Eleven Layers of Love

How can I even begin to explain how amazing my mom is? She encourages me, supports me, challenges me and loves me. Yesterday was her birthday, and I wanted to make something special. I didn't want to just throw together another cake. This cake took time. It took love. For mom, I made an 11-layer Chocolate Stripe Cake... and boy was it yummy!

In honor of her birthday (and the 11 layers of goodness pictured below), I decided to recap 11 of my favorites memories with my mom...

11. When she made the turkey "dance" each Thanksgiving
10. Our trip to NYC two summers ago - Legally Blonde!
9. When her front tooth fell out in Panera Bread. Still laughing...
8. Her first glimse of me in my wedding dress
7. When her snow tube came unhooked from the lift. She gracefully slid down the mountain, laughing all the way down.

6. Baking large batches of chocolate chip cookies at Christmas
5. "Momma Schell's Crew" - No decription needed.
4. Watching her spray my childhood bedroom with "monster spray"
3. When she put on my rollerblades and took a trip down the driveway... laughing as she bit the dust.
2. When she acted in my 10th Grade English project video about Edgar Allen Poe
1. When she left a pot of boiling eggs on the stove all day.

Cookies & A Cookie Baker

Just the word "cookie" makes my heart skip a beat. I have never met a cookie that I didn't like, but Chocolate Chip cookies have to be my ultimate top-of-the-list favorite. Take a look at these beautiful thick and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and enjoy some fun facts that you may not know about me...

Ten Things About ME...

# 10 - I take 2 Finstones chewable vitamins every day, but I refuse to take 2 of the same color.

# 9 - I can wiggle my ears on command

# 8 - When I am home alone, I pretend to host my own cooking show.

# 7 - I don't eat condiments - NO ketchup, mustard, cream cheese...

# 6 - I absolutely love my in-laws, which I hear is pretty rare.

# 5 - I am scared to death of getting my wisdom teeth removed.

# 4 - In college, I ate quesadillas from Moe's four times a week

# 3 - I was once stuck in an elevator with 12 Hungarian people.

# 2 - I have kept every card that Brian gave me while we were dating. Three birthday cards in a row were identical. When asked why he bought the same card three times, he said "it must be a good card."

# 1 - I love breakfast for dinner (especially pancakes)

Moose Pie

What can you make with half of a container of Cool Whip and some chocolate? Try this yummy Moose Pie (also known as "mousse" but I prefer the latter). It is super simple and tastes really yummy on a hot summer day. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/8 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Stir in 1/8 cup milk and let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and then fold in the Cool Whip until combined. Spread the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust.

In a separate bowl, combine the instant pudding mix with 1 1/2 cups cold milk and whisk until the lumps are gone. Pour on top of the chocolate mousse and refrigerate the pie at least 4 hours before serving. Top with shaved chocolate and enjoy!

Let Freedom Ring!

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. What could be better than fireworks, family and summertime!? For the past 4 years, Brian and I have gone to Anna Maria Island for the weekend to watch fireworks on the beach and spend time with people that we love! It is such a fun tradition and I look forward to going every summer.

I wanted to bake something special in honor of the holiday, so I decided to bake something red, white and blue... homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting topped with appropriately colored sprinkles, of course.

A Naked Cupcake...

Cookies N' Cream Dream

I love first birthday parties... friends, grilled hot dogs, adorable kids, and of course CAKE! Last week, Brody turned the big 1 and his mom and dad celebrated with a traditional summertime gathering. Although he napped through the first half of the party, I think Brody really had fun opening presents and eating cake!

For the party, I made Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies & Cream Frosting and Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I love this picture of the birthday boy... he was digging into the mini cake that Jenny made for him and quickly began to fade. He ate more frosting than I have ever seen a child consume. It was like watching a sugar coma take place. So FUNNY! Stacy and Neal, your little one is just too cute words. I love you guys!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pink Polka Dot Bikini

I love planning events and parties... I love it so much, I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Recreational Event Planning! After this weekend, I think I have met my match...Shelby's mom, Heather is a NATURAL! For her daughter's 4th birthday, she planned a super-fun polka dot pool party. There were chicken fingers and french fries, adorable polka dot serving dishes, and even colorful paper plates attached to the pool's cabana to look like polka dots! Heather is amazing with details, so I wanted to make sure the cake was no exception.

For Shelby's cake, I made a two-tier Chocolate Cake with Fudge Filling and Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Filling. The entire cake was frosted with White Chocolate Buttercream and decorated with colorful fondant dots.

For Shelby's party favors, I made these adorable polka-dot Bikini Sugar Cookies. They are decorated with royal icing and packaged in cellophane gift bags tied with wire ribbon. Shelby wore a pink polka dot swimsuit of her own... so CUTE!

Finally, here is a picture of Mandi and I with the cookies. Remember Mandi's birthday cake? I just love this girl (and her family too!). Heather, thanks for trusting me with such a fun birthday cake... oh yeah, and tell Eric I mentioned him on the Blog as promised!

My Friend The Marshmallow

Dear Marshmallow Frosting,
Thank you for being the most amazing thing in the world. You can turn any bad day into a great day. I hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
Andrea

hahaha! Seriously, this frosting is my FAVORITE. It tastes perfect with chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, and just about any cupcake you put below it. For Kierstyn's 2nd Birthday party, her mommy asked me to make Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes topped with Fudge Frosting and Marshmallow Frosting. I finally got to use those green polka-dot cupcake papers... look how cute!



