McKinley's Third Birthday

Over the weekend we celebrated McKinley's third birthday. I can't believe my baby is three! I mean, he's still a baby in so many ways, but at the same time he's such a big boy. He's making decisions, taking his coat off and hanging it on his little coat hook, learning to use the big boy potty, and generally talking a blue streak from the moment he wakes up! But in the next breath, he still wants to be cuddled, still wants to be carried, and still wants someone to lay down with him at night. I guess he will forever be my baby!

But, I digress. Back to the party! I took him to Party City weeks before his birthday so he could pick out the theme. See, making his own decisions. It was between CARS, Thomas, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse, and Planes. It was CARS hands down! I wasn't surprised. He loves cars, he loves trucks, he loves Mater and Lighting, so really it was a no brainer. (I knew I wanted to throw a CARS themed party after we spent time in Radiator Springs at California Adventure.) And with Mater being his favorite character from the movie, I knew I wanted to make him a 3D Mater cake. How I was going to execute that was a different story.

I searched the internet months prior for 3D Mater cake molds and let me tell you, they don't exist. We have a Lighting mold from the year I made Joel a Dale Jr cake for his birthday. There is nothing for Mater. My husband kept saying that I should just make a sheet cake and make the face of Mater on the flat surface. That I could do, but didn't want to do. I wanted McKinley to have a 3D cake. I continued my search for ideas up to the week of the party and I finally landed on a step by step instructional from Sugar Plums Adventure in Cake. This tutorial was a lifesaver!! 

I took most of her ideas but tailored them to my needs. I didn't make my cake nearly as big as hers. I didn't use fondant. I made homemade chocolate buttercream. Instead of wooden dowels and fondant, I used lollipop sticks covered in brown floral tape. I used floral wire wrapped in the same brown floral tape for the side view mirrors, but instead of fondant, I used papertowel cardboard and wrapped that in the brown floral tape as well. I didn't cut out tires from styrofoam. I used half of an Oreo per tire. Same thing for his radiator. I tried to use as many edible things as I could, and when that wasn't possible, things that around the house. 

There was a lot of piecing things together, freehand tracing, tears when I became frustrated, but most importantly, a lot of love went into making this cake! I wanted McKinley to have his favorite truck come to life in front of him, and when he saw Mater, the look on his face meant everything! He opened his mouth wide, grinned from ear to ear, and exclaimed that it was Mater. He told everyone about his cake, told the doctor at his three year well visit, and still talks about it almost a week later. I am simply overjoyed.

So without further ado, I give you my version of a 3D Mater cake!

I also made a version of a Lighting McQueen cookie. (At the last minute, I found actual CARS cookie cutters on eBay. Why hadn't I looked sooner....)

I also made red and chocolate covered cakepops! I loved the mini CARS lunchbox as the container.

 

 I truly had a blast planning this party! I tried to keep the theme throughout the party, giving drinks character's name and using some of McKinley's own CARS toys throughout the decor, while the movie played in the background in the den while kids played. 

 

But as long as McKinley had the best day ever, that's all the really matters to me! Happy Birthday, my sweet, baby boy!

Wilton Revisited

I was asked to bake cupcakes for an upcoming baby shower and I am so excited! This is the first time I've been asked by someone not in my family, like my mom. It's a catered event, but the caterer doesn't bake, so my mom's friend called on me. Okay, okay, so it's a friend of my mom's. So what? It's a start, right?

It's a girl, so I'm baking all things girly. White and pink cupcakes with pale and hot pink frosting. (Still trying to master hot pink frosting, but I'm getting there.) And, I've decided to start playing around with royal icing and making Wilton flowers. My mom and I took the Wilton cake decorating courses, all three back to back years ago, and I want to try and do a little more with my cupcakes. Cupcakes and icing aren't enough. I need a little something more.

So, over the weekend I pulled out my Wilton II book, had my mom whip up royal icing while we were at the movies, and got all of my old tools out of storage. I was super rusty in the beginning, but toward the end I started getting the hang of it. The only thing is, these don't look exactly like the Apple Blossom photo, but it's a good start. 

What you need. A Wilton II book, a ton of little squares of wax paper, the Apple Blossom template, a nail head to place the template on, the appropriate tips for the flowers (101 and 1), a flower holder while they dry, and of course royal icing.

