Imagine a creamy, luscious, frozen strawberry dessert that melts in your mouth like butter when you take bite.
Yup, that’s pretty much how this dessert rolls.
It has a cream cheese base with fresh strawberry puree and topped with homemade whipped sweet cream and crunchy tiny marshmallows!!
My friends, there’s a time and a place for everything!
Sometimes I go all Thomas Keller and sometimes I go all Sandra Lee. If I’m making French macarons, there are no shortcuts or semi anything. I make those delicate, little cookies from scratch. When I make cake pop balls, I use cake mix for my dough. No need to make a cake from scratch when I’m just going to crumble it and dip it into candy coating.
Let me tell you about my latest semi-homemade adventure…
“Roaring Dinosaur” 5th Birthday Party
Aiden has recently been obsessed with dinosaurs. He started learning about them in preschool and has then watched almost every movie, documentary and cartoon about dinosaurs. He’s constantly playing with his dino toys and can even name most of them by their names. I’m ashamed to admit he knows more about dinosaurs than me! A several months ago when we asked him what theme he wanted for his 5th birthday party to be, he said “superheroes”. I began looking around for inspiration but it was just not happening. I was not ready to let him be a “big boy”. Out of the blue it hit me! I suggested a dinosaur party. His eyes lit up and he said “Yes mommy, a dinosaur ROAR party!”.
As always, the first step was to browse online for some inspiration then seeing what I had already at home to use. Once I had an idea of what I was going to do and how, I got started on the invitation design and the paper goodies. I usually do those first to get them out of the way and focus on the crafting, decor details and menu. Keep reading for list of sources and lots of tips and DIYs.
For The Love Of Cheese – and peaches and marshmallows!!
This month I was asked to create a recipe celebrating cheese-filled entertainment recipes for Kraft Recipes. For the Love of Cheese… well, that’s the easiest thing I’ve ever been asked to do since I absolutely love cheese…. all kinds of cheese. From the stinky, tangy flavor of Bleu cheese to the creamy sweetness of Brie and even the simple Monterey Jack, I could eat it all day, every day and never get tired of it. I think cheese goes particularly well with bacon (hahaha what doesn’t?!) There are so many kinds of cheese and even more ways to incorporate it into meals. The possibilities are truly endless!
It’s warm outside, the kiddos are out for vacations and every weekend is an opportunity to be outdoors and hanging out with friends.
One holiday that I definitely look forward to every summer is 4th of July. We usually have a BBQ in our backyard and have some friends and family over. Most of the time, our menu consists of bacon wrapped hot dogs, Mexican grilled corn, a salad and a few desserts. After our bellies are full, we go to the front and light up some fireworks. The boys especially love the sparklers.
Now let’s talk dessert… If you follow me on Instagram or read my blog, you know that it’s no secret that red velvet with cream cheese frosting is my favorite cake. I pretty much make it all the time for all occasions and holidays. Being that it’s red, it’s only natural that I would make it again to celebrate this beautiful country on its day.
There are many ways to make any cake festive. You can decorate it, you can layer it into little jars, or you can cut it into shapes. I thought making individual star cakes that were pre decorated and served would make my get together easier to manager and more fun for my guests. These are super easy to make and always a hit!
You can check out the full recipe on KRAFTrecipes.com HERE
Wah-lah! A whole desserts table decorated with marshmallows perfect for an Easter or Springtime get-together. This is my latest project for KRAFT Jet-Puffed marshmallows. It’s always fun to go above and beyond and make a whole table rather than just one piece. I had a blast playing stylist and eating those yummy cupcakes afterwards 😉
READ MORE BELOW….
