Baby Announcement Cookies

I was commissioned to make these baby announcement cookies for a friend. It was a quick turnaround, so I used my new "no-meringue-powder glaze." And the little baby heads are made with fondant. They turned out cute, but there was a big surprise about 10 weeks later when this momma-to-be found out she was carrying twins! And, yes, she found out when she was already 18 weeks. So, some of the sayings on the cookies ended up being pretty inaccurate. Ha!

Ladybug First Birthday

My niece turned one in September. Here are the cookies I made for her party.
The tiny ladybugs and the black and red 1's were made out of fondant. The R's were made using royal icing transfers.

Cinderella Goodies

I made these toppers for my bestie's daughter's third birthday. They were so fun to make!

"Before the ball"

Cinderella's coach cake topper

(made with a faux pumpkin from a craft store, fondant, and gum paste)

Castle cookies (done with royal icing transfers)

Coach cookies

Bling and Pearls

I made these super cute cookies for a wedding shower that my sis-in-law helped host. I think they turned out great!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - A Very Special First Birthday

My baby boy turned one, and I chose a baseball theme for his very small family party. It was really fun, because there was so much out there for baseball. And since our colors were red and blue, all the 4th of July party stuff worked too! I really enjoyed doing all the concession stand inspired food too.

Thank you to my mom who helped me with a lot of the party,  and to my mother-in-law who made the precious party hat.

Here are pics of the decor and treats:

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Party Hats and Number Ones

I made these first birthday cookies for a dear friend's little girl. Due to an egg allergy, I used a new "royal icing" recipe, and I absolutely loved it! It's technically a glaze, but it will be my go-to icing from now on, unless I need to make something intricate or precise. I got the recipe from this website. You can make it thicker or thinner just by adding more sugar or more water. So easy!!

A New Family Favorite: Tortellini Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It looked DELISH! I don't know about you, but I don't usually have 6 cups of leftover meaty spaghetti sauce. Nor am I an avid Crock Pot user.

If you are like me, here is the recipe I tweaked. My husband and I both adored this soup. It was great on a cold winter night. And, the next night, I took it to my neighbors' house and we ate the rest. My daughter even ate some! Gasp! My macaroni-hot-dog-and-peanut-butter-sandwich-only kid ate it! It's a big deal...

Anyways, here it is.

Creamy Tortellini Soup
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb. italian sausage
red pepper flakes (to taste)
4 c. chicken broth
1 package of frozen spinach (or fresh)
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. cream cheese, cut in smaller chunks
about 16 oz. tortellini (frozen or fresh)

Brown your sausage in a large dutch oven. Add red pepper flakes.


Once brown, add the spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, spinach, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add your tortellini right to the pot. Simmer for 15 more minutes.

Add your cream cheese. After it melts, it's ready!

Serve with a little parmesan on top and a simple salad on the side!