Day 136: Baked Funfetti Donuts (fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

These were all-around bad :(  Super sugary, too many sprinkles, horrible-tasting glaze.  Just trust me on this one -- don't waste your time.  I'd suggest hitting up Krispy Kreme instead.

I did like the blog author's idea of piping the batter into the donut pan.  

After mixing up the batter (it will be thick), spoon it into a Ziploc bag, snip off a side at the bottom of the bag, and slowly pipe the batter into the pan.  Voila!

Baked, but not yet glazed.  Too many sprinkles!

Glazed -- and the ones on the far left were achieved by following her instructions exactly.  Once I tasted the glaze (too much powdered sugar taste, in my opinion!), I just "dripped" some on the top instead of covering the entire donut.  Neither tasted very good!

Verdict: FAIL.

Day 132: Baby Food Jars as Party Favors (fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I don't consider myself a hoarder, but then I find a box of random baby jar containers and lids that I have no idea why a) I saved and b) I moved from the house we were in when we had our babies to the house we are in now with toddlers / kids.  My youngest "baby" is almost three, so these jars have been taking up space for far too long!

I thought it would be symbolic to use my youngest child's baby jars as party favors for her upcoming "ballerina" birthday party.  It looked easy enough -- I had the jars, lids and candy, and just needed to buy the pink "ballet slipper" spray paint.

This project was a disaster!  The more I spray painted the lids, the more the lid writing was visible -- and smudged (see below -- the jar on the left was spray painted the least and the one on the right was painted the most)! Perhaps if I was gluing something on to the tops of these, they would have looked okay, but I didn't want to have an additional cost added to an item that people would just throw away when they get home from the party; I decided against doing that.

Verdict: FAIL.  I will eat the candy, the jars are going in the recycling and the lids are getting trashed tomorrow!

Day 131: Favor Baskets from Scrapbook Paper (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

These turned out so cute and only required a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper, ruler, hole punch and ribbon.  After I finished the first one, I kept making them even though I don't have anything to go in them yet!  I'd better start baking and then distributing as friend / neighbor gifts!

I followed the blogger's tutorial exactly, and felt that she described the steps concisely -- go check them out and make your own baskets!  The only tip I would contribute is that it works better to use sturdy, double-sided scrapbook paper.  The folds are a little more difficult to do with the double-sided paper, but in the end, you'll have a much sturdier basket that will hold  more items and is pretty on both the inside and out!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 128: Freezing Cupcakes (works -- but a fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I typically bake cupcakes days / weeks in advance of when I need them and freeze them to keep; I then frost them while frozen.  I decided to try a new method of freezing cupcakes versus my typical way (throwing baked, cooled cupcakes into a Ziploc bag).  In the end, it was much more work, and didn't seem to make much -- if any -- difference in the final taste or texture.  Below, you can see that I froze some cupcakes in my traditional way, and then more cupcakes in the new way with saran wrap + foil + Ziploc bag.

Instructions:

Step 1: After baking the cupcakes, let them cool a bit; once they are cool, they can be wrapped. Lay large pieces of saran wrap in an X and then place 12 cupcakes in the center. Fold in one side and then the other, creating a nice seal.

Step 2: Lay out a long piece of foil and place cupcakes in center. Wrap foil around and fold sides in.

Step 3: Slip into a gallon Ziploc, and label with date and flavor.

The true test was when I ate these -- I was worried about my "traditional" packaging, as these cupcakes looked like they had a little freezer burn...

...and the ones with the new packaging weren't iced over at all.

However, I frosted both (while frozen), let them defrost, and then taste-tested, and they tasted exactly the same.  My vote?  It's not worth the extra effort + materials to use saran wrap and foil. 

Verdict: FAIL

Day 117: Straw Bubble Wand (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This worked great!  Using a few items I already had at home, I made a bubble wand that my kids thought was better than the store-bought ones!

Materials:
Tape
7 straws (taped together)
Bubbles (we already had Super Miracle Bubbles, but you could make some at home)

Dip in bubble solution and start creating awesome bubbles!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Friday Favorite: Binder Clip as Beer Stacker.

Pinterest pin and website link.

