BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

These would be cool at any event! At a baby shower, party, a bridal brunch or at your wedding...guests would love them!

photo souce: white lace tale weddings

Get Off Your Butt and Bake...I love the name of the website where I found this fabulous recipe because it made me want to just that...get off my butt and bake. I want to try this Puff Pastry Berry Pinwheels recipe because they look so good yet very easy to make.
Ingredients:

I think these Lace Paper Doily Cones are so elegant and can used as a cover for plastic filled, cone-shaped treat bags to give as favors or add some confetti for your guest to throw as you leave your ceremony!

You will need:

• - paper doilies
• - silicon glue
• - scissors
• - wmood buttons (I got mine from Wooden Treasures)
• - thin twine
• - manilla tags (I got these from Olive Manna)
• - black calligraphy marker
• - clear tape
• - thread
• - needle
• - confetti or rose petals

Instructions:

1. Wrap doilies to make cones.
2. Use silicon glue to seal the deal.
3. Have a blast decorating your cones
4. Fill cones with confetti or treats.

 Find all the intructions with even more photos at Heart Made!

photo credit: Something Green

It's day two of our week of giveaways and I am so excited that you get the chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate from Favors By Dorinda because there are so many remarkable items you can buy with it.

To Enter To Win It:

Visit www.FavorsByDorinda.com and browse the selection of favors, candy cakes and more. Return here and leave a comment to let me know what you would buy with your gift certificate if you are the winner.

For Additional Entries you can:

a. Like Favors By Dorinda on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall thanking Dorinda for the fab prize she donated to our giveaway. Make sure to let me know that you did below and keep in mind that I will check her wall for it.

b. For yet another entry you can follow Favors By Dorinda here on Twitter too.

This giveaway is only being featured today but you have until 11:59 p.m. on February 26th to enter!

Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on February 27th.

Good luck and make sure to come on back tomorrow to enter to win another fantastic prize. :)

Yeah, our 2000 Fans Celebration - Week of Giveaways is finally here and I thought I'd start the giveaways with something sweet. So, first up for grabs are One Dozen Chocolate Dipped Oreo Cookies of your choice from Sweet Tooth Sweetie and entering to is easy.



To Enter To Win:

Visit Sweet Tooth Sweetie on Etsy, browse the selection of sweet treats and return here to leave a comment telling me which Chocolate Covered Oreos Cookies you would choose if you were to win this prize.

That's it!!

This giveaway will only be featured today but you have until 11:59 p.m. on February 26th to enter!

Good luck everyone.

Make sure to be back here tomorrow to enter to win another great prize. :)

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and for those who want to make a homemade treats for their family, have a look at this recipe for Valentine Cake Truffles! Of course, they would also be great for a dessert buffet or as wedding favors.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup raspberry preserves**Use whatever you have on hand. Cherry would be awesome!

For the candy coating:

Two 12-ounce bags red candy melts (I use Wilton brand)

Instructions:

1. For the cake:  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Generously butter a 9×13-inch cake pan with butter.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, and salt; set aside.

4.  In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine the chocolate chips and butter and melt, stirring frequently, until smooth. Let cool slightly.

5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

6. Very slowly and carefully, whisk the melted chocolate into the egg mixture until smooth.

7. In a 2-cup measuring cup (the liquid will bubble up), combine the buttermilk and the baking soda.

8.  Whisk the buttermilk/baking soda into the chocolate mixture until  combined.

9.  Next, whisk the buttermilk/chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth and no lumps remain.

10. Evenly pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.  Let cool at least 1 hour.

11. For the frosting: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the ingredients, mixing until smooth.  Set aside.

12.  For assembly: In a large bowl, break apart the sheet cake using a large spoon and mixing until it is completely in crumbs.

13.  Add the frosting, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing with a large spoon until a thick paste forms.  **You may not use all of the frosting.

14. At this point, I find it helpful to chill the “cake dough” for at least an hour, so that it firms up a bit.

15. Once the cake dough is firm, transfer it to a clean and flat surface, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into an even 3/4-inch thick layer.

16. Using your desired cookie cutter (I used a small, 1.5-inch heart shape), carefully cut out your desired shapes, rerolling and recutting the dough out as necessary and place them on a cookie sheet.

17. Let the cake bites chill in the fridge until you are ready to dip them.

18. In a large heatproof bowl over a bowl of simmering water, melt the candy melts until smooth.  (I am quickly learning that it is best to do this in batches to keep your candy coating smooth and avoid it from seizing.)

19.  Very carefully, dip each cake bite into the candy melt, and slowly coat it thoroughly.  (*I like using a small spoon for this.)

20. Place each dipped cake bite onto a cookie sheet, decorate with sprinkles, and chill until ready to serve.

Servings:  About 24 cake truffles

courtesy of The Curvy Carrot

There is so much to be said about Favors By Dorinda and all good, trust me. The talent behind the dynamo, Dorinda, astonishes time and time again. Her candy creations are by far some of the most amazingly creative and unique you'll see on the market.



Just look this Wedding Satin Candy Cake that is covered in white Satin, beads, pearls, has a bride & groom topper and it sits on a silver base. Oh and how could I forget, it's adorned with delicious Hershey's chocolate dressed in custom wrappers created by, of course, Dorinda.



I love the Tuxedo Candy Cake which is covered in black and white Satin. This candy cake comes with a top hat and a real bow tie. Use it as a groom's cake, a surprise for Father's Day or a gift for any occasion...I know that any man will be thrilled to receive it especially since it's accented with delicious Hershey's miniature chocolates.



The Candy Wrappers you'll find at Favors By Dorinda are one-of-a-kind. They are sure to have your guests smiling from ear to ear and keep in mind that Dorinda is happy to take custom orders.



With Valentine just around the corner Favors By Dorinda have beautifully wrapped chocolate bars and a Valentine Bear Candy Cake that's just $20.



Looking for a Baby shower gift...Favors By Dorinda have got you covered too. Check out this beautiful Hello Kitty Candy Cake, it's soooo cute. You can also find keepsakes, gift baskets and so much more at www.FavorsByDorinda.com!

Want to know where else you can find Favors By Dorinda? On Facebook at Facebook.com/FavorsByDorinda, on Twitter at Twitter.com/FavorsByDorinda and you can visit her blog at FavorsByDorinda.blogspot.com!

For our 2000 Fans Celebration - Week of Giveaways, Dorinda has donated a $50 Gift Certificate that will be up for grabs February 20-27th. Now do you see why you don't want to miss this celebration? The fun begins in just 2 weeks, so mark your calender!

Chocolate Meringue Kisses are chocolatey, they are bite size and they are cute...need I say more.

I found this recipe here at A Taste of Koko and I'm so glad I did. Try it and you'll be too.

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 175F
• Prep a pastry bag with a large star tip and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
• Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. You can omit the cream of tartar if using a copper bowl.
• Whisk constantly over the water until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Around 3-4 minutes.
• Then remove from heat and beat the whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer, starting on low speed and gradually increasing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
• Add vanilla and mix to combine.
• Sift cocoa over the meringue and fold until no streaks remain.
• Add mixture to your pastry bag and pipe rows of quarter sized meringues onto the pans.
• Bake for 2 hours, until they lift from the pan easily. Allow to cool completely.
• Enjoy as is or melt a little chocolate and make meringue sandwiches :)