I am telling you about The Cupcake Girls to recommend that you watch the show of course, but also to fill you in on why cupcakes are so happening. Cupcakes are like little bundles of joy. They are just as delicious as a full cake, but in a better serving size, and you can get so creative with them. Yes cakes have the same ability, but it’s a little unusual to see a mound of cupcakes instead of one large cake. Cupcakes are becoming so popular because they are unexpected.

I am a creative person and so I see so many possibilities when I think about serving cupcakes instead of one big cake. You can use cupcakes as the main dessert display at any event. Birthday parties, graduation parties, anniversary parties, and even weddings are all great places to serve the little cups of heaven. You can try new flavor combinations, get a little artsy with the icing, or try a new display method. For example, you can line up your cupcakes and spell words with the icing as if it were a puzzle. For a birthday or graduation party you can spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY or any sort of congratulatory message. You can mix icing colors and designs to create your own original cupcake to match any theme or color scheme. As a bride and groom, think about serving a tower of cupcakes instead of layers and layers of cake that would take forever to cut. Contact us here at Kim King Smith Events and we can assist you with your cupcake craze! We would suggest keeping the tradition alive though, by getting one small layer of cake for the bride and groom to cut and then having a crafty cupcake display for the rest of your guests. No need for volunteer cake cutters, the guests can come and pick up their individually wrapped dessert as they please.

Now if you still want to cling on to the idea of one big cake, consider a cupcake cake. Now you can buy new baking pans that are shaped like an oversized cupcake and matching icing topper. These pans make for an unusual cake that can add a little surprise to the party. Nobody will be expecting one gigantic cupcake! So whenever you want to be that person at the party that always brings the best looking and best tasting dessert, think cupcakes!

By Ali

Photos courtesy of:

http://www.cupcakeactivist.com/2009/07/cupcake-girls.html

http://www.thecupcakeblog.com/tag/white-wedding-cupcakes/

http://www.caketodays.com/cupcake/giant-cupcake/

For those of you whom live in the Indianapolis area, you are a bunch of lucky ducks because you know what I’m talking about when I say Ritter’s Frozen Custard. I’m not from the Indy area and so I have never gotten to experience the greatness of Ritter’s until just recently. My first time at Ritter’s I ordered one helping scoop of the chocolate banana flavor and in a waffle cone. It was a whole eight minutes of heaven! Yes, I scarfed that thing down! Now, my new favorite thing is banana ice cream. Every time I go near an ice cream parlor, I hope and pray that they carry banana ice cream. Not many of them do and that’s why Ritter’s was so delicious. It was an original treat on a lucky day! Well, some of my hunt is over. I have found a recipe for banana ice cream that I can make whenever I get a big sweet tooth. I don’t know how it compares to Ritter’s, but I think it will do.

Ingredients

4 cups half-and-half cream

2-1/2 cups sugar

Dash salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 to 5 medium)

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan, heat half-and-half to 175°; stir in sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the whipping cream, milk and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Stir in bananas. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: 3 quarts.

P.S. Drizzle with chocolate sauce if you want to make it like Ritter’s chocolate banana!

By Ali

Recipe and photo courtesy of http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Banana-Ice-Cream-2

Grilled Corn with Sundried Tomato-Bacon Butter

Ingredients

4 ears yellow corn

Olive oil

2 slices applewood-smoked bacon

1 stick (4 ounces) salted butter, softened

3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare the barbecue for medium heat. Pull off the husks from the corncobs and remove the corn silk.

Drizzle the oil over the corn to coat lightly.

Place the corn on the grill. Cover and cook, turning occasionally, until the corn is soft and juicy and lightly charred, about 15 minutes. Transfer the corn to a platter.

Meanwhile, grill the bacon until it is golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Finely chop the bacon.

Stir the softened butter, sun-dried tomatoes, shallot, parsley, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and bacon in a medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Spread the softened butter mixture all over the hot grilled corn. Serve and enjoy.

Picture and recipe are courtesy of http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/01/grilled-corn-with-sundried-tomato-bacon-butter/

When buying meat, look for these types of meats or key words that will lead you to a healthier options.

• Poultry: Skinless, white-meat chicken or turkey. Also try ground turkey for delicious turkey burgers.
• Beef: Flank steak, top loin, sirloin, porterhouse, T-bone steak and tenderloin; 90% lean ground beef are all good choices.
• Pork: Pork chops or tenderloin are the best.

There are also simple ways to cut calories in your staple cookout side dishes such as pasta salad. In your recipe, swap out the cup full of mayonnaise for some or all for a flavorful vinaigrette, pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, Dijon mustard or lots of fresh herbs. If you favor the traditional creamy texture, a combo of mayonnaise and low-fat yogurt has flavor with much less fat. Not only will your pasta salad be better for you, but it will also be a new recipe to try.

For dessert, fruit is always the best option. It’s light and delicious and something everybody wants after a full meal. Strawberries, blueberries and peaches all reach their peak midsummer. Make a fresh fruit salad, or throw heartier fruits like pineapple and stone fruits (like peaches, plums and nectarines) on the grill to bring out their sweetness. Serve them with frozen yogurt or syrup.

By Brittany

These great tips came from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/be-a-healthier-summer-party-host/index.html