Happy Halloween!!

Let me just start by saying I hope everyone that was affected by Sandy has a fast recovery. We lost power for almost two days but luckily that was all we experienced. Plus, our boys were able to have a somewhat normal Halloween. This was their first time trick or treating.

Ok.. so they didn't actually go house to house and ask strangers for candy. We went to familiar houses and people THEN asked for candy... but it was the first time they realized that just by saying three little words they got a ton of free candy. Ah to be that little again...

Our boys went as Men In Black. Although most people thought they were the blues brothers. Either way they looked adorable :) I wish I could have gotten a better pic but they were antsy and already half full of sugar by the time the cameras came out.

Now that I got to show off my boys Halloween costumes.. onto baking. When our power was out I had never wanted to bake more. I was even debating making some no bake cookies but realized I was missing one ingredient.. and I WASN'T going to try and find an open supermarket right after a hurricane. So, I was left to sit and think about ALL the possible things I could make once we had power.

Torture.

The power came back on super late at night and the giant urge to bake disappeared. Not because I could actually do it now, but because the lights have now shown me the MESS that was left behind by my two 4 year olds and husband. Apparently when the lights are out they forget where everything goes and think "right here" is an appropriate spot for almost anything.

We have had power for almost 24 hours now and the only thing that was accomplished was some light cleaning and dragging the boys all over the place to trick or treat. Well worth it. But now that giant urge to bake is back again.

This is when living in an apartment complex is REALLY annoying. I know the second I turn on my mixer my "lovely" downstairs neighbor will knock on my door. So I now have to wait until tomorrow morning to start baking.

Torture.

I WILL be making some cookies tomorrow.. and hopefully a cake. I hope to post alllll about it tomorrow as well :) Just to get things started I'm going to share my favorite basic sugar cookie recipe from The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle. I do tweak mine a little bit but the basic recipe is fantastic as is!! So while you wait for my next post take a look at her page.. I promise you won't be disappointed!!

Thanks again for reading!!

~E

Mmmm... Cookies

We recently moved into a new apartment (I SHOULD be unpacking right now, but if I look at another thing that doesn't have a place to go I might go crazy). Before moving in I was able to make a few sets of cookies for some friends. I am absolutely in love with these cookies!! 

Let me start by explaining how I actually got into decorating cookies.

I used to only decorate cakes/cupcakes and really liked it. I had someone ask me a few months back if I did cookies. I wanted to immediately say no since I had only really decorated for fun a few times and only for myself. I never dreamed of showing anyone what I had made. I didn't think I would have the patience or the ability to decorate a cookie AND have it recognizable to everyone else :).  Regardless, I decided to try it out. 

They were having a pizza themed birthday party and wanted cookies to go along. I was sent a picture of what they wanted it to be and just went for it. 

I sent out the pic of the sample and they loved it. 

I felt even more confident when I made the actual cookies that would be going out to them and I loved the outcome.

 I was HOOKED! I get so excited when someone wants me to make them cookies. The process of making the actual cookie isn't the most glamorous part.. but knowing that I'll be able to start decorating is super exciting. It's unbelievable how relaxing it is to have a pipping bag in your hand and filling in the empty space on those cookies. Converting a blank cookie into and edible piece of art is amazing and I love every second of it.

Now onto the most recent cookies I've made...

I had two sets to make and I immediately had an idea for the one. They were going to new parents/grandparent so I couldn't resist making the baby's name and a few onesies. I haven't had a chance to meet the adorable little Harper in person but I am so glad I was able to make and send these over. I can't wait to make her some when she's able to eat solid foods!!

 Now for the next set of cookies.. I started thinking about the basic Halloween ideas. You know the usual. Ghosts, black cats, pumpkins.... that's it!! PUMPKIN!! 

 I LOVE the peanuts (especially the holiday movies).. and it wouldn't be Halloween without "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". I knew the person receiving these loved snoopy so I couldn't resist. I've never been so excited to decorate a cookie before.

I can't wait to start making Thanksgiving and Christmas cookies.. any ideas or things you'd like to see???

