S'more Cookie Tarts

Raise your hand if you link up to a gazillion linky parties every day.

{Hand raised.}

Keep your hand up if it takes a long time because your computer is absurdly slow and it makes you want to throw it out the window.

{My hand is still raised.}

Now, keep it up there if you often purposely get up super-early and sneak quietly around your house to not wake your kid(s) so that you can link and read blogs in peace before the rush of dress-breakfast-shoes-school starts.

{Yup, still raised.}

Now, imagine you get up on one of those days (last Thursday, to be exact) and find that your internet is out. What would you do?

{Yeah, I pretty much said that word too.}

I did a few things and figured the incident was probably not on our end, that the problem was with our internet provider.

So I got on my cell phone to get the number to call to check the recordings that usually say "yes, we are experiencing and outage in your area blah blah blah," or to talk to one of their 24 hour tech support people if it was an issue with my comuter.

Except what I got? The computer voice from Hell.

"Enter your phone number," she demanded.

I did.

"I'm sorry, there is a problem with that number, please try again."

I did.

Then she hung up on me, that <insert cuss here>.

I tried again. Same result.

The funny thing?

Our internet service provider? Also provides our home phone.

So the phone I was using to call them? The number they didn't recognize?

Is the number that I pay them for.

Luckily, shortly after four tries to get through, a tearful call to my husband, and lots of curse words, the internet magically came back on.

Later in the day I called the company. The number they had on file was from when we lived in Arizona five years ago. (Um, we've moved and changed our address and our services with them since then.)

Stupid me, thinking they would actually have the correct phone number in the computer. That I wouldn't have to tell them: "hey, be sure to update this info when I call you to set up my service." Tsk, tsk.

So yes, if you live in the Sacramento area and have Wave Broadband, I suggest you give them a call and check your account. Tell the computer I said hello.

A few weeks ago I saw these at Target. I immediately thought "S'mores" (because that is what rational people think when they see chocolate covered marshmallows, no?)

I needed a good crust for these. Of course, if you're making s'mores, you need graham crackers. So I made a graham cracker crust.

Cut out circles that fit the candy.

Wrapped the candy up all nice and warm in its graham cracker crust blanket.

Then baked them. And ate them. Because marshmallows are good.

Perfect for days when stupid computers seem to rule the world.

Oh, wait. I depend on computers for my work. And so does my husband.

I'm sorry computers. I love you.

Want a cookie?

~Read More~

Baby Chicks

Last year, I posted Baby Peeps.

Obviously, my creative apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Because this year I made Baby Chicks.

I was particularly proud of the Baby Peeps recipe last year, because it was the first recipe to ever get featured by any party. Allison, from Alli 'n Sons featured it after a Sweet Tooth Friday linky. She stumbled it and got so many hits. I was smiling for days.

I knew I wanted to stuff eggs with something again. I was going to do a filling. But then I thought about those Mini Nutter Butters I still had in my pantry from making this and this.

And I thought, hmmm. Those kinda look like baby chicks. (If baby chicks are small, round, and filled with peanut butter.)

Then I asked myself, what should I do with baby chicks?

Well, stuff them in eggs, of course.

First, you need to make your baby chicks. Dip your Nutters (or mini Oreos) in yellow candy melts. Let them harden, then melt some orange candy melts and pipe on beaks.

Then pipe some feet and stand your chick up on them.

Then you need to make your eggs. I use a mold I bought at An Occasional Chocolate, but I saw some silicone ones at Target last week.

Spread around your chocolate and let it harden.

Once you have all your shells, put your chicks inside.

Add some more candy around the edges.

And seal them up. (I wonder if they feel like they're in a coffin? That's kinda cruel. Must go liberate the ones in the fridge...)

So now I guess that stuffing food animals in eggs at Easter is my thing.

I hope you don't mind.

Maybe next year I'll stuff a cat in there. You know, to throw you off course.


~Read More~

Bunny Munch

Life has been a little crazy lately. Why is it that, when you're super busy, things just get busier?

Normally, Spring is our easy time. Once Jordan's birthday is over I can take a breath and wait for the busy Summer to start.

