{What's Cooking?} Gluten Free Brownies 'n Berries Dessert

We had friends over for dinner this past weekend that follow a Gluten Free diet for health reasons. While many of the foods that our family eats are gluten free, I had never consciously prepared a gluten free meal before. It turned out great! We grilled out (meat and veggies) and also served a white bean dip with veggies, fresh fruit, a Quinoa Pilaf, and Gluten Free Brownies 'n Berries for dessert. Everyone especially loved the dessert (the kids all wanted seconds), which was super easy to make. Did you know that Betty Crocker has gluten free mixes? I didn't until this past weekend. Well, I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website, made a few of my own adjustments, and the final dessert was a winner.

{Image: Betty Crocker}

The recipe that I found was for a Brownie Pizza (pictured above). While I loved the idea of a brownie pizza and will probably try it out next time, I decided to go with a more traditional brownie dessert instead. I baked the Gluten Free Betty Crocker Brownies as the package instructed using an 8x8 baking dish. Once the brownies were baked a cooled, I covered them with a cream cheese "frosting" (see below) and topped with freshly cut strawberries and blueberries. Then I covered the dish and refrigerated for about 2 hours. So easy and super yummy!

Cream Cheese "Frosting":

- 1  package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used light cream cheese)

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
                                                                                               
In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

Today I am excited to share a dessert table that I designed for a baby shower this past January. The guest of honor was already a mother of two girls and was expecting her third AND fourth (yes, twins!). One boy and one girl. So exciting! I wanted to keep the theme gender neutral, casual, and bright and cheery. I came up with the theme Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

After choosing a theme, I decide on two main gender neutral colors: a bright yellow and an aqua blue. I also used white as my neutral base. I added ruffles that I made from white crepe paper streamers to the cake stand and serving pieces (see my post about this, here) and then finished them off with mini paper fans that I made and/or a little ribbon.

Cute As A Button printables were created for the dessert table (will be available in the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop, here, soon!) and embellished with mini paper buttons.

I also made paper fans and embellished them with Cute As A Button stickers to hang above the table for a little extra fun. You can find instructions on how to make these, here.

The main attraction of the table was the button cake. To create, I simply purchased a double-layered 8" cake from my local bakery and decorated it with edible sugar buttons myself (buttons are available in the Sheek Shindigs etsy shop, here). This was an easy and inexpensive way to dress up a standard, store-bought cake. I created a coordinating cake topper by accordion folding a 7" x 1 1/4" piece of paper, embellishing it with two mini paper buttons, and attaching each end to a white candy stick.

In addition to the button cake, there were cupcakes, cake balls, and mini meringue cookies for the guests to enjoy.

What a fun day it turned out to be for a special woman and her growing family!

Credits:

Sheek Shindigs: design, set-up, decorations, desserts

With Love Photography and Design: Photos

An Event to Honor and Remember

Over the past two weeks I have had the honor of working on a very special project with an extraordinary group of people called Autumn's Army.This past December a family in our community suffered the most devastating loss that a parent can imagine. The Hoeft family lost their precious 5 year-old daughter, Autumn, to brain cancer.  Autumn's Army is "a group of concerned parents, family, teachers and school administrators, neighbors, classmates, friends and sometimes complete strangers that decided to band together" to help Autumn's family as they struggle to rebuild their lives without their daughter. This amazing group planned and organized a Tribute Dance and Silent Auction to benefit the Hoeft family and I was asked to help out. Sheek Shindigs designed and donated a dessert table for the event. The event's theme was based around two of Autumn's favorite things: pink and butterflies. I decided to use both of those elements to design a table that would honor Autumn and her memory. This is the table before the desserts were added:

I wanted the table to be simple and reflective of a little girl. I found the most adorable butterfly lamps at Home Goods and knew that they were meant for the table. I trimmed several of the serving plates and part of the center cake stand with white ruffles that I made from crepe paper. As a focal point for the table, I created an inexpensive butterfly "picture" by painting a blank canvas (bought at a local craft store) and embellishing it with paper butterflies that were donated by Megan of  Embellished Paper. Megan also donated the cupcake wrappers for the event. Thanks, Megan!

The dessert table featured pink and white cupcakes by a local vendor (Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies), cake balls (Sheek Shindigs), and AMAZING cookies by my talented friend, Nicole. Yummy!

It turned out to be an amazing night for a more than worthy cause. Much thanks to Autumn's Army for all of their hard work and for bringing our community together. Thank you to the vendors and friends that donated items for the dessert table and/or the event as well as everyone that came out to support the family. I know that Autumn was smiling down on you all last night. While I never personally knew Autumn or her family, her story and the impression that she has left on myself and our community is one that I will never forget. Autumn's story has reminded me to slow down and cherish the time that I have with my children. They are truly a gift from God. She has reminded me to be thankful for my family, our health, and life in general. And, Autumn's story has renewed my faith in our community. Thank you, Autumn.

