If you’re planning a birthday party, think of your job of being a host as a special and exciting role. What type of theme and decorations would be the most fun? What kind of food and sweets would make guests drool? Sending invitations, decorating, baking treats and shopping for party supplies for a birthday party don’t have to feel like a burden. Desserts and treats, especially, are party essentials that can be fun and creative experiences.

Here are some options to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth:

Cake Pops

These delicious morsels of rich cake on a stick topped with smooth frosting and dipped in creamy chocolate are not only fun to eat, but gorgeous too. Choose from varieties such as Oreo Cookie Balls, Watermelon Cake Pops, S’more Truffle Pops or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites; they’re all packed with unforgettable flavor and sweetness. For birthday favors, wrap cake pops in plastic, tie with colorful or patterned ribbon and pass out to guests to enjoy later at home.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Get creative! Take an already sweet and simple sugar cookie and add a layer of rich, creamy icing for decorating. Bake flower-shaped cookies on small dowels and adorn each with colored frosting and sprinkles to make a flower garden. For themed parties, use cookie cutters in the shapes of Star Wars, mustaches, Batman or bow ties. As a party activity, keep cookies plain and set up decorating stations with different colored frostings and sprinkles. Kids will love to decorate and eat their own creation.

Ice Cream Sundaes

Extra sprinkles? Hold the nuts? Chocolate fudge and caramel and butterscotch? Invite your guests to create their own sweet sundae based on their sweet tooth’s personal preferences.

Turn your birthday party into an ice cream sundae social by providing:

• Waffle bowls and Joy Ice Cream Cups
• Nuts and almonds
• Coconut shavings
• Reddi-whip
• Gummy Bears, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces and Fruit Loops
• Maraschino cherries
• Chocolate, hot fudge, caramel and butterscotch syrup
• Fresh berries

Fruit Tart

Seasonal fruit can be wonderfully sweet, and an assortment of beautiful colors look beautiful on top of a fruit tart. The crust is buttery and flavorful, and the pastry’s creamy layer is a rich flavor that brings everything together. Ask the birthday honoree what his or her favorite fruits are, and use those as inspiration for your fruit tart. Sliced strawberries and kiwis, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries work well for fruit tarts and display beautifully.

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

What’s more indulgent than digging into ice cream and biting into a cookie? Combining both treats to double the pleasure and eating homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches. All you need are an assortment of large cookies and ice cream; the combination possibilities are endless. Chocolate chip cookies with Blue Bunny’s Peanut Butter Panic. Snickerdoodles with Ben Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Sugar cookies with Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip. Oatmeal cookies with French Vanilla. Homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches are not only scrumptious, they’re easy to prepare. Simply take one cookie and layer it heavily with ice cream; top the ice cream layer with another cookie and voila!

Creating fancy cakes at home

As sugar craft tools and supplies become more available on the high street and through online retailers, it’s never been easier to decorate fancy cakes for a special occasion. TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off and fancy patisseries such as The Hummingbird Bakery have brought baking and cake decoration to the masses and followed up their success with things that help you achieve professional results at home.

Where to start

If you’ve been taken by some of the breath-taking baked creations that almost look too good to eat either on television or in the increasing number of specialist cake bakeries, you might decide that you want to have a crack at making your own sugar craft masterpiece. But where do you start?

It’s amazing what you can do with a little bit of sugar paste and a lot of imagination

High street kitchenware stores such as Lakeland and John Lewis now do an impressive array of bake ware and decorating kits to get you started with decorating your own creative cakes. However, their ranges are pretty comprehensive and as a novice it might be difficult to see what you need and what looks clever but would never be used in your own kitchen.

Depending on the kind of decorating you want to get started with, the kind of equipment you need will differ. A tiered display of pretty cupcakes would need a stand on which to mount them and a way of piping the icing onto the top. Pretty cakes with delicate flowers on top will need a good rolling pin, royal icing and would benefit from a range of leaf stamps and petal cutters, all of which you can buy in specialist stores.

Have a look online to get some ideas of the kinds of cakes you’d like to create, and then use this as the basis for investigating how you’ll need to equip yourself to get the results you want.

Learning the ropes

As with any craft or hobby, is a broad church that includes everyone from those who dabble occasionally with passable results through to those who are so good they decide to take it up full-time. Most people between these two ends of the spectrum have aspirations to improve, and there are plenty of ways in which they can go about doing so.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to get hands-on and learn from others, there’s likely to be a sugar craft or cake decorating class somewhere near you. Some fancy bakeries offer one-day taster sessions (no pun intended!) or even longer courses for those who want to pick up new skills. Further education colleges usually have catering departments who include baking and confectionery skills as part of their syllabus.

From simple but effective to out-and-out fancy, you’re bound to find something that suits

If you’re not ready to hand over your hard-earned cash or would prefer to make your mistakes out of sight of potential classmates, there are heaps of ways you can learn online. YouTube is a veritable treasure trove of instructional videos that can teach you everything from piping a basic rosette on the top of a cupcake through to icing a decorative wedding cake complete with realistic sugar flowers. Many of the people who post videos will offer a series, taking you from absolute beginner to skilled home confectioner with a step-by-step guide.

For ideas and inspiration, check out the copious books and magazines dedicated to the subject of cake decoration available in bookstores and online. While the titles from popular bakeries might be more costly to buy, there are lots of less well-known books that will tell you all you want to know at a fraction of the price.

Conclusion

Cake decorating is a hobby that’s fast growing in popularity. With the expanding interest comes a whole range of ways in which those new to sugar craft can learn from first principles to advanced skills how to create beautiful fancy cakes at home.

About the author: Sally Lindsay is a nobilia kitchens design specialist and hobby chef at Audus Kitchens. She believes food shouldn’t be only a necessity but also entertaining piece of art. She have been experimenting with different decorative ideas on birthday cakes, cupcakes and crumbles.

Image Credits: Rexness and seelensturm at Flickr.

The festive season means we can put aside the cautious eating and finally indulge in some of the tempting treats Christmas brings. The recipes below attempt to cover a variety of tastes, from the traditional to the obscure and from the healthy to more indulgent.

1. Gammon with Tomato Sauce

Ham is often regarded as a festive food and gammon provides a scrumptious dinner time favorite that proves enjoyable for all the family! To enjoy this recipe to the fullest, select a creamier tomato sauce in contrast to the thinner, more watery sauces. The saltiness of the gammon is balanced by the sweetness of tomato sauce and contrasting textures.  Just the smell of this recipe is sure to work up an appetite!

2. Duck and Mango Salad

A duck and mango salad is a healthier option for those who are trying to watch their weight over Christmas. A perfect twist to a traditional salad by adding succulent pieces of duck and juicy mango slices. Duck is the ideal Christmas meat as it is not a usual household choice but provides great taste, especially alongside the fruitiness of the mango.

3. Apple Cider

Warm up Christmas parties with an infusion of festive apple flavored cider. Simply heat and mix regular apple brandy, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg over a hob and inhale the smell of complimentary flavors. Other festive variations include cranberry or orange cider

4. Cinnamon Christmas Buns

This recipe is similar to the classic cinnamon swirl but exchanges a flaky pastry with a softer doughier base. Add raisins and a thin layer of plain icing to the top of the bun to increase the festivity of this recipe.

5. Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Known for accompanying turkey on a traditional Christmas Day meal, cranberry sauce is an instant British favorite. The base ingredients are simply fresh cranberries and sugar however there are so many variations of this recipe, including the addition of ingredients such as tangerine, port or even rosemary.

6. Gingerbread Truffles

Add a twist to classic chocolate truffles by adding gingersnaps! These soft and luxurious truffle balls combine the festivity of gingerbread with the well-known beauty of dark chocolate. Toasted nuts can also be added to provide a satisfying combination of textures.

7. Spiced Cauliflower Soup

As a delicious vegetarian option spiced cauliflower soup combines the flavors of various complimentary vegetables with the spice arising from the use of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and mixed spices.

8. Cinnamon and Hazelnut Toffee

The softness of the toffee beautifully contrasts the crunch of the hazelnut and with the addition of cinnamon this recipe is the ideal Christmas party crowd pleaser! If preferred, the hazelnuts could be substituted with other nuts such as pecans.

9. Chestnut, Sausage and Marsala Stuffing

Christmas cannot pass by without the incredible sticky deliciousness of stuffin. This recipe can be enjoyed either alongside a prepared meal or perhaps as leftovers in between two slices of bread. Additional ingredients include herbs rosemary and thyme.

10. Spiced Orange Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is a traditional festive favorite but combining it with the sweetness of orange segments, black peppercorns and a cinnamon stick create a new and creative take on a Christmas classic. Ensure to serve this recipe warm for maximum enjoyment.

Christmas can provide the ideal opportunity to experiment with recipes and ideas. It’s easy to stick to traditional Christmas ingredients but add some spark and creativity to the festive season by trying the above recipes.

Written by Rebecca Hubbard, who helps out Cooks Paraphernalia, a design kitchenware retailer offering products such as wmf cutlery or pressure cookers.

As you know, Fred & Friends is one of my favorite places to find cool and unique kitchen gadgets – their stuff is just so fun!  And these Fred M-Cup Measuring Matroyshkas are no exception.  They are simple and stylish and would make a great gift for Mom this Mother’s Day.

Let me tell you why I love these measuring cups:

• They instantly transport me back to my childhood when my Mom had a couple sets of toy nesting dolls.  They were fascinating to me.  I loved taking them apart and reassembling them.  My Mom actually still has them and now my daughter plays with the very same sets.  Mom’s sets weren’t measuring cups though.

• By having measuring cups that neatly nestle together like these ones do, I could keep them far more organized.

• Right now, my measuring cups are stored in my baking drawer and the one thing that drives me nuts about that is the handles of the measuring cups.  They always get caught on the drawer when I try to close it.  These pretty Matroyshkas are too cute to put in a drawer anyway, so they could have a permanent home on my counter.

• I think these would be awesome for measuring out ingredients like oats, raisins, nuts and chocolate chips.  Perfect scoop!

• Fred and Friends products are always top quality so I know these adorable measuring cups would be a fixture in my kitchen for many years to come.

The only problem I see with owning a set of these measuring cups is keeping them away from my kids.  No play dough sand castles allowed!

Find the best deals on Fred M Cup Measuring Matroyshkas at our affiliate partner Amazon.com.

Whenever I’m in the kitchen baking there is never any shortage of “help” (funny how that isn’t the case when I am doing the dishes though!)  Nope, whenever there is a bowl and a spatula and some sort of yummy batter being mixed up, I always seem to have six extra hands that are more than willing to help.

Now keep in mind that their idea of “helping” is of course, sticking their fingers in the batter while I am not looking and then pretending they didn’t.  And aside from the obvious health risks of eating raw eggs, and the fact that they have stuck their fingers into the batter that will eventually become food to be consumed by others, I don’t usually mind.  I chalk it up to being a kid and just roll with it.

So when I saw this adorable Batterfinger™ kid spatula from Fred & Friends, I immediately thought of my batter-faced brood and much fun this would be in our kitchen.  Of course, it would mean that I am giving them complete permission to lick out the bowl each and every time I whip up a batch of brownies or cupcakes but….. I think I could live with that.

Then again, if I grant them with a spoon that is made especially for licking out the batter bowl, then I have to realize I am also surrendering one other thing.  My secret guilty pleasure of licking out the batter bowl all by myself!  I’m not so sure if I could live with that.

If you’ve ever made bread at home the old fashioned way, which includes plenty of mixing, kneading and rising, then you may be wondering how to make bread in a bread maker.  I don’t blame you – it is a great way to save yourself some hassle as well as money.

But rather than a great long article explaining how to use a bread maker, I thought I would let an expert show you how instead.  The expert in the video below is one of my all-time favorite Food Network personalities and can most often be seen on the television show Iron Chef.    Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the fabulous Cat Cora!

She offers some great tips about using a bread maker.  Here are a few worth noting:

• She points out, and I couldn’t agree more, that using the delayed timer on your bread machine is a fantastic idea!  You can add the ingredients in the evening and wake up to freshly baked bread any morning of the week.  Imagine waking up to that aroma.  What a great way to start the day!

• It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations for making bread.   Each model is different and the method for preparing and baking the bread will vary.

• With most models, you should add the wet ingredients to the loaf pan first with the dry ingredients on top.  The yeast is the last thing to be added.  Note:  In the video, Cat Cora adds the yeast herself but some models like the Panasonic Bread Maker that I reviewed, have an automatic yeast addition feature.  It will add the yeast to your bread mixture at the perfect time.

So without further ado, here is a great little video about how to use a bread maker.  Enjoy!

I’ll admit it – as much as I love being in the kitchen cooking or baking delicious food for my family, there are a few tasks that I don’t enjoy.  One of those tasks is peeling potatoes.  I’m not sure why really but when potatoes are on the menu I find myself wishing that there was some magical way to make the potatoes peel themselves.

Unfortunately, this never happens.  I can’t wave my wand, shout abracadabra and have a pile of peeled and sliced potatoes fall right into the pot.  Man, it would be great if I could though.

So last night as I stood at my counter doing the unfavorable chore of peeling some Yukon Gold’s I was thinking back to a tool my Mom had for peeling potatoes.  It was as close to magically peeling potatoes as you can get – or at least it seemed that way to me as a child.

It was a tool that, if I remember correctly, mounted to the edge of the counter and Mom would crank the handle to rotate the potato against a sharp blade.  This not only peeled the potato but sliced it as well.  (Personally, the slicing part isn’t an issue for me.  I just throw the spuds into a food processor.  But peeling…… well that’s a different story!)

So after a fair bit of snooping around I found that these manually operated “magic” potato and apple peelers are still around.  In fact, they are extremely popular and sell like crazy on Amazon.com.  Guess I’m not the only one that hates peeling!

Of course these machines have come a long way since then.

What make today’s models even better than the one I remember Mom having is that they do it all. They are a peeler, corer and slicer all in one.  You just stick your potato or apple on it, turn the handle and presto change-o, you have easily and rather magically avoided the dreaded duty of peeling a pile of potatoes. (Say that five times fast!)

Each year when I write out my baking list for Christmas I always include a simple sugar cookie recipe.  These cookies are easy to make, fun to decorate and are very versatile at the holidays.

I use an easy sugar cookie recipe for a variety of reasons.  For one, the recipe is great for the kids.  They can mix the ingredients – or add them to the food processor (have you read my review of the Cuisinart Food Processor yet?), they love to decorate them and there aren’t too many kids I know who don’t enjoy eating sugar cookies.

What I love about a great sugar cookie recipe though is that it is super easy to jazz these cookies up a little and take them to bazaars and cookie exchanges too.  With a little royal icing and a holiday shaped cookie cutter, you can make some truly spectacular cookie creations!  Sugar cookies really are that versatile.

My favorite easy sugar cookie recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks Sugar: Simple Sweets and Decadent Desserts by Anna Olson.

If you are Canadian you are probably familiar with Anna Olson.  She is the host of Sugar on Food Network Canada as well as the spokesperson for stores like Home Hardware and The Bulk Barn.   She also owns a whole foods bakery in the tourist destination of Niagara-On-The-Lake that is really beautiful and rustic.  If you are ever visiting the Niagara region it is worth a stop.

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Anna at a local food show in Toronto and she is very “sweet” and down-to-earth .  I even got her to sign my copy of Sugar and have, on more than one occasion, proudly shown it to anyone who visits my kitchen.

The cookbook and the recipes are simple, elegant and comforting – especially the cookies and I hope Anna’s sugar cookie recipe finds its way onto your Christmas baking list too.  Enjoy!

If there is one thing that my husband teases me about constantly, it is my inability to cut an even slice of bread (or cheese).  I’m not sure why I have this issue but it never seems to fail that every time I try to slice fresh bread, I end up with slices that are super thick on one end and paper thin on the other.

Thankfully, I have found the perfect solution for my problem – a bread slicer.  These small but invaluable little kitchen tools are designed with people like me in mind.  People who cannot slice a straight piece of bread to save their life and – again for people like me – who hate cleaning up the pile of crumbs left behind.

One of the two top selling models of bread slicers for home use at Amazon.com is the Norpro Bread Slicer and Guide.

The Norpro Bread Slicer (pictured above) is made with an acrylic box that holds the bread while you slice.  You simply slide your knife back and forth through the slats in the side wall to guide your knife as you cut.  This ensures nice even pieces of bread each and every time.  This design also has the extra feature of a crumb catcher in the bottom for easy clean up.

The other popular model is the Out of the Woods of Oregon Bread and Bagel Slicer.  I love this one because not only is it extremely simple and old fashioned looking, but it is also an eco friendly bread slicer as well.

The wooden handle is made from Red Alder which is a sustainable hardwood grown in the Eugene, Oregon region and the blade is constructed of sturdy stainless steel so it will never break.    Reviewers of this product say the blade cuts through bread like it is butter – a smooth and even slice without crushing the bread.  Just what I need!

So if you bake bread at home either by hand or with your favorite bread machine (my fave is the Panasonic Bread Maker that I reviewed) the best accompaniment is a bread slicer.  After all, your fresh homemade bread should look as good as it tastes.

Don’t you just love Halloween?  The scary movies, the costumes, the candy…. and cupcakes that look like brains?  Only on the creepiest, spookiest day of the year would this Halloween cupcake idea seem so cute!

I found these Fred & Friends NOMSkulls cupcake molds as I was searching around for some creepy food ideas for a little Halloween party we’re throwing for the kids this weekend.  As soon as I saw these I knew my boys would LOVE them.   What boy wouldn’t really?  Cupcakes that look like brains topped with lots of thick icing sitting in molds that look like skulls?  I can just hear the boys comments now – “Oh that’s cool.”“Yeah that’s sick” (and when they say sick they usually mean cool but in this case they might actually mean sick!) Continue Reading