 

{stop 6}

I'm just going to start this off by saying Mamma, of Osteria Mamma, is HOT!  A total looker.  But it doesn't stop there, because Mamma also kicks ass in the kitchen.  As we had been eating our way through Los Angeles all day, many of those on the tour were showing signs of full stomachs.  I was good.  I had leggings on, I was ready to go.  And the deal was that we were going to wrap up with a few small plates here and then head on home.  Mamma had other ideas.  We met Mamma and her son Phillipo and they told us a about their neighborhood restaurant. It is a family run operation with Mamma at the helm in the kitchen and Phillipo handling the rest.  There was so much pride about their business and love for the family members that we immediately felt welcome and well taken care of.  We started off with -GET OUT!- more prosecco and an appetizer plate of sweet, fresh figs and crostini with prosciutto nestled on a bed of unicorn horns and rainbows.  Ok, not really.  I'm not sure if I ever got the whole story but the spread on the bread was something to do with butter and herbs and marscapone.  It was divine!  Mamma was having fun with us and sent out several more dishes than were expected.  Next we had a frisse salad with the sweetest oranges I have ever had (and I live in Orange County, people) and scallops with just the lightest touch of balsamic vinegar.  WORD. TO. YOUR. MOTHER.  Yum.  The next course freaked me out a little bit.  Fried sardines.  I have fond memories of sardines.  My grandpa used to order them on his pizza so no one would share with him.  But I have never had one.  Until now.  I had no idea what to do with it so I watched one of the more seasoned foodies at the table to see how she handled it.  Turns out, you just eat it, bones and all.  While the flavor was much more pleasing than expected, those bones through me for a loop.  But this was not a miss for the restaurant, I blame that all on my mouth.  

And then it happened.  When asked, "what is the best dish you've ever eaten?" I can confidently answer Gnocchi al Porcini from Osteria Mamma.  I wish I knew more about what was in it but it put me in such a stupor that I couldn't even ask any questions.  This is how I remember the dish:  succulent ground chicken in a silky cream sauce mixed with the most delicate, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi in all the land lightly flecked with fresh herb.  Blessed be the gnocchi.  Served with a risotto of figs and gorganzola! and tender asparagus tips.  Why are you so far from me, Mamma?! The hour drive would be well worth it for this meal.  We wrapped up with more tiramisu - Yum, yum, double yum.  As I mentioned before I am interested in wines, although at this point, I'm still very much a novice.  When Phillipo (who incidentally went to sommalier school wtih Stacie) brought out a sparkling Moscato for us to try with dessert, I thought I had left this world.  The smell alone was intoxicating.  It was very sweet and had this amazing orange flavor that is like nothing I have ever tasted.  If that is the only thing I had sampled the whole day, it would have been enough.  Sucks to find out that it is very hard to come by.  But I will prevail! 

Mamma jumped out of the busy kitchen to take a picture with us.  It was the perfect end to a very delicious meal and day.    

The very generous folks at Bertolli sent us home with some product.  Even though everyone in the van was stuffed, we couldn't wait to use our new goodies.  When I woke up the next morning, wishing for a cornetti or 4, I came across Anthony Bourdain.  It was an episode on Italian cooking.  It echoed everything I heard from each of the chefs from the day before.  Although I was pissed that I was going to have to cook for myself again, I knew that with my new products I could continue the experience at home. 

While the "quality" of the rest of my ingredients was questionable, I knew Bertolli wouldn't disappoint.  I had not had any of their frozen meals for quite some time due to my son's food allergies (I only cook a meal that all of us can eat and the ones I remember had dairy)  But this Tuscan Braised Beef was safe for him!  I can't think of an easier meal to put together.  In the 12 minutes it took to cook the main course, I was also able to slice a rosemary loaf and toss a quick caprese salad.  Boom. 

I may not have the fancy dinner ware from some of the places we encountered on our culinary tour, but I had my family and a good meal.  That is truly all that matters. 

I know that the last party really sounds like a corny commercial, but seriously,  these meals are crazy good.  Before learning how to cook for my son's allergies, I was the queen of the quick meal.  Bertolli's frozen dinners were a staple of mine.  While I was given a coupon for the frozen meal and the olive oil, these opinions are all mine.

Sharon

all photos are mine. 

Cocktails for the weekend

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This weekend I will be luxuriating in a rented home in Palm Springs, CA with a wonderful group of friends (holla Genette!!! Thank you for being born so we could celebrate you in style! :).  I was on a twitter party earlier this week and found out that you could make some amazing cocktails with Ciao Bella Sorbets...yeah.  While I don't know any specific recipes yet (I think they are unveiling them soon) but I'm sure I can come up with something.  I can think of nothing better than sitting on a raft in a pool with a wonderfully chilly sorbet cocktail.  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  Oh and expect light posts next week as we are home from Palm Springs on Sunday afternoon, home for two days and then headed back out with the boys for our first ever family vacation!  Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Sharon

image via Ciao Bella

What is a Slumpcake and how to do I get it in my belly?

