Tag Archives: cupcakes

Cure For Cabin Fever

Or, for a traditional fever. My 5-year-old is currently battling a fever, strep throat and swollen sinuses, and the activity that I’m sharing with you today has proven to be just as effective in cheering her up, as it would for kids suffering from cabin fever. After all, nothing beats the winter blues like a cupcake. And if that cupcake is in the shape of an adorable polar bear, then all the better. The following kid-friendly kitchen project is ideal for housebound children, who are going stir-crazy, and for parents looking to preserve their sanity: POLAR BEAR CUPCAKES Ingredients: Vanilla … Continue reading →

Homemade Chocolate Treats for Easter

You can’t have Easter without chocolate, right? Eggs and chocolate, they are the most popular staples of the spring holiday, though if you have children the former tends to last longer than the latter. Given how well received chocolate is this time of year, I have listed some of my family’s favorite chocolate treats. They are ideal desserts to take along to an Easter potluck or to create with your kids while they are home on spring break. EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 2 eggs 2 cups heavy cream Directions: … Continue reading →

Easter Desserts

Hosting an Easter feast requires a lot of planning, regardless of how many people are on your invitation list. A diligent hostess wants everything to be perfect for her guests, which is why advanced menu planning is recommended to pull off a successful spring fling. Personally, I prefer potlucks when the guest lists tops 12, but that’s just me. Whether you are planning to prepare the entire Easter meal solo or you are contributing a single dish to the event, consider the following desserts. Both feature bright spring colors and are a wonderful alternative to marshmallow Peeps and dark chocolate … Continue reading →

Simple Spring Desserts

Easter is still three weeks away, but if you are expecting company for the holiday, then you might want to get a jumpstart on your menu planning. Easter traditionally means ham, grandma’s potato salad and great green bean dishes around here. For dessert I like to stick with sweet treats MINUS the chocolate (the Easter Bunny takes care of filling baskets with loads of chocolate and having brownies or other fudgy desserts is a bit too much for one day). The following fruity desserts are extremely popular with my friends and family. They are ideal for a spring or Easter … Continue reading →

Summer Fun with Kids—-Making Tanning Teddy Bear Cupcakes

It could be sunny and 100 degrees outside, yet my young daughter would opt to help out in the kitchen than play in the sprinkler. She is a culinary whiz (with a butter knife) and loves to whip up tasty treats regardless of the season. If your kids love to cook (or at least lend a hand to the cook) then this next recipe will keep them entertained for hours. It is a perfect rainy day activity or one that could be made the night before a summertime picnic, a family potluck or a Fourth of July party. It features … Continue reading →

Random Acts of Stardom

What is it with celebrities and cupcakes? First Katie Holmes was seen doling the confections out to castmates and crew members on the set of her new movie and now a popular TV doctor is providing them to a fellow actress as a form of medicine. According to USA Today, when “The Office” star Jenna Fischer injured her back at party hosted by NBC a couple of weeks ago, fellow actor Zach Braff (who plays Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian on NBC’s hit comedy “Scrubs”) sent her a big tray of cupcakes to lift her spirits. “In those first few days, … Continue reading →

Kids in the Kitchen: Coconut Cupcakes

Posted on by

Leave it to Rachel Ray to come up with a cupcake that is. . .”yummo”. . .but is frankly, a little complicated. None the less, I have decided that this one is so “yummo” I’m sharing it anyways. This is fun to do with your kids in the kitchen. After all who doesn’t love making something that has ‘fluff’ as an ingredient? I know. . .I know. . .I just said it was complicated and well, it is. (It doesn’t win any sneaky mama awards for being healthy either!) However, I promise that your budding pastry chefs will love stuffing … Continue reading →

What Do You Make of Katie Holmes’ Cupcakes?

Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom I used to work at an office that celebrated Fridays with a building wide potluck. We would all (well, the majority of us anyway) bring a dish to pass and every once in a blue moon our bosses would spring for pizzas. It was a nice tradition and one quite well received by all of us cash-strapped reporters. Then there were Wednesdays. Each Wednesday, without fail, one of our news anchors (she’s going to kill me for divulging this) would bring in bags of candy, place them on the assignment desk, and watch from … Continue reading →

Animal Cupcakes

Turn a plain cupcake into an animal cupcake and your children will “roar” with delight. You will need: Cupcakes White frosting Chocolate frosting Tootsie rolls Black decorating gel Decorating bag with round tip or plastic baggie Directions: Lion Follow the directions on the food coloring to make brown coloring. Use a decorating bag and round tip or cut off one corner of a sandwich bag and make the mane. Add facial features with the decorating gel. Roll two small balls out of the tootsie roll and then flatten. Frost them the same color as the mane, let the frosting set … Continue reading →

Teddy Bear Cake

One of my daughters just loves teddy bears. She has quite a collection ranging from stuffed teddy bears to magnets, picture frames, ceramics, and even blown glass. If it looks like a teddy bear or has teddy bears on it, she adores it. One year for her birthday I decided I was going to order a teddy bear cake. I searched everywhere but just couldn’t find anything that great. None of the offerings were shaped like bears, and the ones that were decorated with teddy bears, just weren’t that cute. So, I decided to make my own teddy bear cake. … Continue reading →