Beauty, Brains and Benefit! Part I

This year I hosted my first House Party and it was a blast! The party was for one of my favorite beauty brands, Benefit Cosmetics.  I've been using the stuff since I first discovered Benetint about 15 years ago.  I still love their quirky packaging and product names.  They're too cute. 

THE SWAG


When I got the Party Pack from House Party I was blown away! Look at all the beauteous goodness! Unbelievable. And totally free. 9 full-size Hello Flawless, brightening foundation

• 1 full-size Benetint, lip & cheek stain
• 1 full-size Big Beautiful Eyes, eye contour kit
• 1 full-size Hervana, blush powder box
• 1 full-size PoreFessional, pore minimizing balm
• 1 full-size Speed Brow, quick set brow gel
• 1 Raising Eyebrows book
• 1 limited edition cosmetic bag
• 14 vials, cards and labels for Hello Flawless samples
• 14 deluxe-size PoreFessional samples
• 14 gift bags
• 14 magnet picture frames
• 14 coupon sheets

THE DECORATIONS
I started working on these as soon as I found out I was selected as a hostess.  Which was like a month before the party date.  hee hee.  I couldn't help it.  I was excited! 



Miss Betty:
Miss Betty greeted guests on the porch so they knew they were in the right place, and later joined us inside for photos ops. Along with a tulle skirt that was once a bridesmaid outfit, I dressed her up with frosted tissue paper roses, organza ribbon, a Benefit sign (which I downloaded from House Party) and some blingy yumminess.



Streamer Curtain:
I wanted to create a pretty photo backdrop that incorporated the various shades of pink and yellow from Benefit's logo while covering up the yucky backyard. The streamer curtain completely transformed the room. Guests could see it as soon as they walked in the "salon" and it totally set the fun and frilly tone for the rest of the afternoon.

 

Place Settings:

Next were the makeup stations. The table was covered with a yellow tablecloth, a length of funky floral fabric and little votives with frosted tissue paper roses running down the center of the table. At each place setting, I set out all the Benefit goodies including little pink mirrors from Party City and drinking glasses--Starbucks Frapuccino bottles--with the cutest paper straws from Cakes and Kids Too. 

THE MENU
The menu was a mix of savory and sweet tea party bites.  All in shades of pink and yellow, of course!


We munched on cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, artichoke mascarpone sandwiches, rice krispie treats drizzled with white chocolate dyed pink, shortbread cookies with lemon icing, lemon Jello marzipan and scones with lemon curd and strawberry butter. Our party beverage was strawberry lemonade. I HIGHLY recommend the strawberry butter recipe. I could eat scones with strawberry butter forevahhh!
Check out my Pinterest board for more little details.

So, that's the set up.  Watch out for Part II of Beauty, Brains and Benefit!

Jello Marzipan Hearts

Are these not the sweetest Valentine candies ever?!  I made these pretties using the Jello-style strawberry marzipan recipe.  After I formed the hearts, I dipped them in Wilton Cake Sparkles to make them super glittery.




I think they're just beautiful and would be such a special treat in a little bento box or a pretty gift box tied with a ribbon! (Harry not included.)

.

Pineapple Fudge

This one is delish!  I had my doubts-- I generally find pineapple in sweets too strong-- but in this recipe, it isn't overwhelming.  Yum!

Fudge is tricky, it took me twice to get it right.  First, I didn't cook it enough to let the sugar dissolve so when I poured it in the pan, it didn't set and it was really grainy.  So, I reheated it and added some more milk cooking it very slowly.  I was lucky that I'd undercooked it because if you over-cook, there's no saving it! Enjoy!




