Fireworks and Boom ... Firecracker Cakelette & Flag Pretzels

On to the second day of fireworks, well at least for recipes here!  I have found some super cute things I couldn't pass up making.  You know me I just can't help myself with a theme and a party I just go all out.  I'm trying to keep this one from my usual overboard status so I promise just 2 more things to come ... lol I'm trying!

First off I found these Fourth of July Firecracker Cakelettes on She Knows.  How hard could this be ... lol. I know I always am trying new things.  I started with a White Cake Mix (I created a post of just this recipe so I don't clog up this post - click link for the recipe). 

What you Need:

Cake Mix (Split into 3 bowls - Mix one red, one blue and one leave white)

Wilton Icing Colors (I used Royal Blue & Red Red No taste)

Circle Cutters

Knife

Frosting (I used my sturdy buttercream) / Piping Bag

Pop Rocks

Licorice String

Bake cakes as directed, allow them to cool and remove from pans.  Using a round cookie cutter, cut circles from each of the baked cakes (I think the one I used was a 2-inch).  Using a serrated knife, carefully trim off the browned, baked bottoms of each cake circle.  Using a jumbo straw or plastic tube (one-half or three-quarters-inch in diameter), remove the centers of the cake circles. Be sure to save the red and blue centers to use as plugs for later. Put a portion of the red cake plugs back into the bottoms of the red cake circles. Pipe a line of frosting around the centers of the red and white cake circles. Stack the white cakes on top of the red cakes and the blue cakes on top of the white cakes. Add Pop Rocks down the hollow centers of the stacked cakes. Put a portion of the blue cake plugs back into the tops, covering the center filled with Pop Rocks.  Cut licorice rope pieces approximately 1-1/2 inches long and insert them into the centers of the blue cakes.  (put pop rocks in no more then 4 hours before they will be ate.

Next on my list is some fun and Easy Flag Pretzels I found on Passion for Savings.  I actually had everything here on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 Bag Pretzel Rods
• 24 oz. Almond Bark
• 2 Tbsp. Shortening
• Food Coloring
• White Sprinkles

Instructions

Melt the Almond Bark with 2 Tbsp. Shortening
Dip the Pretzel Rods in White Almond Bark
Divide remaining Almond Bark in half and add Red and Blue Food Coloring (I used Blue Melts & Red Gel instead easier)
Dip ⅓ of the White Chocolate Pretzels back in Blue Chocolate
Add White Sprinkles before drying
Drizzle Red Chocolate over the remaining white section to create stripes (I used Wilton Red Gel instead of Chocolate).

These are so simple to make and you can put it in clear bags and tie with a ribbon and had them out if you want. 

Simple and Easy to make and can really make your 4th party a real hit!

My little helper loved them, hope you do to!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Fireworks & Booms ... The Bomb Cupcakes & Red, White & Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

4th of July is almost here, not that my neighbors would know this since they have been lighting off fireworks for the last few days.  We will be doing our normal plan of going to my parents house on the lake to watch all the other people blow off their money!   Of course I want to do something fun for the food so I found some fun cupcakes and then I also made a dessert for our neighbors who had the kids over all day yesterday and let me work and clean in peace!!

I'll start with the Bomb Pop Cupcakes, I saw them all over pinterest but no real step by step so I winged it like usual!  Here is what I came up with I think they turned out pretty good!

What you need:

Baked Cupcakes

Frosting (White, Red & Blue)

Popsicle Sticks

Clear Cups (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Clear Bags (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Alexis Notes: I made a batch of my homemade yellow cake mix and sturdy buttercream frosting (I've created a page so each recipe has their own post no more weeding through my ramblings).

Frost cupcakes with blue first I did a good amount of blue.  Then I went to the white frosting (I wish I would have made another batch and made this layer a bit thicker).  You then top with red frosting.  Last stick a popsicle stick into the center of the cupcake.  I now put my cupcakes in a clear cup and put in a clear bag.  Tie off with a ribbon (I used red, white and blue - Well my red was a burnt red but I wasn't making anymore trips out tonight).

And we end with a special gift I made for my neighbors.  Those who know me know I'm a complete lover of strawberry cheesecake so this of course was a killer to make but I made sure it went straight out the door.  This Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars on Recipe Girls Website.  It smelled so good, I so wanted a bite but I resisted.

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Nice lower fat option for weight watchers.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
1 1/2 packages (12 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh raspberries (more or less, as desired)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (more or less, as desired)


Directions:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. In a food processor (or with an electric mixer) blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest just until smooth. Do not over-beat.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the crumb crust. Scatter raspberries and blueberries on top.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until touch to center feels slightly firm and set.

6. Cool completely before cutting. Use foil to lift cheesecake out of pan and onto a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut into clean-looking bars (wiping blade clean with a paper towel between cuts). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Points Plus Program: 5 Old Points Program: 5

Source: RecipeGirl.com

I hope you give one of these a shot both pretty easy to make and both look so yummy!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Dolphin Cake (Easy Step by Step from 2 round cakes)

My friends daughter was having a dolphin themed party this weekend and instead of buying a gift, I thought it would fun to make her a cake.  I asked my friend if she had already ordered a cake if not can I make it?  They had not to off I went on the search to find the best and easiest dolphin cake I could find. I found many different versions and a lot of them saying you could do it with 2 round cakes but no real step by step.  That was until I came across Something Edible and the great tutorial on how to make a dolphin cake (He included a pdf that you can print cut out and then put together like a puzzle.

