Candy Melt Image

Okay, so I meant to post this back in October when I made the darn thing, but yea... Mrs. M.I.A. hasn't been posting much. But here is the birthday cake that I made for Lucy's 2nd birthday.

Lucy has a favorite book called "Biscuit" about a little lab puppy that has all kind of adventures and she just loves him. So, I figured I would make her a Biscuit cake. I was able to use candy melts to make a chocolate transfer. The way I made this cake, you can apply it to any picture that you want.

First I took her book and wrapped it in wax paper and taped it in place. Then, I took some white Candy Melts (you can buy them at Walmart or Michael's) and melted them. I set several bowls aside so I could spoon out some of the melted candy melts and mix it with food coloring. USEFUL TIP - the candy melts will change texture and get clumpy if you use too much food coloring, especially if it is liquid drops. You will need to use the food coloring paste. You can get a huge selection at Michael's for fairly cheap. It is easier to just buy the color candy melts needed, then to have to mix the colors.

You can use a pipping bag to put the melted chocolate in, but I just used a Ziploc bag and cut a small corner out. I then traced a nice outline in the color needed and filled in random areas like the eyes, nose, and toe nails.with the color needed. Once everything was dried I then filled in Biscuit with the main color, which helped get everything connected and stuck together. Make sure the last layer you fill is nice and thick to help keep your image from breaking to you lift it up.

When everything is dried, carefully peel the wax paper away from your chocolate image and turn it over so you can see the nice smooth side. Now you can place it on your cake.

What is great about this process is that it really isn't hard and doesn't have to be perfect and it is just fun to see the end process. Lucy loved it!!! She got all excited about her Biscuit and got to eat her sweet puppy, which should probably be a little disturbing, but it was still cute :)

You can copy anything from images online, books, posters, anything that is flat and you can get wax paper on.

Molly McButter's Powder Butter

WFMW

I think of myself as a pretty healthy eater. Don't get me wrong, I love my pizza and could probably down a good chunk of it if needed (I probably shouldn't be proud of that). But I do try to use turkey instead of beef, throw in fiber where I can, and use fat free everything. So you can imagine why I would be over come with joy when I discovered MOLLY MCBUTTER!

This in only the best cooking trick I have discovered yet. It is a powder butter... yes.... I said it.... powder butter. Well, better yet... Fat-Free powder butter with only 5 calories per serving. I know... amazing isn't it? We have just fallen in love with it. You can use it to replace the calorie packed, fat filled, food that is butter. We use it a lot with corn, vegetables, baked potatoes, and even as a replacement for butter with mac n' cheese. We especially love it for home made pop corn. Simply pop some kernels in a little bit of olive oil and then sprinkle with Molly McButter and salt; then you will have some of the most delicious pop corn you have ever tasty and a lot healthier too as you are using olive oil.

So feel free run out and buy some guilty free pleasure or to help make those sin foods a little nicer. Sprinkle some butter on and cut back on fat. What is a health food trick you use for cooking?

Cupcake Ideas

WFMW
Do you know how to make a cupcake looking like an alien or a penguin or even a cupcake with a shark jumping out of the water, mouth open, and teeth gnashing? WELL I DO! I have just found the cutest and best cook book for cupcakes called, "Hello, Cupcake".

It seriously has the most amazing and cute ideas that I have ever seen. Several breeds of dogs, an alien and its space trip, a cute Oreo panda bear, even some amazing April Fools cupcakes that look like corn on the cob. Not only are the ideas just as cute as a bug, all the items used are simple and edible.

They have some really simple cupcakes that you can start with and then you can work your way up with some that need a steady hand THEN.... if you dare..... you can try to make their replication of.... STARRY NIGHT BY VON GOGH! No joke... I am completely serious. They have this amazing laying out and template for the cupcake version of Starry Night. I have challenged my self that I am going to get it done! I mean.... not any time soon, but you know... at some point :)

But if you are looking for a fun cook book to add to your collection or just need some fun ideas so your kids can have fun decorating, than this is your book. It cost around $15 at most stores, but right now they have some listed around $9 on amazon.com. So have some fun, roll up your sleeves, and get "Hello, Cupcake".

Molly McButter and Home Made Popcorn

WFMW
I think of myself as a pretty healthy eater. Don't get me wrong, I love my pizza and can down a half of a pizza easily (I probably shouldn't be proud of that). But I try to use turkey instead of beef, throw in fiber where I can, and also use fat free whatever. So you can imagine why I would be over come with joy when I discovered MOLLY MCBUTTER!

This in only the best cooking trick I have discovered yet. It is a powder butter... yes.... I said it.... powder butter. Well, better yet... Fat-Free powder butter with 5 calories per serving. I know... amazing isn't it? We have just fallen in love with it. You can use it for so much, corn, vegetables, baked potatoes, and pop corn. We especially love it for home made pop corn. Simply pop some kernels in a little bit of olive oil and then sprinkle with Molly McButter and salt; then you will have some of the most delicious pop corn you have ever tasty and a lot healthier too. And I am not even really a home made pop corn kind of girl.

So run out and buy some guilty free pleasure. Sprinkle some butter on your food and cut back on fat. What is a health food trick you use for cooking?

Under Pressure - Works For Me Wed

Works For Me Wednesday

Ever since having my daughter I have definitely become more domesticated. I don't mean to say that I am bare foot and prego in the kitchen, but I have definitely been trying to use my "stay-at-home" time more valuable than sitting around watching all the seasons of "The Office". One of the biggest things I have been working on lately is my baking skills. What can I say? I am tired of baking crap in my oven. I think I am the only person on this Earth that has messed up No Bake Cookies. Seriously....I can be that bad sometimes. I guess I have better skills for eating cookies than making them. So, as you can see, I need some help.


That is where the Cookie Press comes into play. I have this beautiful contraption that looks like a caulking gun that allows you to simply place the dough into the holder, choose a pattern, squeeze the handle, and VOILA! You have your self a delectable, eatable, succulent cookie! They come out nice and easy. I especially love the smaller dainty size that they come out as. It is great because instead of eating some giant chocolate chipper you are nibbling on a cute little treat. But the down side is, that you can easily justify eating 20 because they are a smaller tasty little treat.



The Cookie Press comes with several different patterns that you screw easily onto the front. You can have anything from a butterfly cookie to a Christmas tree cookie to simple patterns or flowers. They taste great as a the plain ol' cookie or I like to dip them in chocolate to give them a nice addition of flavor and color.



The press isn't just for cookies. You can also double it as a frosting applicator. The press comes with a head and several different nozzles that can help give cookies, cakes, or truffles a nice pattern. I have used it several times for frosting and it does fairly good. The best suggest that I can give you though, is that you really need to use the Cookie Press with a silicon baking sheet. It does the best job for grabbing hold of the dough when you are trying to get it to stick to the pan.

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So happy baking to you all out there and have fun with this new little toy. You can find them many places from Target to Bed Bath and Beyond, many for around $20; so start pressing away! :)