'A Casarella

6.18.2012

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza Pie

If you happen to be one of my followers on Pinterest you might have noticed a theme within my Food & Recipes board. The theme? Chocolate and peanut butter. And as much as I enjoy that combo, those pins really aren't for me. Nope, those pins are for my husband, a certified peanut-butter-and-chocolate-fiend. In fact, I'm seriously considering creating a spin-off board just for those creations.

So when my daughters wanted to make something special for daddy for Father's Day (something of the peanut butter and chocolate variety), we moseyed on over to Pinterest to get some chocolate & peanut butter-covered inspiration.

Since it was Father's Day (and my husband is their father and not mine) I left them to pick the recipe. I couldn't wait to see what they chose. Would it be this? Or this? Or this? Or this? Or this? Or this?

Nope.

It wouldn't be any of them.

(Because seven and eleven-year-olds have minds of their own.)

They decided that they wanted to make a "Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza Pie".

But we didn't have a pin for that.

(Because they made it up.)

So, it was time to get creative.

First we searched Pinterest for a peanut butter cookie recipe. This one was repinned about 900 times so I decided it would probably be good. You can find the recipe here.

Then we searched for a peanut butter frosting recipe and found this. Over a thousand repins? Yup. You'll do. (Original recipe here.)

So we whipped up the cookies and baked them in a big pan. We did NOT bake them long enough. If I were to do this again I would have left them in much longer than the recipe said (b/c the recipe was for individual cookies, not one big pan). Fortunately my husband does not mind gooey cookies. (Really gooey cookies.)

The we made the peanut butter frosting. (And let me just say, it deserved over a thousand repins. Yumm-o!)

Every good pizza needs toppings, right?

After frosting the mammoth cookie, we sprinkled on the chips and, voila!, a Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza Pie is born!

And yes. It does taste as good as it looks. Even undercooked. ;)

Linking:

http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2013/01/iron-chef-mom-party-peanut-butter.html

Punch Box Revisited

One of my most popular posts to date (okay, it was actually THE most popular post I've ever written) was called "A Party Favor." In it, I explained how I found this blog via Pinterest and how it inspired me to make a Punch Box for my neighbor's fourth birthday.

When I wrote it I had no idea what an amazing response it would garner. Seriously, people went nuts for this thing. And the absolute best part about it? Well, that's been the people who have written me to say that they wanted to make one (or that they already had).

One of those people was Diane, the director of my daughter's preschool. My daughter is long out of preschool but Diane and I remain friends on Facebook. (Thank you, Facebook.)

Upon seeing the punch box she sent me an email asking if I'd help her make one for her granddaughter Chloee. She wanted to use it in lieu of an Easter basket as a fun way for Chloee to collect some Easter loot. It was a great excuse for us to get together and chit-chat while getting our craft on.

Below is the finished product. We used a Uhaul box and she decorated it with paper flowers. (And get a load of her craft room in the background. I seriously want to live in there...)

But Diane wasn't the only one who was inspired. About a week ago I received the following email from reader Sabrina Fitzgerald-Ruiz:

Thank you for the creative tutorial in the "Punch Box". I'm always looking for new ideas to spice up my daughter's birthday parties. This year she's turning the big "1-0" and I wanted to do something unique. My daughter just loved the idea when I showed it to her on Pinterest.

I wish I would have had the circle scoring tool, as I'm sure it would've been a lot faster. I ended up using a coaster to outline circles and used an Exacto-knife to cut out circles. I wanted to step it up a little bit, so I used zebra wrapping paper. I also found letters that were much like post notes that were a fun.

I was quite surprised at how much candy and toy prizes we were able to get in the lunch bags. My daughter and I enjoyed doing this together. I really hope the girls at her slumber party love it.

A Punch Box makes a great alternative to a Pinata!

Check out those pictures! Didn't she do a great job?! (Sabrina, I'd love to hear about the girls' reaction.)

(And for the record, you can order one of the "circle scoring tools" by following this link or clicking on the Products tab above.)

Finally, another punch box spin-off comes from the lovely and talented Amy from the blog, While Wearing Heels. While on vacation last week I was delighted to open my ipad and find this post on her blog. (Yes, I keep up with my favorite blogs on vacation, even if I'm not updating my own ;)

Please click on the link above to read her post. And not just because it says all kinds of nice things about me. (Unless that motivates you. Come to think of it, that might be why I read it three times... ;) Seriously, though, go for the punch box and stay for everything else. You can also follow her through Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin'. She's a frequent poster and her blog is full of the MOST adorable crafts. (I guarantee you'll recognize many of them from Pinterest.)

I'd like to finish up by inviting you to send in pictures of your punch box. If you do I'll be happy to feature them on `a casarella's Facebook page.

Happy Punching!

A Pinterest Kind of Day

Today was the last day of school for my daughters.

My little one has a summer birthday. Her teacher, recognizing that summer birthday kids miss out on certain rituals, invited the summer birthday kids to bring in birthday treats during the last month of school.

My daughter asked to go on the last day.

Due to new(ish) food safety rules, all treats must be store-bought. My daughter chose to bring in doughnuts. The pinner in me dies a little whenever I have to bring store-bought treats to school. (So many cute cupcakes pinned and no reason to make them...)

To ease my pain I decided to hop on the Washi tape bandwagon and whip up some Pinterest-inspired Washi tape flags so I could decorate the doughnuts.

Pin found here. Original source here.

