Simple Pineapple Cookies

Hey, you guys are gonna love me for this. I actually took pictures. Yeah! Of how to make these cookies. They are super tropical and super popular. These probably went the fastest at the party. However, my cookie cutter was so giant that I didn’t make much.

For these cookies you will need:
-orange in piping consistency
-yellow in flood consistency
-green in loose consistency
-tips #4, #2?, and a leaf tip (or you can make your own!)

First, bake your cookies {but you knew that already}

Outline in orange with a #4 tip (I like #4, the others seem too small)

Flood the cookies with your yellow. Let dry for an hour or so.

Drawing a picture helps organize everything. Here’s mine.

Now we’re going to do the crisscrosses. Piping straight lines is a lot easier for me then piping shapes. Pipe the lines on one side, then pipe over, going the other way.

Let dry for a bit.

Pipe little dots in between each diamond. These are going to be your thorns. Finish by piping your leaves with a leaf tip. Or cut a little v-shape from your piping bag. This video helps explain how. Also, practice making little leaves on parchment first. You’ll be golden!

Now you’re done! You have perfect easy pineapples!

Decorated Cookies: Dinosaurs, Pineapples, and Seahorses, oh my!

So I have been wanting to make decorated cookies for forever. Literally. They looked so adorable and fun I just had to make them. Now I made them once, but even though they were cute, they could have been so much better. So I stalked University of Cookie videos so I would be completely prepared. The result? Some professional looking cookies. Here’s a glimpse of them:

You’ll need:
-Electric blue in piping and flood consistency
-Leaf green in piping and flood consistency
-Orange in piping and flood consistency
-lemon yellow in flood consistency
-white loose (thicker flood) icing
-black loose (thicker flood) icing
-tips #2, #4, #10

I had two shapes for my dinosaur cookies. A T-rex looking cutter and a Stegosaurus one. These both came from a giant container of Wilton cutters I have. I used the brightest colors I could make from Americolor food colorings just because they were the colors for my brother’s grad party. First I piped the 3 colors, alternating between the 2 shapes of cutters. Then I thinned the icings and used the wet-on-wet technique, working 2 cookies at a time. Wet-on-wet is basically thinning both icings to the same consistency and then after you flood, dropping dots onto the wet icing.

After you flood your cookies and drop dots on, let them dry for an hour or so. For the eyeballs, drop dots on with a larger tip. I used Wilton #10. I then used a #4 to drop pupils onto the wet white icing. Also, I used Ziploc baggies for this, not wanting to waste a piping bag. It turned out fine, since I didn’t have a lot of icing in the bag.


Here’s a pic of all the colors:

This is an example of when the dots can bleed. Don't drop them too quickly, let the icing dry a bit.

These are my squeeze bottles filled with flood icing. I worked at the counter, so I had some height.

I made a giant mess but it was worth it. These cookies are gorgeous. Go make some! These dinos would be great for a little kid’s birthday party. And I will be posting more decorated cookies in the next days, so make sure to keep visiting! Bye, bye!

The Easiest Semi-Homemade Donuts Ever!! {no, seriously!}

Ok, so you all know I’m big into confessions. Especially confessions about food. Dessert to be exact. I love to bake dessert. I love to eat dessert. However, I do not like to eat the desserts I bake {does that sound strange?}. Yeah, I’m one of those girls that looks at the dessert menu before the main menu at a restaurant. What can I say? I have a sweet-tooth. Maybe all I think about is sugar and butter and the heavenly connection that happens when the two come together. I promise you, I’m not that weird :)

So yeah, I’m obsessed with desserts. To be particular, I’m obsessed with donuts. I wish I could eat them everyday. For reals. And no, I’m not talking about the donuts that come in a box at the grocery store. I do not obsess over those donuts. No, I’m talking about the airy, fluffy donuts that are freshly made at a bakery. Or at Krispy Kreme. God, I love that place. If you don’t know about Krispy Kreme, get your butt to one right now and try their donuts. If you’ve had Krispy Kremes and you don’t like them, get out of my face. Kiiddddding. Only sort of. Because who doesn’t like Krispy Kremes? Duudes, they give you a free donut when you’re waiting in line. No, I’m not kidding.

But anywho, I don’t have time to go to Krispy Kreme, because there’s not one that’s super close to where I live. So you know what? I deal. And I make my own donuts. Ok, semi-homemade donuts, because like I said, my cravings can not wait for dough to rise. Darn homemade dough.

As long as you have pillsbury biscuits for this recipe, you’re golden. Oh, and you might need vegetable oil. And some powdered sugar and milk for a glaze. Why don’t I just give you the recipe?

These donuts taste very fluffy and light and tasty. Not at all like they were made with biscuit dough.