 

I hope you love these cookies as much as I do and make sure to check out my Facebook page or website (from the tabs at the top of the page) and see all the other cookies and cakes I've made over the past year! Thanks for reading!!

~E

Who am I?... and some other awesome ladies

Let me start by telling you a little more about me. Of course I love to bake.. but, there IS an actual story as to why and how I decided to take this on in such a huge way. 

PLUS.. I'm going to let you know about the amazing bloggers I talked about yesterday.. I couldn't wait to tell you guys (I know 24 hours is SUCH a long time.. I'm impatient :))

Besides always having a personalized cake for every birthday (and loving it) I usually only baked for my friends and family. When I was pregnant with my boys I wanted to make sure they would always have a personalized, homemade cake for their birthday. We got a surprise at 24 weeks and our boys were born 16 weeks early. 

While they were in the hospital I used baking as a way to relax. A year later their first birthday came and I went crazy with the sesame street theme. That was it.. I had a little taste of the things I could possibly do and I wanted to push myself to learn and do even more.. this is where the fun began. I looked into bloggers, you tube tutorials and any book I could get my hands onto. Once their second birthday rolled around I tested out my new hobby with a Yo Gabba Gabba cake... it was a huge success. After all the "you should DO this" comments I received, I decided why not!

Now that you know a little more about me lets move onto the fun part!! I wake up every morning and check my email to see if any of these ladies have posted something new. They give so many great tips, advice and tutorials it's amazing. 

There are so many people out there that are very protective of their recipes and techniques. This is why I love these ladies so much. They aren't afraid to share what they know. So taking a cue from them.. I am going to share their pages with you. Check out their amazing recipes, tutorials and posts.. if you're like me by the time you are done you'll be checking your email just waiting for their next post :)

Let's begin:

www.bestfriendsforfrosting.com

www.sweetopia.net

www.lilaloa.com

www.bakeat350.blogspot.com

www.sweetsugarbelle.com

www.karenscookies.net (you can shop too!!)

 www.iambaker.net

www.flourboxbakery.com (Anne is AH-mazing!)

Ok so those are some of the greats in my opinion. I know there are more and if you know someone that I haven't listed and you think deserves to be mentioned PLEASE.. share!! There is nothing I like more than to find someone new to be amazed by :).

So be sure to check them out and show them some love. They completely deserve it. Hopefully you'll get inspired as much as I do when I look at their work.

~E

It's official... I'm blogging!!

After about a year of trying to post on Facebook and hoping people will actually see my posts.. I've decided (with the help of a very good friend) to start my very own dessert blog. I'm fully prepared to never get sleep again. Let me start off by saying that I love, love, LOVE making desserts and treats (so keep those orders coming ;) ) but, being able to make AND share the whole process excites me even more. So.. 

Welcome to my blog!! 

(my logo in cookie form)

I have been following some of the most amazing bloggers for a while now and cannot tell you how much I've learned from them (don't worry I'll tell you ALL about them!). From inspiration to confidence in what I'm doing (even though they have no idea who I am) I can't show enough gratitude.. so hopefully by sharing their crazy talent with you it will inspire you like it has me. Let's get started!! :)

Have you ever been so tired that you can barely keep your eyes open yet your head is spinning with ideas and thoughts about a new cookie/cake design or recipe??

Yeah.. me too!!

Ok, so maybe your thoughts don't go DIRECTLY to cookies and cakes (although they should). You've gotta admit it though, they're delicious! 

I lay there and think about what I can possibly make with my new cookie cutter, or the cake I can make for a friends birthday coming up. It's crazy how many times my thoughts revert back to cookies and cakes. It may be a problem.. along with my cookie cutter addiction. But that is a COMPLETELY different story.

I would love to sit here and ramble off every little thing I've been saving up to say in my own blog.. but I know if I keep going I won't have anything else to post in the future and you'll get sick of me after one post. So join me in my decorating adventures and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and join in the fun!! I can't wait to start sharing pics and posting all my crazy thoughts. THANK YOU for stopping by and don't be afraid to share or post comments/questions. I'd love to hear what you think or want to see!

Erica