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My friends are too good to me.  I often joke that I only am friends with talented people.  I didn't intend to do that, but it has worked out to my benefit.  Especially with my friend Amy.  She encourages me in all my creative endeavors and if I mention that I need a baked treat for any reason, she is all over it.  I've mentioned her blog, Amy's Kitchen Table, before but you have to pop over and check out this new recipe she created.  She created it for my SWEETS FOR TEATS contest and I adore her for it.   I have never heard of slumpcakes before but I do know, however, that I want to shove a whole one in my mouth.  

RECIPE FOR STRAWBERRY SLUMPCAKES

They have a cream cheese based frosting.  'Nuff said.

Thank you Amy! 

Although it is too late to enter the SWEETS FOR TEATS contest, you should still go and check out all the amazing sounding treats that were entered!

CHECK BACK IN A LITTLE WHILE FOR THE WINNER! 

Sharon

The cutest cupcake topper printable ever and a yummy recipe too!

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How adorable are these cupcake picks!  After Lauren created the cutest contest graphic ever (I am in love with every font she used in the Sweets for Teats title image) I asked her to also create a free printable of cupcake toppers for you to use along with your baked treats.  I LOVE that these fit right in with the theme of the party but could also be used for so many other types of party/holidays too.  And in order to take pictures of them, I needed to make a dessert to put them in, obvs.  Here is one of my favorite desserts my mom made for us growing up.  It is called Strawberry Dessert (that is what is on the printed recipe from the cookbook my mom put together for me of all our fave family (stolen from somewhere) recipes.)    

It is not the prettiest dessert I've ever seen.  So it is great that the 1" cupcake toppers can also be made in to a super easy cake banner to cute-ify the final product. 

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am a lazy tutorialist and don't get too crazy with my photo staging.  I am also a lazy cook.  This recipe and "craft" is perfect for me.  Super cute, totally easy.  What you may not know is that I sometimes lack focus in the kitchen.  Many a recipe has gone awry because I like to not read recipes all the way through before I start.  The day I made this was no exception.  What should have taken about ten minutes to make, took me about an hour.  You may also have noticed that there is a Bigfoot hanging out with the ingredients.  This is my youngest son's new toy.  He is scared to death of it.  And loves it at the same time.  It is creating quite the internal struggle for him.  He wants the toy turned on (Bigfoot is awesome.  He does tricks including somersaults and throwing tantrums.  Did I mention he's loud too?) but once its on, my son will not get anywhere near him and ask me to turn him back off.  His battery was being charged in the kitchen and so I found myself moving Bigfoot around as I was trying to get the stuff together for this recipe.  Finally I just decided he was easier to include.  All you need for the dessert is a pre-made Angel Food Cake, a container of Cool Whip, Frozen Strawberries and Strawberry Jello, Bigfoot is optional.  Boom. My kind of recipe. 

FULL RECIPE AT END OF POST FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH I WOULDN'T TALK SO MUCH. 

This is my houseguest/known since junior high friend, Kayla.  Oh and there is Bigfoot.  Kayla was highly offended by the fact that this dessert didn't have a more creative name.  She came up with Marilyn's (my mommy) Extraordinary Strawberry Parfait Casserole.  When my fancy friend, Taryn, saw the dessert she called it White Trash Strawberry Shortcake (since she makes her own shortcakes from scratch and may be a bit of a baking snob).  I decided to not punch her in the face and instead eat some dessert.  You decide which name you like better.     

First you take half of the Angel Food Cake and tear it in to chunks and put in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Next you dissolve the strawberry jello in boiling water and add the strawberries...

Now I want to bring you in to my world for a minute.  I hate ants.  Like, for real.  I don't tolerate them anywhere in the house but especially in the kitchen.  And wouldn't you know that as I began making this recipe, I started finding ants in this cabinet.  Cooking had to be put on hold as I took every item out of the cupboard, ant-chalked the shit out of it and left it open so I could have an ant stake-out.  So much for whatever focus I started with.  To top it off, many of my mom's recipes lack instructions.  See, she has common sense in the kitchen so she knows what to do.  Me?  Not so much.  

Which is why this part of the dessert ended up looking a little bit awful.  I think I curdled the Cool Whip.  But I will let you know right now that with all the chemicals in the Cool Whip, the flavor is not affected negatively at all.  That's a solid product right there; one that can stand up to kitchen messes and still come out pretty much unaffected.  You pour this mixture over your first layer of angel food cake, put a second layer of torn angel food cake on and then pour the rest of this amazing strawberry goo on top.  Chill.  Eat.  Repeat.