You can read about Autumn's story, here.

Vendor Information:

Dessert Table Design, set-up: Sheek Shinidgs

Cupcake Wrappers & Butterflies: Embellished Paper

Butterfly Canvas: Sheek Shindigs

Butterfly Lamps: Home Goods

Cupcakes: Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies

Cookies: Nicole Soderberg

Cake Balls: Sheek Shindigs

Printables (food/donor labels): The Homespun Hostess





Macaroons, Oh My!

I love to bake. It relaxes me almost as much as a long run, my kids enjoying doing it with me, and I get great satisfaction out of finding wonderful new recipes that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the belly. Although I am usually up for a little baking challenge, I have to admit that I have been completely intimidated by one sweet treat for the past year: the Macaroon. I am not sure what it is about this bite-sized beauty that gets me so nervous but I have decided to face my macaron insecurities and test out one of Martha's recipes before the month's end. I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, any tips? Any favorite macaron recipes? I would love to hear from you.

{Party Inspiration} A Winter Wonderland Dessert Buffet

We got our first official snowfall last night. While it was a mere dusting of snow, everyone in our house was *S*U*P*E*R* excited. My youngest was practicing her snow angels in bed before she went to sleep and my boys were planning how they were going to spend their day sledding, making a snowman, and drinking hot coca. Needless to say, everyone was a little disappointed when they woke up this morning and realized what a "dusting" actually meant (and looked like). The excitement of our first snowfall, even though it was minor, sent me on a search for some winter themed party inspiration. Among all of the great ideas out there, I think that I found a real gem. Back in 2009, The Inspired Bride and Bake It Pretty joined forces to create this beautiful Winter Wonderland Dessert Buffet.

Aside from loving the table's simplistic feel and it's soothing color scheme, I adore the fact that it was designed with YOU in mind. Maddy (of The Inspired Bride) specifically designed this Winter Wonderland Dessert Buffet to be "an attractive but attainable dessert table for anyone looking to add this popular treat onto their wedding, bridal shower, or even a holiday party". In addition to her original post about the dessert buffet, she created 7 additional DIY posts detailing specific elements of the table so that YOU can recreate it, element by element, or use it as a base to build upon with your own creativity. LOVE IT!!!!

Maddy's posts include DIY directions for all of the desserts featured on the buffet, including the cupcakes, brownie pops, marshmallow pops, and the candy display.

Love the Winter Wonderland centerpiece as much as I do? There's a post on creating that as well!

And don't forget treat bags for your guests to stash some of the leftover goodies in to take home and enjoy later!

The Inspired Bride and Bake It Pretty did a wonderful job of inspiring me to create a winter celebration this season. I hope that you are feeling inspired as well. Now there are no excuses....you have everything that you need to host a fabulous winter shindig....get to work!

Snowman Cookie Kit

One of my all-time favorite cookie and sweet treat blogs, the decorated cookie, recently featured an ADORABLE Snowman Cookie Kit that I just had to share. Are these not the cutest things ever!

Meaghan created these Snowman Cookie Kits by making the individual snowman pieces and then wrapping them in cello bags and placing in a cute little box.

What a creative gift idea for the holiday and winter season. Snowman decorating would also be a fun alternative to the traditional cookie decorating for kids at a holiday party. Just make the snowman pieces ahead of time and let the kids have fun creating!

As always, Meaghan provides amazing step-by-step directions and pictures on how to create a snowman cookie kit over at her blog, the decorated cookie, here. She even includes a free link download for a snowman cookie kit label to help you complete your snowman cookie kit. Stop by the decorated cookie to check it out and tell Meaghan that I said hello!

Thanksgiving Countdown Ideas: Host A Giving Thanks Party

If you are looking for a last minute Thanksgiving celebration idea for a group of children, this Giving Thanks Party may be a good fit. I designed this party with preschool and younger school aged children in mind. I wanted to create a Thanksgiving shindig that would allow guests to celebrate the holiday as well as give thanks and support to others in the community.

I also wanted to create a design that was affordable and could easily be duplicated by YOU. This past week I offered some Thanksgiving Countdown Ideas (also here and here). I incorporated many of the suggestions from those post into the design and decoration of this Giving Thanks Party. Natural objects, such as pumpkins, pine cones, acorns, and leaves, were used throughout the decor. I transformed what is normally the kids' craft center into a dessert/party "buffet" so that everything was in one place and easily accessible. You can do the same by using a buffet table, bookcase, or a regular folding table that you already have in your home. Get creative!

