A Cupcake Fit for a Princess

So today, I just had to share with you a little tidbit about cupcakes that caught my attention the other day.
Can you imagine paying $30,000  for a cupcake? How is it that one cupcake can be valued at that much?

Well, it's the ultimate choice for bridal parties and weddings. It's the small version of a cake that has been created in the past. It's a diamond cupcake! No joke! 8 diamonds surround the cupcake with a whopping 2 carat Asscher cut diamond adorning the center. Now that's what I call a "Carat cake"!

Last of the Saint Paddy's Cupcakes!

It's time to move on to something else, so here's the final St. Paddy's cupcakes ideas!

Rainbows of fun! You can get candy rainbows like what is pictured and make incredibly cute cupcakes for just about any occasion you wish. I think this particular choice would be great for events where kids will be present!

Lastly, as long as you don't have guests that will get sick at the thought, you might try coloring your white cake mix with green food coloring for the ultimate St. Patrick's Day cupcakes! How awesome! This would be perfect for school parties. Can you just hear the comments from the kids? :-)

More Saint Patricks Ideas!

It's time for more great cupcake ideas for St. Patrick's day!

First, we have rainbow cucakes! Grab a white cake mix, some food coloring and several bowls. After mixing your cake mix as directed, separate in different bowls, and color each one different. Spoon a little of each color on top of another, and bake! Decorate as desired!

Now, we have St. Paddy's cupcake pops! Take your mini muffin pan (forget the liners) spoon your cakemix in, bake, insert sticks, then freeze. Heat your icing in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until nice and runny. Dip your pops in, garnish as desired and re-freeze! (You can do the same thing with marshmallows.)

Party Checklist! Make sure you're prepared!

I just wanted to share a party planning checklist I found at: http://www.realsimple.com/
You can never be too prepared when planning a party to impress!

Three Weeks Before

• Make an invitation list. For a large cocktail party, invite 20 percent more people than you can fit, since typically only 70 percent to 80 percent of invitees attend.
• Decide on a theme, if you want one. Make, buy, or borrow any decorations or music you may need to fit the theme.
• Send invitations. Mail, e-mail, even phone invites are all acceptable.
• Plan the menu. Assemble the recipes (choose only those that can be prepared in advance, perhaps even frozen, with just warming and assembling required on party day). Make a list of how far in advance each can be made, and compile a shopping list. Place an order with your local delicatessen or bakery, as needed.

  Related: No-Stress Gourmet Buffet
• Line up any help you may need. Consider hiring a high school student or a professional to help with pre- or postparty cleaning or to pass drinks or appetizers, replenish buffet food, tidy up, and generally take some weight off your shoulders.

Two Weeks Before

• Clean any crystal, china, and silverware you’ll be using. And launder and iron linens.
• Come up with a playlist. The music should be upbeat and sufficient to last throughout the party. For a summer party, click on the link below to download a playlist.

  Related: Songs for Summer Entertaining
• Do a first round of grocery shopping and cooking. Prepare any dishes that can be frozen.

One Week Before

• Clean the house thoroughly. This way, you’ll need only a quick once-over before the party. (To maintain it for the rest of the week, try the 19-minute daily routine at www.realsimple.com/quickcleanup.)
• Set the stage. Arrange the furniture as you’ll want it for the party, making sure that guests can move easily from one part of your house to another. Designate a coffee table or side table for coffee and dessert, if you’ll be serving them. Tuck away things that will be in the way, precious items that might get broken (or even be taken), and any clutter. Figure out the lighting: Using low-wattage bulbs or candlelight will create the right mood.
• Take inventory of cookware and serving dishes. If you don’t have enough for every dish you’re serving, consider purchasing inexpensive pieces from a discount or thrift store. Label each dish with a Post-it so you’ll remember what you plan to use it for at party time.
• Stock the bar. Plan three bottles of wine for every four people, three to four cocktails per guest for a two- to three-hour cocktail party.

Three Days Before

• Notify the neighbors. Let them know you’re having a party if you expect it to be large, loud, or parking-intensive.
• Decorate. Arrange candles, put up theme decorations, etc.
• Check the medicine cabinet. Remove any personal items you wouldn’t want guests to see.
• Set up clean-up stations. Place a box of salt, Wine Away (red wine stain remover), club soda, and a couple of rags in a wicker basket, and store a few in strategic places in case a nasty spill occurs.
• Specify a place for coats. Make space in a closet and fill it with hangers. You could also choose a bed for coats (make sure the room is especially tidy and free of valuables, so you won’t need to worry about them), or purchase an inexpensive portable garment rack.
• Finish grocery shopping. Make a detailed cooking schedule for your remaining dishes.

One Day Before

• Set the tables. Or set up the buffet.
• Buy and arrange flowers. 
• Finish as much of the cooking as you can. Also, for any foods that require cooking on party day, do as much prep (dicing, marinating, rinsing lettuce, etc.) as possible.
• Give your house a once-over. Do whatever touch-ups are needed.