I kept the main flower white because the frosting will be two tones of pink. I tinted a small amount yellow for the flower centers. Also, you must keep royal icing wet. It dries out quickly so wrap them in damp paper towels when not in use.

 And here we go....

Making one petal at a time.

An Apple Blossom had a center and four dots around the flower. 

 Here are a few of the finished product.

 

I plan to keep making them so I have lots to chose from, if I decide to use them for the cupcakes. I thought either one in the center or three scattered around the top. Or, they may just be plain cupcakes with either sanding sugar or glitter sprinkles. I will post the finished product next week.

Test Kitchen

Lately, I have been baking up a storm! It all started it when I discovered Cupcake Wars on the Food Network and now I can't stop making cupcakes of my own! I've dabbled in several different flavors but this last month has been out of control! Here are just a few of the things I've been concocting in my "test kitchen" on 97th Street!

My version of a Hostess Cupcake! A chocolate cream filled cupcake topped with chocolate ganache!

 

 

A sweet packaging idea...

 

 

 A Strawberry Lemonade cupcake. Strawberry cake with lemonade concentrate and buttercream frosting tented in both pink and yellow. I love how the swirled colors turned out! They are topped with a sweet and sour Twizzler straw. 

What summer isn't complete without a Dreamsicle! My verion in a cupcake. Orange cake with a coconut cream filing topped with orange buttercream.

 

 More flavors to come!

All photos courtesy of Richard Lawson.

A Summer Drink - Cupcake Style

Early last Monday morning I woke up with two thoughts: 1) Could it be possible to extend our bedroom closet and 2) strawberry lemon cupcakes sounded amazing. Turns out the extension isn't possible but the cupcakes were! I haven't a clue where the idea came from, but so glad it came to me!

 

I immediately ran to the store for the necessities and came home to resume my vision!

 

I am a firm believer that presentation is key! You may not notice as you dig into the yummy desserts but I used yellow and pink papers to keep with the theme of strawberries and lemons!

Homemade buttercream icing was tented in pink and yellow.



And by accident, this darling last cupcake got a swirl of both colors. I didn't have enough pink to finish so I added the yellow, since it was just us eating them, and it's total perfection! The next round will all be swirled!

 



Finally, what strawberry lemonade isn't complete without a straw? These little guys are topped with Sweet and Sour Twizzlers. I can't say enough about the toppers. The leftovers lasted less than 24 hours!

 



 

I haven't ever been so proud of a cupcake! I don't know what it was about these, but I loved everything about them. And the family's response was unanimous! This is a cupcake to keep in the repertoire!



Hello and Welcome

Hey everyone! Welcome to Krasnow Living, a lifestyle blog about the daily lives of my little family of three. And, from time to time, the lives that include my zany family! I am also the author behind Style My Way, a personal style blog, but I wanted something that allowed me to write about my life. I tried to incorporate that into my style blog, but it just wasn't a good fit. Here, I will write about everything that isn't fashion related! I will simply blog about life. The ups and downs. Parenting successes and fails. New recipes I try and if I love them or not. Baking and all that it encompasses. I love to bake!

I am constantly updating my home and I will take you into our living space, showing you everything that we do. I love sharing and receiving ideas which is also why I'm obsessed with HGTV. I love to entertain! My husband hates that part of me, but if I ask nicely (like I ever ask), he allows me to have parties from time to time. As a matter of fact, I am currently planning my sons second birthday party! I can't wait to blog about that day. We are laid back when it comes to entertaining, which helps in the stress department. Actually, we are pretty laid back in about every aspect of our life.

And, I will be blogging about my Forty Before the Big 4-0. That's right, I will be 40 this year and I borrowed this idea from my friend Tina. I've made a list of 40 things I would like to do before I turn 40. Life doesn't end at 40 but I do have a lot of things I would like to accomplish before then So far, not much has been checked off the list. I better get busy.

 Lastly, I am going to publish all of the posts that I've written and posted on Style My Way. Take the time to read them, if you would like, or just get started with some of the newer things I hope to bring to Krasnow Living. I am so happy to start this new adventure in blogging! I hope you stick around for a while!