Ingredients
3 c sugar
1 T corn syrup
1/2 c drained crushed pineapple
1/2 c condensed milk
2 T butter
1 t vanilla
1 c chopped pecans

Method
1. Combine sugar, syrup, pineapple & milk in a well-buttered heavy saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
3. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy reaches soft ball stage, 236º.
4. Remove from heat.  Add butter but do NOT stir.
6. Cool until saucepan fells lukewarm, add vanilla & stir until your hand falls off, then stir with the other hand.
7. Stir in nuts.  The candy should thicken and will be ready to pour when the tracks of the spoon don't disappear.
8. Pour candy in buttered 8x8 pan.  Allow to cool 2 hours, then cut into cubes.


Click on the recipe card below to print out your very own!




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and
Sumo's Sweet Stuff Market Yourself Monday

The Original Silly Bee's Bunny Cake

Finally-- a post about my famous (thanks to CakeWrecks.com) old-school bunny cake!  I was recently surprised to find my photo on a few internet sites that I didn't know about.  So, I thought I better claim it before anyone else does!


A little history:



The traditional bunny cake was invented by Baker's Coconut around 1970 when it was included in a promotional booklet (the 2nd in the series) of "cut-up" animal cakes.  As far as I can tell, the only one that really took off was the bunny. The hobby horse cake was not so popular.  Its demise may have something to do with the fact that you had to be an architect to figure out the blueprint.  Anyhoo, since then, there have been several versions of the diy bunny cake, but this one remains my favorite.



Here's how I make my signature bunny cake:




First, you'll notice she has no bow tie-- more on that later. What makes my bunny cake so cute (and perfect for a baby shower) is its soft colors, tiny eyes and big cheeks.  It's more Beatrix Potter and less Looney Tunes. Anyhoo, to make your very own, you need 2 round cakes, icing, flaked coconut, red & green coloring, black jelly beans (or chocolate chips) and a fork. 

Once you've cut out the shapes, trim one end of each ear and attach the ears to the head. Save the leftover piece of cake (formerly known as the bow tie) to eat while you're decorating-- that's where the fork comes in.

Before you ice the cake and go crazy dumping coconut on it, set aside about 1 1/2 cup of coconut to dye pink and green. Split the coconut in half and put each in a sealable container with a drop of food coloring and shake it up until it's evenly coated. You can add more drops as you go.

Next, ice the cake and immediately cover it with a generous amount of coconut. If you wait too long, the icing will set and the coconut won't stick. To make the nose, take a grape-sized amount of pink coconut and squish it together in your hands to form a little triangle. Add the candy eyes, and you are done!



Last year's bunny cake had little chocolate egg eyes.



This year I also made a choco bunny with chocolate sprinkles for the non-coconut eaters!


Click on the Betty Crocker Bunny Cake logo below to download a copy of their bunny cake booklet. The booklet shows you how to make the old-school bunny cake plus 3 others-- including cupcakes.




P.S. Don't be tempted by Bunny-shaped pans! Make it old-school and keep the tradition alive!

Jello-Style Strawberry Marzipan

I was soooo excited when I found this candy recipe in Grandma's cookbook! She used to make these once in a while for me when I went to visit. She didn't make them often, but when she did, I loved helping her dip the little berries in red sugar to make them glisten.  Thanks for the berries, Grandma!






Ingredients
3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
1 c shredded coconut
1 c chopped pecans
2 small (3 oz) pkgs strawberry Jello  (measure out 2 T and set aside)
1 pinch salt
slivered almonds
green food coloring

Method
1. Blend milk, coconut, pecans, Jello and salt in a food processor.
2. Cover with cellophane and chill for 1 hour.
3. Remove from refrigerator and shape into strawberries.
4. Roll strawberries in leftover Jello.
6. Shake almonds and a few drops of food coloring in a Ziplock.
7. Place one almond in each strawberry for stem.
Keep refrigerated. Can be frozen.

Click on the recipe card below to print out your very own!






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Fireflies and Jellybeans' Show Off Your Stuff Featured on: Domessticated

The Clara/Melissa Project

Grandma Clara taught me how to bake. She was patient enough to give me free lessons in her kitchen during the summer. It was one of my favorite places to be. I would sit at her kitchenette on my knees like a little sous baker and hand her baking tools just like a nurse does for a surgeon. She was my Julia. She taught me how to sift, measure and pour every last drop of batter into a cake pan.

