Mustache Chocolate Valentine Pop

You’ve seen all the cute “mustache” tags out there in blogland, right?  Well, there’s no way my kids would hand Valentine’s out at school if they contained the words ”love”, “be mine”, “heartbreaker”, “eyes for you”, you get the idea.  Boys are gross, girls are gross, end of story.

But I love the mustache so much, so this was my answer, and as luck would have it I’m planning on making 70+ chocolate mustaches for Valentine’s Day this year – I know, I’m crazy!

However, if my kids are any indication, these should be a big hit with their friends.  I got some great pics of them all posing with their chocolate mustaches – too cute.

I bought the mustache mold from here.  The treat bags can be purchased at Walmart in their cake decorating/wedding section, or from here.  The lollipop sticks can be purchased here.

Chocolate Mustache Valentine Pops

Chocolate compound coating. 1 pound makes approx. 12 mustaches

lollipop sticks

mold

Melt the compound coating according to the directions on the package.  Place the lollipop stick into place and spoon the melted compound coating into each mustache well and roll the stick around to make sure it’s completely covered in coating.  Gently tap the mold onto the counter to smooth out the coating and help prevent bubbles (some of mine still had some).

Place in the freezer, lying flat, for 10 minutes.  When done, carefully turn the mold over onto a clean counter and they should come right out.  If not, gently tap the corners of the mold to release any that are resistant.

Let come to room temperature before you package.

Gingerbread House Cookies

Nothing says Christmas to me more than the taste, and smell, of freshly baked gingerbread.  I always get excited about the kids’ class parties, especially when there’s “gingerbread house” decorating.

I’m using that term loosely because I’ve seen ice cream cones, graham crackers, and (my least favorite) milk cartons decorated like gingerbread houses.  In fact, last year I was asked to donate candy to decorate “gingerbread houses,” and I thought it sounded like fun.  Until, I walked into the classroom and saw a mom hard at work hot glue gunning graham crackers to the sides of milk cartons for the kids to decorate with frosting and candy.  Not such fun – because it’s not edible!

What a complete and total waste. . .and nothing chops my hide like wasted time and candy.  The good news is that out of that, came this cookie.  My kids had a blast decorating their own cookies and consuming their creations, and this would be a great activity for the kids to do at their school parties.  I just filled disposable frosting bags with royal icing (tying the tops off with rubber bands), and snipped of the tips (instead of dirtying frosting tips) and let them loose with the candy.

Click here for a soft and chewy gingerbread recipe.

Now for the fun. . .the decorated cookies:

I bought my bird house cookie cutter from King Arthur Flour last year, and they don’t carry it anymore.  But no worries, you can find a great selection of house cookie cutters at Copper Gifts, Copper House Cookie Cutter.

Gingerbread Reindeer + Rudolph

This gingerbread is so good, buy new spices (they make such a huge difference), and play around with the amounts until you get the flavor you like - I personally prefer more cinnamon.

My kids got a kick out of handing these beauties out to their teachers, and I was relieved that it was a consumable gift – no worries about giving them clutter or duplicates.  Trust me, these are big concerns when one is married to a minimalist.

Gingerbread Adapted from Martha Stewart

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup unsulfured molasses (I used Grandma’s Brand)

In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. In a food processor, pulse the butter and brown sugar together until creamed. Add the egg and molasses and pulse until well combined.

Add in the flour/spice mixture all at once and pulse until everything is completely incorporated. The dough will be very sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour.

Set a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter, and spoon the dough onto it. Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the next day.

When you’re ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then roll the dough 1/4 an inch thick on a lightly floured surface, and cut with cookie cutters. Place cut outs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer the cookies (left on the parchment) to a wire rack to cool immediately out of the oven.

Once cool, frost with royal icing* and decorations of your choosing. Enjoy!

For the simple decoration seen above, I just followed the directions on the back of my meringue powder, and added white food coloring (as an extra precaution, but certainly not necessary) to keep the frosting from turning yellow due to the butter content in the cookies.

King Arthur Square Bake and Give Pans with Lids

Mini Reindeer Cookie Cutter

Red and White Baker’s Twine

EK Success Real Estate Sign Paper Punch

Snowman Candy Bar Party Favors

I’ll be back to sharing recipes really soon, but today is all about party favors!  I have a tendency to go overboard, and my husband suggested that I just give out bags of candy as party favors for my daughter’s birthday.  While there is certainly nothing wrong with his idea, I’m one of those people who care about how much thought was put into the gift, not the price.

I remembered that I had torn this idea from a Martha Stewart Living magazine years ago, and knew it was perfect!  My daughter and I had a lot of fun putting these cuties together.

Snowman Candy Bar Party Favors Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

XL Candy Bars (I bought the Hershey XL bars)

Freezer paper – I tore off 14 inch sheets (but it will depend on the size of the candy bar)

Black ink pad

Colored yarn (I used Bernat Baby Blanket yarn in Baby Blue)

Orange felt or construction paper

Strong clear tape

Glue

Scissors

Place the freezer paper down, shiny side up, short end facing you and wrap your candy up.  Tape the back of the paper, and fold down the ends – like wrapping a present and tape those too.

Turn the covered candy bar over and dipping the tip of your pinky finger in ink – gently dab on the eyes and the mouth.  I dipped my finger after each stamp for consistent color.

Cut the felt into narrow triangles, and glue the felt nose into place between the eyes and the mouth.  Take the yarn and cut about 2 feet, fold it over (so you have a double scarf) and tie it in a knot around the “neck.”  Then simple trim the ends with scissors to the desired length.

A Late Halloween Post

Tada!  This is my cinnamon sugar “witch’s broom” and s’more “witch’s hat.”  They were a treat for my daughter’s class after reading the book Room on a Broom.  I thought they were fitting.  I know, I know, Halloween is over, but seriously – I just barely survived it, thus the late posting.

