Cocktail Stirrers

A fun way to add sparkle to your cocktails is to use these shimmery stirrers. 

We found a small package of glitter pom-poms at the craft store and attached them to plastic stirrers with glue dots.  These are not only great for New Years Eve, but for other parties as well.

New Year's Eve Centerpiece

Hosting a New Year’s get together?

Here is a low cost, easy, shimmery centerpiece just for the occasion. 

On one of your trips to the grocery store pick up a package of the party blowers. 

Use a cake stand or an interesting serving dish and stand the blowers on their ends. 

Finish it off with some left over tinsel, garland, and some party hats.

Don't Forget!

It's Christmas Eve and we wanted to remind everyone to leave cookies out for Santa tonight.  This year we decided to make a chewy, chocolatey Earthquake Cookie.

Wrap your favorite cookies up with some tissue and a bow like we did, and pair it with a cold glass of milk. With cookies like these, you'll be sure to get lots of treats under the tree!

Merry Christmas!

Cake Pops!

It is that time of year to come up with something new and creative for Christmas Dessert. 

 Try Sugar & Bows famous Cake Pops!

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Parchment Paper
Candy Melts (1pound bag)

Lollipop Sticks

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. With an electric mixer mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. 

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on parchment covered cookie sheet.  We like to use a cookie scoop to make sure that all of the balls are the same size.

4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)

5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in the chocolate and insert into the cake balls. This chocolate will act as an adhesive and hold the cake onto the stick.

6. Place them in the freezer for a few minutes until they are firm.

7. While holding the stick, dip the cake pop into the chocolate and rotate until the ball is coated.  Next, tap off the excess chocolate by softly tapping the stick on the side of the bowl.  Do not tap too hard or the pop will fall off! 

8. Now it's time to decorate!  You can leave as is, or add your own touch by adding sprinkles or other candies. 

9. Place in a styrofoam block to dry.  If you don't have a styrofoam block you can punch a few holes in a cardboard box.  We suggest 2 inches apart from each other.

10.  Enjoy!  Serve these at your next dinner, party, or event and you will be a hit.

Gingerbread

The holiday's are in full swing and we decided to post a few last minute, holiday dessert ideas.  Every year we look to do something different, while using the same classic tastes of the holiday.  

This past weekend, as the temperatures dipped we decided on making Gingerbread Cupcakes.  These cupcakes are delicious and fragrant with fresh orange peel, molasses, and candied ginger mixed into the batter. We topped ours with a secret recipe for a perfect cream cheese frosting and they turned out great.

We didn't want to overdo the decoration on these but did use these adorable cupcake wrappers. We took a pastry bag and piped a healthy portion of frosting on top, and served them.  If you want to add more decoration, use holiday sprinkles or colored sugar.

Chair Garland



A simple and inexpensive way to add holiday decor is by incorporating a Pom Pom Chair Garland. 

How To:

30 Pom Poms
1   Needle
1   Spool of thick thread
     Glue Dots
     Ribbon


1. Thread the needle and start stringing the pom poms through their center.
2. We strung around 30 pom poms.  You can use as many or as little as you like depending on your chair and style.
3. Once complete use a small glue dot to adhere the string to the chair and add a decorative ribbon or pom pom to cover the dot.

You don't just have to use this for a chair.  It can be made into a garland for a tree, entrance way, or even a wreath.  A fun way to add some glitter to your decor is purchasing the sparkle pom poms. 

Sunday Funday on Martha's Vineyard

Looking for a great game day appetizer? Try our soft pretzels and beer cheese dip.

Pretzels
2 packages of Pillsbury breadsticks
1 egg
 Coarse salt

Dip
2 8oz packages of cream cheese
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 package of ranch dressing mix
1/3 cup of your favorite beer


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Open breadsticks and separate into the two pre-cut layers, then cut each breadstick in half.

3. Roll and twist the piece of dough in your hand until the dough is long and thin.
4. Now shape the dough into a small pretzel.
5. Whisk the egg and use a pastry brush to wash the egg onto the pretzels. Finish off with some coarse salt.

6. Bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes.

1. While the pretzels are baking, mix all of the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch mix, and beer in a bowl with a electric mixer or Kitchen Aid until fully combined. (You can add as much or as little beer as you like. We used a local Winter Warmer beer for the holidays)

2. Drink the rest of the beer or your favorite Holiday Drink.

3. Once fully combined, transfer the dip into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir.

Yields 48 pretzels.  Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

Sugar's Suggestions: Split the dip in half and freeze for the next game day.

Winter Wonderland

We were honored when our dear friend Kristen asked us to do her 7th Annual Holiday Party!  Her party is a highlight for many during the holiday season and her guests have great expectations.  Kristen's signature holiday decor uses a combination of blue, white, and silver.  We knew right away that we wanted to create a magical Winter Wonderland for Kristen and her guests.

Our focal point of the party was our dessert table that was adorned with paper snowflakes, a festive table runner, and a mercury glass vase filled with white branches, sparkling gemstones, and snowflakes. Our sweet treats included shimmering meringue trees, sugar cookies, and snowflake dusted cake pops.  To continue the feel of our wonderland we set up a small candy bar and also added more sparkle with homemade glitter trees, white fur, and tinsel.

 For the guests, the main attraction was the cozy winter menu we created.  Twice baked potatoes, sausage and cheddar balls, parmesan chicken bites, and pretzels with a beer cheese dip were all devoured the instant they hit the table.  And of course, to wash down this food we had a bar set up close by with a few garnishes to choose from.

As always, Kristen's party was a big hit and a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Update: Caution!

Update!

Colin's Mom sent us this adorable picture of the Birthday Boy being Cautious at his Party.