Archives for 2009

Berry Cheesecake

Next week I’ll be back with some of my own creations, but till then I have another great recipe from Taste of Home. It is a very scrumptious, delectable berry cheesecake. This is a perfect summertime treat complete with festive coloring for your 4th of July party.

Recipe for Berry Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

8 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup strawberry jelly

1 cup whipped topping

Sliced fresh strawberries and additional blueberries, optional

Directions: Place one phyllo sheet in a greased 9-in. pie plate; brush with butter. Repeat seven times; trim edges. Bake at 425° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (center will puff up). Cool on a wire rack. For filling, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into crust. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cover edges with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake 23-27 minutes longer or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled. In a small bowl, beat jelly until smooth; spread over filling. Spread with whipped topping. Garnish with strawberries and additional blueberries if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

-Jerri






———————————–

I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by
Blessed With Grace.

Homemaker Mondays is hosted by
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.

Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by
As For Me and My House….

Make Something Monday is hosted by
Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.

Tasty Tuesday is hosted by
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by
Blissfully Domestic.

Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by
Life as Mom.

Friday Feasts is hosted by
Momtrends.

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by
We Are THAT Family

Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Wedding & Shower Cupcakes

I love the idea of a Rocky Mountain Wedding.  It’s a perfect mix of romance with a cozy, country, rustic appeal. A few weeks ago someone asked me if I had any ideas for some wedding cupcakes. This got me to searching online, where I found a lot of lovely ideas. Today I’m sharing some of the beautiful wedding and shower cupcakes that I found. I absolutely love these; you can tell that a lot of creativity goes into each one, and I love seeing all the different colors and variety of designs.

As always, I’ve included links to the sites or flickr account where these came from, and I totally recommend all these sites. In fact, as I was sending out messages in order to get permission to use the photos, it was really hard choosing just one cupcake from each artist. Hope you all enjoy!

Happy Find

Just Cupcakes

By Paula Thomas Blog

By Kylie Lambert

 

(I know it’s not a cupcake, but they were so pretty, I had to include them!)

-Jerri


————————
I’m posting at Hooked on Houses for Hooked on Fridays.

Bridal Giveaways and Freebies

A couple of giveaways and freebie for you…

Win a free bridal gown or bridesmaid dresses from David’s Bridal. Enter here.

Win a Wedding Photography Package from Bella Pictures.

Get a Free Wedding Organizer when your create a registry at JCPenney.

-Jerri

Bridal Apron

Looking for a unique and original gift for the blushing bride you know? How about a handmade apron from Happy Find? Venus at Happy Find recently designed this lovely apron for her cousin as a wedding present, and she is now offering them in her etsy shop. Stop by today to order one for yourself or a friend, or place a custom order for another design.

Visit Venus’s blog and shop today and check out all of her lovely creations!

-Jerri

Patriotic Cupakes

This week’s recipe comes from Taste of Home. Their website is full of great recipes for all occasions, and they have great magazines that are very affordable.

These Patriotic cupcakes would be perfect for your Fourth of July party or picnic, and you could use different colors of food coloring for other occasions as well. It’s very easy and fun recipe that all you cupcakes fans should love.

Recipe for Patriotic Cupcakes:
Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
1/2 teaspoon blue food coloring
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
Red, white and blue sprinkles
Directions: Prepare cake batter according to package directions. In a small bowl, combine 1-1/3 cups batter and blue food coloring. In another bowl, combine 1-1/3 cups batter and red food coloring. Leave remaining batter plain. Fill paper-lined muffin cups with 2 tablespoons red batter, 2 tablespoons plain batter and 2 tablespoons blue batter. Bake at 350° for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with vanilla frosting; decorate with sprinkles. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

-Jerri



———————————-

I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by
Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by
As For Me and My House….
Make Something Monday is hosted by
Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by
Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by
Life as Mom.
Friday Feasts is hosted by
Momtrends.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by
We Are THAT Family
Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Sweet Thursday: The Cake Edition

Welcome everyone to another great edition of Sweet Thursday. As many of you know, this month’s theme is Cakes. And boy! Do I have some good ones to share with you! Thanks to all of our contributors. Without your great skills and creativity, this event would not be possible.

Adding Your Cake to the Round-Up – If you have a cake that you’d like to share with our readers, just leave a link to your post in the comments section of this post, and I will add you to the round-up as soon as I can.

Next Month’s Theme – Next month the theme will be “Cool Summer Treats.” This is pretty much wide open. You could post any of the following: pies, ice cream, pudding, gelatin, shakes & smoothies, parfaits, fruit desserts, mousse. There are so many possibilities! To have your dessert featured in the July Round-Up, just send a link to your post via email to simplysweethome@hotmail.com. Deadline: July 23

Chocolate, Strawberries, and Whipped Cream Frosting Cake by Frugal Creativity.
And Incredible Chocolate Cake by Frugal Creativity.

Boston Cream Cupcake by Snooky Doodle Cakes & More

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes by Snooky Doodle Cakes & More

Lemon Meringue Cake by B’s Huron lighthouse

Chocolate Lime Mousse Cake by Nina’s Recipes

Oreo Marshmallow Cream Cake Roulade by Nina’s Recipes

Peanut Butter Cup Cake by flint knit

Toadstool House Cake By ShamsD
Caramel Apple Cake from iSimmer

Couples Birthday Cake – Hearts & Wine Glasses by Sugarcraft by Soni

Chocolate Mud Cake by 4GoodnessCake

Winnie the Pooh Birthday Cake By crafty confections

Hello Kitty Cake by http://dragonflydoces.co.nr/

Cookie Dough Cupcake by Snooky Doodle Cakes & More

Romantic Almond Cupcakes by Snooky Doodle Cakes & More

Wonder Chocolate Cake or Dump Cake by Porch Days

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake by Simply Sweet Home

-Jerri


Inspired Shower Tables

Since yesterday’s post focused on the Happy Couple Collage as a gift idea and decor idea, today we are looking at more bridal shower decor.

Photos, banners, flower arrangements and centerpieces, balloons, and streamers are all nice, but the main thing that people pay attention to at any bridal shower is the serving table. Rather than listing a bunch of ideas for your shower table decor, I thought it would be better to show you some examples.

I just love seeing how different people decorate for their parties, and it’s a great way to get ideas. For this post, I tried to find a variety of tables for you, from the very simple to the ornate. And I think whatever you’re taste is, you should find something that inspires you here.

This collection of photos was gathered on flickr, and each person gave me permission to use their photo. If you have any questions or comments on the individual tables, you can contact the owner by using the link below the photo. (Sorry that the photos are a little smaller than the ones normally found here. I had trouble with a couple of the pictures, and I decided to make them all uniform, and it’s better to shrink some down than to make small photos bigger.)

-Jerri


—————–
I’m posting this for Hooked On Friday at
Hooked on Houses

Happy Couple Collage Project

Here’s a lovely gift and decor idea for any shower or wedding. Sorry I don’t have any photo examples to show, but I’m sure you can imagine it in your mind’s eye. This is just an idea I came up with last week; I’ve never actually seen one of these before or heard of it, but I know I would love to have one of these made, and I’m sure others would as well.

Often at weddings and showers, photos of the happy couple are displayed on a table, serving as a decoration and as a way of telling the couple’s story. The idea of the Happy Couple Collage takes this concept to another level. Not only will it make a great decoration for a shower, engagement party, or wedding, but it will also make a lovely gift and keepsake.

The collage can be as big or small, and as simple or elaborate as you’d like for it to be, and using any materials you deem appropriate. The collage essentially tells a story about the happy couple. To complete it, you may need to borrow some materials from the couple (such as pictures or memorabilia). But in some cases you may be able to put the project together by getting materials from other friends and family members of the couple, and you may even be able to use some outside sources.

If you can gather the materials and keep it a surprise, Great! But if you have to ask the Bride-to-Be for a few items, this is okay. After all, she won’t know what you’re using the items for, and if you borrow them long enough in advance, she might even forget that you have them. But if you really want to keep it a secret, there are a lot of strategies you could use to get the items you need. Since the gift is largely for the bride, you could use the groom to “sneak” a scrapbook away from the bride-to-be, and friends or family members should be more than willing to help too.

Here is a list of items you may want to include on your collage:

-Baby/childhood pictures of the the bride and groom.
-A current picture of the couple.
-A picture of the place where the couple first met.
-A picture, menu, or business card from the place where the couple had their first date.
-A picture or a brochure from the couple’s first vacation destination.
-A photo of where the couple will live.
-A photo of the location where the proposal took place.
-A brochure or picture from the couple’s future honeymoon destination.
-If the couple went to school together, you could put a copy of the school’s seal.
-If the couple work together or met at a place of business, you could put a copy of the logo of their place of business.
-Copies of tickets from concerts, sporting events, movies, and other attractions the couple has attended.
-A picture of the couple with family members, kids, or pets.
-A picture of the couple participating in a favorite hobby or activity together.
-Scrapbook embellishments that represent a hobby, activity, or something else that’s meaningful to the couple.
-Lyrics from the couple’s favorite song.
-A picture of the person who introduced the couple, if applicable.
-A picture of the couple from their first Christmas together.
-Pictures and mementos from other milestones the couple has experienced together.
-Menu/Business Card/Photo of the couple’s favorite restaurant or hang out (or a picture of the couple at this place).
-If you need fillers, you can use little flower embellishments, gems, stickers, a bride & groom scrap booking embellishments kit, and other items to cover the empty spaces.

Place all your items on the material of your choice from scrapbook paper, to poster board, or a canvas. Or you could even use cork board or foam. Have the project framed, and you’re good to go! (Hint: On the back of the frame, you should sign your name and/or write your own personalized message to the happy couple.)

So what do you guys think of the Happy Couple Collage idea? And has anyone ever seen one of these?

-Jerri


Mexican Wedding Cookies

To go along with our wedding and shower theme, this week’s recipe is Mexican Wedding Cookies. This is an easy and quick cookie recipe, similar to short bread cookies. Serve them up for a party or a quick snack!

Recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and pecans, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 1-1/2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 14 to 15 min. or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Roll warm cookies in remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar until evenly coated; place on wire racks. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

-Jerri



———————————–

I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by
As For Me and My House….
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.

Friday Feasts is hosted by Momtrends.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Lovely Wedding and Shower Invitations

Making your own cards and invitations is a very popular hobby these days. It’s also becoming more and more popular to buy handmade cards and other items. Today we have a wonderful and unique collection of shower and wedding invitations. Below each photo, you’ll find a link to the blog or shop where you can see more of the designer’s work. Enjoy!

(And thanks to everyone for allowing me to feature your lovely designs here!)

By Social Circles Design

By Pencil Shavings

By Embellished by Tiffany

-Jerri