Have you read "Behind the Name" tab?

There is a reason for our name "Scrumptious Swirls"~
I really enjoy reading the stories behind other people's business names, it actually helps me to remember them and their business in addition to appreciate them a little more because there is something personal behind it.  For further clarification  of explaining our name, I came across this article on the infamous cupcake blog "Cupcake Takes the Cake" take a moment to read this article "Please don't name your bakery babycakes".  


The two things above is why I took the time to explain and create a tab "Behind the Name" for Scrumptious Swirls of how the two words came together....there is a reason for the name for sure!  

Here are some cute pictures for behind the "Swirls" and my twitter name "3girls & swirls" 

Haley Rose, Emma Mae & Margaret Grace

My Swirls

Enjoy! I hope the explanation helps you to remember me.....and if you have one too please feel free to share! I would love to read it!

Peace, Love & Scrumptious Swirls~
Stacy

Part 2~ B2S desserts for Tweens

As I stated in my last post back to school time for me is bitter sweet simply because I love having my daughter home and doing what we want when we want on a daily basis but I also miss having something of a routine.  It dawned on my today that I need to get to the uniform store asap and get her what she needs.... ah little bit of BORING!

So what did we do???  We baked, torched some marshmallows, cut up strawberries, checked our eggs to be sure they were good for baking due to the recall and designed some cute printables!

Haley's 1st go at piping not so bad~

There is a really fabulous teacher & children back to school printables at The TomKat Studio (which I ordered this evening)  and I came across cute free download's for just children from a very fab bird of Bird Crafts,  a few other freebie's that A Few of My Favorite Things shared.  All darling and cute~

Unfortunately for me my 10 year old who will be 11 in September, didn't want to make it easy for me by loving one of these....so as we looked through the Justice catalog we received in the mail today we used it for inspiration and created these~
Back to School Circles for Tween's

All have meaning and what we want most especially for this fabulous resilient age group "Love, Hope & Peace" for all them in their everyday journey through school.  There is a reason they came up with the age group "Tweens" they are one of kind and need all those 3 words each and everyday!

Please click on any of the link for your free printable for your fun & fabulous tween!  Check my other post for my Smore pops & below find my quick how to make cupcakes with fresh strawberries and chocolate buttercream so you can adorn them with your fun cupcake toppers~

Ok, now onto the scrumptious part~

Chocolate Buttercream with fresh strawberry white cake cupcake

Nothing like fresh strawberries baked into a cupcake!! 

So I have been away the last few days and didn't have everything I needed to make my cupcake from scratch.  Like I said I wanted to give everyone a short cut on this one, I had a boxed white cake mix in my closet.  I prepared the cake mix as the directions asked and washed and cut up 12 small-medium sized strawberries and gently folded them in after I mixed the cake batter according to the directions(very important~ you do not want to over mix a cake batter ever!! So gently fold the berries in)

Off they went in the oven then I prepared my buttercream and I always have those ingredients in my house...oh how I love to make different buttercreams.  

Anyway, either buy your icing or make your favorite buttercream and as for the chocolate I added about 3 tablespoons ( I never really measure) of Hershey's cocoa powder to the creamed butter and mixed it very well before I added the confectioner's sugar.  

Put my circles on popsicle sticks and now we have a perfect evening of desserts to kick off getting ready for B2S 2010!

If you have any questions let me know...and I would love to know if you made any of these scrumptious desserts...please share just post a comment!!  

Peace, Love & B2S~

Stacy

B2S desserts for your Tween~

Hi there!  B2S (Back to School) is bitter sweet for me.  I love that my daughter is home all summer, but at this time of the summer I get excited for her to go back so that we have more of a routine but at the same time I like being able to be on the go!

Anyhoo....I have been seeing a lot of B2S printables around this blog world both for teachers and younger children but not any yet for tweens.  I decided to give a try and create some for all of us with fab tween girls who are getting ready for B2S.

