{What's Cooking?} Peanut Butter Silk Pie

How about a little PB & C to sweeten your weekend? That's peanut butter and chocolate! I recently made mini Peanut Butter Silk Pies for a baby shower and have been getting requests from my husband and family ever since. It is easy to make, sure to satisfy a sweet tooth, and really isn't as heavy or rich as you might imagine. The original recipe comes from the Sea Cow Eatery in Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Instead of making a homemade pie crust, I use a prepared chocolate cookie crumb crust, which makes this an entirely no-bake treat. I just put one in the refrigerator for dessert tomorrow night with the in-laws. It literally took me less than 10 minutes from start to finish and it looks fabulous!



Peanut Butter Silk Pie

Filling:
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, beaten until stiff

- 1 (9-inch) prepared chocolate cookie-crumb crust

Topping:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons brewed coffee
- chopped peanuts for garnish

Directions:

Make Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Gently fold in half of the beaten cream. Fold in the remaining cream until blended. Spread filling in prepared crust and smooth top.

Make Topping: Combine chips and coffee in a microwaveproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Cool chocolate slightly. Pour over top of filling. Refrigerate pie 1 hour until chocolate is firm. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts before serving.

I hope that you enjoy!

{Party Inspiration} Teacher Appreciation Week

With Teacher Appreciation Week coming up (yep, it's next week!) I thought that I would share this fabulous school-themed party by Leoni of Just Call Me Martha for a little inspiration. Whether you are helping plan a school celebration or just looking for some sweet ideas to send to your favorite teacher, this party is sure to inspire!









I love the use of chalkboard paint to create the backdrop, table "cover", and food labels. And how about using small blackboards in place of the traditional serving platters and cake stands. Genius! I bet that the buttercream math cupcakes would be a HUGE hit in a teachers' lounge. So many great ideas. This one definitely gets an A+ from me! Thank you for the inspiration, Leoni!

Plastic Egg Snake Craft

Wondering what to do with all of your empty plastic eggs now that Easter has come and gone? I found this adorbale craft idea from PreschoolRock.com: Make a Plastic Egg Snake. With a little help from an adult, your preschooler can recycle their leftover plastic eggs and create this fun rattling snake toy!



Materials:

- 15-20 Plastic Egg Bottoms
- 2 Whole Plastic Eggs
- Drill
- Yarn or String
- Permanent Marker
- A Few Dried Beans
- Tape

Directions:

Step One: (Adult needed for this step)
Using only the bottoms of the eggs, drill a hole through each plastic egg that is big enough for your yarn or string to thread through. Next, drill a hole through the top and bottom of the 2 whole plastic eggs.

Step Two:
Thread one of the whole eggs onto the string and tie a knot so it won’t slip off. Once it’s on, put a few dried beans inside. This will be the rattling tail. Then tape egg shut.

Step Three:
Thread on the egg halves until you have achieved the desired length.

Step Four:
Thread on the other whole egg and tape it closed. Draw two eyes on it and tie off the string, leaving enough to make a tongue on your snake.

Have fun with your rattling egg snake!

Strawberries, Strawberries!

Strawberry picking has been a family tradition ever since I can remember. I did it as a young child with my parents or grandparents every spring and I continue to do it with my own children each year. With spring in full swing and Virginia's strawberry season just around the corner, I thought that I would share some inspiring Strawberry Recipes. Click on the links for each recipe.

Strawberry-Orange Salad



No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake



Strawberry and Yogurt Wheat Crepes



Strawberry and Spinach Salad



Frozen Strawberry Souffles




Strawberry Sorbet



Ready to go pickin'? I am!

{Real Parties} A Candy Shoppe Party

This week's Real Parties feature is the second party submission sent to me by Sara of The Homespun Hostess. Sara created A Candy Shoppe Party for her daughter's 2nd birthday party last year in honor of her daughter's love of lollipops. Once her daugther went to sleep the night before her party, Sara went to work transforming her dining room into an adorable Candy Shop (what a wonderful surprise to wake up to!). The final result is something that any child would LOVE!




Sara used inexpensive jars to display candy and add height to the candy table. She also covered Dollar Store popcorn boxes with coordinating cardstock and used them as cotton candy containers. Such a great idea! For the party, Sara ordered subs from a local sandwhich shop and wrapped them in colorful cellophane and tied with ribbon to look like candy. Love it!


I think that my favorite party details are the crepe paper backdrop and the mini gumball favors. To add color to her tan walls that backed the candy table, Sara taped bright pink and orange crepe paper streamers to the wall to create a beautiful stripped backdrop. For party favors, Sara found $1 gumball machines at Walmart (score!) and dressed them up with a personalized tag and some ribbon. They were a huge hit with the kids, as you can imagine.




Sara, once again you did a fabulous job. Thank you for sharing your daugther's party with Sheek Shindigs. To see more of Sara's creations and The Homespun Hostess, click here.

This Week's Giveaway Winner....

This week's Giveaway winner of the Sarah + Abraham calling cards is JENNIFER. Congratulations!!