I love this binder clip idea to stack beer in the fridge without a) the bottles falling over and b) taking over the entire fridge with just beer storage.  I'll be doing this for our next party!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 91: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Happy April Fool's Day!  My husband had a company potluck today and asked me to make an April Fool's Day-themed dessert.  I've been wanting an excuse to try making cupcakes inside an ice cream cone, and this was the perfect opportunity -- and he told me they went over really well!

Ingredients / Materials Needed:
24 flat-bottom ice cream cones
Miniature muffin tin
Funfetti (or flavor of your choice) cake mix
Frosting & powdered sugar (explained below)
Piping bag / container and "star" tip
Large, sturdy box

Instructions:
Fill cones halfway (mine were a little full).

Bake in the oven as directed on the cake box for cupcakes (mine specified to bake at 350 degrees for 19-22 minutes).

Let cool, frost and enjoy!  My friend gave me a tip on frosting these like ice cream cones -- I put an entire jar of Betty Crocker's butter cream frosting into my KitchenAid mixer, and added 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  I then mixed the two ingredients together, which stiffened the frosting enough to hold the ice cream shape.  Using a piping bag and a star tip, I started on the edge of the cupcake, and swirled around and in toward the center, using steady pressure.   

Finally, my husband needed a way to transport these to work, so we used an empty "Our Generation" doll box from Target and cut squares in the back to put the completed ice cream cone cupcakes in.  I hope he brings it home so that I can make / transport more of these!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 90: DIY Cookie Basket Made from a Paper Plate (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This is so cool -- using just a paper plate, you can make a basket to hold cookies / desserts for gifting.  This solves a big problem for me, as I have an issue transporting dessert items I make specifically for this blog to my family / friends before I eat them all myself.  This pin is saving my waistline :)

I'll let the original blogger's picture showcase how to do it...

Inexpensive, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser -- my friend liked both the basket and these circus animal truffles I dropped on her doorstep!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 89: Beer Cake (success).

Pinterest pin and website link (just a picture, not a tutorial).

Warning: this is not a cake made by pouring beer into the batter, as that sounds disgusting (to me!).  Instead, it's a cake made of (full) beer cans as a party decoration for a beer-loving person!  This was super easy and could be versatile to fit the needs of any party (exchange for any type of can to make the cake non-alcoholic, use rolled up diapers for baby showers, etc.).  

The original pinner used Coke cans (with rum as the cake topper), but I used cake plates, ribbon, beer, beer glasses and favorite candies for our favorite Dad.

Completed in 10 minutes!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 87: Circus Animal Truffles (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Growing up, my Grandma always had these circus animal cookies at her house, so I had sentimental reasons for wanting to make these truffles.

Ingredients:
12-oz package of frosted animal cracker cookies
4 oz of cream cheese
4 squares of vanilla bark

Instructions:

In a food processor or blender, blend the circus animals down into crumbs (it was easier for me to do this in two batches).  Then, mix the cream cheese and cookie crumbs together in a bowl until well-mixed (this took lots of mixing and I wasn't sure that there was enough cream cheese.  Trust me -- there was enought, but I had to use my hands to get the mixture into a ball shape). Mold the mixture into 1-inch size balls, and place them on a wax paper-covered baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for about 30 minutes, at which point the balls will be easier to dip in the white chocolate and not fall apart.

Once the the truffles are hardened, melt the vanilla bark in the microwave. Heat the squares for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each heat burst and repeating until all the chocolate is melted.  Roll each ball in the melted chocolate until it is fully covered. I used two forks to push the truffle around in the chocolate. Then, using the two forks, carefully pick up the truffle and allow the excess chocolate to run off before placing back on the wax paper. Repeat with all the truffles. 

These were really tasty -- and I must say, looked pretty cute in this makeshift container that I brought to a friend.  Click here for instructions on how to make a regular paper plate into this dessert container!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Friday Favorite: Muffin Tin as Condiment Dispenser.

Pinterest pin and website link.

I loved using a muffin tin as a condiment dispenser (even though this photo -- with the cheese / avocado squeezed on there -- makes it look a little awkward!).  I didn't have enough burger condiments to go in all the spaces when I did this, but if I did, I would have moved the cheese and avocado to a different plate!  I only had mayo, mustard and ketchup, but in the future, could include ranch, dijon mustard, relish, etc.

My only concern is that for a large group, there may not be enough of each condiment in each little space to go around -- in that case, I would likely prepare two of these trays so that we wouldn't run out!

