brecho cheapchic

Our featured cupcake of the month is brought to you by a favorite site, RealMomKitchen (you must check her out).


But of course this is not just any red velvet cupcake...it is a snob cake. I will tell you why. First of all, it tastes divine. It is made with a cake mix--always a score in my book. But the frosting is what takes it to the snob level. And Laura at RealMomKitchen was genious when she put cool whip into cream cheese frosting. The coolness of keeping them in the fridge is another dirty little secret! Do make and you will be won over to this lovely little lady....our Red Velvet Cupcake.
Here is the recipe:

1. Prepare cake batter and blend dry pudding mix into batter before spooning into prepared muffin cups. Bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes. Cool.
2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Whisk in COOL WHIP. Spoon frosting into small freezer-weight resealable plastic bag; seal bag (or use a cake decorating bag with tip). Cut small corner off bottom of bag and insert tip.
3. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Top with chocolate curls.(I tried to do chocolate curls.  I used a potato peeler on the square of Baker’s chocolate.  I ended up the more like shaved chocolate, not curls here.  You probably have to do curls the old fashioned way it you want nice curls) Keep refrigerated.

It's not that other people's plain front doors aren't perfectly lovely, but I just see a blank canvas on mine.

Last year I bought a cheap feathery heart wreath from Big Lots just because I needed SOMETHING for my front door and it was the cutest affordable one I'd seen.  But this year it didn't seem as cute anymore.  Does that happen to you?  So I decided to pump it up a little.

First I used one of the wreaths from the dollar store and that ugly faux velvet ribbon from Christmas that I bought after Christmas:

And, Voila!  The finished wreath, with added embellishment on the front.  Doesn't that heart light effect make you feel like you're listening to the Bee Gees at a roller skating rink or something?  Somehow that seems to fit Valentine's for me!

How deep is your love, how deep is your love

I really mean to learn

'Cause we're living in a world of fools

Breaking us down

When they all should let us be

Anyway, I don't think there can ever be a  bad time to buy shoes, so this project gave me the perfect excuse! The idea came from Grosgrain Fabulous, via Lorie at Be Different Act Normal.  Grosgrain has a great tutorial for making these sequin shoe clips.  We had to make a couple of changes for the little shoes-- the double heart worked just perfect, but when they were done it was so worth the shopping trip. You could be in luck...we have some of these gold shoes with the hearts available to buy.

For Valentine's teacher gifts this year I am making chocolate covered cinnamon bears and giving them "Bear Hugs"! Everyone likes a hug, but everything is better when its covered in chocolate.  They are super easy to make and cheap!! I bought a 5 lb bag of cinnamon bears at Kings Soopers or Walmart for $3.99--wowza that is a lot of bears.

But don't just stop at giving these bear hugs for Valentine's day. I like to put one bear hug in my kids lunch--just because what kid can't use a bear hug at school!! They make fun teacher appreciation gifts or mother's day gifts.

Here is the recipe:
11 oz bag of milk chocolate chips--I prefer ghiradelli's
1/4 cup shortening
melt in microwave for 2-3 minutes on 50% power stirring occasionally
Then dip each bear halfway in the chocolate and let dry on parchment paper and put in fridge to harden the chocolate.
*I have also used milk chocolate melting disks (like Wilson's brand from Walmart or Joann's) and follow the same directions, except you don't need to put in fridge.


Now here is the best thing about looking at these little cuties, you can really just look at them here and then feel like you are eating them up....and according to a show I watched on PBS (a little weird that I watched a show on PBS I know) that was talking about the future of avatars and online world (which is really quite creepy to me but I liked this part of it) research has showed that people who experienced eating online actually felt full in real life and the pleasure of eating etc.. as an avatar carried over to real life----hmm..... Dot said something about pretending to eat a cupcake and not having any calories from it...well Dot you are so validated now by PBS! So maybe if you stare at the pictures of these chocolate covered cinnamon bears long enough you will feel like you actually ate them too! And then they are calorie free and cute and if that's not a win-win, I don't know what is!

I just can't stick to the old decorations from last year.  Not good enough?  Am I snubbing them?  I just get so excited about new ideas!  So here's a little peek into my Valentine's decorations this year.

Top from Left: inspired by Family Chic, homemade Valentine, frame: Target, embellished wreath from Big Lots Middle Left: pdf from eighteen25, via Be Different...Act Normal, Middle Second from Right, cupcake wreath inspired by: Tatertos and Jello, Middle Right: Napkin Wall flowers inspired by Made Bottom from Left: Embellished Tin Sign from Hobby Lobby, Pennant Banner inspired by: Crafty Sisters, Valentines made to hang in my bathroom (are you a little grossed out now?) and strawberry heart-shaped marshmallows