Birthday Cake Jello Shots

The BF had a BIG birthday recently. And no BIG birthday is complete with out a cake. And no cake is complete without jello shots to match, right?

The BF's sister-in-law is a professional cake baker/decorator/genius and she pinned the recipe to these little darlings a few weeks ago.

I am grateful to the people out there who have made it their business to not only perfect the jello shot, but make creative and innovative alcoholic treats for their friends and family to enjoy that don't resemble the jello shots of our college days (Dixie bathroom cups, anyone?).

The blog Jelly Shot Test Kitchen is especially impressive. Their jello creations are mini works of art that can be swallowed in one delicious bite. My favorites include the Blow Pop Martini and the Rainbow Jelly Shooter.

However, my favorite section of this blog is the Tips section.

The most useful include:

• Add an extra half to full envelope of gelatin to increase staying power
• Chill serving platters
• Prep molds with a light coat of cooking spay to ensure jello can slide out easily

Back to the birthday cake jello shots... there are two versions of the recipe and I made my own simplified version.

• Jelly Shot Test Kitchen: So They Say It's My Birthday
• Sweet Tooth: Birthday Cake Jello Shots

Both recipes call for plain gelatin, but I like to cut corners (and costs) and used basic "blue" box jello flavor. I also skipped the fancy (i.e. fruit cocktail) additions and simply added water.

My version:

• 2 boxes of blue jello
  
• 2 cups of hot water
• 2 cups of cold water
• 9 oz. Cupcake Vodka (frosting flavor)
• 1 tub of fat free cool whip
• rainbow sprinkles

Now, here is where I made my mistake. In the spirit of keeping the price low, I used my cupcake pan instead of buying a mini-cupcake pan or a mold.

The jello shots were large and hard to manage once taken off the tray. In fact, many fell apart and made a sticky blue mess on the counter, kitchen floor, white carpet...

I would suggest using a mini-cupcake pan or a mold that would produce a jello shot that could easily held with fingers. My cupcake shots were easily the size of my palm.


Cute, messy and delicious. The birthday cake jello shots were definitely a crowd pleaser, even if they left everyone with sticky fingers.

Fail Friday: The Wooden Spoon of Lies

I rarely boil anything on my stove with the exception of gluten free oatmeal. I love how it keeps me full and warm into the early afternoon.

It never fails that each morning, I become distracted by something while my water is boiling (Today Show, coffee, Words With Friends...) and my water boils over the edges and makes a giant mess.

Of course, there was a pin (and a blog) for that. The caption under the photo of a boiling pot with perfectly placed froth stated, "If you put a wooden spoon over a boiling pot, it will prevent it from boiling over and creating a mess. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself!"

Well, I did...


LIES!








That mess was no bueno.






Last night, I was making non-gluten free mac and cheese for the BF when I noticed the pot getting dangerously close to boiling over. I quickly grabbed the closest wooden spoon and placed it over the top. Success!!!!

Verdict

Oatmeal: FAIL
Pasta: WIN!

What Works Wednesday: Using a Frying Pan to Heat Pizza

Lately, I have been cheating on my microwave with my stove top. No, it is not faster but I am convinced it can do nearly everything better.

I saw a pin that suggested using a frying pan and your stove top to reheat pizza. It promised a crispy crust and I was sold.

The pizza was ready-made from our local grocery store that I heated in the oven. I wasn't super impressed and the crust was very soggy. Gluten free crusts are rarely known for their crispy goodness, but I was willing to give the stove top a try for the reheat for lunch the following day.

I am 100% convinced this is the answer to all my gluten free soggy bread problems. It was possibly the crispiest crust/bread I've had since I entered the gluten free world two years ago.

This works!

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!

I went to college in Louisiana and Mardi Gras instantly became a part of my life as though I had grown up on the Gulf coast.

Mardi Gras is a great time to relax and enjoy life. Every year, my friend Anna's parents host a their friends, colleagues and family on their front yard to watch the parades pass. Anna's mom prepares a feast and visitors bring drinks, snacks and most importantly toilet paper. For those of you who have never been to Mardi Gras, having access to a clean potty (or any potty) is the key to happiness and that family has always made theirs available to parade goers.

Mardi Gras 2006

Mardi Gras 2007

It has been a few years since I have been able to join in the festivities in Lafayette but have always managed to bring a little bit of Mardi Gras to wherever I am.

Usually, I bring a king cake with me on a trip or having one shipped to me, but in order to cut costs (yay fun-employment) I made my own Mardi Gras goodies this year. The most fun part of a king cake is that there is a tiny plastic baby Jesus hidden inside and whoever finds it has to purchase the next king cake for the group.

I chose to celebrate the season by making the most brightly colored cupcakes I've ever seen. Green, yellow and purple as bright as I could make them. Honestly, the hardest part of this project was finding a tiny plastic baby Jesus in Madison, Wisconsin. The recipe is detailed and includes clear step-by-step instructions.

I substituted a box gluten free mix for her recipe and also used store bought frosting. It was just easier.



One dozen cupcakes and a bag of beads were sent to work with the BF today and I am glad our friend T was lucky enough to find the baby Jesus!

Frozen Banana Bites

My family makes regular trips to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and one of my very favorite theme park treats is the frozen, chocolate covered banana.

It is delightful and I love that it is one of the many gluten free offerings at the park. Disney is ridiculously gluten-free friendly and it makes me so happy that I haven’t had to give up one of my favorite treats.

Seeing this recipe pop-up on Pinterest made me quite excited. Could I possibly make something similar at home?

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup chocolate chips

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I used Better’n Peanut Butter)
  

Directions:

1. Set out a large plate or bowl with a piece of parchment or wax paper on it.
2. Cut up the bananas into good-sized chunks. Each banana should give you around 5 to 6 pieces.
3. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about a minute. Then stir until smooth.
4. Dip the banana pieces in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Lay them out leaving some space between them on the parchment/wax paper. Then when you've "covered" them all, use the remaining mixture to spoon over the tops (for even more chocolate-y goodness).
5. Transfer to the freezer for about an hour until hardened.

My results:

I stirred, and stirred but my mixture was never truly smooth. In addition, it was difficult to achieve an “even dip” when attempting to cover the bananas. My end result looked like this:

They’re not pretty, but they tasted delicious!

Oh my, Mod Podge!

On Pinterest, I had read about the wonders of Mod Podge. It is an all-purpose glue, sealer in finish in one bottle that promises to make your decoupage dreams come true. Best of all, it is supposed to be extremely user friendly.

After watching a few online tutorials I was ready to go!

My first Mod Podge project was simple, I purchased my materials at Hobby Lobby and headed home.

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Coasters and Spoon Rest

My first project was definitely practical. We needed coasters for our wooden coffee table and a spoon rest for the oven.

Materials:

• 4x4 ceramic tiles (4)
  
• 10x10 ceramic tile
  
• scrap book paper
  
• mod podge
  
• brushes.
• gel pads (to prevent scratching the table)
  
• Mod podge brayer
  

The inspiration for this project was found here.

Since I already had the scrapbook paper, mod podge and brushes, the project total was fairly low.

Directions:

1. Cover work space with newspaper, set out materials.
2. Coat tiles with a generous layer of mod podge. Apparently it is better to have too much much than not enough.
   
3. Coat the back of the scrap book paper. It is normal for the ends to curl.
4. Apply paper to tile and use brayer to smooth out air bubbles.
   
5. Wait 20 minutes, then apply generous layer of mod podge as a finishing coat.
6. For the coasters, I added some gel cushion at each corner to ensure the wooden coffee table would not be scratched.
   

The spoon rest has proved to be extremely practical. Mod podge claims to be non-toxic, I hope that also means non-flammable!

The best part is that the surface is super easy to wipe off and helps keep our surface clean(er).

I love the coasters. We use them daily and certainly look a lot better on the coffee table than the rubber hot pads we were using.

The only problem is that the often stick to the bottom of our drinks. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? I worry about them falling off the drink and scratching the table.

I'm also pleased with the choice of scrapbook paper for both the coasters and the spoon rest. The BF did not think the were overly "girly" and the colors compliment the schemes in both rooms.

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Wooden Plaque Picture Frames

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo project that would turn plain wood pieces into fun photo plaques. Decent quality picture frames can be expensive, especially if you need to buy several or frames in larger sizes. The project seemed simple enough: paint the wood a color of your choice, Mod Podge a photo to the wood, watch dry and display.

Materials:

• two wood pieces at Hobby Lobby for $1.99/each.
  
• paint
  
• mod podge
• Two 5x7 photos
  

The first photo is of me, my niece and the BF on a recent trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I love the vibrant photos of this photo! The original was great, but I did a few touch ups in Picassa.

The next is a free printable I found on a link to on Pinterest.

I laid out my materials, painted and did the dishes and organized while the paint dried. I am often at my most productive while waiting for things to dry (my hair, laundry, mod podge…)—imagine what I could do if I had to wait for an entire room to dry? Oh the possibilities…

After the paint dried, I used a tape measure to ensure equal space would be left on all sides of the photos. I used a pencil to mark the edges so I could ensure my photo stayed in place as I applied the mod podge.

First, I applied the mod podge to the wood, then the back of the picture. I waited 20 minutes for that to dry and then applied a final coat over the surface to ensure the photo would be sealed and protected.

Application tips:

Mark edges to ensure your photo stays centered.

Apply mod podge in long, even strokes to ensure a smooth application.

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Photo Tile

After creating coasters and the spoon rest, mod podging on a tile seemed pretty simple. The pin circulated heavily a few weeks ago and the link led me here.

1. Cut scrap book paper to fit tile. Trim photo to desired size. Seemed like a no-brainer.
2. Apply mod podge to tile and back of paper. Smooth using roller to ensure there is no bubbling.
3. Wait 20 minutes, then mod podge paper covered tile and back of photo.
   
4. Wait another 20 minutes, then apply another layer of mod podge.

Other fun ideas:

• Fabric Covered Pumpkins
  
• Letter Blocks
• Wall Picture Collage
• Furniture Upcycle
• Mod Podge Shoes
  

Mod Podge Tutorials:

• 10 Steps for Perfect Mod Podging
• Mod Podge Formulas Explained
  

The Fabric Backed Bookcase

I’m not a huge reader, but own plenty of “real books” (not e-books) that needed a home in our new home. A bookcase or two was definitely needed.

I have an un-scientific method of categorizing book cases:

1. Target/Walmart particle board
2. IKEA
3. Fancy (i.e. real wood)

Decisions, decisions...

Recently, an interesting post appeared on my Pinterest feed. The photo of a white fabric book case was gorgeous. The fabric was bright blue with a white layered diamond design looked stunning. The link took me to a DIY article in Woman's Day that was complete with simple, step-by-step instructions. I can totally do that, right?

Retail:

After searching Craigslist for several days, with zero luck, I decided I would have to purchase the book case of my dreams from a retailer.


I have champagne taste on a beer budget and my book cases were purchased at Target for $20 apiece.

Now that I am at a point in life where I believe my furniture should mostly match, I chose an espresso finish for my book cases to match the dresser I have in the bedroom.







At Joann’s Fabric, I selected a fabric with strong orange tones to compliment the espresso wood.

I also felt it was not especially feminine and that the BF would appreciate that I thought of him (unfortunately, he thought it was really girly).

The total cost for 1.5 yards of fabric was $15, which was more than I planned to spend, but I quickly learned that more sophisticated prints cost $10/yard. Bummer.


Fabric Bookcase Round 1:

FYI: The book case I purchased came with a cardboard back, so I was able to skip a few steps that are listed in the article.

Materials
• Bookcase
• Tape measure
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive
• Hot-glue gun, glue sticks

Directions:

1. Measure the dimensions of the back of the bookshelf (if shelves are the same height, you only need to measure once).

2. Measure material piece and add 2" to length and width. I did this and hot glued the extra to the back. It created a more polished “wrapped” look.

3. Spray one side of a piece of foam-core with adhesive. Place a piece of fabric lightly on top and, starting from the center, smooth fabric outward to adhere without wrinkles. Dab hot glue along the back edges of the board, fold over excess fabric and adhere. Let dry. My backing was cardboard that had been folded into thirds in the box.

4. Complete shelf assembly as directed.

Results:

I am not a detail oriented person.

I repeat, I am not detail oriented. At first I thought, well, it is a tiny bit crooked. No big deal, right? Wrong.

My book case looked drunk. I snapped a picture on my phone and sent it to a friend.

Susan: “It’s not that bad, is it?”

Anna: “I think it will look better once you have books on it.”

So diplomatic.

I completed the shelf assembly, had the BF lug it upstairs and ta-da!

Anna was right, books (or a basket) made it better.

Fabric Bookcase Round 2:
Additional Materials
• Paper clips
• Matches


Modifications:

1. Instead of wrapping the fabric, I cut out a piece that would fit the book case backing exactly. I felt I would have a better chance of keeping the fabric alignment straight if it was pre-cut verses wrapping it around the edges.

2. I secured the fabric to one side of the book case using paper clips and hot glued the corners to ensure my alignment was correct without the commitment of the adhesive so I could adjust if necessary.


3. After covering the cardboard with spray adhesive, I pulled the fabric tightly and secured the other corners with hot glue.

4. Secured all edges with hot glue.

5. Used a lit match to burn frayed edges. I didn’t have this problem with the first book case since it was wrapped and the edges were hidden in the back.



Final thoughts:
Start to finish, each book case took about 1 hour and 15 minutes, including assembly time. I prefer the look of the wrapped edges but am happy not to have crooked fabric on my second attempt.

Total Price:
2 bookcases $40
Spray adhesive $6
1.5 yards of fabric $15
Total Cost $61 (not including tax)

Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Difficulty: 2/5 pins