Last Summer I had the pleasure of baking 500 cookies for a literary themed wedding. The wedding was set in Liberty Station at 828 Events. Every single detail was on point and I was left in awe as I was setting up the dessert table. This was the largest amount of cookies I have ever baked and it was so much fun! It was a nice twist because usually it’s cupcakes which require more time. I am truly thankful that Andy and Lindsey chose me to bake for their wedding.
Every Christmas and New Year’s Day my family wakes up to fresh cinnamon rolls. For the past four years I have been baking Pioneer Woman’s recipe, which I love and will never part with. This year, after having a holiday evening with friends and trying their recipe I decided to venture out. Her secret was vanilla pudding! I would have never thought about that in quick yeast bread. Her recipe was for a bread machine and even for me it seemed too difficult because I have to be honest with ya, bread scares me! Will it proof, not proof? Will it take quadruple the amount of time to rise? Probably. The one thing I have learned while baking cinnamon rolls is just to be patient. Wrap some presents, prep something else and make it a family affair. We made a double batch, the kids helped mix, I didn’t knead this dough long enough so after thirty minutes of zero rising I re-kneaded and it rose very quickly! The kids then helped spread the melted butter and loaded those babies up with enough sugar and cinnamon to give you a tooth ache. Christmas Day we gobble up the gooey cinnamon-y goodness and then Payton brought them to all our neighbors. She was so proud as she delivered them and I was equally as proud watching our tradition continue.
I followed this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen, fitting that I would love her recipe since we share the same name. 😉
For the frosting, I made my cream cheese frosting I use for my cupcakes. It uses slightly more powdered sugar than she recommends and I used vanilla bean paste for speckled goodness.
Last month my sweet Payton turned six on the eighteenth of December. To celebrate her big day we invited all her girlfriends from school to swirl around in fluffy pink tutus to the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. When I was day dreaming of the party I saw lots of sweet pastel candy, cotton candy colored tutus, butterfly wings and silvery white Nutcrackers all around. We held the party at our home, we setup the table up outside because we were lucky enough to miss the rain by a few hours. The food was simple: fruit, fairy bread, sandwiches and pink lemonade. I baked the barbie cake and cupcakes. We had a special visit from the Sugar Plum Fairy who performed for everyone and then taught a one-hour class and gave glittery tattoos to all the girls. It was truly magical!
Party Details:
Payton’s Nutcracker Costume: Mint Pink Sugar
Cookies: Sugar Cookies by Britt
Cake and Cupcakes: by myself
Tutus and Wings: Butterfly Craze
Invitation: Krown Kreations (Etsy)
Entertainment: Charlene’s Dance ‘n Cheer
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DoMoreWithEAS #CollectiveBias
Like most families we are always on-the-go. Last September we made a lifestyle change and started working out together vs. going our separate ways. It has been fun working out together, encouraging one another and making fun when we simply have nothing left. I seem to burn out a little quicker on some days because I struggle with getting enough protein in my diet. I was recently introduced to EAS® 100% Whey Single Serving Packets. They are perfect because I keep them in my center console on days when I can’t run right home after a workout. I simply keep a blender bottle and water in my car and mix right after the gym. We don’t have a lot of time as our workout is right in between dropping the kids off at school and then by the time we finish our workout we are running to pick-up our youngest at preschool. The ease of EAS® Protein Powder makes our already healthy lifestyle easier to stay on track.
Working out with my hubby has been the best thing we have done together. We might not always get our date nights but having our time in the gym together has been amazing for us. Making sure you give yourself the proper protein is essential to build lean muscle and maintain total body health! Make it convenient and easier on yourself and try EAS® Protein Supplements!
You can purchase EAS® Protein Supplements at Target in the pharmacy section. Right now there is an awesome Cartwheel offer that’s live from 8/23/15-10/31/15.
Be sure to check out more fun ways to incorporate protein here. I’d love to hear your favorite!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurelySimple #CollectiveBias
My baby starts Kindergarten today. It’s that date you countdown to when you first give birth, it’s the huge milestone each parent looks forward to. The only thing is, once it’s here it’s really scary and exciting all at the same time. To celebrate our daughter beginning Kinder we wanted to celebrate this milestone to help ease her anxiety and to show her we are proud of the young lady she is becoming. We celebrated at her favorite restaurant, gave her a few new books and I baked her one amazing chocolate cake. While I was at Target buying school supplies I noticed a new product in the baking aisle. It’s a new cake mix from Pillsbury Purely Simple that is free of dyes, has no preservatives and no artificial flavors. There is also Pillsbury Purely Simple Frosting, Pillsbury Purely Simple Cookie and Pillsbury Purely Simple Brownie Mix. I immediately thought of a decadent, yet simple chocolate cake recipe I could bake for my sweet girl to celebrate this milestone.
I know that this cake might look super complicated, but I have to reassure you that it took me less than two hours from start to finish. You do not need to be an expert baker to create a memorable and tasty cake. I started with Pillsbury Purely Simple Chocolate Cake Mix, all you have to do is add: milk, eggs and butter. While the cake was baking I had the kids help with baking the Pillsbury Purely Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pillsbury Purely Simple Brownies. These mixes were also simple and came together very fast and within no time I had everything baked. To speed up the cake cooling time I moved the warm cake to the refrigerator and prepared the frosting. My friends always want to know my baking secrets and I have to tell you that using mixes is easier, time saving and usually you cannot tell the difference in taste. This new product does not have that aftertaste that some boxed mixes have and by using simple ingredients like butter, milk & eggs it’s like you baked it from scratch but didn’t have to do any of the measuring yourself.
I just made this amazing cake using Pillsbury Purely Simple mixes, what would you make with them? I would love to hear from you!
If you’re interested in trying these new products they’re available at Target and you can currently save 25% off on any Pillsbury Purely Simple product with the Cartwheel app.
For additional info and recipe ideas visit:
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