Spooktacular Sweets

Are you getting in the Halloween spirit yet?  I know I am!

Before I kick off today's Halloween post, I had to let you know that I finally bought my own domain!  My new web address is: www.schuelove.com

 Easy enough, right?  Not sure how this affects things moving forward, but it should be an easy transition!

OK!  Back to Halloween!  It's no secret that one of the best parts about Halloween are all the sweets!  It's why every little boy and girl will be trick-or-treating Monday night and I think it serves as a good excuse for the rest of of us to bake up some goodies!

I found some fun inspiration and thought I would share...just in time for Halloween parties this weekend!  :)

Chocolate pudding + oreo crumbles + cookies = Adorable tombstone desserts!

Pretzels and chocolate ghosts!

Such a cute idea...love all the creative names!

Ghastly ghost cupcake!

Sugar glass-Poison bubble bath-Crow cookies

Red velvet cake...the best part is when you slice it open!

And last but not least...a little something for the adults!  Love this set up!

Are you planning to bake anything fun this weekend?  Hosting a fun Halloween Party?  Let me know!

xo natasha

P.S. For more Halloween Inspiration visit Danielle over at Breakfast at Toast!

Random Wednesday Musings

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Just wanted to use today's post to update you on some random tid bits in my life...no particular theme or reason...just 'cause!

 A little sneak peak of our new blue lamps...imagine them here.

Beautiful Mother's Day Cupcakes...from Sugar Pine Bakery.  If you're ever in Tahoe, you MUST stop by...they're delicious!

 

Old school Nintendo...YES!!!  Can't wait to Duck Hunt! :)

 A little update to the mantel...some spring moss and mercury glass.

The most delicious cinnamon buns...also from Sugar Pine.  Pop them in the oven and the cream cheese frosting comes oozing over!! 

 Some lovely coral roses.

 And poor Wilson got a little boo boo...he's such a ham with his limp wrist!

Also, I want to direct you to Delightfully Dowling...I got to do a SUPER fun food post here.  It's sure to bring a rainbow to your day!  :)

 What are you up to this Wednesday?  It just seems like one of those random days, doesn't it?

xo natasha

Ayy Yi Yi!!!

Today is Cinco de Mayo!!!  

Which means I get to enjoy the culture whilst eating my beloved Mexican food...one of my favorites!  :)

It was a tradition in college to celebrate Cinco de Mayo making limeade margaritas and guacamole from scratch.  We loved the holiday so much, we made up our own celebration, "Cinco de Seis," which, naturally, follows the next day.  I know it does not many ANY sense, but it was our thing...Cinco de Mayo was always a two day fiesta!

So in honor of Cindo de Mayo, I wanted to share some fun inspiration to get all of you in the spirit!

These have to be the cutest little popsicles I have ever seen!  They're Corona flavored, which is a light Mexican cerveza...perfect for today!  Recipe found {here}.

I love this idea for a little party...they're total DIY and make for great centerpieces!

I love Mexican tiles and their beautiful colors...these stairs are no exception.

This Mexican inspired dress by Free People is adorable!  I wish I had it to wear today!

I know these poms are popular for any occasion, but I think they're especially festive for Cinco de Mayo!  The vivid colors tie into the textiles that Mexico is known for.

 The cupcakes look dee-licious!!  A little cupcake + a little lime margarita?  Sounds good to me!  Recipe found {here}.

I've seen a lot of owls around these parts, but this little guy could not be cuter!  Don't you agree?

Hello!!  What is not to love about these Mexican Textiles?  I spot a little ikat, chevron, and good old fashioned stripes!  Amazing!

This Mexican Suzani bedspread is perfection in this mustard color...love the color scheme in this room.

Of course, no Cinco de Mayo post is complete without a fresh squeezed tangy margarita.  Doesn't this one look divine?  Recipe found {here}.

Images via Pinterest

So what plans do you have tonight?  Whatever you do, I hope you have a great celebration...and feel free to continue on into Cinco de Seis!  Ay yi yi!  :)

xo natasha

Linking up to Let's Fiesta! blog crawl!  Join in the on the fun!

Something {Baby} Blue Cupcakes!

It's a BOY!!!

Only not mine, my friends!  :)

I mentioned yesterday that I attended a baby shower over the weekend...but what I didn't tell you is that I made 48 cupcakes for the special event!  You should have seen me Saturday morning...elbow deep in powdered sugar and cream cheese frosting...desperately trying to frost those babies and get to the shower on time.  Clearly, my time management skills were lacking that morning.

