Giveaway!: Sugarlicious

It's Giveaway Day #1!!

Let's start out with a bang shall we?  This week I am giving away one copy of the NEW book by Meaghan Mountford:  SUGARLICIOUS!

Trust me, you want this.  It's an great book filled with tons of ADORABLE sweet ideas!  Meaghan is the author of two websites: The Decorated Cookie (that has tons of cute adorable original ideas and tutorials) and Edible Crafts (where you can feast your eyes on some of the most beautiful edible crafts from around the web).  The lady has talent!

And in lieu of 5,000 Facebook Fans, I would just LOVE to give away a copy of this fabulous book!!

There are 2+ ways to enter: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1.  First off, head on over to The Decorated Cookie.  Leave one super sweet fabulous comment for her to read and get warm fuzzies over.  Come back here and let me know that you shared some love today.

2.  Spread the news!  Share THE BIG GIVEAWAY on your favorite social network!  Facebook, Twitter, Blog, who cares!  Just get it out there!  The more the merrier to my parties :)  You get an entry for every way you share!

And that's it.  You don't have to give me a "like" on FB, you don't have to read my blog, and you don't have to subscribe to my YouTube channel.  I'm not asking for anything for me today thank you.  I'm so appreciative of everyone for getting me this far I just want to share the love that I feel.

So get crackin'!!  This precious book is hot in my hands!  And I might be tempted to keep it for myself!

The giveaway ends Friday March 9, 2012 at 11:59PM Central.  The winner will be announced Monday March 12, 1012!  Open to US Residents only. 

THE BIG GIVEAWAY!

OVER 5,000 FACEBOOK FANS!  I can't believe it!! 

I'm so grateful.  And happy.  And full of love and joy right now. 

So much so, I want to throw a party!  In fact I want to throw 5 PARTIES!  One party for every thousand people who have shown me unconditional support these last couple years. 

In fact, that's just what I am going to do.  For the next 5 weeks I will be giving away fabulous goodies!  One giveaway per week!  Let's keep the party rolling!  I'm pumped!  I've got the tunes and the sweet snacks!  You bring the dip and the balloons!  The more the merrier!  Let's rock the kitchen to the ground! 

I can see it all now:  Ending in a hangover induced by amazing free stuff and sprinkles.  Oh yes, sprinkles. 

You have to have sprinkles. 

The first giveaway starts tomorrow!  Have your alarms set and party hats on!

And thank you all again  :)

Tutorial: Blue Butterflies

I received an email from a family friend last week with an interesting story:

After the tornado, I was following the Humane Society adopt-a-thon on Facebook.  There was a senior dog with health issues that kept getting passed by.  The Humane Society posted his picture and a large group of people were following the picture to see if someone would adopt him.  Finally, a woman named Wendy posted "I'm on my way".  Everyone went insane and was so excited.  The Executive Director of the Humane Society met Wendy at the gate and Wendy and her husband Rick adopted Max.  They in turn set up a Facebook page called Max's Miracles Page and a core group of people followed Max and donated to his care and upkeep.  Unfortunately, Max passed away in August.  A group of seven women that followed Max, Wendy and Rick got together and gave Wendy and Rick gifts from ashes I was able to get from Max's Vet.  We called ourselves Max's Aunties.  Shortly after Max passed, Wendy and Rick had an even more horrible tragedy ... Wendy's 23 year old son died in his sleep.  The group of aunties supported Wendy and Rick and have been there for them trying to help them through this horrible period.

The Aunties are from all over:  Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas City, North Carolina, Louisiana and three from Joplin.  Most of us have not met.  Next Sunday, this group will all be together for the first time here at my house.

I just thought this was so touching I just HAD to make cookies for her.

 I decided to make my interpretation of the rainbow bridge to Heaven.  And the butterflies?  They said they saw lots of blue butterflies that day.  And I'm a sucker for a good butterfly cookie....

These little butterflies were so much fun to make, and surprisingly easier than I thought they would be.  So I decided to make another VIDEO

This is a fun one because it uses two of my favorite and surprisingly rarely used techniques that I think get overlooked.  Airbrushing and hand painting.  I love it.  I got my airbrush at Karen's Cookies and I've been pretty hooked.  Now I'm not the best hand painter in the world, but I think it's serious fun. ( It reminds me of when I was a girl and I would paint Sadie Hawkins signs, or when I would marker cute notes for my friends between classes.  And who can forget scribbling the name of your crush on the back of your notebook with acrylics...  ok maybe not everyone used acrylics to scribble.  Just me.  )






Back to a serious note.  These cookies were meant to represent loss and healing, which seems appropriate this weekend as a dear family friend just passed from a brain tumor.  So while this post was meant initially for Wendy, Rick and Max, I feel it's only appropriate to dedicate this tutorial to our dear friend and his family who are grieving.