Here are the ingredients:

-1 can of Pillsbury biscuits

-some vegetable oil for frying

Yeah, so basically 1 ingredient, because everyone already has vegetable oil in their house. At least they should :)

Soo, this is awkward, but I didn’t take pictures of the frying process, just because snapping pictures while baking is already hard, and then when you add the difficulty of trying not to burn yourself on hot oil makes it 10 times worse. 

But I’m going to explain this step-by-step. No worries.

First, cut little holes into each donut, I don’t no what I used, just some circle kitchen utensil. A cap from a pop bottle could also work. Now don’t throw away those little balls. They are going to be donut holes :)

Pour your oil into a skillet or a pot or a wok if you have one. I used a wok. Pour in just enough oil to cover a donut. If you are using a skillet, heat the oil on medium to medium high for a few minutes. You can test your oil by dropping a donut hole in. It should sizzle and kind of float at the top.

It doesn’t take much time for these donuts to cook. You’ll probably want to try doing two at a time, cause you don’t want to risk burning any of these donuts. Believe me, you’ll want to eat all of them. Let them cook for a little on one side and then the other. Use tongs to pick up the donuts and place them on a plate covered with paper towels. Blot these babies so all the oil is removed.

Now make the glaze while the donuts and donut holes are still warm. You’ll need:

-1/4 cup milk
-1 1/2 to 2 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how you like your consistency)
-1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients until your glaze is completely smooth. Drop the donuts in the glaze and coat both sides. You may want to do this twice. I did :)

Eat the donuts while they are warm. Enjoy!

Seriously, that's one tasty looking donut :)

DIY: Fabric Button Earrings

So, I’ve been seeing these darling earrings on Pinterest {FYI, everybody, Pinterest is my life and my love <3}. And I really wanted to make them. Like really badly. But normally when I try DIY projects, they don’t turn out as planned. I won’t give you any scenarios, just because I’m too ashamed. But these earrings looked foolproof and I was determined to make them.

DIY Fabric Button Earrings

Supplies:

-a cover button kit (you can find this at craft stores, I used Dritz)

-fabric squares

-earring posts

-jewelry glue or any kind of strong glue (I used  E-6000)

-scissors and marker/pen

-pliers (or something to pry the hook off the back of the button)

Let’s get started!

The instructions are pretty basic and explained on the back of the cover button kit, but I’ll lead you through them anyways :)

So, begin with cutting a circle from your fabric swatch. There should be a circle template on the back of the button kit. You can buy some from the fabric store or use up some old swatches. I used some gorgeous, vintage-y {is that a word?} squares my Grandma gave me. I love floral patterns!

Pull all the hooks off your button backs with pliers. I had a lot of trouble with this and ended up getting help from the parentals.

Center the fabric over the mold and place the button shell over it. Gather all the fabric into the mold.

Push the button back on top and use the pusher to help you put it into place. I’M A PUSHER CADY, I PUSH PEOPLE! {sorry, Mean Girls spasm) Pop your button out of the mold. You’ve got a fabric covered button!

Now glue your earring posts onto the button backs and let dry for like 8 hours or so, or whatever your glue directions say. I used this little craft pack of glues and picked the E-6000. You don’t have to use it, some other strong glue/jewelry glue should work :)

You did it! You’ve got a fabric covered button earring!

I got a little carried away with this project and made 3 pairs of earrings. You should too. Enjoy!

Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack Pie

Duudddes... I did it. I made the famed crack pie. I waited to make this for the longest time. But I was afraid that it would be really hard and not turn out good. Well, good news... the opposite happened. It turned out fabulous and was actually simple to make. Do not fear the crack pie. The whole zillion calories of it. Wow, that’s one robust pie.

Clearly there is a burglar in my house. One that loves sugary, sweet, fattening, melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Maybe it was me. Gasp.

And it’s not like I had two more slices that day {Please refrain from rude comments}. I'm training for a triathlon here.

 Don’t worry. If you’ve never heard of Momofuku Milk Bar, or Crack Pie, stay calm. There are no real drugs in this pie. Unless you want some. JK. For real.

But I would consider sugar and butter drugs. Because they seem to solve all problems :)

I found my recipe here, but I halved the recipe and changed it up a little to my needs. If you want to make 2 of these diet-crushing pies, go ahead. I don’t mind. The link is right above. 