Anyway...I digress!  The point is that this cupcakes turned out to be a huge hit!  The secret is the OREO!!!

Yes, these cupcakes feature half an oreo {cream side up!} on the bottom of each of them...the other half gets crushed up into the batter...and let me tell you...they are HEAVEN!

 The best part is that the oreos are soft and literally become part of the cupcake...genius!

Recipe adapted from Homemade by Holman:

{Cake}

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 36 Oreo cookies 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Separate 24 Oreos, leaving cream filling on one half. Place cream side up in the bottom of each liner. Add the other halves and remaining cookies to food processor and pulse a couple times to create large chunks. Set aside Oreo chunks.

Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add milk and vanilla to a large measuring cup and stir together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Follow with 1/2 the milk mixture, mix on low and continue alternating additions, ending with flour mixture. Stir in Oreo chunks.

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

{Frosting}

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 24 Oreos for garnish {I chose sprinkles instead}

Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and beat until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium high and whip for 30 seconds to a minute. Fill a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes as desired.

Garnish with an additional Oreo or Oreo halve.

If baking from scratch scares you or you just don't have time, simply buy a white cake mix and stir in the oreos...no one has to know and it's an easy shortcut.  In my opinion, the homemade frosting is what makes the difference...there is no substitute for that, my friends.

Ok, what are you waiting for?  Time to make these cupcakes and blow your families and friends away!
 

xo natasha

Linking up to Tasty Tuesdays

Oscar Recap!

Happy Monday lovies!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Our Oscar Party was so much fun last night...and of course I was THRILLED to see Mila Kunis wear the gorgeous lilac Elie Saab dress that I blogged about here!

I was literally showing my dress picks to my girlfriends last night and then low and behold...there Mila was wearing this beauty!  Doesn't she just look stunning??? 

Everyone brought an appetizer or two to share at the party.  My contribution was Ina Garten's Savory Palmiers.

These are comprised of puff pastry and then a filling of pesto, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts!  Working with puff pastry is VERY easy...but the end result is quite elegant.  Your guests will think you spent hours prepping and making these appetizers, when in fact it only takes about 10 minutes.

For dessert, I followed a recipe from a fellow blogger Homemade by Homan.  The Snicker Cupcakes were a huge hit!

I used a dark chocolate cocoa powder and poured the caramel on top (instead of on the inside).  These were the perfect balance of rich chocolate decadence...and the caramel wasn't bad either!

Of course no Oscar Party is complete without some champagne!!!

We had a lot of great food, great drinks, great company...and we all placed bets on who would win in each category!  I'm sad that the Awards Season is over now!  I definitely need to go watch the King's Speech..stat!

Check back tomorrow for some fun and exciting news...someone {it's me!} just won her first giveaway!  Details tomorrow!

xo natasha

linked to: Tasty Tuesdays

C is for Cupcake

I have a confession:  I LOVE cupcakes!  I know, I know...I sound like every other person in the world right now, but seriously...anything that comes in a mini size, sounds good to me!  You know..that was the allure to cupcakes...way back in the day!  They were a miniature cake.  Now, of course, there are mini cupcakes, which is almost like a double negative.  But still, this is the original and I love them!

This recipe is taken from cupcakes!, a nice little cookbook given by a dear friend:

• 1 and 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon bakings soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola or corn oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg and yolk, and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about 2 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  On low speed, mix in the oil and vanilla until blended.  Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain.  Mix in the flour mixture until its incorporated and the batter is smooth.  Scoop into cupcake pan and bake for 23 minutes.

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 heavy whipping cream, at room temperature

Put the chocolate in a heat proof bowl or the top of a double broiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double broiler).  Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth.  Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.  Add the butter, and using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes.  At first the mixture will look crumbly, but then it will form a smooth mass.  Beat in the melted chocolate.  Add the vanilla and cream, mixing to incorporate.  On medium speed, beat the frosting for at least 3 minutes, until it looks smooth and creamy and the color lightens.  Using a small spatula, spread about 3 tablespoons of frosting on top of each cupcake, mounding the frosting in the center.  The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

I love the combo of yellow cake and chocolate frosting...it keeps the cupcake light but still rich...if that even makes sense!  What's your favorite cupcake?

Hope you enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

xo natasha

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays Bloghop