Day of the Party

• Finish any last-minute cooking. This should be absolutely minimal!
• Place chairs. Don’t worry about having enough seating for everyone; fewer seats will encourage mingling.
• Display food. One to two hours before guests arrive, set out appetizers and snacks that won’t spoil. Wrap them tightly to ensure freshness; tear off the wrap when the first guest rings the doorbell.
• Greet guests as they arrive. Things should be organized so you’re free to mingle, not tied to the kitchen.

Get Ready For Saint Patrick's Day!

It's almost here! I believe St. Patrick's Day is March 17th this year. Get ready for lots of pinching of the forgetful ones, and heaps of lucky fun! I'm going to be giving you several suggestions for great St. Paddy's cupcakes over the next few days so stay tuned!

For this week, I have two. The first is very proper looking - great for a ladies tea or fancy meal. Just spread your chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing and decorate as pictured!

The second is rather comical. Great for an office party or fun get-together with friends or family.

I'm sure you can find printouts online if you wanted to do this sort of thing at home!

Until next time!

Spring Cupcakes

There are many different activities in the spring that require goodies like cupcakes. Garden parties, spring picnics, birthday parties, and just to have. I have found some of the cutest ways to decorate your cupcakes for spring, and wanted to share!

These are very simple and quick to decorate for maybe a get-together with  your friends. And who can resisit chocolate icing?

If you like bright colors, you'll love these cupcakes!

These are perfect for children's parties, aren't they? Imagine how happy your daughter will be with these beauties!

Garden Party!

Spring is almost here! (I'm jumping up and down while I type that...) Spring is my favorite time of the year!
If you have the time and space to,  you should consider hosting a garden party this spring. Gather your friends around in the yard, share some food, some laughter, and maybe even some flower prizes, and have a great time!


For your location, choose a place in your yard that has been fixed up with your most beautiful flower choices. Set out a few tables and cover with tablecloths. Centerpieces are as simple as a small bouquet of flowers!


Give out small potted plants for prizes for the games. One great game to play is "Take A Penny" Have each of the ladies bring a small bag full of pennies, and as you say stuff like, "If you've been to florida, take a penny, if you ever went on a blind date, put in two pennies, etc" they do as you say, between the pennies in their hands and on the table. The table with the most pennies in the middle wins. :-)


Let each lady decorate their own wreath with flowers. They will enjoy having something fresh and springy to decorate with at home!


And lastly, the eats! We all like to eat, right?

Of course, you simply must have cupcakes! What is a cupcake blog worth without mentioning the delectible goodness of cupcakes? Here's a great idea for garden party cupcakes!

Serve cucumber sandwiches, tea, lemonade, cheese and crackers, and fruit, and you're set!

The Punch!

So, you've got your cupcakes (and hopefully, if you're in my area, you've bought them from me!) but you need some other refreshments to go with them. Company is headed over, and you need food to feed the hungry mob!
Here's a few recipes to go along with your delicious cupcake dessert!


Paula Deen's Lime Sherber Punch

2 quarts lime sherbet

2 liters ginger ale

1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice

Lemon slices

Lime slices

Maraschino cherries

In a punch bowl, add 2 quarts of lime sherbet. Then add ginger ale and pineapple juice. Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.

Old Fashioned, Home-made Chex Mix!

3	cups Corn Chex cereal
3	cups Rice Chex cereal
3	cups Wheat Chex cereal
1	cup mixed nuts
1	cup bite-size pretzels
1	cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2	teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/2	teaspoon onion powder

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Fix some great party sandwiches, and you're set to go!

History of Valentine's Day

Today, I thought we'd do something a bit different. Do you know the true history behind Valentine's Day? If not, read on!

Valentine's day started off as the romantic day it is today, sort of. You see, Saint Valentine ministered to the people in 270 A.D. When Claudius II became Emperor, he banned marriage because he felt that it made men weak, and he wanted them strong for battle. Lovers were saddened by this, and St. Valentine seen the distress it was causing on the people. So, St. Valentine started performing secret wedding ceremonies. In time, he became known as the "friend of lovers." Soon, he was discovered by Claudius, who had him arrested.

While in prison, it is said the Valentine helped to heal the jailor's daughter, and began to fall in love with her. However, his discussion with Claudius the the attempt to convert him lead to the sentence of death upon Valentine. Awaiting his sentence, Valentine picked the heart shaped leaves from outside his prison window, and poked the message, "Love your Valentine" to his jailor's daughter, family and friends.

He was brutally executed, but because of Saint Valentine, we have this lovely day we celebrate every 14th day of Februay!

Old Fashioned Valentines

Who needs to go out and spend a fortune on cheap cards? Why not make your own? They can be so incredibly beautiful, and only require a bit of time!

Grab you some construction paper, poster board, glitter, glue, scrap fabric and lace, ribbon, and print off some photos from online like the ones used in this post.

After that, all that's left is allowing your creative imagination to work! You'll have so much fun, and they will mean so much more to the special recipients!

Good Luck!