Here is the finished, chilled dessert.  So you can see why it needs a little decorating.  

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE 1" CUPCAKE TOPPERS

Here is all you need to make these adorable cupcake picks.  The download prints out a page of 48 one inch circles.  TomKat Studios suggest the EK Success punch so that is what I bought.  She wasn't kidding, best punch I've ever used! So run out and get one of those, use a punch you already have, or if all else fails, cut out the circle with scissors.  As you can see from the picture of the banner, I only used about 5 circles.  Not that time consuming.  And for the picks, you only need to cut out enough for each guest in attendance (or sometimes it is super cute to just have a few - adds pizazz, excites the guests and half the work!)

Cut the skewers with the scissors to whatever size you prefer.  Feel free to use toothpicks or some other type of stick.  I loved the thickness of the skewer with the proportion of the circle.  And I made these different heights to add visual interest.  I do stuff like that.  I'm all artsy.  Use your Glue Dots product of choice to adhere the cut out circle to the skewer.  I used both the Mini and Micro and both worked great.

I think they are so cute!!! Huge thanks to Lauren for creating them and letting me share them with you.  

To make the banner, all you would need is some ribbon, yarn, string, thread, you get the idea - as well as the above materials.  Simply tie the string to two uncut skewers and use the Glue Dots to adhere the circles right to the string.  

By the way, I am currently eating this dessert as my breakfast.  So. 

FULL RECIPE:

STRAWBERRY DESSERT AKA MARILYN'S EXTRAORDINARY STRAWBERRY PARFAIT CASSEROLE AKA WHITE TRASH STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Ingredients

-1 ring store bought Angel Food Cake

-1 large package strawberry Jello

-1 small container Cool Whip THAWED (not the jumbo sized - a nice normal sized Cool Whip)

-1 large package sweetened frozen strawberries - NOT THAWED (these will have sugar and liquid - not the whole berries frozen in a bag)

Break 1/2 angel food cake into chunks and put in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Put Jello powder in a bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water on top and stir to dissolve.  Add frozen strawberries and stir to help thaw and cool down the Jello mixture.  Stir in spoonfuls of Cool Whip until mixed.  Spoon 1/2 mixture over cake. Repeat layers and set in fridge several hours to chill.  Cut in to squares to serve. 

Notes:  While the dessert holds its shape pretty well on a plate, it isn't quite stiff enough to use a knife to cut and serve. A spoon works much better.   

YOU HAVE UNTIL TONIGHT (TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2011 AT MIDNIGHT) TO ENTER TO WIN A PINK KITCHENAID MIXER SPONSORED BY DEL WEBB.  ENTER HERE!

Sharon

All pictures are mine.

Chocolate Heals - Cookbook and Self-Help book in one!

We've moved to www.cupcakesandcutlery.com - you'll be redirected to this post in a moment.

My mom just brought over some pictures of my grandma when she was younger.  I love this one and wanted to share since, thanks to Del Webb, I am giving away a KitchenAid hand mixer in her name.  Oh and I also don't have a photo of the brownie recipe I made from the cookbook I am about to review so since I made them for her, I thought it was totally appropriate to use her photo.  

Anywho...a few months ago I was emailed about a cookbook that was coming out called "Chocolate Heals...Life is Sweet" by Marcia L. Williams.  After fighting her own breast cancer battle, Marcia turned to what she knew best to help others deal with their own struggles with the disease.  Chocolate.  With seven suggestions for getting through the difficult times in life (seriously great tips, not just for those dealing with breast cancer), this book also includes recipes for some of the most delicious sounding brownies I've ever heard of.

Image via Maury Tieman

I decided I would try out one of these recipes, Raspberry White Chocolate Brownies, and then take it to my grandma to enjoy.  The recipe was really easy to follow, which is really important to me when I bake as I get distracted very easily...They turned out amazing.  They were delicious and moist and filled with love.  While you can find brownie recipes on-line, I loved knowing that this one in particular was tested and tweaked by someone passionate about the end result in hopes that the person eating them can forget about their troubles even for a moment.  I will definitely be making other brownies from this book.  

But this book is so much more than the recipes.  Marcia shares practical tips on learning to take things one day at a time, building satisfying connections with those around you and so much more.  The book is $9.95 and available on her here.  It would be a great gift for anyone dealing with breast cancer in any capacity - patient, family, support system, etc. 

Marcia is committed to using her personal experiences to encourage others through this book.  Although she is now cancer-free, she continues in the memory of her sister who lost her battle against breast cancer.  Find out more about Marcia and her efforts on MyChocolateHeals.com.

Still time to enter GEORGENE VEHE'S SWEETS FOR TEATS CONTEST HERE! 

Sharon