What you need:

• Double batch of Homemade yellow cake mix (or your favorite)
• 2 - 9" Round Cake pans (Mine was 10" so I had lot's of left overs)
• Buttercream Frosting (dirty Icing and glue to hold pieces together)
• Rolled Buttercream Fondant (or your favorite - White & Blue)
• Delphinium Blue Icing Color
• Black Wilton Icing
• Licorice Strings
• Cake Board

Instructions:

Bake the 2 round cakes as directed, let cool.  I just had mine cooled but I have heard that they are easier to cut if frozen.  Print the pdf pages from Something Edible.  I then cut out the pieces of paper and laid them on each round cake and got to cutting.  I then like a puzzle piece put them together, each paper was labeled (a,b,c etc).  I then took buttercream frosting and glued the pieces together and dirty iced the top of the cake to be able to put the fondant on.  I rolled out white strips to put on the front of the cake (the stomach & bottom fin of the dolphin , I also made a circle that went up the side for the dolphin.  I rolled out the blue icing and covered the dolphin.  Cutting off the edges and the part that was white.  I took a little black and to a small ball of fondant to make an eye.  I then cut some licorice string to be the eyelashes.  I took some fondant and made letter's to write out Happy Birthday.

Hope you make this for someone special!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

New Do Revealed - Blonde Ambition

The new do came out super cute and super blonde.  I love it I don't think I've been this blonde in many years it's kind of nice change and the cut sure is too.  Yesterday I showed the inspiration for the cut and color and now you can see how it looks!

So what do you think?

First we had to process it from all my colors to blonde

the next step went so fast no pic.

Now the reveal!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

New Summer Do with Skinny Face

As most of you know my one real luxury is getting my hair done every 2 months.  I have been very blessed that my cousin is a hair dresser and let's me invade her house kids and all and invade her house for a little pampering for me!  Now that I'm almost at my goal weight I think I'm going to go a little daring and cut my hair very short in an asymmetrical bob.   Now I usually have a bob with the back cut short.  Now I'm going to go pretty short and very blonde.  I'm hoping I can pull this off!  With my face looking thinner I so have high hopes for this one!  So off to google I went and found a cut I like and then I went on a color mission!  So what do you think?  I'll reveal my new look on Friday!!!  For now here is the inspiration:

The Cut

The Color

Wish me luck!

For the Wedding Planner or The Bride to Be ... Bridal Survival Kits

My new friend and co-worker is also a wedding planner.  Her birthday was a few days before mine and I wanted to do something special for her.  I went to my handy dandy pinterest boards and came across a Bridal Emergency Kit on Project Wedding.  100 Layer Cake provided this super simple Bridal Survival Kit printable.  Let's just say my canvas bag met the iron and water leaked on it leaving a horrible water stain!  So I went to plan c and used a bag that had a cute saying on it that my amazing friend Amy gave me a while back.  It so saved me in the last minute to get this gift out the door!

Between the printer not worker, the iron on's not sticking and then the iron leaking this gift took me 2 days to get out the door and I missed her bday by a day.  At first I thought this is just not meant to happen ... LOL but I pushed through and I'm happy to say she loved it and she even passed one of the bags out to her bride that weekend!

This is a super simple one to make and so sweet to give to a bride to be.  Most of these items can be found in the travel isle at your local store or heck the dollar tree has a great travel section with name brand items.

What You Need (I made a few different bags to put together) :

Canvas Bag

Iron On 

Reliable Iron that doesn't leak

Printer

Clear Plastic Bags (Small 60 for $1 or Large 25 for $1 Dollar Tree)

Stapler

Card Stock

Here are the Bags I did:

Fresh Breath Saver:

Gum

Breath Mints

Tick Tacks (I didn't find)

The Oppsie Saver:

Band-Aids

Tums (just in case tummy ache)

Advil or Tylenol

Kiss Me Saver
Travel Toothbrush
Wisp Colgate Whitening Mini Brushes
Tooth Paste
Mouth Wash
Bianca Strips

Snackable Saver
Nuts
100 Calorie Packs 

Pretty Me Saver
Lotion
Nail Clippers
Emory Board
Cuticle Pusher
Cuticle Trimmer
Deodorant for those moments you need to feel fresh

Keep You Fresh Saver
Kleenex
Purell Sanitizer Packets
Stain Remover Pen
Superaway Lipcolor Remover

When All Else Fails .... (this is my favorite I came up with)
Super Glue
Chocolate
Note: If All Fails Super Glue it and Eat Chocolate! :)

I packed these up in a cute bag and put them in the mail to my co-worker she lives on the other side of the US like my bosses so I had to put it in the mail for her.

Here is my failed attempts!

All put together!

Since we are in the wedding season this really would make a great gift for a bridal shower or to give to the bride the morning of her wedding.  It is very thoughtful and I must say super cute!

Hope you make this for someone special!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.