Okay, so "strawberry shaped" is not quite the correct description. They are marshmallow-y shaped. But that wouldn't say much as a post title, right?! Plus, they do look like strawberries, so we're all good. I often say that laziness necessity is the mother of all invention. And these marshmallows pops are a prime example: Take one party-mad 'bird' who absolutely has to have strawberry cake pops on her deserts table, but who also cannot be asked to bake nor make them from scratch. Then enters the humble strawberry-flavored marshmallow and a light-bulb "I wonder if that works" moment, and there you have it! Strawberry Pops but without the fuss.
Trio of DIY Nautical Cakes Using Sugar Paste Fondant
We 're starting the week on a super sweet note, and giving you not one, but THREE nautical cake decorating ideas using sugar paste fondant - courtesy of our resident cake designer extraordinaire, Tessa Lindow Huff . Tessa created a trio of cakes for issue 8 of Birds' Party Magazine , based on our Nautical Party Printables, and any (or all three) would be a perfect focal point to your nautical desserts table - Plus they are so easy to decorate too, which is always a bonus in my book! Check out Tessa's step-by-step below:
Party Food | Spicy Chipotle & Rosemary Nuts Recipe
My husband loves nuts. And spicy things. And beer. And eating spicy nuts whilst drinking beer. So needless to say, this really is the perfect little gift hamper for him on Father's Day! :) This spicy nuts recipe is not only easy and quick to make (so kids can help), but it tastes so freaking yummy that you'll find any celebration (or excuse..) to make them again - Honestly!
DIY Strawberry Shaped Decorated Cookies
Before we get with the tutorial, let me come clean with you. Cookie decorating is not my forte. In fact, I'm slightly scared of them. There, I've said it! Yes, sugar cookies decorated with royal icing scare the heck out of me! No, and I don't have some weird phobia about cookies...it's just that I am not patient at all, and think there are sooooo many steps to decorating cookies that I get bored and don't even bother. I prefer to oooh and aaaah other people's creations, and so for my parties I often seek the help of the amazing professionals out there.
Today I'm joining Kim from The Celebration Shoppe to feature one of our fave parties/party ideas from last month's joint linky - So when you're done here, hope over to Kim's blog to check out her featured fave! ;) There were so many gorgeous party ideas linked up, and picking just one was reeeeeally hard!! But since we're all about strawberries this week here on the blog, I decided to feature a strawberry-flavored party idea by Mariah from Giggles Galore - Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar!
Strawberry Cupcakes & DIY Fondant Strawberry Toppers
I made these cuties for a mini strawberry themed desserts table I styled recently. And since it's strawberry season (even if the sun refuses to come out...), I'll be sharing my strawberry themed party recipes with you all this week in the hope to kick start the summer good and proper!! Anyways, it all turned out pretty yummy and cute too, don't you think? So it's good to know that if I can, you most certainly can too! ;)
Banana & Chocolate Pops Recipe Two Ways
Following on from yesterday's post , this is the second of the recipes I create for Yum Food and Fun for Kids Magazine - Banana Pops ! There are a couple of ideas on how to make 2 types of banana pops - You know, the healthier alternative to ice cream pops?! So easy and really fun to make with kids (or just because..) - Recipes below.
Homemade Snow Cone Recipe with Free Printables
Earlier in the year I created two summer recipes for Yum Food and Fun for Kids Magazine , one of them was this super fun and 'cool' Snow Cone Recipe ! Who doesn't love a bit of flavored ice in a hot summer's day?! It's healthier than ice cream, and you can vary the flavors an colors to suit your party theme - which is just perfect for memorial day coming up!! ;) Recipe below + link to download your FREE party printables to adorn and embellish your snow cone or drinks station!
How to Make a Toadstool Birthday Cake
As promised in my last post, I'm sharing the step-by-step tutorial on How To Make a Toadstool Cake today! I've always wanted to bake a toadstool cake, and styling our Pixie Fairy Party gave the perfect opportunity to head to the kitchen and get a little creative and adventurous. Now, I feel I need to add a little disclaimer here, to let you know I'm no professional baker and this was my total invention and first time making a toadstool cake. But hopefully it also shows that if I can do it (and super easily, I may add), then anyone can too! ;)
How To Decorate Cakes with Buttercream
Hello fellow cake makers!! I am excited to share some quick tips to take your plain, buttercream cakes to the next level. Although I highly encourage learning how to create a smooth buttercream finish, adding textures is an easy way to change up the appearance of an ordinary cake.