I made 2 desserts to go with the printable circles...Smore Pops & Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes!  Both so easy and very manageable for everyone!

Here you go Smore Pops how too~
Gather the items below....along with lollipop sticks and a lined baking sheet with parchment paper to place the finished marshmallow on.

Marshmallows, chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs &hand torch

Take the chocolate and melt it to dip the marshmallow in...

Then dip into graham cracker crumbs and place on baking sheet

then take your hand held torch to give it the burnt look and taste (if you don't have one it still tastes delish)

dip your lollipop stick into the melted chocolate one by one and poke into the marshmallow

Like so, you can serve right away or wait until the chocolate hardens

Don't forget to add your circles to the top....just adhere with tape.  The best way I found to do it place a piece of tape on the stick then line up the circle to the tape for it to come together!

Here you are B2S Smore pops for your tween!!!  

Enjoy!

I will post later the chocolate covered strawberries along with a link to print the labels for free!!  !  I need to run to a soccer scrimmage for my tween!!  Any questions let me know!!  Thanks!!  

Peace, Love & Tweens going B2S~

Stacy

Part 1~~ The recap of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Blogger's Night Out

I had a flash back to a moment into what I love to do best NETWORK with people face to face!  That is just one of the opportunities that Martha Stewart's company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia provide me that very hot evening on August 5^th! 

photo via flickr

Before I tell all you the details about the evening….let me go back and give you a few facts about Martha Stewart and my life. 

Facts~

~Until I was in my mid 20’s I thought that Martha Stewart had her own island “Martha’s Vineyard”

~My 1^st stock purchase was MSO when I was 30

~When I bought my first home I ran to the store and stocked up on MS Home and Garden mags 

~Made my 1^st Christmas Dinner for my family I bought a MS Christmas mag

~Got engage bought the MS Weddings all the little details were Martha mag inspired all the way to my cupcakes, photo below. Which by the way is why I started baking….that’s another story

cupcake inspiration for my wedding photo via marthastewart.com

~In the Present, I watch Martha Stewart On-Demand alteast 3 times a week for crafting ideas to recipes….my favorite is the bbq chicken she does with her friends to wrapping glassine paper around your glass votives for there special effects and of course all the Halloween ones~ last year my pumpkin won “best pumpkin” at my daughter’s school from what I learned from the tutorials. HA!

Martha, Martha, Martha do you say…a little, I won’t lie.  But here is the truth you know I am straight forward…..she knows what she is doing everything she does is just about perfect!  She is a very successful woman who has built an empire based on what she knows and loves and kindly shares it with the rest of us.   Hence she has become my household name as a “how too” and “what to do” for me.

Okay onto the event,  I get my tweet that I have an invitation to attend and what will be a break from my everyday life of being a wife and mother of 3 who is trying to figure out the whole social media world very quickly so I can catch up to the rest with my blog Scrumptious Swirls.  I think I was equally excited to get out and socialize, as much as whom I was going to be networking and socializing with!  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way~ which leads to to the next thing that I wanted to share.  My background is face to face sales which I was very successful.  The blogger social media is a great outlet for me as a stay at home mother to be working but it is still challenging because you are not really getting to know these people the same way you can when you are in person.

Bottom line is for me this was such a fantastic opportunity and that is what life is about creating opportunities for you whether it be to learn something new or better yourself.... this MSLO Blogger’s Night Out was going to give me both!!

Here we go….I got the tweet that I was invited, now the best way to get there & were was I going to sleep? 

Trans~ I decide to take the train, simply because it was just easier a quicker and relaxing…. it was perfect  1 hour train ride vs probably 3-4 hours in the car.  And 1 hour on a nice quiet train ride & no children!!!!  That was my 4^th favorite thing of the trip…I love them and all but it was a nice break. 

