These pretty floral candy molds were extremely easy to make! All you need is some melting candy chips and a candy mold. There are a variety of colors to choose from but the choice of flavors are pretty standard (chocolate, vanilla or mint). I chose my candy colors based on what I felt complimented the other goodies I made. If you’re goal is to create a really unique color you could also start with a white chocolate or vanilla candy base and die the candy with food coloring however I generally use the pre-colored candies.

I usually shop at Michaels for all my candy making items. The different molds choices are really cute and I see new ones all the time.

I also whipped up some cupcakes with a cinnamon based cream cheese frosting. I am just so addicted to this I don’t think I’ll ever make this frosting WITHOUT THE CINNAMON! Oh my Gosh! You must try this on your next batch of cupcakes!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter ( 1 stick),  room temp
8 oz cream cheese ( 1 package), room temp
2-3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon, to taste

Put it Together:
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together for about 3 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and mix. Then slowly add the powdered sugar and keep adding until you get to a desired sweetness and thickness. Spread on cooled cupcakes or use a fancy decorator. Sprinkle with edible decoration for extra pretty!

Enjoy!

-Tutu

Today we celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some Cinco de Salsa. About a year ago I posted this salsa recipe and forgot all about it until today. Super fresh, super healthy- easy Mango Salsa with only 5 ingredients. 5….as in cinco…. ok, you get it…

5 ingredients you’ll need:
White or Red onion (diced)
Green Onion (diced)
Handful of Cilantro (coarsely chopped)
4-5 Tomatoes (diced)
2-3 Mangos (diced)

Put it together:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and lightly hand toss. Squeeze a little lime juice on the top if you’d like some additional flavor. Serve in a white dish to make the color pop along with some colorful tortilla chips!

Happy Cinco De Mayo from The Make Shoppe!

-Tutu

So now that I’ve been focusing on better foods to eat and serve my family it is becoming easier and easier to do. Celery, perfect because it contains water and it’s a veggie. Peanut butter, although high in fat, it’s a MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acid) which burns fat as the right amount is consumed! WHAT!?!

Now, while I was making these I did come across one problem and that was getting the peanut butter in the celery boat, NEATLY! Before I got the bright idea to use my frosting decorator (yes, i’m big on presentation) these boats looked like a hot mess! But, not anymore!

Enjoy,

-Tutu

So, I recently adopted a healthier way of eating and cooking and so far it has paid off! I feel alot better and I’m eager to continue finding really good tasting recipes to support that. With that being said I came across a really inspiring food blog called The Novice Chef.

This morning for some reason I woke up in the mood for brunch….at 8:00am. So as I surfed the web I found a perfect Frittata recipe on this blog which was exactly what I wanted and the foodgraphy (food photography) was very pretty and inviting. Jessica even lists the amount of calories, carbs, protein and weight watchers points.

Egg whites, spinach, onions tomatoes and even feta cheese! Make sure you visit her site for the full recipe. Enjoy!

As we approach wedding season I’ve seen so many great craft ideas for a DIY Wedding, Bridal Shower or Engagement Party. Although professional wedding vendors are in high demand it seems that Doing it Yourself (DIY) has become a fascinating trend for saving a few dollars. Having an extravagant wedding is always welcome but not at an extravagant price! The heartfelt, warm and sentimental features are what your guests will remember and a lot of this can be done by you.

I was recently contacted by a friend and was asked to work on a design for a Bridal Shower Card. She expressed she has a tight budget but wants hand crafted cards made for her event. So, I pitched an idea to her that could save her some money. I would design a card template for her that she and some of her Bridal Party could assemble and put together themselves. She absolutely LOVED this idea!!! In addition to designing the card I also provided a materials list and where to buy them, step by step instructions and some assembly pictures to go along with it.

So, today I’ve finished the design and will be presenting this to her. Check out the gallery to see the making of the card!

// Materials

// Card stock and cake top template. Vector Flourishes printed on card stock.

// Setting up the templates.

// Rounding the template corners.

// Lace Punch for each cake tier bottom.

// Practice round.

// Cake tier cut-outs cut, cornered and adorned.

// Cake ribbons (cardstock strips) for design.

// Floral adornments punched.

// Swarovski Elements to embellish flowers.

// Flowers and Stone Elements on cake. Snip the strips.

// Viola!

So with that being said…meet Heloise, with a silent H! She’s taken a small break from running the Make Shoppe household and has allowed me to snap a few pictures of her.

Facts about me (Heloise):

- I’m cute.
- About 10 years old.
- My eyes aren’t just green, they’re “advocado green.”
- I have my own cartoon card set, modeled after…me!
- I’m extremely conscientious.
- I’m a Korat.
- I love to snuggle.
- I have a brother, Skylar.
- When I want some attention, I sometimes bite. (lovingly of course)

In the beginning, before The Make Shoppe started I scoured the internet for recipe inspiration, stumbled across Closet Cooking and drooled over one of Kevin’s appetizers called, Pizza Dip. As you can see he has lots of other goodies to share so I bookmarked his page and visit frequently.

His recipe is well explained and pretty straight forward also with mentioning to add any other toppings to the dip of your choice. Me? I like sweet and savory so I sprinkled a few pineapple chunks on top and OH was this heavenly! I served it with crunchy buttered-garlic french bread slices.

So if you’re having company or going to a game party elsewhere, make this dip and watch it disappear in seconds!

Wow! Not only did this taste heavenly, it lasted 3 nights between 2 people! Preparation is simple and this is a great meal that will cook itself!

I had a little help from various online sites about how to make this in a crock pot and what ingredients to include besides the ham and peas obviously, hahahah!

Let’s get started…

What you’ll need:

1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. seasoned salt (or to taste)

• 1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
• 1 1/2 qts. Chicken Broth
• 1 large yellow onion (diced)

Put it Together:

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in broth. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. ( I recommend the 8-10 hours, “low and slow.”) Remove bones and bay leaf. *next step is optional* Place all ingredients in a blender and blend really well to thicken to thicken more, if desired. Add the liquid broth slowly to the blender as it blends. You may or may not need all the broth it produces. This also freezes well.

From me to you…

-Tutu

Happy New Year!

-Tutu