Cookie press: 101

Since money is tight this year, I've decided I'll be doing a lot of baking for family Christmas gifts. I recently made these spritz cookies with the help of my nifty little cookie press. So much fun! :) And, despite what others might tell you, you really don't need to spend much money on a decent cookie press. I bought mine (Wilton brand) for $13.00 (on sale, originally $15) and it works beautifully.

Anyway, I'll be honest.... spritz cookies by themselves aren't that amazing. Sure, they're cute, but kind of plain tasting in general. But, add a little chocolate and... voila! You've got some amazing looking and tasting cookies. Wrap them in a small box or decorative tin as a Christmas gift, and your neighbors will be sure you got them from a bakery.

Decorating tips:

• Dip one end in chocolate and then in sprinkles or chopped nuts



• Dip bottom only



• Dab a skewer in chocolate and then decorate small details on flower shapes, etc.



• Make cookies ahead of time and freeze them. Remove from freezer and decorate with melted chocolate while they're still cold. This will help the chocolate set up faster.

Cookie Ornaments

As we quickly approach Thanksgiving, our minds gear up for Christmas. Many of us have already begun Christmas shopping, and soon we'll be putting up our Christmas trees. Here, I've come up with a way to help you save money while involving your children in the decorating process.
At a local store they sell cookie-shaped ornaments starting at $2 a piece. Not bad... but when you're decorating a 6'-8' tree, that can really add up. Sure, the store bought versions are cute enough - but making them is just as simple as cutting out cookies and it's easily as fun.
To make a similar ornament you'll spend less than half the store price, you'll have shared in a fun memory with your children, and you'll end up with more than just ornaments - you'll end up with some sentimental keepsakes from your little ones.
You'll need:

• Polymer clay such as Sculpey. A large package of Terra-cotta colored clay, plus various other colors for decorating.


• Water-based varnish.. found near the acrylic paints in any craft store. Be sure that it is water-based, otherwise, colors will spread!

To Make:

Simply roll the terra-cotta colored clay out with a rolling pin, as if you were making cookies. This clay softens as you play with it, so be patient. I would also recommend not making them too thick, as this might affect how well they set-up. Cut out shapes with a cookie-cutter and decorate with various colors of clay. Punch a hole near the top with a drinking staw. Some other tools I found to be useful were: kitchen scissors, toothpicks, and a pizza cutter. Use your imagination and have fun! Follow package directions for baking the finished ornaments. Once they've cooled you may brush with a clear varnish for a glossier look.

Colorful Cream cheese Cupcakes

September 2nd was my son, Lincoln's, first birthday.

We had a very colorful, Sesame Street themed party for him. One of the highlights of the party were these cupcakes I made. I originally saw the idea for them on a local t.v. show and thought they looked like so much fun I had to try them. Here is the link to the video clip and blog with the recipe: http://www.mindikamoments.com/2009/09/rainbow-bright.html

Personally, I used Betty Crocker cake mixes, which worked out great. The cream cheese in the recipe makes the batter thicker, so the colors won't blend. You can find gel food coloring at just about any craft store near the baking supplies. It's also available at Walmart near the party/wedding/cake decorating supplies. Once you've made the batter, simply divide it into separate bowls and add the food coloring. Then, you can either spoon it into the cupcake wrappers, or pipe it out of sandwich sized ziplock bags. Another variation which I've tried is to make a chocolate-vanilla marble cake with the same recipe. Follow the recipe once with a white cake mix and once with a chocolate, then marble the two together. Of course this is a double recipe, so you'll end up with oodles of cupcakes... but it's also very good and moist.

For the frosting, I just followed the standard Wilton buttercream recipe and piped it onto the cupcakes. To get a multi-colored affect, I brushed the decorating bag with gel food coloring before piping it out. It's an easy trick that gives these fun little treats a nice finishing touch.

One more tip...

Cupcake toppers can get pretty expensive, especially if you're catering to a large group. So, I made my own. I found round sesame street stickers and simply stuck two of them, back to back, to the end of a toothpick... voila! Cupcake topper. :)

My Favorite Things

Let me tell you about my blog.
The purpose of it is to share my favorite craft ideas, recipes, and other tips that I have found to be useful or fun as a stay-at-home mom.
Over the past year or so, I've started to realize that being a mom is a very multi-faceted role. Through the eyes of your young child, you're everything to them. When they're hurt, you're their nurse. When they're hungry, you're their cook. When they need to talk, you're their listening ear. When there's no one else to play with, you're their playmate. When it's their birthday, you're their event planner. Anyway, you get the idea...
Needless to say, with so many roles to fill it's important for parents to have resources to turn to for help. I've often turned to parenting books and magazines, cook books, blogs, my own parents, and mother-in-law for help. And from these resources I've picked up some pretty good tips and ideas to make the stay-at-home life more fun, simple, and enjoyable. That's where this blog comes in to play. I'd like to share some of my favorite things that I've learned on my journey as a parent. Being a stay-at-home mom doesn't have to be all work, no play. It should be fun! And when you enjoy what you're doing, it shows. My hope is that my blog can inspire others with new ideas to live better, dream bigger, and have fun.
Yeah.... that last part wasn't cheesy or anything, was it?? (Insert sarcasm)