Crack Pie Recipe

Adapted from AverieCooks/Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Makes: One 9-inch pie

{Ok, I’m just gonna post the ingredients here. For the directions, head on over to Averie Cooks. The link is right up there}

For the pie:

-2 tbsp. butter, melted

-1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar, packed

-1 recipe Oat Cookie

-1/8 tsp. salt

-1 recipe Crack Pie

-powdered sugar for dusting

For the Oat Cookie:

-1/4 cup butter, softened

-2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. brown sugar

-1 tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar

-1/2 an egg yolk (just beat 1 egg yolk and pour in half of it)

-1/4 cup AP flour

-1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

-pinch baking powder

-1/2 a pinch baking soda

-1/4 tsp. salt

For the Pie Filling:

-1/2 cup butter, melted

-3/4 cup sugar

-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. brown sugar

-3/4 tsp. salt

-2 tbsp. AP flour

-2 tbsp. milk powder

-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. heavy cream

-1/4 tsp. vanilla

-4 large egg yolks

Notes:

*I’ve never been to Momofuku Milk Bar, or New York for that matter. So I’m not sure how close this pie tastes to the real thing. All I know is that it’s good. Real good.

**This pie tastes super similar to these No Name Bars. So if you want to skip the pie but get all the good gooey flavor, you can find the tasty recipe here.

***I swear I ate three slices of this pie the day I made it. I only gained 5 pounds, but my weight shifts a lot, and I lost the 5 pounds the next week while I was working out. Splurge a little and make this pie. I promise you... it’s worth it :)

Happy Saturday!

DIY: College Survival Kit

Wow, it’s been a long time since I last blogged. What was it, like six months? Sorry for the delay, if there are still any stragglers left. I sure hope there are, because I would certainly love it if people actually read my blog and enjoyed it. I really really truly hope that someone does. So if you do, you are awesome, and making my day a little better :)

Well, today I saw a robin’s egg on the driveway. You guys know what robin’s eggs look like, right? They are those tiny, Tiffany blue eggs that light up the sky. Yeah those. And when I saw it, I knew that it was going to be a good day. I mean come on. How perfect are those little eggs. They are so cute. And I don’t see them that often. I mean, you’d think I would, considering robins are Michigan’s state bird. How do they even determine state birds and flowers anyways? SO confused about that.

Sorry for the rambling, I do that a lot. Let’s get on to the tutorial.

DIY: College Survival Kit

I made a College Survival Kit. That’s right, the perfect gift for a graduate going off to school. And I see these $100 kits all around. Let’s be honest. Whatever people are putting in those kits... it does not cost $100 dollars. I mean, seriously?! Hands up if you agree. So I decided to make my own. Because for years I have wanted to give one of these things but have never had the time or motivation. This kit was for my brother’s girlfriend, who is also a crafter. Sometimes I don’t like making homemade gifts for people cause I know they won’t get it or appreciate it. You crafters out there catch my drift?

But I knew she would like it. So I researched a bunch and tried to figure out... what do college kids really need but won’t spend the money on?

I got some normal things people suggested, but also added my own twist, keeping the graduate’s interests in mind. Here is a list. It might not have everything because my picture doesn’t include everything and I already gave out the gift and can’t remember what I exactly put in it.

If you’d like a copy of my label and gift explanations, you can find a downloadable pdf here

 College Survival List:

-bandaids and ointment

-loose change (quarters for laundry)

-headbands

-nail polish

-kleenex

-hand sanitizer

-Q-tips, cotton pads

-lip balm

-a good-quality or cute pen

-sticky notes

Pretty sure I had more, but I don’t remember. Keep in mind that I made this 4 weeks ago. Cut me some slack guys!

Now, I went shopping at a few places to get these things. For example, you can go to a cheap place, like a dollar store or Christmas Tree Shops, and still get good items.

After I found my things, I had to look for the perfect bag. Something super cute, not super expensive, and thoughtful. Originally I was going to put the gifts in a sand bucket with a shovel attached given it’s summer... and how cute is that idea?! Until I found this adorable little bag at Christmas Tree Shops. It was super cheap (around $5) and looked very bookish {is that a word?}. With the leather looking straps, canvas lining, and plaid initial, to me, it indeed looked bookish. Aannnnd, I got the initial of the graduate’s last name, so bonus points for me :) If you find a mini suitcase or something similar, that would totally be adorable for this kit as well!

After I placed all the items in the bag, I created a little key that listed all the gifts and explained the reasons for them. If I do say so myself, I love the little emergency crosses that I included beside the title and in place of bulletpoints. 

I finished off my kit with an adorable label which I created on the computer, printed out on white cardstock, cut out, and attached with twine. Yesiree, that’s how it’s done in this house.

Dang, I am a master of labels. No, seriously, look for yourself.

After this, send the kit off to your favorite graduate.

Notes:
**Now that I think about it, I could have gone overboard and gotten some wicked things to put in there. It was just supposed to be little, but if you want to spend some more money, you could give a mini fan, a shower caddy, a ramen noodle book, or some fun chick flicks that every college girl needs (that means Mean Girls and John Tucker Must Die, BTW :)

**Some things I included were specific to the graduate’s needs. For example, she’s a runner, which is why I included headbands. Chiclets are her favorite gum. And nail polish... well everyone should have a fun color of nail polish!