A Train Themed Baby Shower Dessert Table

Choo Choo Choo... A Special Shower for Someone New! I recently designed a Train Themed Dessert Table for a baby shower that was held this past weekend. The expecting mommy is awaiting the arrival of her 3rd boy and will then be moving overseas within a month (Wow-Zas!). With the upcoming move, a theme for the baby's room has not been chosen however the excited couple is leaning towards a lime green and brown color scheme. A little birdie also told me that the mommy-to-be loves anything with chocolate and peanut butter, especially peanut butter pie! With this information in hand, I decided to use a lime green, brown, and blue color scheme and to incorporate a boy-friendly train theme into the dessert table, transforming it into a "Dessert Car".

I used several different elements to incorporate trains into the dessert table's decor. I created a "Dessert Car" sign that I framed and hung on a beadboard back above the table. I also placed trains, train tracks, tunnels, and train signs throughout the table and created train toppers and wraps for some of the desserts and display pieces. The dessert items were based around the mommy-to-be's love of peanut butter and chocolate. I decided that mini peanut butter pies would be a fun alternative to cupcakes. I hear that they were a big hit! The other desserts included double chocolate brownies, peanut butter blossoms, and assorted cake balls.

This really was a fun table to put together. I hope that you all enjoy it!

{Real Parties} A Cupcake Themed First Birthday Party

Get ready...this week is going to be full of Real Party features! The first feature of the week is one of two sent to me by Sara of The Homespun Hostess (the second will also be featured this week. Stay tuned!). Sara created a Cupcake Themed First Birthday Party for her daughter that was inspired by an adorable cupcake dress from Momi Boutique. I love all of the cupcake details throughout the party. So cute. So colorful. So FUN!


A Cupcake Party Hat and Sara's "inspiration" dress:


Some of the fabulous cupcake-themed party decor, which included signs, noisemakers, cookies, and cupcake truffles.



The party favors were bubbles that were beautifully dressed in tissue paper, scrapbook paper, and ribbon. Love them. And aren't the party hats fun!



It looks like someone enjoyed their birthday party!



You can see more of this party at The Homespun Hostess, here. Thank you for sharing your daugther's party with Sheek Shindigs, Sara. I look forward to sharing Sara's other party submission later this week.

*Photographs of the party were taken by Maggie Russo

{Giveaway} Sarah + Abraham!!

I am so excited to announce that this week's Giveaway is being sponsored by one of my favorite shops, Sarah + Abraham! If you aren't familiar, let me introduce you. Whether you are shopping for personalized stationary or art, a unique gift, or party supplies for your next shindig, Sarah + Abraham will not disappoint. With four amazing collections to choose from, you are sure to fall in love. Here is a small sampling from the shop:

Since Mother's Day is only a month away, Sarah + Abraham is going to reward one lucky Giveaway winner with a set of 50 Mommy Calling Cards (the winner can choose from a silhouette or olliegraphic design). No more digging around in your purse or diaper bag for a pen and paper. These adorable, personalized calling cards will be ready and waiting!



Here's how you can ENTER TO WIN:

Become a follower of the Sheek Shindigs blog(if you aren't already) and ...

1. Visit the Sarah + Abraham shop. Leave a comment here about your favorite product.
2. "Like" Sheek Shindigs on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.
3. "Like" Sarah + Abraham on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.
4. Post a link to this Giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment that you did so.

This giveaway will be open to entries from now (April 7th ) until Thursday, April 14th at 11:59 pm. You must be a Sheek Shindigs follower (or become one) to be elegible to win. Each person may enter up to 4 seperate times. A random winner will be chosen and announced on Friday, April 15th. Good Luck!

{Real Parties} A Barbie Birthday Party

This week's Real Party is A Barbie Birthday Party. With the help of Party Paper Creations for the invitations and paper products, the birthday girl's mother, Laurie, created an adorable party for her daughter's birthday celebration. I love the zebra prints and hot pink colors that were incorporated throughout the party's decor.

Upon arrival, guests attended "Fashion Design School" where they designed some outfits for Barbie. Next, they went to the Salon and got their makeup and nails done. There were also several games that went along with the party's theme, including one that involved the girls being able to dress up as their favorite Barbie. What a great idea!

It looks like everyone had a great time. You can see more pictures and details about this party by visiting Laurie's blog, here. Thank you for sharing your party with Sheek Shindigs, Laurie. Job well done!

{What's Cooking?} Bang Bang Shrimp

This week's {What's Cooking?} recipe is Food Network's version of Bonefish Grill's famous Bang Bang Shrimp. I am not a fan of fried food BUT I am usually willing to make an exception when this yummy appetizer is hanging around.

Photograph by Stephanie Foley

Last summer a neighbor brought Food Network's version (called Almost-Famous Spicy Fried Shrimp) to a gathering and it was a HUGE hit. It taste almost exactly like the real deal! I had to have the recipe and try it out for myself. I was also curious how it would turn out if I broiled the shrimp instead of frying them. I have to be honest...not as good as the fried version but still pretty yummy. Either way, this appetizer is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next event.

Almost-Famous Spicy Fried Shrimp

Ingredients
For the Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (such as sambal oelek)
2 teaspoons honey
Kosher salt

For the Shrimp:
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Bibb lettuce leaves, for serving Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

Make the sauce: Mix the mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl; set aside.

Prepare the shrimp: Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Whisk the flour, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper in another shallow bowl. Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, dip in the beaten eggs, then return to the flour mixture, turning to form a thick crust. Fry the shrimp in the hot oil until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain the oil temperature. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Toss the shrimp with the prepared sauce. Arrange the lettuce in a shallow serving bowl or on individual plates. Top with the shrimp and garnish with scallions.