It’s time for a Christmas Giveaway! I love the holidays and found a few items that will help with your holiday entertaining needs. There’s even a special handmade item from me!
Here’s what you get:
Cardboard Christmas Themed Cupcake Stand
Christmas Tree Candy Mold
Santa Cupcake Toppers
Christmas Themed Cupcake Liners and Toppers
Cupcake Corer
Decorative Paper Straws
Card Display Kit
An Ornament Frame
Plastic Mustache Party Shot Glasses
Fingerless Gloves
Handemade Kitchen Themed Half Apron
I’ve been in the sewing spirit lately and made a pretty apron for you guys! Here’s what the fabric looks like up close:
And here it is all spread out:
Enter the Giveaway
To enter this giveaway fill out the Rafflecopter form below. All that is mandatory is that you enter your name and an email address I can contact you with if you win. The rest of the options are optional, but will give you a better chance at winning the more you complete.
Rules
This giveaway is open to all residents of the US who are 18 years or older. Void where prohibited. For complete rules please read the Official Rules page.
I love retro cookbooks! I found these two books in a kickass thrift store called Class ‘n’ Trash in Salinas, CA for only $1 each. Some of the recipes in them are a bit funky, but I love the photos and trying some of the odd meals. These are circa 1963 and came in quite handy for my ’60s cocktail party I told you about a few days ago.
For the cocktail party, my boyfriend made a Western Chili Casserole from the Better Homes and Gardens Lunches and Brunches book, and I got the idea for my Pineapple Upside Down Cake from the Better Homes and Gardens So-Good Meals one. I ended up using my grandma’s recipe because it sounded better than the cake mix-based recipe in the So-Good Meals book, but the idea is the same.
Just look at this spread!
One thing I realized was that jello was THE THING in the 1960s. Everything had jello in it from desserts like the Bing Cherry Mold (pictured below) to more savory dishes like the Tune Ring pictured in the center of the image above (yuck!).
Don’t forget to get the kids involved in the kitchen!
This also must have been when the whole eating healthy movement started, because one of the books even has a low-calorie cooking section.
Even if I didn’t use these books for cooking, I’d still love them because they are perfect little snapshots of times past.
Do you love vintage cookbooks as much as I do? Where do you find them? Have you inherited any from family?
The amazing artist, Claudine Hellmuth, sent me an adorable Retro Oven Cupcake Box from her Etsy store to review for the blog. I was more than excited. I’ve been a fan of her shop for a while and had fun putting this little box together. It is available as a .pdf file and you can print as many of these cuties as you want! The file has all five colors (Red, Pink, Yellow, Aqua, and Green) in it as well as some cute oven mit tags, a cupcake tray, and some editable cupcake flags that can be attached to toothpicks.
Photo credit: Claudine Hellmuth
The first thing I did when I got the file was print out the blue oven. You need card stock, scissors, glue or a tape roller, and a scoring device to make these. You will also need an exacto knife to cut out the circle in the cupcake tray, and if you want, the window on the front of the oven.
Although it was pretty easy to construct, there were a couple parts that got a little tricky. I’m sure if I made these regularly I’d get pretty quick, but for a first time, it took me about 20 minutes in all to get this put together. I’d suggest watching her instructional video in addition to reading the written directions, because she gives you a few tips that make it easier to build and some ideas to make it look cuter.
I think mine came out pretty good! I’d love to make the other colored ovens too. They’re just so cute.
One thing I liked about these is that the ovens are a bit tall. There is enough room for cupcakes with toppers or tall frosting. The ovens would even be great for other small items like bags of candy, gift cards, small presents, etc.
Another great thing is the price. You get all 5 oven colors, 1 cupcake tray, 8 cupcake flags with editable text, and 4 oven mitt shaped gift tags for $4.99! And you can print as many ovens as you want! Claudine even sells a commercial license for a one time fee of $20 per favor box design if you want to sell your own baked goodies in them. That’s a great deal.
Make sure to check out her shop to see all of her other designs. Not only can you find several other adorable favor/treat box designs (like an ice cream truck), you’ll also find printable dolls, decorations, and digital scrapbooking sheets. Most of her designs range from $4.99-$5.99. So affordable and very high quality.
Claudine Hellmuth is an artist and illustrator. She loves creating “quirky, retro-whimsical” artwork to license to the gift, home and craft markets. She’s been featured in The New York Times, appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, HGTV and The DIY Network, and in 2012, launched an exclusive paper crafting line with the Home Shopping Network.
If you like her designs, make sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog. Also don’t forget to visit her website and sign up for her newsletter! The newsletter includes free printables and alerts you to new items in her Etsy shop.
Measuring flour accurately can be difficult. When using measuring cups, the way in which you fill the cup can drastically change the amount of flour in it depending on if it’s sifted, packed down, scooped or spooned into the cup. This is why measuring flour by weight is the most accurate way to get the correct amount of flour for a recipe.
