the glittered nest

Valentine Cookie Party Part II

 
Cookie Decorating, Eating Treats and Painting little heart shaped boxes....

What a wonderful afternoon for these sweet girls.

Most importantly...

Friend Bonding Time(for the moms too!)

After the girls ate strawberry buttercream cake, strawberry french macarons, nutella brownies

 and

Apple Cider steeped in Cinnamon Red Hots

we

Broke out the Acrylics, Modge Podge, Scrapbook paper, glittery embellishments

and of course heart shaped pretties...

 
I was so impressed with the girls' ability to perfectly add paper with Modge Podge and

make their boxes so beautiful.  I heard later that some of the girls were so proud

they took their boxes to school for their valentine parties!

Materials used:

Heart shaped paper mache' boxes from Hobby lobby(you can also find them on ebay)

various pink patterned flowers from Michaels

Felt Hearts from Hobby Lobby

Acrylics in valentine colors

Modge Podge

Glue

foam paint brushes(michaels) these help spread the color quicker and over a large area

Glitter Letters from Michaels

 

These boxes were perfect for putting the decorated sugar cookies in when the girls went home.

 
 

 Cinnamon Cider

1 bottle Apple Cider

1 bag(8 ounces) cinnamon candy red hots

Put Apple Cider and red hots in a pan on the stove and place on medium low heat.

Heat until Red Hots are melted and serve in pretty china cups.

This drink has the most brilliant red color...very festive for the holidays.

The drink was so yummy, the moms were asking for some!!!!

Valetine Cookie Party

 
Valentine's Day is such a special day

I love to do something with my girls that they will never forget.

Heart shaped cookies, heart shaped candy and lots of pink treats!

What better way to spread love and joy but to invite friends to join in....

 
To prepare for this fun party you will want to make cinnamon sugar cookies and royal icing:

sugar cookie dough from Martha Stewart (I adapted it by adding cinnamon)

Makes enough for our 4 varieties of cookies

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, add vanilla and salt.

Add one egg and then two cups of flour.

Add the last egg and the remaining flour(3 cups)

Add 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Royal Icing:

5 TB meringue powder

4 cups of powder sugar

1 Tablespoon Almond extract

1/2 cup of water(add a little at a time to make a stiffer icing for piping and add a little more to make runnier icing for flooding). More on these tricks later!

 
 

The table set up needs to be simple and ready for spills.  I have a plastic cover on the table to prevent staining the table.  Paper plates for decorating the cookies, tray with 4 dozen heart shaped cookies for 6 girls(this was plenty for them to decorate and the recipe above will give you that many).  I made 4 batches of the royal icing and put stiff icing in 6 bags with different icing tips.  I placed 4 bowls of runny icing for the flooding technique.  Colors used were red/pink/white. Also add a couple of bowls with Valentine Sprinkles.  My favorite are the little hearts from Williams Sonoma.

I first showed the girls how to pipe the border on a cookie with an icing bag and then how to flood the cookie with the back of a small spoon.  The girls started their cookies and I barely had to show them new techniques with different tips!  They just picked it right up and had so much fun making their own decorated cookies.

 
How amazing are these cookies from 9 year olds!!!! 

Ok...now don't forget treating the moms while the girls are busy.

 
Prosecco with framboise liquor and a couple of raspberries

Strawberry french macarons

Warm chocolate Truffle cakes(Martha Stewart-Feb 2011)

2 (4 ounce) bars bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup plus 1 TB unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cups plus 3 TBL sugar

2 TB cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

sugar for dusting

garnish: confectioner's sugar

1.  In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and butter over medium-low heat.  Cook until melted, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture to sugar mixture, whisking to combine.  Stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture.  Refrigerate for 2 hours. 

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 6 (4 ounce) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray; dust with sugar.  Spoon approximately 1/2 cup batter into each ramekin.

4.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Garnish with confectioner's sugar, if desired.  Serve immediately.

(Batter can be prepared ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days).

 

  
 

 Strawberry cake with pink vanilla butter cream.

 
Here are the brownie bites from the previous post.  Don't they look pretty on this gorgeous tray from Paula Deen's collection at Michaels?

Candy hearts and lips are in the apothecary jar for snacking.

 
Look at how beautifully our little friend Brandi is holding her piping bag!  Future Pastry Chef right here!

After the girls decorated cookies they painted heart shaped boxes to put their cookies in.  I will show you that in the next post.(Valentine's Party Part II).

 If you want to throw a cookie decorating party and have questions about putting it together, please email me.  Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

Valentine Brownie Short Cut

 

Go to the store and get yourself some Brownie Bites!  You can jazz them up and give them to a friend, take them to school or have at your own Valentine's Party! 

I took Nutella(chocolate Hazelnut spread) and put it in a ziplock with a large icing tip.  I then added the cutest little heart sprinkles you can find at Williams Sonoma(my favorite store on the planet).

The nutella gives it a richer flavor and looks pretty.  Not all the best desserts are homemade.

 
You can also add strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.

If you really want to get fancy you can add a buttercream rose..

 
Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Snow Day 2011

 
We only got about an inch here but an inch in Austin Tx is enough to make snowballs!!!

 
My kiddos were mainly excited to go out and eat the snow. 

 
Seriously my daughter is eating it off of her glove.

 
The kids built a Texas snowman at our neighbor's house.

 
Brock was most excited about coming in for the hot chocolate!
 

 
Stay Warm with this yummy hot chocolate recipe:

Homemade Hot Chocolate recipe from Martha Stewart:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped or shaved semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until chocolate has melted (do not let boil). Pour into mugs, and serve.

From Martha Stewart Living, February 2007

We love it when it snows for a day in Texas!