Unable are the loved to die.  For love is immortality.  ~Emily Dickinson
 

Using Inspiration

A while back, while I was still living in Texas, and still selling, I had a bride call me for an order.

She wanted Alice in Wonderland for her wedding.  And I was stoked.  She sent me an image she had found.  They were Alice in Wonderland cookies done by my dear friend Sweet Sugar Belle.

Now I'm not one for straight up copying.  It feels wrong, and in the end I'm creatively numb.  Not my style.  I need to make things my own.  So I asked my dear friend if I may use her cookies as inspiration.  And she said yes, because she's awesome like that. 

So we have her cookies as a jump off.  But I wasn't done with inspiration yet.  I was inspired by the Tim Burton movie and wanted to add elements of that in. But I was also loving the vintage Through The Looking glass feel.   So here's what I came up with for the wedding:

You can see more of the photos from this set here.

As most first drafts, not my favorite version.  So I remade them.

Let's break down the inspiration.  We already have the photo that the bride sent me.  That's a good starting point, honestly usually more of a starting point than I normally have.  But I didn't stop there.  Here is where the internet becomes your friend.  Movie posters and book illustrations are easily found with the help of my boyfriend Google.  Don't tell my husband, but I think I spend more time pressing Google's buttons than his.  Just sayin'. 

Using inspiration is great.  Especially if you are creating cookies based on an already existent idea or concept. Copying, eh not so much.  Not me. But if you are starting with a pre-existing idea or design, do what you can to make it your own.  There's ton of inspiration out there and in the end you are left with a satisfied sense of creative completion because you know your cookies came from deep down in you.  Even though you were locked into a design to start with,  it doesn't mean that you can't take is a step further and let your creativity come through.

WFD? Smokey Three Bean Chili

I thought about calling this Texas Three Bean Chili, because the flavor reminds me of Texas BBQ in a sort of  way.  However, it's SO not a traditional Texas chili (or traditional chili in a lot of ways).  Chili is the official dish of the state of Texas and Texans take their chili very seriously.

I think the Texan in me just wont let me call it Texas Three Bean Chili.  It would be near blasphemous...

I digress...

I wanted to make a chili that didn't have ground beef or turkey or chicken or whatever in it.  I know traditionally chili is made with chopped meat and no beans (we're talking back on the chuckwagon in Texas  folks).  But you know me, I thought let's do the opposite and use ALL beans!  And maybe a little of this too!  NO ONE WILL SUSPECT BUTTERNUT SQUASH!!

So NOT a Texas chili.  It's anti-Texas chili.  Maybe I should have called it that.  

Anyway...

I honestly don't miss all the meat at all.  It's VERY satisfying, comforting, and delicious!!  I might make some for lunch today, I dunno, It sounds really good on a cold day like this

Smokey Three Bean Chili

3-4 strips Hickory Smoked Bacon, chopped
1/3 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/3 c. chopped red bell pepper
1/3 c. chopped yellow bell pepper
1 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
pinch crush red pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP dark brown sugar
3 TBSP tomato paste
1 jar (about 1 1/2 c.) MILD salsa
1 14oz can fat free less sodium beef broth
1 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 c. (1/2 inch cubes) peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 14oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can great northern beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
sour cream (optional)
cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)

In a soup pot or dutch oven over med high heat, saute bacon, peppers, and onion until bacon begins to crisp and vegetables soften.  While bacon mixture cooks, combine spices, from chili powder to brown sugar, in a small bowl.  When the bacon mixture is ready, add the seasonings and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined.  Add broth, salsa, tomatoes, and squash.  Stir till combined.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add beans.  Simmer for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Trust me on the lime.  Squeeze it over the chili, stir it in with the cilantro and sour cream.  Delicious.  And if you decided to be over zealous and added a little more red pepper, or thought you should just go with it and use MEDIUM salsa, or heaven help you, HOT..... You're going to appreciate the cooling factor of that sour cream.  I made this with MEDIUM salsa....oh mama.  It's HOT!  And you're talking to a Texan.  My husband puts extra hot sauce and peppers on everything, and even he was having issues with the heat.  Go for the MILD salsa my friends.  You can always add heat, but you can't take it away....

