How much fun would it be to watch peoples faces when they come across this veggie platter when visiting you for the holidays. Of course, they aren’t veggies, but sugar cookies made to look like they are veggies. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies and a sugar cookie icing recipe for the icing. Even the middle cookie that looks like ranch dip looks sweet.
Sometimes our kitchens wind up just not having enough room. We need to purge but sometimes thats not enough. So, we need to improvise. I came across this idea and really thought it would be perfect for many of us. It is a simple curtain rod with pot hooks. Hang a collection of coffee cups, cooking utensils, small potted plants with herbs or anything else that you can that has not found a home in a cabinet, drawer or counter.
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
First, I must say that I am by no means an expert at making a cake. I am learning and this cake does have errors. I learned by seeing mistakes in the final product.
My son was having a baby, now born and almost a month old name Elizabeth Rose Thomas, and he loves penguins. So by request he wanted a penguin cake. Now, how was I going to do that I wondered? I didn’t want to just go with a sheet cake – this is my grandbaby we are talking about. I had to do something 3-D. So my investigation on how to create it started.
I found a website that shows different cakes made from the Wilton teddy bear stand up pan. I had access to one of these and decided it was going to work. With a little cutting of the cake it could work – I hoped!
I decided to use the cake lying on its back like a baby on an iceberg. So I would have to use Wilton pans that were the circles and ten inches and two inches deep. I would need two of these at two inches high each to give me room to cut the cake to form the iceberg. I would also need to make the teddy bear cake and that would need some cuts as well.
I used a cake stand I had already had and covered it with foil. I added a scoop of icing on top to help the cake not slide. I added the one layer and then covered the top with a thick layer of buttercream icing. I put the other layer on top of that and pushed down slightly. I then carved the cake to be a half dome but with the top having a bit of a more flattened side so the penguin could sit on top. I iced this using white buttercream icing with an icing bag that I wiped several variations of blue onto the inside of the bag so that when the icing came out the white icing has blue hues to it. I didn’t want it to be all white or all blue. Icebergs have a natural blue and sometimes green hue to them. It came out really nice.
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
I then made the teddy bear cake to directions. I carved off the ears and a bit of the snout. I also cut down the back so it had a flat surface so it would rest evenly on top of the iceberg. I placed the penguin cake down on top of the already iced ice berg. I immediately added thin wooden dowels through the feet, arms, head and belly. I pushed them all the way to the cake board. I then trimmed them to the level with the cake.
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
I then used yellow icing and a wide star tip to cover the feet and beak. I mention wide because I would uses a smaller tip next time. I iced the white belly. I iced the purple (which came out really darker then I wanted but made the mistake of tinting too much icing and wasn’t going to remake it). I then added the eyes which again came out darker than planned. I piped a border around the bottom of ice berg and border around the area where the penguin joined the ice berg. I added candies to the bottom border and to the eyes. Used a nice little cake decorating set I found that has bags and tips and everything you need to decorate this cake.
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
©Jeffrey Scott Thomas – 2019
To top it off I used a little pink fabric bow that is just hand made to add to the top to give it a bit more of a girl appearance since the purple icing came out darker than planned and looked more like a boy. I then wish I had sprinkled iridescent edible glitter on top to give a sparkling finish.
*****WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM ICING *****
10 MINS * MAKES 2 3/4 CUPS
Creamy, sweet, and perfect for any treat, you’ll want to make this frosting for all of your favorite cakes.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened 12 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
In a Kitchenaid mixer (or one like it or a hand mixer can do with a little extra attention to making sure it has no lumps) beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the melted white chocolate. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat at low speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy.
*****CAKE MIX***** I used box Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake (Chocolate) and Strawberry and followed directions.
Who said pumpkins can only be used for Thanksgiving? I founds these and thought how great it would be to have several lining a pathway to your home, have one or two snuggled into a garden or to have one or two in your home. Remember, you don’t have to use candles – there are many battery operated options to use now. You prepare the pumpkin the same way you do for a pumpkin you are going to carve. Use various drill bits to crate patterns like seen above or use a sharpie marker to draw your own. Two tips I will give: 1:take a large cup and turn it so the drill bit goes through it and covers a portion of your drill and 2: use the lowest speed on your drill. Best to use an old drill for this and use lots of caution. They are really cute and unexpected and guests will love them.
Photo Credit To Unknown
This is simple and makes giving cookies so much easier. (no need to stop at cookies – because Pringles cans could be used for a variety of Christmas presents.) Why spend money on buying a container to give cookies that most likely would be thrown away or just donated. These are easy to make and they are upcycled so it gives them additional uses.
Wash the inside of the can with a clean sponge or I used a wipe that was food safe that had bleach. This kept it clean so no bacteria grows.
Cut a piece of wrapping paper the height of the Pringles can. You will want to cover all of the design and advertising but no need to cover the silver rim or the bottom. When you have it cut you can use spray adhesive to cover surface or use a disposable paint brush and Mod Podge/white school glue. If using school glue mix in a bowl with a bit of water. Do not use excess because the wrapping paper will bubble, warp and then it wont meet the edges of the can.
The cookies I individually wrapped with cling wrap and placed them one on top of the other. I closed the lid and wrapped them with a coordinating ribbon.
These looked nice and I think made really nice presents.
Country & Victorian Times 