And that made me feel all better! :)

(Plus, my daughter really liked them.)

(Because apparently things aren't always about me...)

But the day wasn't over yet!

There's also another daughter and that one is now a fifth grade graduate. To celebrate, one of her friends had a small pool party after school and everyone brought something.

Our choice? These Pinterest-inspired chocolate graduation caps:

Pin here. Source here. Her source here.

Three simple ingredients:

I simply attached a square of chocolate on to a peanut butter cup using a dollop of frosting as glue.

Then I attempted to create tassles with the same frosting. (I never really mastered the tassles, but since people could tell what they were, I considered it a win.)

So there you have it: a Pinterest-inspired day!

What Pinterest-inspired projects have you made lately?

Today We're Going To Party Like It's 1955

My new computer came today and not a moment too soon! Here she is:

Now on to other business...

Lots has gone on in the time I've spent away from the blog. One of the more blog-worthy events was a dear friend's wedding shower.

Had I known how adorable the shower was going to be, I would have brought a better camera. As it stood, I only had my iphone. Hopefully you'll still be able to tell how amazing it was despite the poor photo quality.

The bride is my former nanny, a young woman whom I adore and think of as family. Apparently I'm not alone. The hostesses were the bride's best friend and her mother. Believe me when I say that the effort they put into this event was the type of effort one usually reserves for family.

The theme was "Retro 50's Housewife." (Think Betty Draper, but happier.) It was all very tongue in cheek but the details were perfect.

To start with, here's the table:

Let's get in there and take a look at the details, shall we?

Each side contained a themed vignette. The first was a "Baking Vignette":

How cute is that? (And are you digging the runner? )

Check out the "Milkshake Vignette":

Or how about the one with the toaster?

Or perhaps sewing is more your thing?

Let's check out that vintage sewing basket a little closer:

I asked our hostesses where they got the items for the vignettes. Some were bought (from thrifts and other stores), some were borrowed and some they already had.

Cutest table ever, right? Nope, not quite... Check out the kids' table:

The Instagram photo does not do it justice. Trust me when I say it was adorable!

Each person, kids and adults alike, received a favor box filled with gumdrops:

Each one was handmade and they were all different. Talk about a labor of love. The hostesses took plain boxes from The Container Store and hot glued ribbon around the sides. (You can't see the ribbon in my pictures.) Then they glued these kitschy vintage pictures on top and embellished them with glitter and thrifted beads. I took mine home and can't wait to find the perfect spot for it.

Across from the adult table was this fun "Laundry Vignette." The clothesline was filled with vintage aprons that fluttered over an old ironing board.

Even the bathroom got a vintage makeover.

Check out the milk glass, vintage Avon bottles and Aqua Net on the vanity. Perfection!

And lest you think it was all about the decor, let me assure you that the food and drinks were amazing as well. Here's a partial shot of the drink table.

(Which was covered with vintage books of course!)

And how's this for a great idea? If you're lucky enough to own a jacuzzi-sized punch bowl, freeze water (or juice) in a bundt pan and use it as a giant decorative ice cube. She froze berries in hers which, as we all know, is an excellent idea ;).

Lunch was the most amazing chicken and wild rice salad. She served it with a dish of berries.

I wanted to ask for the recipe but forgot.

I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the pie table.

It would have put most Thanksgiving dessert tables to shame.

There was a lot more to the shower, of course: cute games, good company and fun presents. In fact, I was so busy enjoying those things that I kind of forgot to take more pictures. Oh well!

So that's it...cutest bridal shower ever! Can't wait for the wedding :)

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Broccoli

(Continuing with my Instagram+Pinterest Recipes series...)

When life (or the lemon tree in my back yard) gives me a giant, oddly mishapen lemon, here's what I do: dash over to Pinterest to find this broccoli recipe.

Technically it's a Barefoot Contessa Recipe but I'm sending you to the blog above because she tweaked it a bit, and I tend to make it her way. (I'm sure the original is equally delicious.)

With any luck, I'll have a new computer next week and can begin blogging more regularly. In the meanwhile, your heart will benefit as I share more delicious vegetable dishes ;)

Bon Appetit!

Zucchini and The Blue Screen of Death

So my computer died this week.

Like a "Blue Screen Of Death" kind of death.

What's a blogger to do?

Well, here from my phone I thought I'd do some short posts, possibly some that feature Instagram photos. I've never blogged from my phone before so if the formatting's wonky, you know why.

One thing that I love to photograph on my phone is food that I'm preparing.

I found these Zucchini Parmesan Crisps on Pinterest. (Original source found here.)

You should follow that link right now and make them.

(You can thank me later.)

:)

Berries + Ice Cube Trays = TLF

Remember way back in March when I made these?

I thought you might!

And given how many people come looking for them on the internet, I can tell you that you're not alone.

Unfortunately--to steal a line from my good friend Cookie Monster--chocolate is a "sometimes food." (This of course is the 21st Century Cookie Monster that I'm quoting. The Cookie Monster I remember from the early seventies was a total glutton.)

But just because we 21st-century-dwellers know better than to gorge ourselves on chocolate doesn't mean we have to retire our berries and our ice cube trays. Those guys can still get together without inviting a one pound bar of chocolate to the party.

Here's how:

First you'll want to get an ice cube tray. Shortly after I made the treats that you see pictured above I bought myself yet another set of ice cube trays. This pair makes "perfectly cubed" ice cubes (so your cocktails look like they came straight off a bar cart on the set of Mad Men).