A place to stay….so in this" nice break" I was getting I was getting a chance to go see one of my very best friends Michelle & stay at her new condo in NYC, with her and her two posh little cavalier pups who I just adore and missed.  Which also meant,  that I would have a partner to go get a cocktail or 2 after this amazing opportunity and chat about it!!? 

I arrive in Penn Station, I walk out to the street to get a taxi…HOLY cab line cupcake atleast 100 peole deep.  But again it was all good…no kids with me and I was going to the office where all the crafts, food, flowers, you name it for your daily life it all starts where I was headed the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia offices!!  So a quick call to Mom to check on the girls, and a text to my husband that I made it while I was in a cab we were there!! Here is a quick vlog I did with my Flipshare Recorder~ (such a rookie at using it..lol)

Let the fun and meeting people begin!!!  I actually got nervous for a second but it didn’t last because the moment I walk through the doors I notice Jay of Maples Cakes from Nashville, TN.  I immediately introduced myself, and what a favor I did for myself.  His was so nice and with his southern charm I forgot about how nervous I was, thank you JAY!!!  Next we moved up the stairs we were one of the first groups up to the event. 

Through the offices we walked and as soon as we turned the corner the one and only Martha Stewart herself in person!  There was such a buzz around her as she was enjoying all the wedding displays.  Then she moved into the main room and I was right behind her and I saw a chance to introduce myself and ask for a photo.  The whole way up I said to myself if I get a chance I am going to ask Martha her favorite and most favorite butter creams, so as I was say hello and she acknowledge and agreed to a photo it slipped out of my mind! 

Martha & I~ such an honor!  

It is all good that the words slipped my mind because she said everything that I had wanted to hear….she told me that she loved the name “Scrumptious Swirls”.  I almost fell over when she said it, because a handful of people can’t say the name and have mentioned it to me.  But now I have validation from Martha Stewart that it is a great name!

Myself, Martha & Jay of Maples Cakes

That is all I have time for right now!    I will share all my other fun stories on Wednesday…..I got a last minute invite to the beach for two days with my girls so I am off to catch some waves down the shore, along with salt water taffy, Johnson’s popcorn & Voltaco’s sandwiches!  You will want to read Wednesday’s post with all the fabulous party girls I got to meet in person. 

Peace, Love & Martha~

Stacy

Bring on the weekend~melon infused margarita skewers

Ok again, off topic for a post!  But this afternoon it will be back with a fresh strawberry (because I love fresh fruit & summer) & buttercream of course!

So last week when I attended the Martha Stewart Living OmniMedia event as seen here on The Martha Blog today, one of the fantastic tasting treats we had were frozen melon margarita pops.  It was so refreshing and could not resist them and for those of you who personally know me~ I LOVE margarita's!!  Click on the link Martha posted a picture of the frozen treats ;).  I this week was thinking about them in this ridiculous heat and had to try my own!!

To get you ready for the weekend here is a little "how-to" & I say a "must-do" for your happy hour this evening or whenever  your melons and margarita's can come together!!

Here is what I did~ grabbed 3 different melons from my local The Fresh Market; watermelon, cantaloupe & honeydew.  A bottle of Freshie's margarita mix this is the only mix I will use these days....all natural ingredients including the sugar, the lime juice & the oj and it taste so good and fresh (hence the name ;)).  I had the alcohol already at home~ the tequila & cointreau.

I mixed 2 glasses worth of  margarita's poured it in with the fruit that I had cut up into corningware bowl that has a seal tight lid. (tip: VERY IMPORTANT don't put it in plastic....alcohol eats away at plastic, email me if you want to know how I learned it...it was 20 years ago..lol).

Use how ever much fruit can fit and of course if you need more.....make another Margarita!!

Ok, so I infused mine for 6 hours in the fridge.  Took them out, got my skewers out and placed three on each, then on a platter to the freezer for about 30 mins!  They are extremely tasty and refreshing I must say!  Please take a few minutes to party or relax with your melons & margarita's this weekend!!