When planning your party, you can save time by purchasing some pre-made dessert items (I bought these ready made leaf cookies and pumpkin cookie sandwiches from the Target bakery). You can inexpensively dress up brown favor bags by using mini wooden clothes pins and freshly fallen leaves from your yard. There are also many, many cute and FREE printable out there that you can use to add color and style to your party. I used a free printable mini banner from Paper & Pigtails and Kara's Party Ideas, here, to dress up my pumpkin and baskets. 

To help recognize the importance of giving thanks and supporting others less fortunate than ourselves during the holiday season (and any time, for that matter), ask guests to bring canned goods to donate to a local food pantry. Provide craft paper, food labels, and string/ribbon for children to "wrap" their donations and write a message of hope or thanks to be sent with the items. Share a favorite Thanksgiving story, play games, and of course, include lots of yummy treats!

** I apologize for the fuzziness of these photos. I am hoping that Santa brings me a new camera this year ;) **

{Halloween} Black Cat Cookies

Trade in your pumpkin and ghosts cookies for a black cat this year. Aren't these Land O Lakes Black Cat Cookies so cool! From their candy corn eyes to their cute little whiskers, these Black Cat Cookies are sure to win over your little trick-or-treaters. 

In addition to being super cute, these cookies are fairly easy to make and the kids will have a blast helping you decorate them. With all of the rainy days that we have been having lately, this recipe may get pulled out sooner rather than later at our house. Here is the Land O Lakes Recipe:

Black Cat Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

3  Eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Candy corn
Red cinnamon candies

Directions: Combine sugar and butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until well mixed.

Combine all remaining ingredients except candies in medium bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat until well mixed.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten to 1/2 inch. Wrap each half in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch round cookie cutters. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Using fingers, pinch up ears at top of each circle. Place 2 pieces candy corn onto cookies for eyes and 1 red cinnamon candy for nose. Press tines of fork on each side of cookie below eyes to form whiskers.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.

* If you want your cookies to be served on a stick (see above picture), carefully insert popsicle sticks into the bottom of your cookies before baking.

Love it!

A Halloween BOOfast Celebration

Halloween is just around the corner! Are you ready to celebrate with your little ghosts and goblins? If you are a regular follower, you know that breakfast is BIG at our house. It is my husband's and kids' favorite meal of the day, which has led me to the tendency of styling breakfast themed tables in place of the popular dessert tables on occasion. I liked the idea of a Halloween BOOfast Celebration because it allows guests to celebrate Halloween and the autumn season without the focus being on candy. Don't get me wrong, I know how important candy is to young and old alike on Halloween. I'm not trying to veto the candy! This just allows for a festive celebration  before the main event (Trick-or-Treating!) without the sugar overload.

I wanted to make the Halloween BOOfast table simple and easy to re-create, healthy enough to satisfy my fellow moms, and appealing to even the littlest party guest. This breakfast themed table would be perfect for a Halloween party, playdate/playgroup celebration, or even to surprise your little ones on Halloween morning.

The BOOfast menu included pumpkin muffins, a variety of cereals, yogurt parfaits with various topping choices, and milk. Everything was "dressed-up" so that the kids wouldn't even notice that the candy and sweets were missing.

It's amazing how a little wrapper and cupcake topper can transform a muffin! The kids won't even notice that the extra sugar or icing is missing from these pumpkin muffins.

I found these adorable mini tins a few years ago in the Target Dollar Spot and I have gotten so much use out of them. I decided that they would be perfect for getting the kids excited about having a bowl of cereal. Don't be fooled...these cereal choices are healthy and light on sugar content as well (Fiber One, Whole Wheat Chex, and Gorilla Munch). Just don't tell the kids!

Milk in a plain glass just won't do for this celebration. Instead, I transformed empty jars into a Ghostly Glass of Milk! My kids LOVED these and they are so incredibly easy to make.

I used small, paper-wrapped canning jars to serve yogurt & fruit cups while the ceramic pumpkin containers held granola, dried fruit, slivered almonds, and other topping choices for the guests to choose from.

To dress up the serving table, I covered two lamp shades with black card stock and added some buntings for fun. This is an inexpensive way to temporarily transform an item that you already have at home (in this case, a lamp) to add to your table's decor and the overall presentation. I also made some paper rosettes and used a few Halloween decorations that I had at home (the cute witch and the spiders on each end) to finish things off.

I hope that this BOOfast Table has inspired you to start your day off with a little Halloween Celebration!

{Party Inspiration} Apples, Apples!

