DIY Decorate Your Own Cookie Bar

What an adorably perfect holiday party idea... thought of by me! :)

Melting Snowman red velvet cookies!

My gripe with adorable Christmas cookies is that they never taste good!  So I sought to make adorable snowmen that were actually delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box red velvet cupcake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
cream cheese frosting (homemade recipe on blog, or buy pre-made)
black and red icing
Marshmallows
Rollos or reeces bells for hats (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine one  the box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix, eggs and and vegetable oil. Whisk.

Form teaspoon size balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about one inch apart. Slightly pat down the top of each ball with the backside of a spoon or spatula.

Cook for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely

frost with cream cheese frosting and stick a marshmallow into the frosting.  Decorate with colored icing to create a scarf, buttons, arms, eyes and nose. 

frost the top of the marshmallow and add the rolo or reeces bell (if desired)

I only did a few with the hats -- mostly because I was really going for delicious on this one and I thought the hat was candy overkill.  But it's a matter of preference - if your guests have the sweetest of tooths put the hats on!

I also made some smiling or some sad they were melting...

but they were all scrrrrrrumptious!

Red Velvet Christmas Woopie Pie Cookies!

It's so easy, I'm almost embarrassed to post this - BUT they are such a hit, that I feel compelled.

Directions:
1. Prepare the DUNCAN RED VELVET CUPCAKE MIX as directed for cookies
2. Cook, Let Cool, then Frost!
3. Sprinkle coconut flakes between cookies and pat down on frosting.

They travel easy, look so festive, and taste delicious!

****BONUS****  I have also made these with pumpkin cupcake mix (nix the coconut flakes).  Similarly delightful. :)

Mock On Stage Pageant Questions for the Bitter-hearted Runner Ups

Considering I'm quite bitterly boycotting my identity as a 'pageant girl' ever since I aged out and didn't get one chance to compete in Miss America and Miss USA unfairly chose the prettier, smarter, taller candidate over me...  I've decided to make a new list of pageant questions for my loyal pageant fans to practice.

(But wait - I don't want to lose you forever pageantinas!  Scroll back a few months to get pages upon pages of real pageant questions, essay samples, walking tips and pageant diet do's and dont's)


On Stage Q&A.  All answers are.. well of course.. world peace.

Do you believe that all vegetables should be treated equally regardless of their color?

Do cabbage patch kids promote childhood obesity? 

Explain quantum physics using only facial expressions. 

How does eating Smart Food Popcorn contribute to a higher IQ?

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

What would you say to someone who doesn't believe in World peace?

Why are fried chicken pieces referred to as chicken fingers?

Please recite your favorite Popsicle joke. 

How long would it take a 5 foot snowman to melt in 63 degree weather?

If you were a painting, would you want to be hung landscape or portrait?

Do you feel that subbing butter for margerine is unamerican?

do you think the government should ban red velvet cupcakes for their addictive qualities? 

Do you think it's unethical for baby carrots to be taken away from their parents and bagged for sale at such a young age?

One Day in LA - as a local!

Greetings from the Entertainment Capitol of the World!  Los Angeles is known for celebrity sitings, swaying palm trees, studio lot tram rides and activity laden piers.  And while I agree that a trip to So Cal would be incomplete without a healthy exploration of the tourist traps, there is much more to Los Angeles than what fits in your travel pamphlet.

For the purpose of this insiders guide to exploring LA as an angeleno, I will assume you have already taken your hop-on-hop-off tour and checked off 'standing on the Elvis star' and 'noshing on a hotdog from Pink's'.   Let me further surmise you have strolled Venice beach to buy some hemp jewelry and embarked on the VIP tour of Paramount studios.  Excellent.  Now return your convertible mustang, put away your celeb hungry cameras, trade in your 'I Love LA' tshirt for some vintage threads on Melrose and let's see what this city of Angels is really all about, shall we?

We will wake up early, stop for bobas at Urth Cafe and take off down the Pacific Coast Highway for Zuma Beach.  After a healthy dose of wave catching, it is a quick stop at Reel-In for the freshest fish