Stuffed Mushroom "POP"pers

Hey friends! Sorry I've been MIA this past week. I threw my sister a baby shower on Saturday and was super busy all week cooking, baking, and making decorations. I've gotta say...this definitely stretched my talents. I'm not really a DIYer outside of the kitchen. I am, however, extremely pleased with how everything turned out.

So, this week, I'll be sharing with you bits and pieces from the shower, leading up to the big reveal.

Today we have stuffed mushroom "POP"pers. The shower theme was "She's Ready to Pop" so all of the food had "POP" in it. (I had to get creative for a few items.) The colors were pink and green with lots of polka dots.

Red Lobster's Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:

1 lb fresh mushrooms 

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons onions, finely chopped 

2 tablespoons red bell peppers, finely chopped 

1/2 lb crabmeat 2 cups oyster crackers, crushed 

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 egg 

1/2 cup water 

6 slices white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Wash mushrooms, remove stems, and set caps aside. Chop half of stems and reserve for next step.

Saute chopped mushroom stems,celery, onion and pepper in butter for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool in refrigerator.

Combine sauteed vegetables with all other ingredients except cheese slices and mix well. 

Place caps in a sprayed baking dish, stem side up. Spoon 1 teaspoon stuffing into each cap and cover with cheese slices (I broke them up into appropriate sized pieces). Bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is lightly brown.

These were so yummy and tasted just like the ones you get at the restaurant! You definitely need to try them! Stay tuned for more fun "POP"able ideas and recipes!!

Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

It's a Baby! Simple, Beautiful Baby Shower Cupcakes

These sweet cupcakes were ordered by a friend of mine who was throwing a baby shower a few weeks ago. I just love the color scheme for the party!

The baby's first name starts with a D (I never did ask what her name is gonna be) and the design my friend wanted was simple and elegant. The flavors were dark chocolate and vanilla with a vanilla almond buttercream. For the vanilla cake, I followed the recipe on the link, omitting the almond extract and doubling the vanilla. As for the icing, this recipe is a little more detail oriented. I really love the texture of it, though, and it holds up really well, especially if you're using it for a wedding cake. For the decorations I rolled fondant and cut out 1 inch circles. Once dry, I piped the polka dots and letter D on each one in navy royal icing. These were easy, delicious, and beautiful!

Recipes:

Royal Icing (makes about 3 cups icing)

3 Tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups confectioner's sugar
6 Tablespoons warm water

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks. If you want stiffer icing, use less water and for thinner, use more, adding 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Wilton Snow White Buttercream (adapted from here)

2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons water, divided
1/4 cup Meringue Powder
12 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon no-color almond extract

3/4 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine 2/3 cup water and meringue powder; whip with electric mixer at high speed until peaks form. Add 4 cups sugar, one cup at a time, beating at low speed after each addition. Add remaining 8 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons water, shortening, butter and corn syrup in 3 additions, blending well after each. Add salt and flavorings; beat at low speed until smooth. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

If you're not really concerned with keeping it pure white then don't worry about using the no-color almond and clear vanilla. If you do want it pure white then follow the directions on the link as-is (you'll notice I halved the shortening, added butter, and omitted the butter flavoring).

Be sure to stop by Shaken Together where I'm guest posting today and follow along this whole week with Keri's Patriotic celebration. Also, stop by Happy Go Lucky where Kara is doing a series of favorite finds under $10. Today, you'll find a list by yours truly! :)

Lots of fun stuff is coming up so stay tuned for the where and what! Until next time, happy reading and more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

Gender Reveal Cupcakes ~ It's a GIRL!

Yay! My sister and her husband are expecting their first child and I am excited to announce that it's a precious baby girl!! They are ecstatic and can't wait to hold their bundle of joy in October. Her name is Skylar Jayde and I can tell you that she is already spoiled. Aunt Heather has already bought her a box full of clothes, both sides of the family are shopping all the time and we just can't wait!

I'm a huge fan of the whole "gender reveal" cake or cupcake idea that's become popular lately and knew that I just HAD to do it for my sister. Have you heard of this? You bake the cake the color you want to reveal (pink for girls, blue for boys) or you fill the cupcakes with a filling using the same idea. Then, you invite your friends and family to a gender reveal party and when the cake is cut or the cupcakes are bitten into, everyone finds out the sex of the baby together....so cool! So, last week we had a small, last-minute cupcake party for our family and a few close friends to share with them the gender and here's what they looked like (excuse the picture quality - with all the excitement, the only thing I had with me was my phone)....

And the moment everyone was waiting for...

Yes, dad, that's pink...not blue :)

I'd say the only person not jumping for joy was my poor dad. Don't get me wrong...he's completely thrilled with becoming a grandfather and the fact that the baby and my sister are both strong and healthy is the most important thing to him. However, put yourself in his shoes. He went through four pregnancies and births of his own children, hoping for that boy to play football with, take hunting, and call son and all he kept getting were curls, pink blankets, and lots of emotional drama! :) He takes it all in stride, though, and has already started buying Skylar presents. He told my sister...maybe next time. Lol!

Unfortunately for you guys, I have no recipes to share. My sister's favorite cake is a boxed yellow cake with a tub of store-bought chocolate frosting. There's just no appreciation for my talent... *sigh*  I got as creative with it as I could and used marshmallow fluff dyed pink for the centers and a graham cracker on top for a not-from-scratch version of S'mores cupcakes. Don't worry...I'll be sharing a REAL version of S'mores cupcakes sometime this summer. 

Well, there you have it. We're expecting another girl into our big family and very excited about it! Don't forget to stop by my previous post to enter the giveaway for over $172 worth of cool kitchen gadgets! Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!