My Valentine’s Day Treats

February 10, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Here are the treats that I would be making for Valentine’s Day…

if we weren’t trying to lose weight this month. My husband is in a weight loss competition with his boss, in fact. And I have a 5-month-old baby. So, yeah, I could stand to try to eat healthier this month too. :)

white chocolate cherry shortbread cookie

I would make these delightful White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies for myself and shape them as hearts.

Heart-Shaped White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies: Follow the instructions and flatten the cookie dough, like usual. Cut a little triangle out of the top of the dough circles. Put that little bit of dough into the bowl to be used for another cookie. Then use your finger to press the edges in and finish shaping it how you would like. They do not spread out much during baking, so they are prefect for shapes.

I love these cookies dipped in white chocolate and then chilled in the refrigerator or freezer. Yes, they do freeze nicely! I can’t stop eating these cookies though, so they never last long when I make them.

red velvet cake roll

And for my husband, I would make this Red Velvet Cake Roll. It is definitely one of his favorites and always a hit when I serve it.

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Red Hot Cream Cheese Cupcakes

February 10, 2013 - Leave a Comment

red hot cream cheese cupcakes

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Red Hot Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Red Hot Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Ingredients

    For the cupcakes you’ll need:
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 t. vanilla
  • 2 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 1/3 c. whole milk
  • 2 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. red hot candies
    • For the buttercream you’ll need:
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 c. powdered sugar
  • splash of whole milk
  • red food color or gel (if desired)

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, combine the butter and the cream cheese together on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Mix in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy (about 20-30 seconds). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium-high speed for another 20 seconds or so, until the batter is smooth. Add the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the milk and the flour, alternating between the two ingredients, mixing on medium speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, to make sure everything is getting well-mixed—beat again on med-high speed for about a minute. It should be smooth and creamy. Fold in the red hots so they’re evenly distributed, taking care not to mix too much.

Now, leaving the batter in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour. What? YES. Put it in the fridge. If you don’t give the red hots a chance to soften and dissolve a little, they’ll just sink to the bottom of your cupcakes. Trust me.

After an hour, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F).

Fill 24 paper-lined cupcake tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and the edges and tops of the cupcakes have turned golden brown. Allow them to cool in the cupcake tray for atleast 15 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Once the cakes are cool, frost ‘em!

For the Buttercream:

Use the whisk attachment to cream together the butter and cream cheese until they’re well incorporated. Then whip in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture is fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add a splash of milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar. To get a pretty marbled look, put half the buttercream in a smaller bowl and use a little red or pink food coloring or gel to dye it the desired color. Then gently fold it back in with the white buttercream and pipe onto the cupcake. Garnish with a few red hot candies or small red sprinkles. Hot!

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/02/red-hot-cream-cheese-cupcakes.html

 Recipe credit Bake it in a Cake.

The big book of cupcakes

Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes $10.65 (was $19.95)

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DIY: 9 Homemade Valentine Ideas for Kids!

January 25, 2013 - 4 Comments

Make Your Own Valentines!

You can get store-bought Valentines for really cheap, especially with a coupon deal. But I thought it might be fun to do a homemade Valentine this year with my little guys, so I tried out a few ideas. A nice little weekend project!

heart crayon valentine

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DIY: Homemade Valentines for Kids

January 21, 2013 - 5 Comments

Two Sugar-Free Homemade Valentine Ideas!

You can get store-bought Valentines for really cheap, especially with a coupon deal. But I thought it might be fun to do a homemade Valentine this year with my little guys. I have a 2-yr-old and a 4-yr-old, so I don’t know many kids that don’t LOVE a crazy straw or a bouncy ball!

More great DIY Valentine’s Day ideas:

 

bouncy ball planet valentine

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Valentines Deals from Cardstore!

January 18, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Cardstore Valentines for $0.25 Each & More!
Cards for Every Classmate…At a Sweetheart Deal! 99¢ School Valentines at Cardstore!

Cards for Every Classmate: $0.99 School Valentines at Cardstore!

Use Coupon Code: CCA3117. Valid thru 11:59pm PST 1/22/13. (School Valentines don’t include envelopes.) A lot of the school Valentines cards actually include 4 small cards, so it would end up being about $0.25 per Valentine. You could easily use a Cardstore Valentine (like the one below) and add a sucker to make a cute Valentine card, like the DIY one we show you here!

photo love ya cardstore valentine

All Cardstore military Valentine’s Day cards are $0.99 now too! Thru 2/6/13, PLUS Free Shipping to all military mailing addresses. Just enter code CSA3116 at checkout at Cardstore.com!

