February 20, 2013

 

Woo Hoo!! Wednesday

Last week I had 4 parties in one week. Of course I was making lots of cupcakes. So I had a cupcake everyday last week. This week, no parties = no cupcakes. I'm having withdrawals ha ha

Being Woo Hoo!! Wednesday, I thought I'd share some of the Woo Hoo!! worthy cupcakes I've made.  With links to sources so you too can make some Woo Hoo!! worthy cupcakes. 

The Cherry Coke ones I made last week. The frosting on this is delish! From Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Caramel Apple cupcakes from The Girl Who Ate Everything . These are co-worker approved. I'll be making these again this fall. 
Chocolate Chili Cupcakes. A nice kick at the end. From Allrecipes. 
Butterfinger Milkshake Cupcakes. So good. From Your cup of Cake 
There's more but I think I'll save them for another Woo Hoo!! Wednesday. 

All the picture above except the first one came from the bloggers pages that I've attached the links too. Their pictures showcase their cupcakes so well and I know it just makes you want to click on over and get that recipe :)
If you visit their site, be sure to leave them some love.  We bloggers thrive on comments :) Especially the happy ones, woo hoo!!

February 18, 2013

 

End the Week on a Sweet Note

One of the bosses at work loves to host little parties occasionally for all of us during the lunch hour.  Valentine's is the perfect occasion to throw one at work.   Especially when it falls later in the week when we're all fried  looking forward to the weekend. I look forward to this party because it means I can try out some new recipes and know that I won't be stuck   have to eat them all myself.  Last year I contributed my homemade peanut chocolates. I had several requests to make them again this year but I really wanted to try out some cupcake recipes.  I was going to make two different cupcakes and my chocolates but with 4 parties in the span of a week, the chocolates didn't get made. 

These cupcakes look so pretty and perfect. I almost took one, until I was told  Fred Meyer made them. Nothing wrong with Fred Meyer, I just wanted a homemade treat.  There were a lot of store bought treats this year.  Last year there was more homemade. 


There cuties were made by Rosalia. She made the panda cupcakes I've showcased.  I think I have a little competition at work :)

I like to make mini cupcakes for these types of events. That way people can try more than one treat. However, these cupcakes required a full size. You see, there's a surprise in the middle. A cherry! I got the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.  

These little guys were a HIT! I had one employee tell me he grubbed out on them. Ha ha
This recipe is a keeper for sure. From Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I'll be leaving a comment giving her a big thank you for posting this delish recipe. 

I would have shared more photo's of all the treats but they were store bought cookies and candy. Stay tuned for some cupcake reviews of the two I made over on  Cupcake Crusaders. I was asked to guest blog and I couldn't pass it up! I love their blog! 

February 13, 2013

 

Woo Hoo!! Wednesday

Laissez les bon temps rouller


A co-worker I use to work with is headed for a great adventure. She got a job in Barrows, Alaska ! Woo Hoo!! Before she leaves Oregon  she wanted a luncheon with some of her co-workers.  Being Mardi Gras and me being a Party Diva, I had to Fizzy up the Bon Voyage luncheon.  

Since it was at work I can't go ALL out like I'd like too.  I have to make due with the room layout and be able to decorate on a 15 minute break. I Fizzy'd up the white board with Mardi Gras essentials. Beads, coins, noise makers and the masks I made last year. (click the link for a how-to). 

Better look at the masks I made. I decorated the whole table with masks, noise makers, beads, coins and my signature...confetti! 

You know I had to have cupcakes. Chocolate cream filled with the Mardi Gras colours represented in sprinkles. No cupcake survived. 
I look forward to hearing about my friends adventures. It was - 15 in Barrows today by the way, brrrr. 
I'm glad I was able to throw a mini party for her before she left.  She may not get any parties in Barrows like this. After all, cake mix is $4.79 and a can of frosting $4.45. You better savor every bite of those cupcakes if you make any. Ha ha

February 11, 2013

 

CNY: Year of the Snake 2013

No it's not a new crime show, it's Chinese New Year (CNY).  Every time I write CNY to my friend I always think of CSI.   You won't find any crime scene tape at this party though.  Last year I threw a mini Chinese New Year party  and had so much fun I wanted to throw one again this year.


For party favors I put candied orange slices in the mini take-out box's.  Oranges are given out at Chinese New Year because the word for orange sounds like luck.

For food I made Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Wings,, and my friends brought spring rolls and chicken noodle dishes.  For dessert I made Chinese Almond cookies.   My husband really likes these.
It was a small mini party, just 4 of us.  We ate, talked and had a good time catching up. I highly recommend mini parties.

February 8, 2013

 

Welcome Home

The Saturday before the Superbowl I attended my friends house warming. She moved into a gorgeous 3 story home. Stepping into her bedroom makes you feel like you're at a luxury hotel :)

I couldn't show up empty handed and since the Superbowl was the next day, I made football cookies.

The men appreciated the cookies :)

My friend served veggies, crackers, spinach dip with bread, and Trader Joe's mushroom poppers.  Now I am not a fan of that much mushroom but these were tasty.  I'll be getting those for a party in the future for sure.

My friend had a variety of foods, something for everyone to snack on. Or so one would think. One of her friends 3ish year old daughters is allergic or intolerant to dairy and gluten. The little girl kept wanting to snack but didn't want the foods she could have.  One suggestion I would make to all parent's out there with kids who are allergic or intolerant to certain foods, bring foods your child can eat.  As an adult if there is food at a party we can't eat or don't like we can wait until we get home. It's much harder for little kids to wait. And as a party hostess, try as you might to make sure there is something for everyone, you can't know what  everyone is allergic or intolerant too.  A small party you could ask your guests and accommodate.  But when you have 50+ people coming it's hard to do.

February 4, 2013

 

Touch Downs and Power Outages

Superbowl Sunday was full of all kinds of excitement.  Close scoring, great plays, fun commercials, entertaining half time show and power outages. Did you have a party? We did.  A small one. Although we had enough food to feed 25. 

As guests arrived they were greeted by our football field.  Don't look at the grass, it needs work ;)
I got the idea from the Temple Wildcat Football blog. I used flour to make the yard lines. 


This isn't half of the food we had. For the back drop I used a Dollar Tree table cloth and made my play's with window paint .  The idea came from Polka Dot Playbook.  The wings on the table were made by sprinkling Lawry's Seasoning Salt on them and broiling. 

We had 2 other kinds of wings, pizza, cookies, cupcakes, salsa, chips, guacamole, deviled eggs, did I forget anything?  The recipe for the wings I made is found on Jujugoodnews 

This guacamole recipe is from Rick Bayless.  We were watching t.v. the night before the game and flipped to Rick Bayless making this guacamole.  Well the pre-made stuff I had bought just wouldn't do after seeing this recipe.  So tasty.  The peppers give a nice kick and the sundried tomatoes add wonderful flavor. 


Football cookies worked double duty this weekend.  I took a batch to a house warming I went to the Saturday before the big game. Idea for the cookies from Munchkin Munchies .  With the Superbowl being played in New Orleans I added some Mardi Gras touches. 



I had to make cupcakes!  A party just isn't complete without them! Red velvet with golden yellow frosting for the 49ers. 
And grape cake with purple frosting for the Ravens. The grape cupcake recipe came from The Baking Robot Robot. A wonderful little blog full of sweets. 
I ate so much food on Superbowl Sunday that I was in a food coma for the rest of the night. It was all so good I couldn't stop ha ha. 

Did your team win?  Did you over eat? Leave me a comment and let me know.
 I always enjoy connecting with you all :)