For her cake, I made a mini Vanilla Butter Cake with Pink Lemonade Frosting & Filling. I added a monogram "K" at the top for her name. I hope the birthday girl loved it!

Be there, or be square.

I adore square-shaped cakes. They look so modern and fresh. A few months ago, my mom and I stopped in a HomeGoods store during my quest to find a square cake platter, and there it was, sitting on the clearance shelf surrounded by broken picture frames and dust-covered vases. This ceramic beauty was in perfect condition and I couldn't wait to use it. Best of all, it cost less than 10 items from the $1 menu at McDonalds!

Remember the Handy Manny cake I made for Brock? Well, it was his big sister's turn to get a special cake of her own this past weekend. I made a four-layer Vanilla Butter Cake with White Chocolate frosting for Bethany's 9th birthday. I topped the cake with tropical yellow flowers made out of fondant.

Bethany came with her dad to pick up the cake... and I am so happy she did because I was able to see the excitement on her face when she first saw it! Priceless!

I Have A Package For You

I love that line from Legally Blonde when the UPS man brings a package into the nail salon and says, "I have a package for you," and Elle repeats exactly what he just said... CLASSIC. Well, I didn't get to see the UPS man, but he did leave a package on my doorstep today. I ordered these fabulous cupcake papers for some upcoming parties and showers.

Lime green polka-dot cupcake papers... yeah, that just happened.

Stay tuned to see pictures of the yummy cupcakes that I am going to make with these little jewels. Happy Friday!

She's got jalapeno hands!

It's not very often that you meet a friend with whom you share so many common passions and goals. I met Jenny while I was in college and we have been getting closer ever since. She loves baking, cooking and watching the food network just as much as I do... if you can believe that. In fact, I think it would be great to own our own cake shop together some day!

Jenny is so much fun and has the rare ability to go-with-the-flow. For her big 25th Birthday Bash, I wanted to make her a unique cake that tasted delicious too. Since Jenny is a cake connoisseur, I figured I couldnt go wrong with a giant S'more-flavored cake! That is why I made this stacked cake with a layer of moist chocolate cake, a layer of graham cracker cake and topped it all off with marshmallow frosting.

In keeping with our tradition that started back in 2006, Jenny and I took this picture doing what we do best... eating CAKE! We have marked every special occasion (friends weddings, baby showers, football games, and even trips to Savannah) by taking a picture with cake (or whatever food we can get our hands on). Jenny, I hope you had the BEST birthday ever... aside from digging out the jalapeno seeds with your hands... thanks for being AMAZING!

Vanilla Ice-Ice-Baby

I never imagined that finding a great vanilla cupcake recipe would actually be difficult. A few weeks ago, I set out on a recipe testing journey (that's sounds pretty exciting, doesnt it?) to find the yummiest vanilla cupcake possible. This wasn't the winner, but it was a really close stop on the road to vanilla perfection. I used Billy's Vanilla Cupcake recipe (you can find it on Google) and topped it with buttercream frosting.

The cupcakes were light and airy,and had a nice texture. I did find that the next day, the cupcakes were already losing that moist texture... not good for my late Friday night baking sessions for Saturday parties! I guess I will have to keep tasting new cupcakes for now :)

One Fish, Two Fish, Pink & Blue Starfish

I love bridal showers. They are a great excuse to get together with your best girlfriends and close family members and just spend time with each other. I will never forget the amazing cupcakes that Mrs. Wiggins made for my bridal shower, and I hope that Monica won't forget these! For Monica's shower, I made Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. I topped with cupcakes with Tiffany blue and salmon pink white-chocolate starfish. Yum!

Congratulations Monica and Greg... I wish you guys a long and SWEET marriage! Thanks again to Lauren for trusting me with this opportunity. Here is a photo of the cupcakes ready to be picked up. Enjoy!

Perfect Pineapple Wedding Cake

There was a lot of love and do-it-yourself projects that went into our wedding day. We painted wooden table numbers, hand-sewed the ring pillow, made the veil, dug holes for the 10-ft bamboo poles around the dancefloor, and selected each song to be played by our cousin and brother-in-law on the guitar during our ceremony. The entire planning process itself is a wonderful memory.

One of my absolute favorite elements of the day was - of course - our cake. A few people asked me if I made it... and I probably just looked at them with one of those "are you crazy" kind of looks. We selected an island pineapple cake from Cakes by Carie in Eustis. It was simple, elegant and delicious.

My uncle Bill spent hours in his workshop making the special wooden box that our cake was displayed on. I now use the box for wedding keepsakes such as invitations, pressed flowers, etc. I know this sounds cheesy, but I hope my daughter will want to use this cake stand for her wedding one day.

Now, if only our one year anniversary would get here ASAP... I am having trouble staying away from the cake in our freezer!!

PB&Yay!

Alright, I know what you are thinking... what is it with me & peanut butter? Well... taste one of these cupcakes and you will find out!! I was testing recipes a few weeks ago and found this oh-my-goodness-rock-your-world recipe for Peanut Butter Cupcakes. So yummy!

I shared these cupcakes with my mother-in-law and she loved them just as much as I did!