The scale is quite nice. I’ve tried the EatSmart basic kitchen scale, the Precision Pro, before but this scale has several improved features. The button surface is smooth with no gaps for crumbs to fall into and it has an easy to read screen.
It also has a large flat surface for measuring. This is helpful because you can put a large bowl on there and still be able to see the screen. Some excellent features that I liked about this scale are:
Easy to use tare feature and auto turn-off
Can weigh up to 15 lbs
Easy to clean stainless steel
Batteries are included!
It comes with a little calorie counting guide as well
For those of you with resolutions to lose weight this year, this scale would be fantastic for portion control and serving sizes. With the included calorie counting guide and such an easy-to-use scale, keeping your portions down should be a snap.
Now, how to measure flour. I whipped up this little video demonstrating how I measure flour. I scoured the internet trying to find out how much a standard US cup of all-purpose flour would weigh. The answers I found ranged from 4.25 oz-5oz and 120g-140g. I was a little confused. I wasn’t sure how I would figure it out. Finally I had the thought to look at the nutrition facts on the bag of flour I was using. It told me that 1/4 cup was equal to 30g. I decided to go with this information and measured out 120g of flour.
This same method can be used for confectioner’s sugar and many other dry ingredients.
**CORRECTIONS: In the video, I said that you could use the scale to weigh liquid ingredients, but that is not quite correct. I’m sure it would be possible, but it would require a lot of conversions. Measuring cups or a measuring beaker like this one are best for liquid ingredients. I should have done another video with corrections, but it took so many takes to get what you see above I decided to just correct myself in the post. The scale is great for all of your dry ingredients though.
Another thing I said in the video that needs clarifying is about sifted flour. If you use a scale to weigh the flour, you don’t have to sift it first, although it probably should be sifted before adding it to your recipe. When weighing, sifted or packed flour will still weigh the same. On the other hand, you can get a much better measurement with sifted flour if you are using a measuring cup.
If you would like to know more about EatSmart products, you may follow them through any of the ways below:
EatSmart has graciously offered to give one of my US readers a scale of their own! One reader will receive an EatSmart Precision Pro Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale. This scale is just as handy as the Precision Elite.
The giveaway is open to those who are 18 and older and a resident of the US. I’m sorry if you are from another country. EatSmart is sending this scale directly to the winner and they will only ship within the US.
Giveaway ends 01/16/13 at 11:59pm EST.
You MUST answer the two mandatory options for any other entries to count.
UPDATE: I was informed that some of you may be having trouble leaving comments. If this is the case, feel free to email your comment to me through this contact form. Thanks.
As promised, I’ve added a small giveaway for my international readers. I’d love to give away more, but this one is coming out of my own pocket. Anyone may enter this giveaway as long as you can receive money via Paypal or an Amazon gift card.
If you’re having trouble leaving a comment, read the bolded message above.
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. To make up for it, I’ve teamed up with a great group of bloggers to give away a white KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer to one lucky reader! This is a perfect Mother’s Day gift for anyone who loves baking or simply loves being in the kitchen! This was made possible by Bay Area Mommy, American Family and some of the most awesome bloggers. I don’t even have one of these yet (although I’m told I can enter as well)! Here’s the details:
KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer – Retail Value: $349.99
– Color: White
– 325-watt mixer with 10 speeds; 5-quart stainless steel bowl
– Tilt-back head for easy access to mixture
– 1 piece pouring shield with large chute for adding ingredients
– Includes flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip
– Measures 14 by 8-2/3 inches by 14 inches; 1-year warranty
Giveaway will run from April 29 at 12AM EST to May 9 at 11:59PM EST. Open to the US only. Must be at least 18 years old to be eligible.
A fellow blogger at The Mystic Kitchen is celebrating passing 2000 fans on Facebook and is giving away an amazing baking package. A couple of bloggers teamed up to help her celebrate and are sharing the giveaway with their readers too!
Contest runs: March 16 to March 23rd Open to: US & Canada (*Canada residents please see Terms before entering) *PLUS Those bloggers I teamed up with and I are able to bring you a 2nd prize of $50 Gift Certificate to your choice Amazon.com or Paypal, so you can buy your own Baking Supplies!
Instructions:
You only need to enter on one blog.
All entries are optional.
You can complete 1 entry or ALL of them.
The more entries you complete the better your chance of winning. But you MUST complete at least 1 entry to be entered for a chance to win. Winner(s) will be announced here on the entry form, under the Winner’s List tab & emailed (check your spam folder!).
Come back for your daily tweet (it counts as an extra entry every day!)
Be sure to open a Paypal Account if you don’t already have one, so you can claim your prize! (Paypal is the best way to send & receive money online- its free, easy, and best of all SECURE! It is also the #1 payment system used by eBay and other major online stores)
And here it is all spread out:
