Fun food for kids

Today I had the privilege of keeping a few of my nieces and nephews. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out a few things with kids I knew would be honest with me (one in particular, you know what is on her mind at all times-a quality I love!).

For breakfast, we had cinnamon roll pops. I used a can of Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls. I unrolled each roll & cut them into 6 even pieces. Then I rerolled them & baked for about 15 minutes. I frosted each one when they were still hot so the frosting would melt. I put a cake pop stick into each one and they were done! One can makes about 30 pops. I served them with a little bowl of strawberries & they loved them! And I still stand by the fact that anything is cuter when its small.

For lunch, I made speckled sandwiches & mini skewers of fruit. Speckled sandwiches are just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in disguise. After making the pb&j, cut in fours diagonally. Put a small amount of peanut butter on one edge of each piece and dip in sprinkles. They are so simply but the kids think they are great!

And for the mini fruit skewers I just used a toothpick and some fruit I already had. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces & put on the toothpick. I am not sure what it is about food on a stick but people go crazy for it, even kids.

 

We had so much fun and I can not wait to do it again!

Everything is cuter when it is smaller

Everything is cuter when it is smaller, right?! I certainly think so.

Today I made mini lemon bundt cakes with cream cheese frosting & they were super yummy!

The lemon cake was really simple, I used Betty Crocker Supermoist lemon cake mix. (I bought a mini bundt pan from Wal Mart for $7). Simply follow the cake instructions and fill each mold half way, any fuller and they will not be flat on the bottom. I baked them for 15 minutes and they were perfect. As we all know, all ovens are different so just use a toothpick to test. One box made 34 cakes.

The "hard" part was the frosting, I wanted to make homemade cream cheese frosting. I just used the recipe on www.simplyrecipes.com. Let a stick of unsalted butter and a block of cream cheese sit out until room temperature. Then put them in a bowl & use a mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes, should be smooth and whipped. If for some reason you happen to get some of this mix on your finger, do NOT lick it off...just trust me. Then you add 1 teaspoon of vanilla using the mixer for about 20 seconds. Next you will add 2-3 cups of powdered sugar (I did 2 1/2 cups), still mixing with the mixer. NOW you can lick any of this if it happens to get on your fingers. I was amazed at what a little powdered sugar can do! I put a little bit on each cake (after completely cooled) and oh my gosh I swear I could eat them all!

I also made mini tomato basil mozzarella appetizers. They were super easy and everyone really enjoyed them!

Cut cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half (one container of cherry tomatoes and one container of mozzarella balls make about 45 appetizers). Then I slid the tomato, small piece of basil and mozzarella onto a toothpick. I put a little salt and pepper on top. Then I mixed 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. I drizzled a small amount of this on top and they were done!

Ingredients list for the grocery store
Cake mix:
-Betty Crocker Supermoist lemon cake mix
-3 eggs
-vegetable oil
Cream cheese frosting:
-one block of cream cheese (8 ounces)
-one package of unsalted butter (only need one stick)
-vanilla
-one bag of powdered sugar
Tomato basil mozzarella appetizers:
-one package of cherry tomatoes
-one tub of mozzarella balls (in the refrigerated section by the deli)
-one package of fresh basil
-balsamic vinegar
-extra virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper
-toothpicks

Hope you enjoy!

Just the beginning

My wedding was the true beginning of party planning. I spent a year researching, planning and executing every detail, all the way down to the color coordinating ribbon tied around the napkin and silverware. I received several compliments during the reception, mostly on the detail of everything. It was then that friends and family started encouraging me to start my own party planning business. I love to "DIY" and made 80% of the items for my wedding, including the programs above. I was not sure if this is something people wanted, would people really pay me to make things for them, to plan for them? Well, I took a huge leap of faith and here I am, Petals and Pearls.

Here are a few pictures of my wedding, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went with yellow and a hint of red with a rustic lovebird theme. We had a photo booth, candy bar, wishing tree, dinner and drinks. The night was perfect, I still look back at the pictures and smile. 