Enjoy~ If you are new to my blog please leave a comment if you do mind :) and at the very least follow along!

Peace, Love & Infused Melon Margarita's~

Stacy

Graphic Design in her future perhaps??

This is my very fun, energetic, talented, creative, athletic & caring almost 11 years old daughter Haley Rose hard at work creating her very first design!

The other night Haley had a sleep over at my Aunt's house that entailed walking the streets of Chestnut Hill doing lots of shopping & creating original artwork by hand and digital!  Haley love's to go over to Jane's she always has the best time, I think Jane likes it too because Haley seems to be the jack of all trades....she loves designing, creating art work, again plays sports, loves good food & of course can hold quite a conversation, she is a very well rounded child I believe.  Then again I am her Mom and she is my oldest I probably won't say anything different :).

Anyway back to the design~  so here she is above drawing/painting the flower that is in the middle of the image below.  From there Jane scanned  it onto the computer.   Next, Haley had been admiring designs of plaids that Jane had designed, so of course then Haley asked if she could give it a whirl to design her own plaid! Long story and some designing later.....Voila!!    Haley's 1st go at creating and designing digital work:

I have to say I am impressed!  What do you think?  Looking forward to more work from Hales!  And perhaps in the future we will see her designs across the party circuit blogs and dessert tables:)!!

I just has to share, something a little fun and different from cupcakes & desserts!!
Love you Hales! Keep up the creativity girl!!

What to do with leftover cupcakes you ask.....

Grab them along with some vanilla ice cream, fresh blueberries, milk, fresh whipped cream and a blender for a FRESH BLUEBERRY CUPCAKE MILKSHAKE!!!  That's right!

Put them in a blender with a scoop of ice cream, milk & fresh blueberries that blended with sugar for a bit!!!

Left over cupcakes that were stored for 2 days

fresh blueberries with sprinkled sugar and then mashed

Blender with cupcakes, ice cream, milk & fresh blueberries

Actually I took 3 cupcakes, 4 scoops of vanilla icing and 2 handfuls of the berries, a bit of milk and blended them to get 3 servings.  As for the blueberries...sprinkle sugar on top of the fresh blueberries and let them sit in the fridge for a bit so they come together, and mash them with a fork.  

So I may not be the first to put all of this together!  But for those of you who read this it is a reminder that of course with some fresh whipped cream swirls, sweet blueberries, a left over cupcake and ice cream you can make a one of kind fun milkshake for yourself and your family to enjoy! 

Now what I also did for my girls was I filled up my pop maker to make them into popsicles for them~ the weather feels like 101 degrees today in Philly and my electric bill just came in at a whopping $580! So the AC is turned up now and these perfect treats will be a scrumptious delight this evening!

Any questions please email me!  And if you give it a try come back and let me know, I would love to hear!

Peace, Love & Cupcake MilkShakes~

Stacy

 

A Summer fun Cupcake

A treat for you and your children perhaps!?  When planning out your meals this week here is a fun dessert that everyone will love!  Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes with a Scrumptious Carmel Peanut Butter Buttercream Swirls on top!!

Scrumptious Swirls icecream cone chocolate cupcake with carmel peanut butter buttercream

Here's what you need and want to do to prepare these fun cupcakes!

Whether you want to make a cupcake recipe from scratch or pick up a cake mix be sure to get either a sugar cone or a regular cake cones to fill the batter with.

You can follow Martha Stewart's ice cream cone cupcake recipe click on the link, she shows you how to make a cake recipe from scratch and uses sugar cones.

photo via Martha Stewart's website

If you follow a cake mix like Duncan Hines click on the link for the how to~

So I prepared my cake batter but I used cake cones so that I was able to use a muffin pan covered in tin foil and you poke holes for the cones to bake.  It is very quick and easy!  

