Ghost and Goblins.......

Halloween is fast approaching.... So,

I thought it was a good time to reopen my recipe vault to get an idea
for conjuring up some treats.

Witches Hat
with a sweet surprise.

I gathered an assortment of goodies to fill my Witches Hat.
Candy: corn, skulls, bones,
along with....caramel popcorn, M&M's and Reece's Pieces.

I filled the sugar (ice cream) cone with sweets, then
brushed the edge/rim of the cone with (melted) chocolate.
The chocolate becomes the glue that binds your cookie to your cone.

You can use any (round) cookie for the base.
I used a (pre-made) dark chocolate and peanut butter cookies.

To prevent candies from spilling out
and the chocolate from dripping, I
placed the cookie on top of the (chocolate) brushed cone.
Gently turning it over...

to paint a single coat of chocolate over the entire hat then set aside to dry.

When it was dry, I adorned my Hat with candies and a sour gummy ribbon .
To complete my little project, a Witches Broom was fashioned
from licorice laces and a pretzel rod.

I'm also using this recipe for our Halloween dessert.
I'll fill my hats with.....mousse, ice cream, and toppings
(in place of the candy).
I may add fondant roses and bow or.....
the cute royal icing pumpkins and ghosties from Wiltons.







Black Cats.....

for instructions to carve the Black Cat O'Lanterns visit... Sunset

Thank you for your generous support and sweet comments.
I'm making my way through each and everyone's blogs.

The closing date will be November 8th.
I will draw the winner when I return from the Seattle Cash and Carry trade show, shortly thereafter.

Falling into Fall........

October has brought a definite chill to the air, putting me in a decorating mood. As you've come to know from visiting my blog, I love exploring new ideas for taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. Which I accomplish through the inspiration provided by visiting your lovely blogs.

Nothing says "FALL" like these...

PUMPKINS!

The versatility of pumpkins in any fall decor is endless.
I've only got one problem...

sometimes the pumpkins can start to look a little sad before the seasons end.

(Natalie Maynor's photo)

Violet Skiles
has the perfect solution!

Pumpkin Toppers

Flowers, leaves, pearls, frame charm.....what more could you ask for?
Reusable, perhaps?
Yes they are!




Violet has a beautifully illustrated tutorial at her blog for creating your own Pumpkin Topper. Please stroll on over for a visit. She's just as charming as her art!

****************************************************

The Reveal.....

Sara's Sweet Surprise Giveaway
Apothecary Spigot Jar
(2 gallon)

With the holiday season fast approaching.....it's a reminder that entertaining is not far behind.

Here's a decorative way to enhance your favorite beverage.

Here are the simple rules.

1 entry- for each comment left throughout the event.

10 (extra) entry's- post to your sidebar... the giveaway, picture, with a link, to Sara's Sweet Surprise (just let me know).

Please invite your friends.
Good luck!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lori Mitchell's

Halloween Designs
will be listed in Sara's Suprise Sucre Boutique this week!!

and....

a brown box, for you.




Stay tuned for a *SPECTACULAR* GIVE-AWAY* reveal!!!
(Shhh, Tiney)

The title certainly applies to this rose fondant cake extraordinaire. The creator of this masterpiece is Miss Rose Levy Beranbaum at Real Baking With Rose. I'd like to try and recreate a mini version of this cake. Hopefully my mini version won't fall into the next Foodie Friday train wrecks and bloopers category.

Butter Rose

This takes bread and butter on the dinner table to a whole new level!
Time to pull out the frosting tips. and give it a try....

Boutons de Rose for infusion.

I love using roses embellishments.
Their decorating and gift possibilities are endless.

This was the first rose of the season.
Paul found her in the rose garden after a rainfall.

We have over 150 rose bushes!!
A nice variety for making sugar roses.
I want to share my idea with you.
(please click the pictures to see the details)

Melt white chocolate chips (Nestles), I added just a blush of pink.
Use a liner a brush to apply a fine line of white chocolate around the edges of the rose.
Sprinkling (no dipping) Wilton (clear white) sparkling sugar over the chocolate.
You can apply this technique to loose petals too,
by painting one entire side of the petal with white chocolate and repeat wit the sugar.
**It's important to fill the muffin tins with a little water before placing the roses inside the cups to keep the flowers fresh**


The results are exquisite!
The rose petals sparkle when the light reflects off the sugar.

My sweet daughter in-law surprised Paul and I with homemade Red Velvet cupcakes.
I topped them off with a trio of petite sugared roses.




On the fully bloomed miniature roses , I sugared the entire flower just like I did the loose petals.
I'll warn you...once you get started...it's very addicting!
You'll be checking out the flowers in your garden with a new sugary perspective.




There are many recipes for rose infused drinks, so
When I saw these featured...
Fred Cool Jewels (Amazon price $6.00)
I knew I had to order this Icy Gem Tray.

I'm in favor of convenience when it comes to a beautiful presentation.

Story Book Woods was my inspiration for giving roses as a gift to my neighbor.

Rose & Raspberry jam with...

a bottle of rose water to make her own syrup, oil, or jam. I made a few ribbon roses for embellishing.
(The instructions will be posted on a future post)

These are the tags and label templates I made for your rosy creations.

Please feel free to copy them.

The sun is shinning!

Come join me on the patio for a velvet cupcake and sparkling rose water with strawberries.

Take a stroll over to our gracious hostess Designs by Gollum to visit the other foodie friends.

ON A BLOGCATION....

Here's a little somethin' to keep you busy while I'm gone.

Let me know how you did.