 

 

My amazing vendors:

-Pictures by Lindsay at www.mystorykeeper.com

-Flowers by the ladies at www.strikingstems.com

-Photobooth by Jasmin at www.funpix-photobooth.com

-Gorgeous venue www.ambersprings.net

 

 



 

 

Fourth of July goodies

Every July 4th my family gets together, all 20 of us. I know what you are thinking but we all actually like each other so it works out great. Each family is responsible for bringing an activity for the kids and a side of food. This year I chose fruit and had so much fun with it. As I was preparing the fruit, I remember thinking if I had fruit served like this as a child, I would have eaten more fruit!

I started with an idea I saw on Pinterest, a bowl of star shaped watermelon. The hardest part was getting the slices of watermelon about an inch thick straight across. I delegated this task to my husband and he did a great job!

Next I just used a star cookie cutter and cut out the watermelon. I also added some sliced strawberries and whole blueberries to the bowl. I was pleasantly surprised at how great it turned out. The bowl of fruit actually looked like the pinterest picture and that never happens!

When I went to JoAnn's to buy a star cookie cutter for the watermelon, they had plastic reusable push pops on an end cap. They were so cute and called my name! So of course I bought them (it also helped that I had a 50% off coupon on my phone). They are meant for cake, you layer little pieces of cake and icing in them. However, I thought it would be fun to use them as fruit push pops. So I used blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cool whip and some other fun fillings. It was so simple, I just layered the fruit with cool whip and added some other fun things like chocolate chips and almonds. Everyone loved them!



I was really happy with how the fruit turned out, however I am afraid I have raised the bar and the expectation is high for next year!

Cake pops, I figured them out!





 

My first attempt at cake pops was a disaster! The cake wouldn't stay on the stick, the candy melts didn't melt correctly and my kitchen was a mess. So I got on the internet and did ALOT of research. What did we do before Google?!

This is what worked for me:

I started by baking a cake, I prefer Betty Crocker SuperMoist cake mix. Once the cake is done & cooled completely, crumble in a large bowl.

 

Then add frosting, I found that 3/4 of a jar worked best. This part is messy, just use your hands to mix it together-don't even bother trying with a spoon. You want the cake to stick together but be careful too much frosting will make it heavy. Now you want to form the cake balls. I cheated & bought a cake ball scooper. I would highly suggest you buy one as well. The scooper not only makes the cake balls all the same size, but also the perfect size. Scoop a level amount of cake and roll in the palm of your hands just a few times to make it round.

Next, put the cake balls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. The first time I did this, I put them in the freezer and this caused the cake pops to crack, so I do not suggest freezing them. Once the cake balls are chilled, start melting your chocolate or candy melts. I used Wilton's candy melts in a tiny crock pot. (I was not successful melting them in the microwave). I just put a few in at a time and gradually melted them all. The candy melts are a bit thick so I add 2-3 tablespoons of Crisco to make it easier to dip.

 

Take 6 cake balls out at a time. Take the stick, dip it in the melted candy and then into the cake ball. When complete, place them back in the refrigerator. Now it is time to dip! I only dip 3 cake pops at a time, leaving the rest in the refrigerator. I simple dip the cake into the candy and swirl it out. I also lightly tap to get the excess off. If you are adding sprinkles, now is the time. Dry in a cake pop rack or simply in a block of styrofoam for about 30 minutes.

 

If you have trouble, leave a comment and hopefully we can figure it out together. Sound like to much work for you? Order from me, just send a quick message. Good luck and have fun!

My crazy beautiful life

When I thought about what I wanted people to know about me, the first thing that came to mind was how supportive all the people in my life are. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by people who believe in what I do. And that is why I am here.

My husband & I both work very full time jobs. He has a beautiful three year old daughter & we have a one year old son. So when people encouraged me to start my own company planning parties, I thought "Sure, I can do that." Really, I did. Oh, how naïve I was & that was just two weeks ago...but here I am, still at it. I know this is the direction I am suppose to head in, God has made that very clear to me.

So I hope you enjoy my blog, learn something new & hopefully laugh a little :)