That being said, I won’t bore you with the recipes since most of you have probably moved on to Thanksgiving.  But if anyone wants them, let me know and I’ll post them anyway.

And then because I’m crazy, I made cupcakes for a Halloween party at school, but I just couldn’t leave them like this.  Nope, they needed a topper – an edible topper!

Like a s’more “witch’s hat”. . .

Did I mention that they were filled with green whipped cream?. . .

Strawberry Brownie Ghost Bites

This idea just popped into my head – I love when that happens, because sometimes I ’m creatively challenged.  This would be a perfect Halloween dessert to take to school for the kiddos.  Only, I would probably use a pretzel stick as a skewer in that case (see below!).

See, just as cute – and the pretzel probably won’t be used as a pretend weapon (mom’s out there – you know what I’m talking about!).  Let’s get started!

This is as close to a “tutorial” as I’ll probably ever get.  Time is never on my side!

1. Bake (or buy) brownie bites, and let them cool.  Wash strawberries, cut off tops, and pat dry.  Set aside.  Microwave 1 bag of white chocolate chips (I used Nestle) in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute.  Take out and stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted.

2. Top the cooled brownie bite with some melted white chocolate chips and spread around (this is to create a barrier between the strawberry and the brownie).

3. Top with a strawberry and a skewer (if you prefer this look).  Otherwise, just top with the strawberry and then spoon melted chocolate on top of it using a circular motion.  Then place a skewer, or pretzel rod, through the top and refrigerate until set – about 5 minutes.

4. Decorate the “ghost” face with food writing marker.  Tada!  Serve the same day you make them – if possible.

*One final note, my daughter informed me that the chocolate was sticking to the wrapper.  So for those of you serving these straight out of the refrigerator, try not to get the chocolate on the wrapper!

Linking to Chef In Training Talent Show, Inside BruCrew Life: Trick or Treat Tuesday, Crazy for Crust, Lil’ Luna, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle

Tackle Box Party Favor (for a Fishing Party)

I just couldn’t resist making “tackle boxes” for my son’s Fishing Party.  I think they turned out pretty cute.

I used a paper punch to make the tags (using cardstock with printed names) and removable glue dots to stick the tags to the boxes.  I purchased these mini kraft gable boxes when they were featured on Pick Your Plum.

As you can see below, I didn’t have time to devote to making cute labels for the candies, but I still wanted them labeled so the kids could tell what the individual bags of candy were supposed to represent.

Fishing Line – red licorice wheels

Hooks – Flipz white fudge pretzels - cut into hook shapes

Bait – gummy worms

I didn’t actually buy these candies from the above linked sites, but I wanted to have links so you could find them yourself.  I was able to purchase the licorice and gummy worms at my local Fresh Market, and the pretzels in the candy section of my local Walmart.

Mason Jar Party Favors

The Mason Jar Drink glass is trendy right now, but if you’re like me, then you probably know people who’ve been drinking out of these beauties for years.  I am loving the square Mason jar – so I purchased some of these for my daughter’s Bowling party favors.

I’ve listed some resources below in case your considering doing the same.  I put a hand sanitizer, a glow in the dark holder, and some candy inside for a sweet (and useful) gift.  Trust me, I hemmed and hawed about this one – do I buy something that everyone might throw away even though it’s reusable, or do I buy junk that’s definitely going to be thrown away?

I think you know where I landed.

*Just a note, I haven’t purchased from all of these sites, those that I have are marked with an “*” and I’ve had good experiences with them - no broken glasses and such.

Candle Soylutions Square Mason Jar*

8 ounce Mason Jar with Daisy Cut Pewter Lid*

8 ounce Mason Jar with Daisy Cut Lid*

Daisy Cut Mason Jar Lids*

Daisy Cut Lids – it’ll say $0.00 until you add them to your cart*

8 ounce Square Mason Jar

Pewter Daisy Cut Lid – sold separately

Kara’s Party Ideas – where to buy square Mason jars with lids individually

“Wooden” Spoon Sugar Cookies

I saw this post and it immediately transported me back to my childhood.  Funny how that happens sometimes, right?

Back in the day, I had a friend whose mother (Barbara) kept a wooden spoon (decorated like a Girl Scout Leader) in her kitchen.

I think these would be cute made into a bride and groom, or a bride and bridesmaids, for a wedding shower.

I just love the big curls and the sparkly dress!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

It’s that time of year again – it’s teacher appreciation week!  I saw this flower idea in this fabulous kids party book.  It turned out really cute – to finish it off, I ended up tying some twine around the can with a gift tag for the teacher.

And I love that it’s not breakable since it was dropped shortly after this picture was taken.  Plus it’s recyclable and little ones of all ages can help you arrange flowers.  With that said, I strongly suggest purchasing one of these smooth edge can openers to ensure that there are no sharp edges on the can.

I saw this idea in another fabulous party book (if you don’t believe me, just look at the reviews!).  I love the idea of giving teachers apples, although I know that they’re not particularly fond of being given apples year after year.  And that’s why I love this idea so much, because the packaging just looks like an apple, but inside I’ve individually wrapped two brownies.

I bought these bags at my local craft store, they came in a mixed bag of 12, and (luckily) I bought extra since some of them weren’t glued well on the sides.  Then I cut the brownies to size, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and stacked them inside the bag.

Next I gathered the bag in the middle – pushing the sides in, then I folded the top of the bag like a fan and wrapped it in floral tape.  Next I used a small leaf punch to cut leaves out of coordinating scrapbooking paper, and I attached it to the bag with a glue dot.

Super cute, and really fun to make!