Start creating a perfectly personalized Valentine’s Day card at Cardstore.com now!

More Cardstore Offers:

More Valentines Ideas:

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Money Saving Tips: A Valentine’s Day Gift That Will Cost you Pennies

February 13, 2012 - 1 Comment


Are you looking for some simple ideas to save money? We have simple solutions that you can easily apply to your lifestyle to save money!

It’s a paper mache candle holder made with things you can probably find in your house!

I found this super cute and cheap Valentine’s Day Craft from Homemade Serenity.

It makes for a great gift for a friend or way to put some festivity into your celebration.

Here’s what you’ll need: A recycled glass jar (pickle jar, canning jar, baby food jar, etc) Colored tissue paper (sometimes you get this free when you buy new shoes) Scissors Glue ***(Here are a few things you can use: liquid starch, watered down school glue, or just mix 1 part flour and 2 parts water to make an easy paste) Craft brushes Newspaper for A container to hold your liquid starch

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Blooms Today: Valentine’s Day Flowers Save 50% Off

January 28, 2012 - Leave a Comment

Receive 50% off from America’s 4th largest online florist retailer. Send your loved one the perfect flower arrangement this Valentine’s Day. Head on over HERE to pick a FAB bouquet!

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Homemade Valentines: 4 Adorable (and Cheap!) Ideas

January 17, 2012 - 14 Comments

Last year I posted about our annual homemade valentines tradition. Since Valentine’s Day is sneaking up on us, I thought I would post those ideas again and add the ones we ended up making last year (BIG thanks to reader Jen for the idea!).

Each February we hand-make valentines for all of my daughter’s classmates. It is a tradition they look forward to and one that makes me question my sanity (do you know how long it take a 5-year-old to hand write 22 cards?!). But I seriously love the end result and the memories made in pursuit of that result.

I wanted to share a few of our past valentines and give you a bit of time to shop for cheap supplies (I always use a Hobby Lobby coupon or a Michael’s coupon to save up to 50% off supplies!) if you choose to give one a try!

Last year we recycled leftover candy canes:

What you’ll need:

Small candy canes
White Almond Bark
Heart sprinkles
Little baggies
Scrap paper hearts
Crayons/markers
Ribbon
Hole punch

Arrange candy canes together in a heart shape on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 for about 6 minutes or until candy canes soften. Remove from oven & immediately pinch points together with finger tips (they aren’t that hot, so they won’t burn your fingers!). Melt almond bark & pour into hearts. Shake sprinkles onto wet almond bark. Bag. Tie. Enjoy!

Two years ago we combined the digital age with the homemade:

What you’ll need:

A picture of your child holding up an invisible sucker (smiling child preferred!).
Scrap paper
Crayons
Heart stickers (or any cutesy heart scrapbooking items you have)
Lollipops (my older daughter insisted on heart suckers which I didn’t think turned out as cute!)

I used coupons on the suckers and printing the pictures.

Three years ago we got our hands dirty:

What you’ll need:

Thumbs!
Red stamp pad
Marker
Ribbon
Little bags
Candy to fill the bags

I used coupons on the bags, ribbon and candy.

Four years ago was a bit messier:

What you’ll need:

Styrofoam sheet (like the kind meat used to come packaged on-can find something similar at craft stores)
Red paint & paint brush
Sharp object to carve reverse words onto styrofoam
Ribbon
Little bags
Tags
Candy to fill the bags

And there you have just a few fun valentines ideas. Do you have any to share? I’m in need of an idea this year!

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Ink Garden: 100 Personalized Business Cards FREE {Just Pay Shipping}

January 12, 2012 - 2 Comments

Woo Hoo!  Amber asked me to find her some cute Valentines to pass out at her Feburaruy PTA meeting… and look what I came up with. I think they are purrfect!  I know she’s a big fan of kittens so I’m sure she will love these.  Want to know the best part?  Right now Ink Garden is having a special on personalized business cards.  You can currently score 100 cards for FREE when you use code: 100FREE for front and for back USE CODE: 100FREE2.  Shipping runs $4.99.

Head on over HERE to check out this Ink Garden deal!

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Happy Valentines Day: Deals & Freebies!

February 14, 2011 - Leave a Comment

We blogged about lots of Valentines Day deals over the past few weeks. Now that the day is here do you even remember what they were? If you are like me, you can’t remember all of them. So I put together a V-DAY deal round up just for you……

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