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Tutorial: Making Royal Icing

It's hard to decorate a cookie without icing.  Some use butter cream, some use glaze...

I use ROYAL.  I like royal simply because it gives me the versatility and detail that I like.  I can make transfers, flowers, crisp clean lines, leaves...just about anything I like. 

 Royal Icing

5 TBSP Meringue Powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp additional flavoring (optional)
2lb confectioners sugar
1 TBSP to 1/4 c. Light corn syrup


Place meringue powder, cream of tartar, water and flavoring in the CLEAN bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached.  A hand mixer will work for this too.  Beat on medium high until the mixture is frothy.  You can also do this step by hand with a wisk. Add the powdered sugar and start mixing on low.  The mixture will quickly become thick and difficult to mix.  Add the corn syrup till the blades begin to move again. The amount varies between 1 TBSP and 1/4 c.  Mix on low until ingredients are incorporated then kick it up to medium and beat for 3-5 minutes.  Again, this will vary on how much corn syrup you added.  Beat until right before it starts getting shiny.  If you get to a point where your icing looks like marshmallow fluff, you've gone too far.  Keep an eye on your icing.  When it's done, scoop it into a Tupperware, place a piece of saran wrap over the top and close the lid to store (if needed).

Sound complicated?  Please by all means head on over and check out the VIDEO!  You can see me making icing in the dark corner of my kitchen....except in the video it isn't dark...thanks to the creative rigging of lamps and such...but normally it's dark...muahahahaha! 

VIDEO!!!

oh btw, I know in the beginning of the video I say we're talking about meringue powder...blarg...

You know what I meant to say.....anyway...  

First off:  Please make sure your bowl is clean.  If there is ANY grease or residue of that nature in there (say. left over from mixing cookie dough) your icing will mix up in to a funky mess.  Just don't do it.

Corn Syrup: I add corn syrup.  It gives the icing a little more elasticity.  Basically, you can lift and drag a line with less breakage.  or at least that's what I've heard.  It's not why I add it though.  I add it because I think it prevents the icing from becoming so rock hard that you chip a tooth.  I also think it adds a sort of satin sheen.  The amount of corn syrup you add will vary based mostly I find, on the climate you live in.  If you live in a place that's very dry you will need more.  If you live in the humid tropics you will probably need less.  Sugar is fickle that way.  And it also varies on preference.  I mix mine super thick, but if you think it's unnecessary then add more syrup.  Just don't go overboard.

Why do I mix it so thick if I'm going to water it down anyway?  Mostly versatility and storage.  If I keep it thick, then if I need to make RI rosebuds or flowers I can add a little water and it's gold.  I can easily add water to it, adding sugar to it to make it thicker is a kind of a pain....  And storage, if I store it thick it's less likely to separate.  Just the way water and sugar interact.  Sugar will take in as much water as possible.  Less water available means a more stable sugar structure.

I know it's unconventional to stop the mixing right before it starts to meringue and get glossy.  Martha Stewart recommends you go glossy.  So does joy of baking and Alton Brown.  I just don't.  I think once it gets to that point it gets "fluffy".  The more you mix it the more volume you get and it gets "fluffy".  The way I see it, more volume means more air.  I don't want a lot of air incorporated into my icing.  I like to work with it dense.  I have fewer air bubbles and I feel like it flows easier.  It isn't as spongy feeling.  Now, I know some people like it like this and will definitely still work just the same.  It's just not how I take my coffee. 

This might not be how you take your coffee either.  And no offense taken.  Not everyone likes the same things.  It might take a while to find out what works for you, or you may already have your perfect recipe.  Go out there and experiment.  Like I said, there are so many recipes out there, all with different little twists.  Make it yours.  You may go through some funky batches of RI but eventually you will find the sweet spot :)

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From The Vault: Mardi Gras

Sick.  I've been sick.  Deathly ill.  So the totally awesome Mardi Gras cookies I made this year, aren't yet ready for posting.  Mostly because I don't think snot is a very Mardi Gras kind of thing.  Doesn't fit with the theme.  Well, not for me anyway.  Different strokes for different folks....

So I thought I would at least wake from my crud induced coma to wish everyone a happy Mardi Gras, and post these cookies from last year.

And now I am going back to bed.  If I don't get better soon, the world may fall apart.  Such is the life of a MOM.  If I don't do it......well, it doesn't get done....

Nighty night.