Ok...So Art Students are a Little Odd

• That statement in the title includes me. I was an art student once.
• My students have a wall space in the classroom that has Richard Nixon images all over it. I have no clue why they chose Richard Nixon, but that's who they chose.
• They are recruiting people to come up with Richard Nixon pieces.
  
• I created one for them to put up on the wall.
• Zach, the student in charge of the Nixon wall was so happy that one teacher actually did something to put up.
  

We All Scream for Ice Cream

• I wanted to do something that would incorporate my cookies. All the ice cream cones are cookies I've created. The pink is actually strawberry frosting, the brown is chocolate frosting and the white is vanilla frosting.
• With the cones I paint on an egg mixture that includes: The white part of an egg, brown food coloring (I have to make my own brown) and brown sugar. I paint it on before they bake.
• I just saw this picture of Nixon, and decided that everyone needed ice cream cones to uplift their day. They look a little too serious, don't you think?
• I thought about doing a Thanksgiving Day Parade with my turkey cookies, but I wanted something that would take little time to do.
• This took 30 to 40 min. Cutting out the cookies in Photoshop took the longest amount of time.
• Click on the image to see it BIGGER.

Wilton Birthday Giveaway

• Two of a Kind is giving away a birthday set from Wilton.
• Oh how I'd love to win!
  

Edible Things

• I've seen a few decorating things lately that I want! They are kind of different.
• The first one is edible pearls. It would be fun to use these on cookies or cakes. My birthstone is alexandrite, which pearl is its substitute since alexandrite is so expensive.
  

• Grandma Spiehs gave me a few edible markers before Christmas. I like them!

• These I really want! They are edible googly eye's.
• They could be used on animals, or people.

Whip Up Anything FAST!

• I've always wanted a Magic Bullet!
  
• I can picture it now...whipping up some cake, frosting, brownie mix super fast!
  
• Oh...and it would of been GREAT for making baby food!
• Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away 5 Magic Bullets!
  

Cake Bites Only This Time for Work

• I made another batch of cake bites over the weekend for our work's. When I had them laid out, it didn't seem like very much, so I took them for my work and Daddy will take some to his work next week...when I get a chance to make more.
• I snuck two just to get pictures of them. Of course I had to eat them to get good shots of them. So cute...and so yummy! I really haven't had any to myself.
• I was thinking the pink ones would be cute with x's and o's on them for this time of year. I need to get an edible black marker.
  
• If you want to know how to make them here is the recipe.
  

Men in Aprons are Hot!

• Seeing a man in the kitchen and wearing an apron is pretty hot!
  
• Jolly Mom is giving away the winners choice of a Flirty Apron.

These Apron's are Popping Up all Over the Place!

• My Organized Chaos is having a Flirty Apron giveaway.
  

Another Flirty Apron Giveaway

• Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is having a Flirty Apron giveaway.
  
• I love their apron's! They make baking fun!
  

Flirty Aprons

• One of me favorite blogs Two of a Kind is giving away an apron.
• Since I love to bake, naturally I'd like to win, but I want to give you the chance to win as well.
  
• The company Flirty Aprons has really great aprons for men, women and little girls. If only they had some for the little boy that helps me in the kitchen.
  

Surgery

For the Nurses

For My Mom's Room

• My Mom is getting her ankle fused today. It's a three hour surgery, a three day stay in the hospital and lots of recovery time.
• So...to lighten a tense situation I made cookies and cake bite's. To learn how to make cake bite's, or cake pop's visit Bakerella. Her site truly inspires me every week to make these. Except her's are taken to a more sophisticated level that I wasn't ready to make the first time going in.
  
• They will be given to the nurses and kept in my Mom's recovery room for visitors to eat.
• The hearts are off of the Methodist Hospital logo. My Mom, my sister Terra, my cousin Stacy and my Aunt Becky all work for Methodist.
  
• Thank you Mom for the edible markers you got me before Christmas. They really helped with the logo! Get better sooner rather then later! I love you!
  