But this year? Oh my goodness. It's been a month since Jordan's birthday and I feel like I haven't been able to surface to take a breath. She was sick, I was sick. My husband has been traveling a lot. My parent's have had their health scares and I've been down to their house twice. And this list doesn't even include regular day-to-day stuff, like volunteering in Jordan's class or all the stuff that's been happening for the PTC at school.

And then there is the annoying regular stuff, like cleaning the house, grocery shopping, Easter shopping.

Yeah, I have not even begun to think about Easter baskets or treasure hunts or eggs.

And we're going on a trip over Spring Break. In a week and a half. And I have not made one list. *Gasp*

I'm not really complaining, just venting a little. I know that, in comparison to so many, my life is easy.

But still. Sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

I get stressed about making sure I have new content here and commenting and linking and Facebook and Twitter and the next big social media thing. I realize it's almost Easter and I haven't made anything cute.

But then I walk away from the computer for a minute and realize I'm more stressed. Because being here, in virtual land, with all of you? Actually makes me happier. Being in my kitchen, creating and baking and photographing? Makes me relax, in the long run anyway.

Getting to meet fellow bloggers that I had no idea actually live within walking distance of me, and having a three hour coffee that seems like it was five minutes? Priceless.

So thanks, you know, for being my outlet. It gets me through the hard days.

And then, so does dessert. Dessert, like my fellow bloggers, has never failed me. At least now I can check one Easter recipe off my list. (Yippee!)

This is a munch for bunnies. Chocolate eggs (Cadbury, of course), bunny tails (marshmallows), and carrots (dipped Bugles).

The dipped Bugle idea is totally from Cookies & Cups. She dips Bugles to look like Santa hats, y'know.

I dipped my Bugles in orange candy melts.

Then dipped the tips in green.

I added some green sugar to make them look "frawny." (I think I made that word up.)

This is a super easy Easter snack. And easy is good.

And it's almost like I'm eating vegetables. Right?


~Read More~

Chocolate Bunny

This little bunny has a secret.

 

He's chocolaty. That's not the secret.

Any guesses?

He's cute. Or maybe he's a she? I don't know. Chocolate molds don't well...never mind.

He rattles.

Oops did I give it away?

Jordan has to wait until Easter to know, but I'll spill the "beans" to you all now...

 

Mr. Bunny is full of jelly beans!

I think Jordan will flip. A chocolate treat with a bonus. How does it get better than that? (Well, I personally would have loved if he was filled with peanut butter. Maybe next year?)

Happy Easter everyone! May you eat your weight in whatever you gave up for Lent.

Cupcake Bunnies

Last weekend I was invited by a friend (who I haven't seen in way too long) to go to her house and make cupcakes. She had bought Better Homes and Gardens' Cupcake magazine and wanted to try some recipes. Of course I said yes, who says no to a cupcake party? I'll have a few cupcakes to share from our day of baking, but I wanted to share these little guys this week, for Easter.

Aren't they super cute? And they are so easy. We used a box mix for the cupcakes and canned frosting. (Confession time: I actually like boxed cake mix and canned frosting, so once in awhile I go the easy route.)

What do you think the two in the back are talking about?

I used a multiopening tip (a grass tip) for the bunny "hair". The ears are large marshmallows, cut in half. The eyes are white chocolate chips and the nose is a pink jelly bean. Black and pink frosting gel make up the ear centers, the whiskers, and pupils.

It was fun giving them different expressions too.

And it was fun making them looked freaked out. Think they thought aliens were coming to get them? Or maybe they're scared they are going to get eaten? (Hee hee!)

Kids will love these! If you don't have a grass tip, you could use coconut. But, if your kids are like mine, they won't eat them. You could grate some white chocolate or white Wilton's candy melts to make fur. Anyway you do it they will be darn cute, that's for sure!

Enjoy!