Adapt this kit to your own likes and needs. I hope you enjoyed! Bye, bye!

Favorite Beauty Products As Of Right Now (Summer/Fall 2012)

So this is highly awkward. Who knows if anyone is listening right now on account of I haven’t blogged in forever, but this summer was another chlorine-filled one like the last. However I did not bake as much as I did last summer. I did make some yum treats though. Fresh strawberry cupcakes, strawberry muffins, salted caramel cupcakes, cake batter muddy buddies. Probably a few more. Te he. Today I’d like to show you some of my favorite beauty/hair supplies.

*One note before we begin:

In my profile picture I’m donning pigtail braids, so it’s not obvious what texture my hair is. I have naturally curly/wavy/frizzy/thick/huge hair. From December/June I tend to straighten it with a flat iron very often. Now I swim during the fall so there’s normally no time/reason to go at my hair with heat. In the summer I normally don’t use heat on my hair except on special occasions. Lately I’ve been trying to blow-dry my hair straight although sometimes it turns out extremely puffy. My hair is also really long (I don’t know if this matters), but I do have split ends so I guess that might contribute to the type of conditioner I use? I don’t know. Anyways it’s like 5 inches away from my butt when it’s curly. It’s obviously a lot longer when it’s straightened out.

Oh and another note:

My hair does not have the normal outside forces ruining it everyday. I swim everyday in chlorine which dries out my hair and changes the texture.

Ok, now that we’ve gotten that aside, let’s begin!

Photos: Courtesy of http://favim.com/image/492614/

So, let’s begin with my shower products. I use a face wash. I have tried plenty of face washes. Plenty! Again with the swim thing, my face gets extremely dry and I can’t use any ol’ face wash. Before I swam I would use Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser. This stuff works beautifully and it makes your skin feel so clean and refreshed. It not only minimizes pores and blackheads but it also treats acne. I also used to use some alcohol-smelling cleansing pads from the dermatologist and some cleanser that works really fast but it does bleach the face and dries it out. I also used to use Clean & Clear Morning Burst Shine Control Facial Cleanser and I occasionally use it still. I also shower every other day and sometimes longer because of my hair texture. So I used to wash my face every other day and then use the alcohol pads on the days I didn’t wash my face. Now, I use Alba Coconut Milk Facial Wash. I can use that normally every day without my face peeling from dryness. P.S. I have provided links for each wash so you can go to the site and see what it looks like :)

Kay, now... drumroll please...

Hair Care!

Last summer I had an epiphany with Tresemme weather control shampoo and conditioner or whatever it’s called. This summer I’ve been using Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and then Aussie Moist Conditioner. I wash my hair first with my shampoo and after I put the conditioner in I brush it out with a wide-tooth comb. Then I wash it out in coolish water. Brushing it out while it still has conditioner in it makes the hair really smooth and detangled and when you wash your hair with cold water it seals it in. Both my shampoo and my conditioner smell heavenly so that’s always a plus :)

Now, let’s see. When I get out of the shower I always moisturize my face. I swear, I have to slap that moisturizer on as soon as I get out or my face will start peeling. Oh, and my go to moisturizer is Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin. The amazing thing is that they have 3 kinds: for oily, sensitive, or combination skin. I probably should be using sensitive skin right now but I used to have oily/combination skin and it still works excellent.

Makeup

Now after I moisturize I brush out my hair with a wide-tooth comb (never use an actual brush on wet hair, it’s too harsh) and detangle it with Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner Spray. This stuff also smells amazing and detangles great. I’ve been using this stuff for about a year and I think I’ll stick with it. But this summer I’ve been also using Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Smoothing Cream. Now I don’t think it tames my frizzies very well but it does work well as an extra detangler. Then I use Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Define & Hold Creme. It works pretty good on keeping my waves/curls smooth and defined but I think I could do better. Although it also smells really good :) 

Today I just bought some Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk and I’m trying it out to see if it’s any good. Wish me luck!

Honestly, I don’t wear makeup, but I still have some that I use on special occasions that I really do like. Maybelline’s the Falsies Mascara seemed to really enhance my eyelashes the one time I used it for pictures. For foundation I like Covergirl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation with sunscreen in Aspen. I’m not much of a gloss or lipstick girl so I really enjoy Maybelline’s Baby Lips. It slides on easily and it’s not cakey like lipstick. Also the cherry color smells really good, like cherries! For lip balm I religiously love Burt’s Bees. I have the Ultra Conditioning kind right now but I have gotten the Honey balm before too. Oh and back to lipstick, during the school year, on busy mornings, it was so simple to just put on the Baby Lips just like chapstick! I also use Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Grenache which looks beautiful!

Pretty much that’s it when it comes to beauty products! Bye bye!