Grandma was a career woman. She baked for the Victoria School District for 30 years. Her banana bread was to die for and everybody coveted Clara's spice bars! Every time we visited, she had a batch waiting along with a pecan pie for Dad and a lemon meringue pie without-the-meringue for my sister.

She always had friends and family drop in and aside from her lovable personality, I think her sweets had a bit to do with it. I would watch her "drop ins" light up when she offered them a piece of fruit cake and I quickly learned how thrilling it could be when someone oohed and ahhed over homemade desserts. What awesome affirmation! I was hooked.

Some time ago, I was somewhere when a man somehow related to my Grandma came up to me and told me that he loved my Grandma's spice bars. Whoever he was, wherever we were and whenever it was I don't even remember. All that mattered to me was that he remembered my grandma's baking. I was so proud.

Looking back, I think what an amazing legacy Grandma left! So, in honor of Grandma Clara, I decided to challenge myself Julie & Julia style and bake my way through the dessert section of the Victoria Schools cookbook and I'm going to start with spice bars!

P.S. Julia Child learned to cook at the same age that I am today. Coincidence?

I'm Cake Wrecktastic!

Imagine my surprise when my girl Christy texted me on Easter to tell me that my bunny cake made Cake Wrecks! 

First, I was like, "cool!" 

Then, I was like, "Oh noooooo, Cake Wrecks!" 

Then, I remembered it was Sweet Sunday and I was like, "whew!" 

Then, about an hour later, my cousin texted me about it and I was like, "I know! Crazy right?" 

Holy buttercream! I still can't believe it. I didn't even submit it or anything. Jen The Cake Wrecks Gal searched for cute Easter cakes online, found mine and posted it right alongside Bakerella's chick cake pops. Plus, she said my cake is "quite possibly the sweetest bunny cake" she's ever seen!

Check out my wrecktastic debut, including a bunch of sweet comments about my cake, by clicking on the Cake Wrecks logo.



If you've never visited Cake Wrecks, you have been missing out on some slap-your-knee funny business.  But, beware.  Don't go jumping on their site during a meeting, or you may get in big trouble for shooting water out of your nostrils.

Introducing Candy's Cakes!

One of my favorite chickadees, Candy has just launched her new website. She's a cake decorator "on the side". Check out her new home on the web, candyscakes.com. She's in the Dallas area, so if you need a cake, call on her!

P.S. The hubster designed her super cute site. I love the retro kitchen feel. Isn't it adorable? He's available for freelance work!

I Found One at Long Last!

A Valentine Cake Wreck!  I am so proud.  I discovered it at Kroger.  It's the dreaded cupcake cake in absolutely no recognizable shape at all!  Seriously, were they out of cupcake containers?  I hope they taste good, at least!

Super Chocolate Deliciousness

These yummies are always a huge hit and they're easy peasy to make. The truffles in the photo are actually peanut butter truffles that I served at Angel Party a few years ago. (Good photo, right? All professional and everything.) I made the peanut butter truffles with the same recipe replacing the Oreos with Nutter Butters. If you plan to make both kinds, put some chocolate sprinkles on one of them to tell them apart.

The chocolate can be tricky--I melt about a half cup at a time in a glass Pyrex bowl in the microwave. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn and don't over stir it or it will get yucky. Stir it gently only if some of it didn't melt completely. The recipe is really simple and if you use a food processor, you don't need to wash a bunch of bowls!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREOs, finely crushed (use a food processor- it's much easier)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (really important that it's softened, but not melted)
2 pkgs. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Method:
1. Mix cookies and cream cheese until well blended. (I use a food processor.)
2. Shape into 1" balls. (I refrigerate them for about a half hour before dipping.)
3. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on a waxed paper-covered baking sheet.
4. Add chocolate sprinkles to make them all fancy-like.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store leftovers in tightly covered container in refrigerator. (I usually put waxed paper between the layers of truffles.