I love Fall! The colorful leaves, the crisp air, and all of the delicious APPLES! Yes, I said apples. There is just something so wonderful to me about fresh, fall apples. Don't you agree? I was inspired by the recent cool down in Virginia and ready to style a Fall-themed party. My mind naturally focused on an APPLE theme (apple cider, candy apples, cider donuts...) and this is what I came up with for my inspiration:

An Apples, Apples! Themed Party Inspiration Board

This apple-themed party would be fun for a back-to-school celebration, an apple picking party, a fall birthday, or just to celebrate the season with your family and friends. What comes to mind when you think of Fall?

Image Credits:
1. Apple Cupcakes: What's New, Cupcake?  2. Apple Invitation: The Homespun Hostess  3. Candy Apples: Wedding by Color  4. Apples Sign: Hello Naomi  5. Cider Donuts: Handmade Simple  6. Apple Wreath: Faux Flora  7. Apple Plates Craft: Two Shades of Pink  8. Apple/Floral Centerpiece: Style Me Pretty  9. Apple Cider: Google

{Halloween} A Ghostly Glass of Milk

Although we still have well over a month until Halloween arrives, I couldn't help but share a little sneak peek of a Halloween Breakfast that I have been working on to go along with some new Halloween party items coming to the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop this week. Aren't these Ghostly Glasses of Milk cute! They would be a fun option for any type of Halloween celebration, whether it be a playdate, costume party, or just to great your little goblings on Halloween morning.

These are incredibly easy to re-create. Your litte ones could even help out!

Supplies

- Glass or plastic bottles/jars ( I used empty Starbuck's Frappuccino bottles)
- Plastic googly eyes (I used the self-adhesive kind)
- Black paper, scissors, and your imagination
- Glue
- Milk!

Directions

Fill your beverage container with milk. Place googly eyes on container and glue if necessary. Using your black paper, cut out a mouth and glue it to the container (you could also get creative and add eyebrows and other funny expressions if you wanted to).

 Enjoy a Ghostly Glass of Milk!

Pretty Printable Place Cards

Pretty Printable Place cards....now say that 3 times fast!

Amy of Delightful Distractions created these sweet printable placecards/gift tags/ note cards that you can download for FREE and put to use in so many different ways. Don't you love them!

So many fun ideas for how to use these come to my mind. Most involve celebrating something special with my little girl... they remind me of her.  You can download you own set of these printables, here. And, don't forget to stop by Delightful Distractions, here, to follow Amy and see more of her wonderful creations. Thank you for sharing these, Amy!

Carnival Mini Edible Designs

I am excited to announce that the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop is in the process of adding some great new products to help make your next Shindig one to remember! One of my favorite new products are these Carnival Mini Edible Designs. These edible decorations are flat-printed edible designs that can be applied to many food items (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream cakes) for a finished, professional look. They are prepared with edible food colors and absorb moisture from food products, becoming soft and melding with the food item that it is being applied to. They DO NOT contain: wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shell-fish (crustaceans) peanuts and/or tree nuts, are gluten free, and Kosher Certified.

So, what can you do with these fun, edible designs? Here is a suggestion: Upgrade your favorite small cookie!

White Chocolate Carnival Mini Cookies

1. Prepare your favorite cookies or use pre-made. TIP: make sure the cookies are no larger than 1.5” in diameter to fit into a chocolate or candy mold with 2” cavities.

2. Place Carnival Mini designs face down in the cavities of your candy mold.

3. Fill a parchment triangle with a melted chocolate to fill the mold. TIP: don’t use a metal tip in the bag, as its coolness will stiffen the chocolate too quickly.

4. Press cookies into the chocolate before it sets up; top off with melted chocolate if necessary. TIP: tap the entire mold on a counter top to level the chocolate.

5. Let set, and then remove coated cookies from the mold.

The final result is sure to impress!

Visit the Sheek Shindigs Etsy shop, here, to view this product and others, here. And don't forget to check back...more are coming soon!

Banana Split Mini Bites

What a fun little twist on a classic ice cream dessert! These Banana Split Mini Bites created by Naomi of Bakers Royale are not only super adorable, but they allow your little ones to have a special sweet treat without completely overloading on sugar.

Image: Bakers Royale

Here are Naomi's simple instructions:

Use firm bananas and cut into 1 inch sections. Leave the peel on for easy handling, and with a melon baller, dig a well in the middle of each banana section.

Melt chocolate in the microwave and dip the bottom portion of the banana in chocolate and then dip it once again in either non-pareils or chopped peanuts. To quickly harden the chocolate, place dipped bananas in the freezer for five minutes.

Fill each well with ice cream (I filled mine with vanilla chocolate chip) and top with whip cream and a maraschino cherry.

What a fun, kid-friendly dessert idea. I hope that you enjoy. Stop by Bakers Royale for other great recipes and ideas, here.