Verdict: success!

Day 59: Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese (fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

My kids are huge Mac & Cheese fans, but this did not go over well with them or their friends -- it was really rich and didn't taste at all like the boxed variety they love :)  Plus, I'm not sure if it saves you much, if any, time from just making the kind in a box.  You still have to cook the noodles before putting them into the Crock-Pot, and at that point, you could just mix in the milk, butter and boxed cheese instead of throwing it into the Crock-Pot for a few more hours with a bunch of high-fat ingredients.

Ingredients:
8 ounces of elbow macaroni, cooked
12 ounce can of evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups of whole milk (I mixed half & half and 2%)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 teaspoon of salt
Dash of pepper
5 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I didn't use quite this much)
Dash of paprika

Instructions:
Using at least a 4-quart Crock-Pot sprayed with cooking spray, mix the ingredients together (with the exception of a 1/2 cup of grated cheese).  Sprinkle the remaining cheese and paprika over the top of the mixture.  Cook on low for 3 hours and 15 minutes, stir, and serve hot.

Done.

 Served warm.

 Verdict: fail.

Day 47: Salt Water Soak to Keep Apples from Turning Brown (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Simply slice your apples and put them into cold, salted water (I used almost 1 teaspoon of salt for this size container).

The original author doesn't say to rinse with water before serving, but I did taste a little bit of salt on the apples before I did that, so my suggestion would be to do a quick rinse before serving.  

This is how the apples looked after soaking for one hour + a quick rinse off + forgotten about in my fridge for 6+ hours.  They're still not brown and tasted great!

Verdict: success!

Day 38: Pre-Scooped Ice Cream (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This is going to make the person who scoops ice cream at your parties / events so, so happy.  I seem to be the designated ice cream scooper in my house, and always feel rushed and panicky while trying to get the cake and ice cream on the table for our not-so-patient small guests (my kids -- and their friends -- are 2 and 4!). 

This pin worked like a charm -- simply scoop the ice cream into lined muffin tins and put back into the freezer until the party goers are ready for cake.  Then, you can either serve it in the muffin liners or drop it onto a plate.

We tested this out for dessert last night, and the pre-scooped ice cream had been in the freezer for 3 hours.  The scoops tasted great and didn't have any freezer burn, but I wouldn't leave them in there for much longer than that without covering them.

Verdict: success!

Day 35: Baked Potatoes in the Crock-Pot (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Ever since I pinned this over a year ago, we have baked potatoes in the Crock-Pot about twice a month.  I do them for parties, dinner with friends or just our family-of-four dinners.  To me, potatoes are so much easier to cook in the Crock-Pot for eight hours than in the oven for one hour (where I might be trying to cook something else at the same time).  Once you try them in the Crock-Pot, I promise you won't go back because they're so soft and delicious!

Instructions:
Wash and pierce as many raw potatoes as needed.
Wrap in foil.
Place in Crock-Pot, on low, for 8 hours.

We typically serve them with sour cream, salsa, bacon, shredded cheese, and broccoli.

Verdict: success!

Day 34: Marbled Cupcakes (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I used the trick for making boxed cupcakes taste like bakery cupcakes -- and they were a hit again!

Divide the batter evenly and tint one half of it a different color of your choice.

The blog author has different amounts of each batter she puts in, but I did the following measurements: 1 tablespoon green, 1 tablespoon white on top, and 1 tablespoon green on top of that.  Then, use a toothpick to "swirl" the colors together to get a marbled look.

 Pre-frosting.

All ready for our Seahawks Superbowl party!  Obviously, these cupcakes are the reason they won!

Verdict: success!

Day 9: DIY Rainbow Cake (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

My daughter had a rainbow-themed party for her first birthday.  I loved the pictures of rainbow cakes on Pinterest, but was skeptical of how it would turn out for me to do it at home since baking is not my specialty!  I decided to make it for the party without attempting a trial one first, and it actually was a success (which means that anyone else can do this!).  I followed the tutorial link above, but only had five layers instead of her eight.  Mine does not have the perfect layers or frosting like hers does, but it was delicious and everyone thought it was super cute!

I got the rainbow-themed tutu idea for the cake HERE.

I'm now inspired to make another one of these cakes -- it would be cute for a St. Patrick's Day party!