…and I’m crafty too! PART DEUX

Oh hey there, it’s me again…the crafty mom who just has to go all out when it’s birthday time?? Yep, I’m back! So the baby just recently turned 1…I know, ALREADY?! Since I’ve already gone through this twice before, I reminded myself  to NOT overdo it and that the 1st birthday party is ALWAYS for the parents…like a 1 year old really cares about color scheme, theme and cake flavor, right? But every child deserves a kick-ass party whether or not he is old enough to comprehend what is going on!! So in time-honored tradition, I put on my thinking cap, poured myself a glass of wine (or 3) and began brainstorming for another birthday party theme.

It took me a while to figure out Benjamin’s first birthday theme. I asked the older kids for their opinion but even with all of our heads put together, we still couldn’t figure it out. Finally, while giving Ben his usual snack of  Nilla wafers…I realized, “this boy goes NUTS for cookies!” And who gets this crazy for cookies?…None other than Cookie Monster himself!

So since we’re sticking to a Cookie Monster theme, what better treats to serve at the dessert bar but cookies? I made my chocolate chip cookies ~courtesy of  Nestle Tollhouse  (now say it the way Phoebe from Friends says it, hehe).  I also made my Chinese almond cookies, which turns out, my almost diabetic father-in-law can’t get enough of…oops. And I cannot forget Ben’s favorites, which are Nilla wafers and Oreos!! The iced sugar cookies were added to the table to give it that splash of blue~courtesy of  Vons. I also wanted to add some extra oomph to the decor so I learned how to make pom poms~courtesy of Martha Stewart (curse her crafty awesomeness).

I would like to give props where props are due…the most fabulous birthday cake was made by my longtime friend/sister from another mister, Mary B. For all things delectable and for any and all occasions, you may contact her at: marybacosa@gmail.com, a sincere thanks!

My birthday boo was up to his armpits in love and gifts and I of course got “mad props” for my dessert table…until another birthday…I’m spent!

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A Tribute To A Classic…Twinkie Cupcakes

I haven’t blogged in a while and I blame a new school year for the kids, a clingy baby and a new addiction to Pinterest! Don’t know what Pinterest is? Look it up, you’ll get just as addicted as I’ve become…you’re welcome!! In whatever free time I stumble upon (which is rare), I’m either in the kitchen or on the computer…so-here-goes…

TWINKIE: a tasty cream-filled pastry made from god-knows-what; known to have a shelf life of forever; if there was a nuclear war the only things to survive would be twinkies and cockroaches…thank you, Urban Dictionary!!

The hubby hasn’t had a Twinkie in years…YEARS, I say, due to the fact that he consumed a great amount of them while a young fobby child. He got tired of them and pretty much couldn’t stand the suckers.  I was aware of this and STILL married him, I know, right?! One day, he asks me to MAKE Twinkies. Shocked as I was, I of course took it to another level…and so, the Twinkie cupcake was born!!

The cake part of the recipe was adapted from Tasty Kitchen. For the cream filling part, I literally conjured this up in my mind as I prepared them! I was going for a light and creamy filling but with a cream cheese taste. (forgive me)

Ingredients for the cake:

1 box yellow or butter cake mix

1 cup milk

½ cup melted butter

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

⅛ teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

Ingredients for the cream filling:

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 8oz package of softened cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar (you can always add more if you want it to be sweeter)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°. Line each cupcake pan with a paper liner. Combine all cupcake ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth. Fill cupcake liners half full. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the filling by adding the powdered sugar to the softened cream cheese. Once mixed well, fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mix. Fill a decorating bag with the filling. (You can use any size tip, I used the star shape) Insert tip into the center of the cooled cupcake and squeeze bag to fill the cupcake with 1-2 tablespoons of filling. The cupcake will expand just a bit. Remove the tip from the cupcake and top off by swirling some frosting on the top of each cupcake. Repeat until all cupcakes are filled and decorated.

My little ones and the hubby LOVED them and it’s safe to say that it won’t be too long before I make these again! Please enjoy and share with your loved ones!!

…and I’m crafty too!

*sigh!* My little man turned the BIG 5, and what better way to celebrate a Summer baby than by having a “Dinosaur Pool Party!” He changed his mind a lot about the theme. At first, it was Cars2, then it became Power Rangers, then he finally agreed to those prehistoric favorites. Now, I’m that mom who goes all out when it comes to celebrating their spawn’s day of birth. I’m the one who’s balling as we’re singing “Happy Birthday”, realizing that “my baby is growing up!” *wiping tear* I’m also the procrastinator who waits until the night before the party to get everything done. I decided to create my own decorations, assemble a most fabulous candy/sweets buffet and make the giveaways! Who has the time, you ask? Not me, but I’m gonna sure as hell try!!

Yep, I made that banner! It could have been nicer and a little bigger, but no one even noticed it…the banner, that is! The kids and I cut out the dino pictures, but when it came time to hang everything up, everyone went missing…

I got a few chuckles since the hubby noticed that my “sweets table” looked more like a memorial table…kinda morbid, I know…

By the end of the party, I was indeed pooped, but nonetheless pleased with the turn out. The birthday boy was extremely thankful and I as usual, vowed to NEVER do this again…until the next kids’ party, of course!

“This @#$% is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S”

Turon is a popular snack or dessert, where ripe plantains are sliced and then wrapped in lumpia wrapper (a thin rice paper) and deep-fried. Turon is then finished off with a brown sugar glaze.

Turon

I freakin’ love turon and ALWAYS look for it at family parties unless I bring them myself.  I love the sweetness of that sugar glaze along with the savoriness of the banana. And I don’t really mind the little crumbs that fall into my cleavage after biting into one! When you have free time like myself, your mind wanders about the different variations of turon out there. In this version, I used wonton wrapper  instead of lumpia wrapper, since I was trying to go for a banana wonton-esque crispiness. After slicing the bananas, I coated them in sugar and brown sugar to make it extra-sweet. Lastly, instead of the brown sugar glaze, I topped it off with some powdered sugar. They came out great but needed to be eaten ASAP since wonton wrappers absorb a lot of oil and get soggy quick. They came out pretty small but cute things do come in small packages! Enjoy!!

ingredients

sliced plantains

finished turon

Ingredients:

1 ripe plantain

1 pack of wonton wrappers

1tbsp. sugar

1tbsp. brown sugar

cooking oil for frying

powdered sugar

Directions:

Slice plantains then coat them with sugar and brown sugar evenly. Since the wonton wrappers are small, you can only work with 1 slice at a time. Roll into  little eggrolls and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy. Simple and sweet…