She's Ready to POP ~ A Baby Shower for My Sister

That's right...it's time for the big shower reveal. SO much work was involved in making this day special for my sister but it was completely worth it!

Me & the Mommy-to-Be

We are so excited and can't wait to meet Skylar Jayde in about 8 weeks or so! About 40 women gathered together to celebrate her anticipated arrival and lots of fun ensued. We had tons of "POP" themed food....

Can't believe I didn't notice the foil over the POPcorn chicken before taking this picture!

The savories...

Stuffed Mushroom "POP"pers

Ham & Swiss and Turkey & Cheddar "POP"py Seed Sliders

"POP" Some Veggies - had to get creative with that one!

As was mentioned before we also had popcorn chicken but I didn't get a picture of that.

The sweets....

Blow "POP"s, "POP" Rocks, and "POP" some Bubble Gum

Fruit "POP"s

Lemon "POP"py Seed Muffins

White Chocolate "POP"corn

Pretzel "POP"s

Snap, Crackle, and "POP" Treats

We also had Soda POP, Mini Cupcakes topped with Bubble Gum, and bottles of water in a cooler with frozen pink and green water balloons as ice. Unfortunately, I was so busy that day that I forgot to get photos of these things. 

The decorations...

Above the food table

For the centerpiece above the table I made tissue paper pom poms and hung them with fishing wire. The "S" was made using a large white wooden letter from Michaels that I decorated with pink and green washi tape. The inspiration came from this post over at One Artsy Mama.

"Skylar" Bunting in background

I'm so mad at myself that I forgot to snap a photo of the "POP on in" sign that we hung on the front door. My mom and I made it using a sheet of chalkboard "paper" I got from PYP. We framed it with a white wooden frame from Michaels and then put a fancy pink lace tape border around the chalkboard and decorated the border with pink and green flower stickers. The description doesn't do it justice!

We also played a few games. The first was a party standard that, I'm sure, will be familiar to you all. I filled a pink bottle with green M&Ms and had the ladies write down their guess of how many were in the bottle. The winner got to keep the bottle of candy. Next was the "He Said/She Said Pop Quiz. This was so fun. I asked 10 questions about Skylar and my sister and BIL both answered each one. The ladies at the party had to guess who gave which answer. The winner of this game got a $10 Publix gift card. An easy game was a Thank You envelope raffle. We had each guest write their name and address on an envelope that my sis can later use to send her thank you cards and then put them in a bowl and I picked a winner. This winner got a stationary and pen set. The last game was Things That POP. Guests were given two minutes to write down everything they could think of that POPs. This was too funny! The winner had 14 items and got a POPcorn gift pack as her prize.

I got lots of inspiration from all over the internet and am so happy with how it all turned out. My sis had a blast and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she, my brother-in-law, and that precious little baby are truly loved and have plenty of support for the days ahead!

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

Muffins & Sliders That POP!

Hey there! It never slows down around here but I hope you guys are having a great week! I've been praying about a specific area in my life recently and God may have opened a door today which is really exciting! Even if that specific door isn't quite where I'm supposed to go, the possibility has caused me to find some exciting things and my life is going to be getting a lot more busy soon - scary....but exciting! More on that later......

For now, I'm sharing with you two more recipes from the baby shower. First up - Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Sweet and tangy. Moist and fluffy. They're the perfect on-the-go summer breakfast - paired with your favorite cup of coffee. Or, in the evening, a refreshing end to that summer picnic. Who doesn't love one of these? They're beautiful to look at and delicious to eat! They also happen to be a favorite of mine and my sister's.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze (original here)

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lemon

2 cups AP flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare muffin pan. Rub together lemon zest and sugar until sugar is moist and the smell of lemon is strong. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with sugar-lemon zest mixture until well blended. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and butter until blended and pour over dry ingredients. Stir gently with spatula, being careful not to overmix. Gently stir in poppy seeds. Fill muffin pans (each liner about 2/3 full) and bake about 18-20 minutes until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean. Leave in pans 5 minutes then remove and cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, put the confectioner's sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice.  Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins or coat the tops entirely.

Here's what they looked like at the party:

Sorry they aren't clearer. I forgot to take a close up of them at the party. Don't you just love those polka dot liners? I think they are super cute. PYP had them in four different colors and, yes, I bought all three! :)

Second, we have Ham & Swiss Poppy Seed Sliders and Turkey & Cheddar Poppy Seed Sliders. Again, sorry about the unclear photo. I was so busy that day that I didn't get close-ups of everything. Most things. But not everything.

Poppy Seed Sliders (source)

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce:

1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

Tomorrow I'll share a few decoration projects I did (I know, me, the non-DIYer) that will make you all proud. Be sure to stop by Wait Til Your Father Gets Home where I'm guest posting today and read about these delicious Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes just in time for back-to-school!

 While you're there, don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway hosted by a TON of fabulous bloggers. Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

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!