• Want to make what I call Cake Bites:
• You make a Red Velvet Cake from the box. Let it cool down.
• Take it out and crumble it in a bowl. I used the Pamper Chef Mix and Chop.

• Then you add a container of cream cheese frosting to the crumbled up cake.
• It works best to use your hands to mix the two together, but to warn you, you'll look like a bloody mess with the red velvet cake.
• Use a melon/cookie scoop to put them into little balls. Put in a container. I froze them overnight.
  
• Then get candy melts (you can buy this stuff at any craft store) or almond bark. Use a double boiler to melt the candy melts.
• Start dipping the cake bites in. I cut off the excess candy or almond bark with a kitchen sheers to put back in the pan. Then I smeared on any spots that didn't get hit with a clean finger.
  
• You can decorate them with any kind of sprinkles, or add things to them.
  
• Bakerella adds all kinds of things to her's, including a sucker stick (you can buy these at any craft store as well). If you add the stick, secure it with the candy melts or almond bark when sticking it in.
  

Betty Crocker's Cake's

• Mommy Mandy is giving away ONE winner will receive VIP coupons and all the baking tools they would need to recreate the cake you made for the party from Betty Crocker.
• I really like the robot cake! I'd modify it a little to be my own cake. It is very fun!

Christmas Treats

• These are the candies and cookies I made for the holiday festivities.

Waffle Pretzels With Peanut Butter Spread on them and Dipped in Almond Bark

We Make a Train Every Year - This Year I Used Chocolate Roll Out Cookies to Make ThemSnowmen Sugar Cookies - The Carrot Noses are 1/2 a Baking M&M
A Pill Cutter Was Used to Cut the M&M's

Fruit Slices Dipped in White Almond Bark

Gingerbread MenA Plate of Cookies
There's No Way We're Eating All of These, But They Are Soooo CUTE!

Cheep Cookie Cutters

• My Organized Chaos is giving away a cookie cutter at Cheep Cookie Cutters under the value of $10.
  
• I love having different cookie cutters.
• My pick: The Submarine! How fun it would be to make Mica who LOVES The Yellow Submarine movie these cookies for birthday treats!
  

Chocolate Roll Out Cookies

• I made these and they were pretty good.
• They sort of taste like brownies.
• I wanted to make something that could be decorated, but was different from sugar cookies.
• Overall I like them, but I have to admit they are a bit sticky when rolling them out. I sprayed my hand and the roller with flour spray. That seemed to help.
  

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cream butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; add and mix well. Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with desired shaped cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Duncan Hines Giveaway!

• Two of my favorite sites Go Graham Go and Jolly Mom are giving away a Duncan Hines Prize Pack!
• I spotted these cute Gingerbread cookies on the Duncan Hines site.

Ingredients Baking Instructions

1. 21 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in brown paper liners
2. 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting
3. 1 can (16 ounces each) Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Milk Chocolate Frosting
4. 3 each red, green and yellow spice drops
5. 6 green candy coated chocolates (e. g. M&M’s)

Baking Instructions

1. Spoon the vanilla frosting into a ziplock bag. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a 2 cup microwave safe glass bowl or measuring cup. Microwave the chocolate frosting in the measuring cup, stirring frequently, until frosting is the texture of slightly whipped cream -- about 20 to 30 seconds. Hold cupcakes by the paper liner and dip the tops, one at a time, into the thinned chocolate frosting just up to the paper liner. Allow the excess frosting to dip off. Invert and let stand. Reheat the frosting for several seconds in the microwave, stirring well, if it begins to thicken.
2. Arrange a group of 7 cupcakes each to make 3 gingerbread boys. Make sure the cupcakes are lightly touching each other (see photo) on a serving platter or cookie sheet (3 cupcakes placed in a vertical row to make the head and body, 2 on either side of bottom cupcake to make the feet, and a cupcake on either side of the second cupcake to make the hands).
3. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting. Pipe the outline of the gingerbread boy along the outer edge of each the cupcake group. Pipe 3 dots of vanilla frosting down the center of body cupcakes and add the spice drops to make the buttons. Add the green candies for the eyes. Pipe a vanilla frosting mouth.