An Update and Some Gardening!

Remember that internship I got a few post back? Well that turned in a promotion! Which for me meant another new schedule. I have been working 5 days a week from 4pm to 12:30am. On a better note, another schedule should be happening any day now. I will be on a more normal schedule. I am also planning to take a class this summer and some more in the fall. I hope all of this will allow some time for blogging. Anyway, on to the fun Spring things we've got going on!

I wanted to share how I made these cute little seed starters. These little pots are super easy to make and you likely have all of the supplies on hand!

What you will need:
-Newspaper/or any other paper really
-Tape
-Scissors
-Dirt
-Seeds
-A spice bottle or another cylindrical object

Directions:
Cut your paper into strips. The width will vary depending on how tall you want your pots. My widths were about 5 to 7 inches and the length should be able to wrap around your spice bottle twice. About 12 inches.

Wrap the paper around the spice bottle. Leave some excess off the bottom. Tape the part you just wrapped around down (about where my thumb is below).

Fold up the bottom. This process is similar to folding up the bottom of a penny roll. You want to tape that part down too.

Pull the newspaper off of the spice bottle and viola! You have your very own little newspaper seed starters. Fill them with dirt and some seeds!

Here are our little flowers coming up! I planted Poppies and Johnny Jump-ups. The Poppies are not showing yet. These cups hold up quite well, even in the pouring rain.

What sort of things have you been planting this year? Share it in the comments!

Homemade Granola

So, my work schedule is changing and I will not be working 1 to midnight anymore. Instead I will be getting off of work at 6! I am going to use this change to improve my cooking skills actually cook something and maybe break this horrible eating out habit. Today I went to the grocery store and picked up all sorts of ingredients. I will be making chicken parmesan, tortilla soup, dorito pie, chocolate chip cookies, banana nut muffins and this homemade granola.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbs Olive Oil
2 cups rolled/old fashioned oats
1/4 cup of butter
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 pinch of salt (optional)
1 handful or so of almonds, walnuts, raisins, dried fruit, etc.

DIRECTIONS
1. Put the olive oil and the oats into the pan and cook until some of them look brownish

2. Pour the oats into something else and then cook the butter, honey, and brown sugar in the pan until bubbly.

3. Add the oats and mix it all up. Cook for a bit longer. Don't wait until you smell them burning like I did. Take them out after they are all coated and well heated. I sprinkled the salt on some where around here. I think. :)

4. Add in the nuts and dried fruit or whatever else you want.

Ahh the finished product! These are super yummy even being a little burnt. I can't wait to make them again! I plan to use this granola for a yogurt topping or just as a snack.

I found the homemade granola recipe here but as you can see I did make a few of my own changes.

How to Wrap a Present! (with scraps!)

So like most of us during this time of year, I am busy wrapping presents. One of the most irritating things about wrapping presents is the pile of useless paper that is left after everything is wrapped. YOU KNOW what I am talking about. Those annoying little scraps that you just can't find a use for. Too tiny to wrap any present but too large to just throw in the trash. Meet your resolution:

Take all the scraps and wrap another present. This would be super cute on the gift for the office party, for a gag gift or just for silly presentation for the jokesters you know.

Keep in mind you will want to have LOTS of tape on hand. 

I had so much fun wrapping these gifts. I cannot wait to see my relatives' reaction when they see their gifts! What creative ideas do you have for your leftover wrapping paper? 

Cake Pops Tutorial!

When I first tried the Cake pops by Starbucks I Fell. In. Love. However, I thought that they were a bit pricey. I started looking for more affordable ways to make them myself. I came across the Oreo pops and have made those for several events. Everyone who tried them enjoyed them and I won a baking competition at work! I still wanted to learn how to make cake pops.

I tried a no bake option with tons of powdered sugar and they were horrible. When I made my Halloween cupcakes I had some extra cake. I decided to try and create my own recipe with a few other random ingredients. These were a huge success! I found that even I liked them better than the Starbucks cake pops.
Recently a friend and her son celebrated his 18th birthday and requested that I make these cake pops for them. Even better than that, she was helping! So I decided this would be the PERFECT time to put together a tutorial.

INGREDIENTS

Cake!

1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar

2 Bags Wilton Chocolate Melts

Sitcks (Optional)

1 8oz pack of Cream Cheese

Wax or Parchment Paper
*Makes about 25 Cake Pops*

DIRECTIONS

1. Make your cake just like your box says. (Betty Crocker Super Moist has been my favorite. Maybe one day I will search for a from scratch recipe :\) Let the cake cool before going to the next step. Trust me you don't want to be crumbling up hot cake. :)

2. Crumble the cake. I use a fork and sort of scrape across the cake. Don't worry if there are a few larger pieces  you'll take care of those in a moment.

3. Add the powder sugar and the cream cheese. I like to use about 6oz to 7oz of cream cheese but if you overcooked your cake you can use more. Mix this all together you should be able to pick up the whole chunk without pieces falling off. Or at least mostly.

4. Roll the dough into little or big balls (your choice!) Using an ice cream or cookie scoop may help make your size consistent. Place the balls on some parchment or wax paper and on a cookie sheet.

5. Pop the balls in the fridge for about 15 min.

6. Heat about 7 to 10 of the melts in a small dish according to the directions on the package. Use this to dip your sticks in before shoving the stick into the frozenish cake. This will help the ball stay on the stick. *For your sticks you can use the super expensive white ones or you can get some cheap bamboo skewers and cut them in half.* Put the balls back in the freezer for another 10 min or until the chocolate is hard.

*I like to use Wilton Candy Melts but there are a few other brands out there.*

7. Heat the rest of the chocolate in a narrow bowl or measuring cup. Dip the balls into the chocolate and place back on the pan or in a stand (you can use a store bought one, styrofoam, or card board). You can tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to get some of the excess chocolate off. This is the time when you would want to put the decoration on. The chocolate hardens pretty quickly. Keep in the fridge until about 20 min before serving. I prefer them to be a bit colder but you could leave them out a bit longer and they would still taste fine. 

Have you made cake pops? Do you have any tips? Share them in the comments!

Chocolate Trees! YUM!

On Thanksgiving I had some extra chocolate left over from my cake pops (tutorial coming soon!) I had been wanting to pipe out some little designs and I think these came out well.

To do this all you need is to put some chocolate in a piping bottle/bag or use a ziploc bag and snip the corner off. Pipe out your design. I did the outline first, made it kind of thick and then I piped the zig-zags across. I added some sprinkles to finish it off. These can be used for your ginger bread houses, to add to cupcakes or cakes, or even just as a cute holiday snack.

We have been working on many holiday projects this year. I plan on posting them all for everyone to see. What kind of holiday projects have you been working on? Share your ideas in the comments! You can even add a link to your Pinterest boards.

Who Put Glass in Your Cupcakes?

A few weeks ago I brought some cupcakes to work with glass and blood in them. They were a HUGE hit. I was asked to make them for a friends Halloween party and for another friends son's birthday party. I learned how to make hardy candy for these, which is not as difficult as I thought. I decided I would post a tutorial on how to make them. At this point I have made these cupcakes 3 times this month. I have think I have gotten better each time!