The Cupcake Countdown!!!

Once again, I searched for the best of the best in cupcakes! Here is yet another glorious yummy treat in the cupcake world. Try them out!

The Cupcake Countdown

# 06

Chocolate Marshmallow Madness Cupcakes

adapted from The Food Network 

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

·         1 packet 25-calorie hot cocoa mix

·         1/2 (18 1/4-ounce) box devil's food cake mix (about 1 3/4 cups)

·         1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute

·         1 tablespoon no-calorie granulated sweetener (recommended: Splenda) or granulated sugar

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·          

Glaze:

·         1/4 cup jet-puffed marshmallow creme

·         1 teaspoon light vanilla soy milk

·          

Topping:

·         1 tablespoon mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more, for optional garnish

·         12 mini marshmallows, plus more for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray.

For the cupcakes:

1. In a tall glass, combine cocoa mix with 2 ounces hot water. Stir until cocoa dissolves. Add 6 ounces cold water and stir well.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, egg substitute, sweetener, and salt. Add cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth.

3. Evenly distribute cake mixture among the prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. 5. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the glaze:

1. Put the marshmallow creme in a small dish. Add soy milk and mix well.

2. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, drizzle marshmallow glaze over them. Top each cupcake with 1/4 teaspoon chocolate chips and one mini marshmallow.

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish the cupcakes with additional chocolate chips and marshmallows, if using.

Enjoy!!!

xoxo

Katherine

Sunday Styles:

Fashion Trend #1
The Most Popular Style of 2012

Image via Tumblr

Watters

 Lavish in lace or simple and sultry?  

MonCheri

Elizabeth Fillmore

 Sleeved or strapless?  

Paloma Blanca

Vera Wang

Vera Wang

Short, long or both?

Justin Alexander

Lela Rose

  Traditional white or a hint of color?  With so many amazing options what was the winner of 2012?

And the Winner Is....

Who cares!!!!!  That's what Claire Pettibone, one of my favorite designers who has entered the scene recently by embracing old school screen siren glamour in silhouettes with a feminine vintage appeal,  said when describing what goes into designing her line.  Check out the interview here, and if you haven't seen her incredible designs on Mark Zuckerburg's wife yet, check here.

It's your wedding day girls!  Despite what fashion throws our way the most important moment of your life begins with your dress search.  It's a bond like the one you have with your new fiance.  There's just something about it that compliments you and makes you smile a little bigger when it's around.  That moment you try on your gown should be like the moment you knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with your partner-to-be.  

Every dress you try on will be pretty.  The reason we girls tend to put so much focus on our gowns though isn't the fabrication and designer label, it's the emotional attachment.  The wedding should be about the  couple, the dress is just for you!  Sure, it doesn't hurt to give your soon-to-be some eye candy and your friends and family something to awe over; but the dress should be about you!  It should, of course, compliment our body type and personal style.  But just like any piece in your wardrobe, getting stuck on the current trend will only result in a dated closet.  Just like your soon-to-be, when you look at your dress in fifty years, you should remember why you loved it and how good it made you feel.

What were your favorites and what will you be wearing in 2013?

TTFN
Rachel

      

DIY Friday: Pinecones!

DIY: Pinecone Seating Card Holders

Pinecones are extremely in right now! why not use them for your winter wedding??? This DIY is so simple! Ask for assistance, or fear not for the manicure and do it yourself!

Thank you to our friends at ProjectWedding for this tutorial!

Materials Needed:

1. Mini Pinecones: $5 for a bag of 30 (Can be bought from a flower market or craft store)
2. Hacksaw: $9 If possible get one with small teeth.
3. Safety Glove: $5 to hold the Pinecone while you saw.
4. Cards for the names

Thank you to our friends at ProjectWedding for this tutorial!

Step One: Set each pine cone down on a flat surface to see how it stands up in order to decide the best place to cut it.

Step Two: Wearing the safety glove and using the hacksaw, cut a 3/4" slit down the middle of the pine cone.

Step Three: Place the name card in each slot, and you are done!

How cute are these!!!

xoxo

Katherine

Wedding Henna: Tradition and Trend

 Mehndi Parties and Wedding Henna

Here at Paisley Events, we cater to every religion and culture for our wedded couples. One of my most memorable was with a couple with Indian roots. Ever since, I have always remembered the close ties throughout the entire ceremony between culture and tradition and how the modern day bride brings those traditions to trends. 

In Indian traditions, the bride gets together with all her female friends and family right before she gets married and they have a Mehndi Party. She gets adorned with henna tattoos all over her hands and feet, so she looks beautiful on her wedding day. In the honoring of this old tradition that has newly been turned into a trend, I wanted to shed light on what a Mehndi Party is. Of course, you may want to plan this party a few months before your big day, unless you want to wear henna with your fancy white dress but that was not tradition. Traditionally, Mehndi parties are held right before the wedding day because you DO want the color to show for your wedding. In India, it is believed that the darker the stain left behind, the deeper the love between the bride and groom. Different parts of the eastern world believe different things. This includes what type of pattern is used, peacocks, lotus flowers, geometric shapes etc. and what blessings will come from them.

Henna tattoos are all natural but not at all permanent. The henna only stains the outer layer of the skin, so it lasts about 2-4 weeks. The dried leaves of the henna plant are ground into a greenish powder, and then mixed with lemon juice and warm water (and anything else in their family's recipe). The chocolate-colored paste is applied with a cone (kind of like baker's use for decorating cakes) or with a thin stick.

The designs are extremely intricate and take hours to apply. The bride has to sit and wait for the paste to dry and set, so if she needs anything, all her gal pals take care of her. After a few hours, the dried paste is then peeled or brushed off the skin, revealing an orange print. Some people even wait until the next morning before peeling off the design to ensure a darker stain - I even slept with plastic bags on my hands, I like being decorated. Never wash the dried henna off with water since that will make the design fade faster. The color darkens over the next few days, but as the dead skin cells begin to slough off, the henna tattoo, too, begins to fade away.

Tips: If you love this idea, contact your local tattoo parlor, spiritual bookstore, yoga studio, or salon. Someone is bound to know someone who does Mehndi in your area. The artist can come and do just the bride, or do all the guests at your Bachelorette Party. Then for the 2-4 weeks you'll have a visual reminder of this special day spent with the girls.

Depending on family traditions, some brides have their husband's initials hidden in the designs, and the couple is not considered officially married until the groom finds them. I've also heard that as long as the henna remains on the bride's skin, she doesn't have to perform any wifely duties (like washing the dishes and doing the laundry). Too bad henna only lasts less than a month.

All in all it is a beautiful way to tie tradition to modern style. But let us not forget where henna comes from! It isn’t just a fad or fly-by-night trend; it is a beautiful custom and tradition!

xoxo

Katherine

Love, Lace, and Themes

Trendy Tuesdays

Decor Trend # 2

Love, Lace, and Themes

Image via Pinterest                             

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!  For those of you that celebrate I hope you had a wonderful day with the people you love most close to you.  

Lace was this weeks pick for a fashion trend but it has had a major impact on decor this year too.  However, there was a twist to this trend.  How you used depended on the #2 trend of 2012: the theme wedding.  Classic and formal still preside but this year we saw a trend toward building your wedding more than around a color scheme, but themes like modern, rustic, vintage, and shabby chic were all too common.  Lace was absolutely critical to creating them all.  Invitations, backdrops, escort cards, place settings, favors and even the cake wore lace this year.  Proving to be just as versatile in creating all of these looks, as it did for the gowns we saw this year, lace was the key part to creating the right theme.  

                                                             Images via StyleMePretty.com

As the economy brought out the craftiness of many you DIY brides, lace was an easy, elegant and affordable  decor option for all themes.  Rustic was the trend that came out top and used lace to soften up the rough edges, literally.  Mason jars wrapped in lace held candles and florals, while tables were draped in burlap with lace trim to add a feminine touch to the rough fabric.

       

Image via Style Me Pretty

     

Vintage looks used lace curtains as backdrops, linens, and lots of doilies to create a casual yet refined look.  Combined with vintage rental furniture and mismatched china, the lace added to refined and cohesive element to this style.  Shabby Chic was a fun way to combine the two themes mentioned above.  

                    

Vintage props and lace

So will you be having a theme to your wedding?  What's it going to be a little shabby or a lot chic?  My guess is no matter what, lace will be involved some how.... 

TTFN

Rachel

The Perfect Christmas Wedding

It's the most wonderful time of the year...literally! What could be better than having your family all gathered around a perfectly lit tree and seeing the church decked from top to bottom? In the spirit of the season, why not have a Christmas wedding?!?!?! Here are a few choice ideas and tips to have a fantastic Christmas wedding with all the trimmings.

Wedding Colors:

Red and green are natural colors for a Christmas wedding – It is likely that your church or reception site will already be decorated in red and green for other events and holiday parties. But don't feel limited to this palate. Other possibilities, which will work with existing decorations, include:

·         silver and white

·         silver and light blue

·         burgundy, forest green, and gold (as long as the existing decorations aren't too primary)

·         gold and cream

                                                              Christmas Wedding Invitations:

You'll want to reflect the season and your theme, but you won't want it to look like a holiday card. The solution? Forgo a folded card, opting for the traditional thick white card, with a border and engraved or thermo-graphed text. You can highlight the Christmas wedding theme in the border with white snowflakes, an elegant holly trim, or a drawing of a poinsettia.

Since people make plans for the holidays early and often have many parties and events to attend at this time of year, you'll want to send your invitations a little bit early – about 12 weeks before the event. You might also consider "save the date" cards in addition to the invitations, which will ensure that those most important to you will be able to attend.

Wedding Cake:

Having each tier look like an individually wrapped package is a popular look that is perfect for a Christmas wedding. You might also do a take on a buche noel or yule log, with a tiered chocolate cake that has holly – either real or made of gum paste – cascading down the side. Use marzipan, an almond paste used in many holiday desserts, as a filling.

Bridesmaids Attire for a Christmas Wedding:

My favorite bridesmaid look for a Christmas wedding is long dresses with shrugs or capelets and a big faux-fur muff. But you can dress them in your wedding colors; give them long wraps or sparkly accessories, all of which will help evoke your theme.

And the Bride Wore:

A Christmas wedding dress needn't be that different from any other kind. Wear the one that flatters you most, and top it off with a long red velvet cape. Or embrace the trend of color in wedding dresses by adding a beautiful red silk sash to the waist of your gown. You could also seek a dress with lots of sparkly beads and sequins to evoke the snowiness of the season. And of course, a faux-fur wrap and muff are always fun.

Flowers and Décor:

Since flowers can be more expensive at this time of year, think creatively. A mirrored platter with pillar candles and sprigs of holly is both elegant and romantic. Buy ornaments in bulk on-line, and create centerpieces of bowls or vases of ornaments. For a simple but elegant look, put pots of poinsettia with a ribbon trim in the center of each table. Fake snow used to be tacky, but there are now very good products available. Set candles or small flower arrangements in the middle of snow. And for my favorite touch, use fake snow instead of an aisle runner. Or, you can always hire a snow-making machine to really make your Christmas wedding a winter wonderland.

Xoxo!

Katherine

The Cupcake Countdown: Continued.....

Here we are again!!! This week, being the Christmas season, I dove deep into my grandmother's traditional Christmas desserts. One of her favorites was German chocolate cake. I loved every time she would make that cake! In her memory with the upcoming holiday, I searched for a cupcake that would do Grandma's cake justice in miniature cupcake form. Here is the result! Thank you to the baking geniuses at Better Homes and Gardens Magazine without whom this divine recipe would not have come to my attention!

German Chocolate Cupcakes

ingredients

·         1 recipe Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream "Frosting" 

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         2 ounces sweet baking chocolate

·         1/4 cup water

·         1/2 cup butter, softened

·         1/2 cup sugar

·         2 eggs

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla

·         1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

·         Caramel ice cream topping

·         2/3 cup toasted shaved coconut**

directions

1.Prepare Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream "Frosting." Cover and freeze. Line twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. Set aside.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3.In a small saucepan combine chocolate and water. Cook and stir over low heat until melted; cool about 10 minutes.

4.In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on low speed until combined then beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spoon batter into bake cups, filling cups about 2/3 full.

5.Bake about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly.

6.Just before serving, heat caramel ice cream topping until warm. Remove wrappers from cupcakes; place cupcakes on plates or in shallow bowls. Top each cupcake with one round of Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream "Frosting." Top with toasted coconut and drizzle with warm caramel ice cream topping. Makes 12 servings.

Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream

ingredients

·         Waxed paper

·         1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream

·         3/4 - 1 cup toasted pecan pieces

directions

1.Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Slice chocolate ice cream into sheets about 2 inches thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds just larger than the cupcakes from frozen ice cream. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Press toasted pecan pieces into ice cream letting pecans protrude from the ice cream. Cover and freeze 4 hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Katherine