Enjoy!

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At Least The Filling Was Good

This is the smooth, rich, yummy pumpkin filling that I used for my pies.  In light of the pie crust fiasco instigated by the Pie Gremlin, you may want to find your own crust recipe.  If you have an awesome one, I'd love to try it!

Ingredients: 
1 c sugar

3 T flour

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground cloves

3 eggs

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

insert pie crust ingredients here

   

Method:

1.  Bake your pie crust, show off.

2.  Heat oven to 375° F.

3.  In large bowl, beat sugar, flour and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. 

4.  Add remaining ingredients to mixture.   Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly, until smooth. Pour into pre-baked crust.

5.  Cover edge of crust with foil to prevent excessive browning.

6.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

7.  Cool completely before serving.   Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Click on image below to print out your very own recipe card!

Pie Carumba!

So, here's how it all went down...

Wednesday, I decided to make a few pies. Just a couple. No big whoop. The pie fillings are awesome. I've used them plenty of times before. But, I don't have a go-to recipe for pie crust. That's where it all went south. I blame the Pie Gremlin. He hangs out with that other punk, the Great Pumpkin.

I wanted to make my pumpkin pie all fancy-like, so I rolled out some dough and used the little leaf cutters that I bought with Christy at Sur La Table.  Because I was going to add them just before the pies were done baking, I decided to place the little leaves in the fridge. I didn't have any cellophane, so I pulled out some heavy duty foil.  While laying a piece of it out on the counter, I got a giant aluminum paper cut. Fantastic.

Luscious Lemon Tarts

As promised, here is the recipe for the lemon tarts I served at Queen Bea's Surpise Birthday Jubilee!  Are you ready for the super complicated directions?  Hold on to your aprons!

Ingredients:
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells - I used the mini shells
Jello lemon pudding, or chocolate, or custard, or strawberry preserves...

Method:
1. Bake pastry shells as directed.
2. Make pudding as directed.
3. Fill pastry shells with pudding.
3. Dust with powdered sugar to make it look fancy.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.  Keep a box of pastry shells in your freezer and a jar of preserves in your fridge and you'll always be ready for your next "oh my gosh, I have to bring a dessert" moment!  You're welcome.

P.S. If you wanna get all Top Chef, here are some more recipes using Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells.  Just click on the box:

Scrumptious Scones and Berries

Scones and Berries

4 c flour
1 c + 2 T sugar
2 T baking powder
1 t salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 c +2 T heavy cream
4 pints berries

1. Combine flour, 3/4 sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter until mix is a course meal. (A potato masher works really well. Make sure your butter is room temp. Don't melt it!)

2. Blend 2 c heavy cream into mix. Place onto clean work surface. (Better off a floured surface. Or put down parchment paper-- easy cleanup.)

3. Press dough with palm of hand until 1" thick. Use large biscuit or cookie cutter to cut scones out. Place scones on baking sheet. (Or form plum-sized balls and place them on the baking sheet. Then press down with the palm of your hand until 1" thick and about 4" around. Make sure they are placed a couple inches apart.)

4. Refrigerate scones on baking sheet for 1 hour. (I covered the baking sheet with Saran wrap before refrigerating.)

5. Combine berries and 1/4 c sugar and let sit for 30 minutes. (I smashed some of the berries into the mixture. It's fun and tasty.)

6. Preheat oven to 400. (And do the baking dance.)

7. Remove scones from refrigerator.

8. Whisk together egg + 2 T heavy cream. Brush egg wash on scones and sprinkle with sugar.

9. Bake scones for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Continue baking for 25 minutes until golden brown. (Lovely, lovely golden brown)

10. Cool scones on baking rack. (Smell the yumminess.)

11. Serve scones with berries in a fancy compote dish or paper plate. (No chance of soggy-ing the plate, they won't be there long.)

- Martha Stewart Living

featuring commentary by Silly Bee's Chickadee

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