Raspberry & Lemon Meringue Sandwiches Recipe
Get ready to drool...if you follow this blog or have ordered my book ( Mindy here ), then you already know that i have an obsession with macarons. Well...I also have an obsession with meringues. One day I want to have the tag line: Mindy - The master of macarons, meringues, and marshmallows. It has a nice ring to it :)
DIY Chocolate Covered Oreo Flowers & Freebies
Remember these decorated Oreo cookies I shared here ? Well, imagine my excitement when I discovered the fabulous and super funky cookie molds from Spinning Leaf ?!! Check out the pretty, super easy flower cookies I made for Mother's Day + grab yourself some FREE printable gift tags to add to your handmade (and de-lish) gift!
Feta, Olive and Pesto Muffins Recipe
These savory Olive, Feta and Pesto muffins are delicious, so easy and quick to make, and kids will love getting involved - Dads, are you reading? Honestly, you can make the batter in 10 minutes! Plus, it's also low in fat - perfect for moms watching their figure! ;)
How To Ice or Frost a Cake | Cake Decorating Class 4
So we've gathered all our tools, baked our cakes with delicious, fresh ingredients, and a bowl of mouth-watering frosting awaits us. Now what? Let's ice!!! Along our journey, I (Tess) will teach how to create beautifully decorated and iced cakes. We will experiment with rolled fondant, textured buttercream, and piped details. But for today, let's start with basics of H ow To Ice a Cake.
Recipe | Easter Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Egg Shells
I recently saw a recipe on Pinterest with a dessert served inside an egg shell. Well, my being to total chocoholic that I am, I thought to myself " wouldn't it be great if the shells were made of chocolate too?! " - 'Cause it's a know fact there's NO such thing as "too much chocolate"! So I set off on a culinary experiment to make it as easy as possible to serve my chocolate mousse inside chocolate egg shells - BUT without the fuss of making the shells from scratch! ;)
DIY Marshmallow Lollipops & Free Easter Tags
Now, when I say " simple " I really mean , " lollies for dummies " - Check out the two-step tutorial below + get your crafty hands on some super cute Happy Easter tags to help you embellish your creations! :)
Easter Chick Brunch Salad Recipe
Even if I were not a mom, I reckon I'd still find any excuse to play with my food....But luckily I have 2 taste-testers who appreciate my (craziness) efforts. And I can tell you, these little chicks rocked their world! The main ingredients are simply bread, cheese, and salad veg, but I can assure your little (or big..) ones will love helping you make this colorful and yummy Easter Chick Spring Salad - Looks so cute as part of Easter brunch menu + is a great way to get them to eat their veg! ;)
St Patrick's Day | GREEN Party Food & Cocktail Recipes
The theme of the day as you probably guessed from our earlier post , is "easy". And these party appetizers and cocktail recipes really are super quick and easy to make, and therefore perfect for a last minute St Patrick's Day Party - Tried and tested! ;) I also aimed to include as many 'standby' cupboard ingredients as I could, and raided my pantry for ideas on creating GREEN recipes that were pretty simple to make and family-friendly - but not skipping on flavor!
Hi there! I (Tess) hope you all enjoyed the last segment of the series, Baking Basics , and have been whipping up yummy, moist cakes left and right! Now, before we get into some decorating and assembly tips and tricks, I would like to set you up with some classic or Classic Cake and Icing Recipes from my own kitchen - Believe me, if you start with a stable icing and a crumb with good structure, the sometimes-daunting decorating process will be much easier!
Barnyard Birthday | Pigs in Mud Chocolate Fudge Pots Recipe
Any dessert looks cuter in pots or jars, right? I can totally understand the fascination of potting sweet treats (including cupcakes...) - It's portable, super cute and is much easier to display! So at my kid's barnyard birthday , instead of serving my homemade chocolate fudge in cups, I used dinky little jam jars, fitted with even cuter red gingham lids! :)