Pom Pom Garland Tutorial

Please welcome Cindy from DIY Beautify Blog!!!

How to make you own DIY easy and charming Pom Pom Garland. You can make this project in no time at all with this great little step by step tutorial:)

Hey friends of SWEET HAUTE, I'm so happy to be Guest Posting today. My name is Cindy and I blog at DIY beautify, where I'm passionate about bringing beauty to the ordinary!

Sometimes I long to be a little girl again...

Giggling with my best friend...cuddling with my mountain of stuffed animals...writing in my fuzzy, strawberry-scented journal (ok, they didn't really have those when I was a kid)...but you get my point...

Life was simpler. Cuter. Funner (that was a word when I was 10, I swear it!)

So now I live vicariously through my daughter :)

Not really, but I love to help her make her room colorful, cozy and filled with delightful things.

We've been on a pom-pom making kick...I taught Little DIY (that's my 11-year old dd) to make them, and together we've made dozens of pom poms.

She made critters...

I made home accents!

We are both crazy about the pom pom garland I made for her bedroom.

It's so easy to do....you and your favorite little peep can make one too! Here's how...

We tried to make a pom pom using a fork...but in the end, this is really the easiest way...

...just use your fingers!

 Make a bunch, in colors that match her room, and tie them all together for a super-adorable garland. This coral yarn is a perfect  match for Little DIY's chevron-striped nightstand, which she helped paint.

Her bed will become a magical place!

Especially if cozy blankets are involved. Have you seen how I transformed an old comforter into a cozy bedspread for my little peep?

Yarn is so pretty...don't keep it hidden away. After you've made your pom poms, display yarn balls in a pretty bowl!

Who's ready to make some pom poms?

bringing beauty to the ordinary,

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Warm Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds- Tutorial

Here’s a deliciously easy appetizer for your New Year’s Eve soiree: Warm Brie with Sautéed Mushrooms and Almonds.

 And really... who among us doesn’t like creamy, melted cheese? I thought so.
What’s great about this recipe is that you can sauté the mushrooms earlier in the day, and just heat it up right before serving. I made toast points from sandwich bread to go with it, but crackers are perfect, too.
So welcome the New Year with this decadently rich and indulgently flavorful appetizer... then start your New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier! 

Warm Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds
prep: 10 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
you’ll need...
1 8-ounce wheel of Brie in its little wooden box
½ cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine, vermouth, or sherry (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
let’s get to it...
Place oven rack in the middle. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove the Brie wheel from the box and unwrap it. Place the unwrapped wheel in the bottom half of the box and place on a baking sheet; set aside.

Heat the sliced almonds in a large skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove nuts from skillet and set aside. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.

Heat olive oil and butter in the skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine, vermouth or sherry (if using). Saute for another 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat. Stir in the toasted sliced almonds and fresh marjoram or thyme.

Place the Brie in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a serving dish. Spoon the warm mushrooms and almonds over the Brie wheel. Serve immediately with toast points or crackers.

Candy Cane Bacon Cheese Straws

 Guest Posting Today is Christina from

Mama's High Strung blog!

Presenting! Store-bought puff pastry dough... The Alice in Wonderland of the bread world! Small or big…and everything in between, just like Alice!

Want a little nibble for your tea party? Make these Bacon Cheese Straws just 3 or 4 inches in size. Want something impressive to go across a salad plate? Twist and stretch these until they’re almost a foot long!

The secret is the store-bought puff-pastry dough.

It’s very forgiving and can easily be twisted and shaped. Of course, it’s the Parmesan cheese and bacon that gives these straws their amazing flavor, but you are the one who creates the enchantment.
I added a little “hook” on the end to make them look like candy canes... something deliciously festive. Best part: only three ingredients! Big or small…who needs a pill to do either when you’ve got these on your plate? Alice would agree!

Holiday Bacon Cheese Straws
prep: 20 minutes
bake: 15 minutes

you’ll need...
6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped (about ½ cup)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 sheet or ½ package (17.03 ounces) puff pastry dough, thawed

let’s get to it...

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut another piece of parchment paper the same size and set aside. Stagger oven racks so that they are in the middle of the oven. Heat oven to 425°F.

Sprinkle half of the bacon and cheese on a large cutting board. Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on top of the bacon and cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon on top of the sheet of puff pastry. Place the reserved piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough with a rolling pin so that the cheese and bacon are embedded in the dough. The dough should be about ¼-inch thick.

Cut the dough into long thin strips, either horizontally or vertically, depending on the length you want. Gently hold the dough at both ends and twist. Place on one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Make a hook (to resemble a candy cane) on the top of the dough and press it onto the parchment paper (this will hold the twist). Repeat until all of the dough is twisted and formed on baking sheets.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and store in a re-sealable plastic bag.

Read more on my website: http://www.mamashighstrung.com

Or send your comments to: mama@mamashighstrung.com

~Be Sweet

Christina

Sweetest Haute

Chicken Marsala Meatballs- Tutorial

Here’s a lovely little appetizer that you’re going to want to bookmark: Chicken Marsala Meatballs.

These tasty little bites are made with deliciously nutty Parmesan cheese and ground chicken, so they stay moist.
Marsala wine, is a fortified wine from Sicily that gives food, especially sauces, a light sweetness with hints of tamarind and vanilla, and overall deepens the flavor of the dish.
I made Chicken Marsala Meatballs as an appetizer, but you can serve them with the rich wine sauce as a main course over rice or pasta.
Here's the tutorial... the printable recipe follows!

 

 

 

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

1. Gather your ingredients: 

• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 pound ground chicken (I used thigh meat)
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup Marsala wine.

 
2. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. Place ½ cup on a plate; set aside remaining ¼ cup. 

 
3. Finely chop the parsley; set aside.  


 4. Place the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with your hands or a spoon until well incorporated.

 
5. Form into 1-inch balls.

 
6. Roll each chicken meatball in the Parmesan cheese on the plate; set aside.

 7. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add meatballs and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned on all sides.

  8. Add chicken broth and Marsala wine. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

  9. Remove from pan and top with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.


Chicken Marsala Meatballsprep: 30 minutes
cook: 10 minutes

you’ll need...1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 pound ground chicken (I used thigh meat)
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup Marsala wine

let’s get to it...
Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. Place ½ cup on a plate; set aside remaining ¼ cup. Finely chop the parsley; set aside.
Place the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with your hands or a spoon until well incorporated. Form into 1-inch balls.
Roll each chicken meatball in the Parmesan cheese on the plate; set aside.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add meatballs and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned on all sides.
Add chicken broth and Marsala wine. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan and top with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

 



Like Meatballs? You'll love this recipe: Baked Ziti with Mini Meatballs

Read more on my website: http://www.mamashighstrung.com

Or send your comments to: mama@mamashighstrung.com

Thanks for that yummy and delicious looking recipe tutorial that is just in time for Fall!

Enjoy!

 

~Be Sweet

Christina

Sweetest Haute

 

Please remember to SUBSCRIBE to this Blog and follow SWEET HAUTE on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and FB {new page}.



Creepy Candyland Cake

Fall is in the air, chilly nights, and cozy outfits are just around the corner. Spending more time indoors can be a drag until you put some spunk back into your days, making even a windy rainy day more bearable. Here is a DIY project I am happy to share with all of you today. I give you our magnificent Halloween Creepy Candyland Cake tutorial! An adorable twist on a haunted house for this Halloween season approaching. This is perfect for kids, yet still fun and appropriate enough for any age demographic. I've also decorated it in an interactive fashion since it was meant to be a centerpiece at a party, the little 'trick or treat or's can be moved about the candy land scene since they are not permanently affixed with frosting.

We had a wonderful time decorating this beautiful rendition of a spooky, yet sweet Victorian House perfectly appointed with yummy details and topped off with amazing architectural design such as the candy shingles and a pop tart dormer. Our family loved to admire it and we took so many pictures of the cake before letting the kids delve into its sumptuous goodness, oh no, right?!?....well they ate a slice of cake at least, then mostly played with the rest.

