petit fail...oh wait...petit fours

ok, truthfully, these weren't actually fail, but I REALLY thought they were going to be for a while while making them. For a few reasons, they turned out less like true petit fours What made mine different?

no marzipan layer-couldn't find the stuff to make it or buy it pre-made
buttercream filling instead of a jelly-my personal choice, cause it sounded yummier
a box cake mix instead of the true sponge mix i should have used-all the blog describing this recipe has tons of comments about how difficult these were, so I figured I'd make at least one step easier on myself.

What ARE they? Basically, tiny 2 layer cakes with a buttercream filling covered in a chocolate ganache coating. The flowers on top were made from royal icing.

I adore tiny desserts-not that I've made many, I just always gravitate towards the pictures. After all, who doesn't like a bite size dessert that they can just pop in their mouth when they want something sweet?

Well, these made me almost give up-mostly cause it was a process that went better over a few days-however, those few days gave me time to lose steam and motivation. I brought some to a friend after I made them and as a fellow person who enjoys baking, she asked if I would do them again (best question to ask ever!) I told her they weren't worth it and I probably wouldn't make them again. However, I think I've changed my mind. Why? 1) They tasted REALLY good. 2) My husband really seemed to enjoy them. and 3) I think I've come up with a few methods/tools to make it a bit easier.

In case you didn't know, baking is generally a bit of messy endeavour.  Considering I'm pretty good at getting messy all on my own, me + baking = disastrously messy

These are definitely at the top of the messiest things I've ever made-they even beat out cake pops. In case you don't believe me, here's the proof...

these are to die for...

oh my goodness, I made some mint Oreo balls and they were AMAZING. After a friend made some Oreo balls that were fabulous, I had to ask her how she did it/what she used. Just a couple days later, I came across a post on pinterest where someone had made Oreo balls, but used mint oreos.

I tried it last night (well...I wrote this like a month ago and am just now posting, so not really last night).  A couple friends of mine from college were coming over for dinner and to hang out for the evening and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. They were an absolute hit. And by hit, I mean we all loved them. Really, this picture doesn't do them justice.

Here's the recipe..try it yourself.

1 package of oreos (mint or regular)
6 oz. cream cheese
melted chocolate chips (to dip them in, any kind work. I used some white chips that I could dye and then a combo of milk chocolate and semi sweet for the rest)

• Finely chop the oreos (i broke them up first and then used a blender). Dump in a bowl. dump the cream cheese (softened) in the bowl. Mix them up. form into 1 in. balls, place on cookie sheet and stick in the fridge for 20 min. or so.
• Melt the chocolate. pull the Oreo balls out of the fridge and dip them in the chocolate, then place on wax paper.
• To dip, I used stuck Popsicle sticks in them and dipped them like I do my cake pops, then I just pulled the stick out and spooned a bit of chocolate over the hole to cover it up.
• Let set and harden, then consume
• Try not to eat all in one sitting.

*One package of mint oreos made the 21 oreo balls you see on the platter.

Helicopter Cake!

My Brother in Law's birthday was in the beginning of December and since he is really into RC helicopters, I thought it would be fun to surprise him with a helicopter cake (admission-the surprise factor may have had to do with uncertainty of how it would turn out in addition to a surprise just being fun).

I used my trusty pinterest and google search skills to find inspiration and then set about creating my own version of things I saw! I was really pleased overall with how it turned out.  I did find myself  slightly dismayed at how small a 9 x 13 cake is-haha. Its certainly big enough and feeds enough, but after looking at a bunch of professional cakes and watching too many episodes of cake boss, I had somewhat inaccurate estimations of the amount of cake I had to work with ;) oh well, I made it work anyways!

For those curious, I used butter cream frosting for the edges of the street, grass, and the stream. I used fondant (and cookie cutters) to create the helicopter pad and the rocks.
The bridge was made from graham crackers and fondant and was the only part I would do differently if I were to make this cake again. I was never really happy with how the bridge turned out but i didn't have the time or extra icing to re-do it.
The helicopter was a toy helicopter we had around the house.

Here are the pics-

Bouquets and Bouts

I was given an opportunity for my MIL's wedding to put together the Groom and Best Man's Boutonnieres as well as the  Bride's and the matron of Honor's bouquets. Putting together flowers aren't really my thing, though I love them and think they are gorgeous. My Sister-in-law (of my immediate family) is the flower one in our family (she put together all the flowers for my wedding and they were beautiful!). Well, she lives in another state and we're talking about my in-laws here, so I got to give it a try :)

The Best Man's Boutineer

The Groom's Boutineer
Photo taken by Marilee Photography

They ended up looking quite nice and it all worked out!