Cupcake Bunnies

by Crazy for Crust

From Better Homes & Gardens magazine

6021157

Ingredients

• 24 baked and cooled cupcakes (a box or from scratch)
• 1 can of white frosting (or from scratch)
• 24 large marshmallows
• 48 white chocolate chips
• 24 pink jelly beans
• Pink gel icing (or tinted pink icing)
• Black gel icing (or tinted black icing)

Instructions

1. Frost each cupcake with a small amount of icing. (This makes it easier to cover the top with the fur.)
2. Using a pastry bag fitted with a multiopening tip, pipe on the fur to cover the cupcakes.
3. Cut each marshmallow in half to create two ears. Pipe a pink stripe down the center of each. Press the ears into the cupcakes.
4. Place two white chocolate chips on each cupcake for eyes. Place a small dot of black icing in the center of each.
5. Place a pink jelly bean on each cupcake for the nose. Pipe black whiskers on each bunny.

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Baby Peeps

 

Oh look, some cute little chocolate eggs!

Oh look! One's hatching! What could it be?

It's a baby Peep!

While looking for ideas for my daughters' Easter basket, I thought about all the chocolate eggs and bunnies you can buy in the store.  I got to thinking, why don't I just get a mold and make some eggs? I can make how many I want, control the ingredients, and I won't have a whole bag of leftover candy that I she will devour after the fact. I've been seeing all sorts of Peeps goodies lately so the idea for these popped inside my head.

I got my egg-shaped mold at An Occasional Chocolate. I get a lot of my chocolate crafting supplies from them. I also got a large bunny shape (more to come from that next week!) Usually when working with chocolate, I prefer to use Guittards Melt 'n Molds, but I didn't have any and forgot to order some when ordering the molds. So I used Wilton Light Cocoa Melts, and they actually tasted pretty good.

Here is the mold I used. Pretty cute!

I used the same method to make these eggs that you would if you were using a truffle mold.

First, fill your eggs with chocolate. (Make sure to use ones with matching designs!)  The entire mold needs to be filled so all the sides are covered with chocolate up to the top. Then pour your chocolate back into your bowl. Use a spatula or knife to scrape all the chocolate. (I work on my Griddler set at 200 degrees and covered with a kitchen towel. My chocolate bowl and squeeze bottle stay on the warm grill to keep the chocolate melted.)  After you dump out the chocolate you are left with hollow chocolate eggs. Freeze these for a few minutes until hardened. Then pop out the shells and you have two sides of a hollow chocolate egg!

Now you need to prepare your Peeps. My molds weren't quite big enough for the entire Peep, so surgery had to be done.

I cut off the front and back "wings" with kitchen scissors. Then he fit right into the egg.

To seal the egg, pipe melted chocolate from your squeeze bottle around the edge. Press the two halves together and hold. Wipe off any excess chocolate spillage. I held each egg in the freezer for about 30 seconds, then left it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden.

Jordan and my mother- and sister-in-law really enjoyed "cracking" open the eggs. I gave them each a butter knife and had them hammer the shells open. So fun to watch Jordan's face when she saw the baby Peep.

What's great about this treat is that you can make as many (or few) that you want. One bag of Wilton's Melts will make about ten eggs. The nests are made out of edible Easter grass I found at Joann Fabrics. Neat, huh? No more nasty plastic stringy grass that gets everywhere!

Enjoy hatching some baby Peeps!

Baby Peeps
by Crazy for Crust

6021159

Ingredients

• 1 bag Wilton's Light Cocoa Melts
• About 10 Peeps

Instructions

1. Melt your cocoa melts using the microwave directions on the back of the bag. Heat an electric griddle to 200 degrees and cover with a kitchen towel. Place the bowl with your melted chocolate on the griddle to keep it warm.
2. Add chocolate to the egg molds, filling them to the top. Pour the excess chocolate back in the bowl, scraping the top of the mold with a butter knife or spatula. Freeze molds for a few minutes until chocolate is hardened. Pop out.
3. To prepare your Peeps, cut off the tail around the bottom of the body. Place a Peep in half of each pair of eggs.
4. Transfer some chocolate to a squeeze bottle. Pipe the chocolate all the way around the egg and place the top half on. Press and hold to seal. Hold the egg in the freezer for 30 seconds, then leave in freezer for a few minutes to harden. **Do not seal more than one egg at a time. Unless you have 6 hands!**

Watch your kids wonder as their baby Peeps "crack" out of their shells!

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