 Looking at the photos now...I laugh because the cake's design could've been a little more 'clean'...there is extra frosting 'glue' peaking out from underneath the decor, although...I am not a professional cake decorator, nor a pastry chef, and the kids did assist me in this process...so there's always going to be some amateur elements when you combine those two...;)



You can see here all of the creepy crawly gummy worms, the marshmallow cookie 'bushes', candy corn and gum drop landscaping, and the gumball skittle trick or treat or's out and about the haunted house with their costumes on...



The Creepy Candyland Cake is almost the same size as my daughter, look at the scale of this house!
This tutorial is so much fun for children since they literally get to 'play' with their food! My daughter especially had a good time since this is right up her alley in this stage of her childhood. She loves to play with Littlest Petshop and dolls right now...

 Originally, I had planned on making 2 dormers but after wrestling with one {the frosting didn't want to dry and gravity wasn't helping either}...I then decided on a single dormer in the center. Aren't the little trick or treat or's so darling... and I am really loving the pink rock candy columns.

Below you will find a list of the supplies and ingredients you will need to make a similar Creepy Candyland Cake. Many of these items I found at the dollar store and at Walmart.

TUTORIAL



Supplies:

House-
(2) 9x13 inch Cakes
Cake Pans 9x13 inch
(2) Cake Boards 13x19 inch {Wilton has pack of 6}
Cutting Blade {craft or utility}
Cake Mix
    -or make from scratch
(2-3) Cans of Frosting
Candy Corns
(1) Pop Tart {how many dormers desired}
(8-12) rolls Necco Wafers {each side of roof needs 6 rolls}
Wax Paper/ Parchment Paper

Decor-
Edible Marker- Black
Gum Drops
Gum Balls -Shimmer Pink
Writing Icing
    -or make from scratch
Assorted candies for decor:
    -Skittles
    -Sour Gummy Worms
    -Marshmallow Cookies 

    -Rock Candy

Rock Candy, Marshmallow Cookies, Pop-Up (PopTarts), and Gum Drops. 

LET'S GET STARTED



Step 1:

Bake 2 cakes 9x13 inch, set aside to cool.

Step 2:

While cake is baking, start building your roof structure and your 'trick or treat or's characters.



I made the witch hat first using the frosting as 'glue' with a Necco Wafer, Skittle, and Candy Corn. Set aside to dry, the drew a face on the gumballs, and glued them to the gumball body...let dry. Combine together with frosting, let dry.

ROOF



    a.  Measure your 13 x 19 inch cake board and draw (3) sections 6 inches wide, you should have  about 1-2 inches left as excess. Score your lines using your blade and then fold board into a triangle, creating the roof. Use glue to adhere roof together and set aside to dry.

    b.  Next , turn your roof on the side, reach inside with your pencil and trace the inside triangle shape on each side of roof then cut out the shape and fit it in to each edge of roof to seal it shut.



 Work in this order, {shown in photo above}, so parts of the project have a chance to dry before moving onto the next step.

    c.  Then, time to prep roof for decor. Prop the roof on its side that you want the dormer (s) to be on using 2 jars or glasses. As you can see in the picture, I used coco peanut butter jar and Biscoff jar to prop my roof during this phase. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the roof.

    d.  Cut the pop tart, (as shown above) a little off center making one triangle shape slightly larger than the other. Apply frosting to the edges that will need 'glue' for edges meeting roof and edges. As soon as I attached the dormer I immediately started adding the shingle candies to serve as support to keep dormer up while the frosting dried. Adhere Necco Wafer shingles from the bottom edge to top (see photo above). Finish roof and set aside to dry.



Step 3:

Decorate the Creepy Candyland Cake house.

CAKE

    a.  First, place a sheet of wax paper atop of another cake board and place your cake slices on there. I used the cake board so the cake would easily move around if needed, and not stuck to cardboard. You can use a platter or a cake board with foil, whatever your preference.

    b.  Slice each cake in half, length-wise. Frost and stack each slice with a 'starter' coat of frosting, then cover with a finishing coat of frosting. After roof is dry, affix it to the top of cake.



    c.  Decorate the house and candyland scene. I used marshmallow cookies as windows, bushes, and the door. Then I used candy corn to outline areas and accent parts of the house, also made a pathway with it. Next I used rock candy as the columns and the sprinkled gumballs, gumdrops, and creepy crawly gummy worms around the scene for the adorable haunted house cake.



Some of characters in the Candyland scene do not have hat or faces just to change it up and for the kids that didn't want to eat the gumballs with the edible marker drawn on it.



Ready. Set.

PLAY!



Get creative and find inspiration in the candy aisle at the dollar store, think of ways you can incorporate the candies in stock there. Their supply changes frequently so you may find something new. I purchased almost everything at the dollar store and then the other odds and ends like the cake boards, cake mix, and frosting I had to find at Walmart. Then I found the pink rock candy at Party City as well as the shimmery pink gumballs. Yet, you can find the regular color gumballs at the Dollar Tree.

I really hope that you have enjoyed this Creepy Candyland Cake tutorial, please stop by and visit me at the SWEET HAUTE Blog. If you are not already following me please follow my social media sites and be sure to Subscribe to my blog SWEET HAUTE and subscribe to the related YouTube Channel for SWEET HAUTE. This project was so much fun to create and my children had a blast with the design while making lifetime memories they will cherish....la dolce vita, the Sweet Life is my inspiration in my home and what we strive for everyday!

Some of my other posts might interest you...



 3D Pumpkin Halloween Cookie Tutorial

 French Halloween Macaron Recipe-Tutorial







Enjoy! Please visit me;)

~Be Sweet

Christina

Sweetest Haute

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Zucchini and Feta Fritters Recipe- Tutorial

Today we are sharing a guest post from the wonderful and talented Christina

at Mama's High Strung blog!

 

This is Labor Day weekend, for sure, but if you and your kids haven’t begun the back-to-school process... it’s headed your way!

 

Zucchini and Feta Fritters Tutorial

 

During the school year, many of us try to make Meatless Monday a weekly ritual. I found a delicious recipe that not only answers that call, but is also easy to make a day or two in advance and even freeze for the future (when New School Year Reality hits hard). Zucchini and Feta Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Dip are perfect for this time of year because zucchini is so plentiful. Make sure you really WRING OUT the zucchini after shredding it because the fritters will not hold together... major disappointment. Summer may be (almost) over, but we can hold on to some of the delicious flavors of the season with these Zucchini and Feta Fritters!    

Zucchini and Feta Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Dip   

prep: 1 hour cook: 20 minutes    

for the fritters you’ll need... 3 medium size zucchinis (about 1 lb.) 2 teaspoons salt ½ cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 2 large eggs, beaten 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 2 cups frying oil (canola, vegetable or peanut)    

for the roasted red pepper dip you’ll need... 2 cloves garlic, peeled ½ cup toasted almonds 3 large roasted red peppers, drained 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste    

let's get to it... Chop the garlic and almonds together in a food processor. Add the peppers, vinegar and oil and process until blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from processor, place in a serving bowl, and set aside.  
1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Heat oven to 165°F.  

2. Shred the zucchini in a food processor. Remove zucchini and place in a large colander. Toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and let drain 30 minutes. Place a clean kitchen towel on counter, spoon zucchini onto towel, roll up and wring out; set aside.  

3. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and Italian seasoning in a large bowl.  

4. Whisk in beaten eggs, zucchini and ¾ of the feta cheese.  

5. Pour oil (enough to cover the bottom) into a large skillet and heat on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, drop 4 separate fritters into skillet, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn and press down gently on fritter. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer or until firm and golden. Remove from oil and place on baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Serve immediately or cool completely and then freeze, with a piece of parchment paper between each fritter.

 

 

Be sure to stop by and leave a comment and take a peak around Christina's blog at

Mama's High Strung!

~Be Sweet

Christina

Sweetest Haute

Please SUBSCRIBE to blog, and Follow along @sweethaute on Pinterest, FB (new page), YouTube, and Instagram!