Again take a peak at Martha Stewart's recipe on how to bake these.  What she did with her cones (seen below) the difference for me was I just used a muffin pan.  

photo via Martha Stewart's website

As for the buttercream, prepare your favorite buttercream recipe. Melt carmel candy in the microwave and add it to the buttercream after it is prepared along with a scoop of peanut butter and mix until well blended.  It really depends on your taste of how much! I bet you can even buy a can of buttercream icing in the grocery store and add the ingredients too it.  If not just buy carmel syrup, some peanut butter chips & vanilla buttercream you will most likely get very close tho the same tastes and results!  

As for making the ice cream scoop look or the swirls you either want to use a mini ice scream scoop or a pastry tip.  In the photos above the tips I used were Ateco tips # 827 & 898.

Give it a try and enjoy! I hope you like it as much and my family and friends enjoyed them!!   

Peace, Love & Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!!!  

Stacy

Helping to make a child smile

Hi! Happy Thursday!  Real quick can you take a look and read the blog of Amy Atlas today and follow to vote for Icing Smiles to help them win a grant from Pepsi.

I know everyone has one minute to spare to possible make a HUGE a difference!  Thank you Amy Atlas for sharing!

Stacy

Lucky Loves Dinner for 2

As much as my husband do or don't go out to dinner for that matter or even host parties at our house....we thought for our anniversary dinner we would enjoy each other at our home and create a wonderful evening for ourselves to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Here you have our "Lucky Loves...Dinner for 2"....

That is exactly what it was…..I cook five nights a week so we decided that he would cook so I could do what I get the most joy out of and “set the scene” so to speak.

So with a little inspiration from some fabulous women like Martha Stewart, Chris from Celebrations at Home and Gloria from Glorious Treats here is what the evening entailed....

Celebrations at Home posts many inspiring parties one of which was this birthday party she had created. I wanted to bring my indoors out and I did just that.   I shopped my home for decor from vases, to shabby chic trays (that were in storage that I had come across when organizing my closets early this summer), my grandmother's china, finials, and even the cocktail napkins from our wedding day.  

The dinner table

Flower arrangement... DIY mason jar vases that I spray painted the caps with chalkboard paint and wrote the date of our anniversary date, lucky loves and BFF's.

I set up an after dinner dessert area where I had set candle light, more flower arrangements, conversation card games, cocktails & of course desserts!  The yellow roses and hydrangeas were the centerpieces from our wedding.  So a perfect idea to recreate and use for inspiration! 

Flower arrangements and outdoor lighting inspiration from Martha Stewart she has so many great ideas click on the link to se the floral votives above and many more! 

This chest is from my kitchen and used to display our desserts, games, cocktails & glasses.  Thanks Chris from Celebrations at Home for this great idea!  

The specifics of our desserts & cocktails-

  When my husband and I do get to go out to dinner we always have an espresso martini to remember our "dating days".   I baked mocha chocolate espresso vanilla cupcakes to go with our cocktails of espresso martini's along with cream cheese buttercream with Meyer lemon cupcakes.

Cupcakes with hand stamped fondant toppers and hydrangea cupcakes inspired by Glorious Treats ( I did use my own recipes for the cupcakes and added leaves to my cupcakes :)

Drinks..... espresso martini's and a smooth pinot noir

what would an evening be without poms& lanterns :)

A few other things....

I love my glasses that I recently got from a garage sale (set of 4 only $10!) and these depression cut glass off of ebay (set of 4 only $12) 

And here are the hydrangea cupcakes close up.  The next day was my grandmothers 95th birthday that we took the extra's too for her celebration! 

We had such a nice, romantic & perfect summer evening to celebrate our anniversary.  My husband was the chef that night and prepared an amazing dinner of filet in a red wine rosemary garlic reduction (mouth watering) and lobster tail (my fav)! And thanks to my Mom for taking our girls to stay overnight! 

I encourage everyone to take some time and enjoy the home and things you have in a dinner for two.  A lucky love I certainly feel as though I am to have a great husband & home to celebrate our love!  

Peace, love & dinners at home~

Stacy