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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In Celebration of Mardi Gras...

{This a re-post from last year.}
Happy Mardi Gras everyone!
Mardi Gras is a fun holiday for us. I know that it's not as big of a deal in other parts of the U.S., but we are right in the middle of  Mardi Gras country! To our east is Mobile, the official birthplace of Mardi Gras, and  to our west is New Orleans, the place best known for it {sometimes} wild Mardi Gras ways! It is such a big holiday were we live, that the kids get three days out of school for it!

We usually celebrate by going to a local {very family friendly} parade. The boys love all the decorated floats, catching beads, listening to the marching bands, and eating yummy Mardi Gras snacks. Besides the traditional King Cake {which must be from the fabulous Paul's Pastry Shop} that we eat every year around Mardi Gras, we also LOVE a Moon Pie. These sweet treats are so yummy, and they are even better if you catch them at a parade! Unfortunately we missed our usual parade because of storms that came through on Saturday...so no parade caught Moon Pies for us! I decided making some homemade ones would be a fun replacement, and I'm sharing the step by step for those of you who can't get your hands on a store bought Moon Pie!
 Start with some really easy ingredients: graham crackers, marshmallow creme, and chocolate. 
 There technically isn't any cooking in this recipe...just melting and assembling:)
Start by using a small round cookie cutter {mine was 2 inches in diameter} to cut your graham crackers into circle. Each cracker should make two rounds.
 Put a good dollop of marshmallow creme on one graham cracker round and then sandwich it together with another cracker. This is easiest to do if you put the marshmallow creme into a ziploc bag and then squeeze it out onto the crackers! Place them in the freezer to chill while you melt the chocolate.
 Toss the graham cracker sandwiches into the melted chocolate and use a fork to turn and coat them. Lift them out of the chocolate and tap off any excess chocolate then place them on foil to harden.
 These aren't exactly the same as a traditional Moon Pie. The crackers are a little bit crunchier, and the chocolate isn't quite the same but they are a pretty close match without a whole lot of effort...and they taste really yummy!
How do you celebrate Mardi Gras?!?
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Monday, February 11, 2013

Eleven Fun and Easy Valentine Ideas

For some reason Valentine's Day crafting and creating has been difficult for me this year! I'm not sure if it's because I used up all my creativity over the last few years, or if Pinterest has made me feel way less creative than I thought I was. Either way, the new Valentine ideas have just not been flowing much this year. So I thought  it might be fun to recap a few of my past Valentine's Day ideas in one big Valentine Round Up post!  They are all really cute and really easy to do...which is perfect for all us busy moms who really don't have to make all of those amazing Pinterest level crafts!











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Friday, February 8, 2013

Valentine Treat on a Stick!

Anytime you put a treat on a stick, it is just so much more fun {We've all experience the cake pop phenomenon}! So when I saw these yummy red velvet {Twinkie-like} cakes at the store a few days ago, I knew that I just had to put them on a stick! And my theory was right! They were cute in the package but they are so much cuter on the stick...and the sprinkles are helping a little too:)
I started with a couple of packs of Red Velvet Bingles, white chocolate candy coating, sprinkles, and lollipop sticks.
 I started by melting my chocolate in a tall microwave safe glass. I have found that the tall glass makes it a lot easier to cover the whole cake. Just microwave based on the instructions on your package. I also thinned my  candy coating a little with a small spoonful of shortening. Just make sure to follow the directions on your particular package because not all candy coatings can be thinned this way.
Dip one end of your lollipop stick into the candy coating and then insert into the end of your cake. Place them in the freezer to harden up a little so the sticks don't slip out when you are dipping them. 
After about 20 minutes in the freezer you are ready to dip. 
 Make sure to cover the entire cake with the candy coating. Use a spoon to scoop up the coating and cover the end if needed.
 Place the cakes on a sheet of parchment paper and shake on some sprinkles while the candy coating is still wet.
 These little treats on a stick are SUPER cute from the outside, but they are even cuter on the inside!



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