AC Moore Weekend Deals

AC Moore has some great deals this weekend and I wanted to share. First...

Look what I bought!

The Ultimate Decorating Set contains the following:

• 9"  11" Straight Black Handle Spatulas
• 9"  13" Angled Black Handle Spatulas
• 10" Featherweight Bags - 2 Pk
• 12" Disposable Bags - 50 Pk
• Practice Board with Patterns
• 4 - Standard Couplers
• 6 Pc Forming Cups
• Large Lily Nail - 2 Pack
• 15" Parchment Triangles
• Round Tips: #1, #3, #5, #12
• Star Tips: #14, #16, #18, #21, #1M
• Petal Tips: #59s, #101, #104
• Leaf Tips: #352 and #366
• Bismarck Tip #230
• Drop Flower Tip #2D
• Multi Opening Tip #233
• Thin and Thick Foams
• Flower Nail Templates
• Brush Set
• Gold Foil
• Cut & Press Button Flower
• Pansy Cutter
• Wave Flower Former 2 Pk
• 2 Pc Mum Cutter Set
• Calla Lily Cutter
• Calla Lily Former
• Scallop Ruffle Cutter
• Lily Stamen Set
• Tip Dishwasher Pouch
• Dusting Pouch
• Green Ball Tool
• Green Veining Tool
• Fondant Smoother
• Ribbon Cutter/Embosser
• 12" Dowel Rods
• Round Cut Out Set
• Rose Cutter Set 5 pc
• 8" Cake Circle
• Silicone Tip Covers
• 9" Rolling Pin
• Thin and Thick Modeling Sticks
• 4 Pc Decorating Nail Set
• The Ultimate Tool Caddy

Tilting Cake Turntable

Moves to 3 preset angles -12° 24°, and level--and locks in place, making every decorating technique easier! Turntable smoothly rotates in any of the angled positions for effortless decorating of top borders, stringwork, lettering on top and sides of cake, and more. The stand is made of durable plastic with a non-skid top surface.

The best part?? I got it all for under $125!! AC Moore had a one day only 55% off coupon good for use on any one item. I brought hubby along with me and voila! I scored two of the items I always drool over when we go there.

I will be signing up for the next Wilton cake decorating class in July and I can't wait! Flowers and Cake Design here I come!! I even ran into the class instructor and she was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. She was super helpful and nice and encouraging. When I told her I had a 55% off coupon she said "buy it, buy it now" b/c it doesn't usually sell for less than $100 even with a coupon.

They also have a coupon good for an ADDITIONAL 20% off your TOTAL purchase including sale items. Of course the stuff I want, like the Cricuit is excluded from this special. However, the Cricuit is on sale for $199 which is $200 off the normal price. If I had a little bit more money, I totally would have gotten one. The cartridges are also on sale and the Cricuit for cakes was on clearance for $199 at my local store.

What would you purchase with a 55% off coupon to AC Moore?

Recipe: Key Lime Pie

This is the most delicious pie in the history of pie. I didn't even know I liked key lime pie before I tasted this at book club a few months ago. I would actually have dreams about this pie after that, and craved it and whined about it. Finally, I asked Jess to share the recipe with me and Lord Hill made it for Thanksgiving. He's making it again for my birthday this week and I can't wait to eat it!!
So, without further ado...

Ingredients
* 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
* 3 cups sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 3/4 cup key lime juice (Lord Hill juiced fresh limes but I have been told bottled lime juice works too)
* 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.
   

Wilton Cake Decorating Basics: Week 4

This is my grand finale cake. The Wilton Cake Decorating Basics class was a lot fun. I met some nice people, and learned some new techniques all at the same time. This cake isn't perfect. I have not perfected the leveling and icing of the cake itself. I'm still very happy with how it turned out considering that these were the first roses I ever made. Practice will definitely help and I am excited about what my next cake will look like.
I plan on taking the next two classes as well, so stay tuned for more Wilton Cake Decorating.

Wilton cake decorating basics: week 3

I was mistaken when I said we'd be making Cupcakes like the one in the book. That's what happens when you don't read the lesson and only look at the pictures.
For what it's worth, I made more Cupcakes after these and was much happier with the outcome. Practice is important here.

The Wilton Cake Decorating Basics class isn't quite what I expected it to be, but I'm enjoying it a lot anyway!

Tomorrow I learn how to make roses and I do my "Grand Finale" cake. Are you excited?? I know I am!

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Sneak Peek - Wilton Week 3

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The Before....

Cupcakes are baked and ready to be decorated at class tomorrow. I'm about to mix the icing colors now. Are you excited? I know I am!

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Wilton Cake Decorating Basics: Week 2

At this week's class we got to move on to a cake.
YAY!
I had an exceptionally long work day on Tuesday and was in no mood to bake my cake for Wednesday so Lord Hill, being the awesome hubby that he is, baked the cake for me. Double YAY!

In case you don't remember, you can check out THIS post to see what this cake was supposed to look like.

This is my before. Notice that there are not that many crumbs in the frosting. If I were smart, I would have done a second coat of frosting over this, but to be honest, I was way too tired and way too lazy. The secret to not getting crumbs all over your cake is quite simple... Don't let your spatula touch the actual cake. It should only touch the frosting/icing. This means use more frosting than you think you need. It will look great, and taste delicious so the extra calories will totally be worth it.

 Before.

Now, I am aware that my cake did not come out quite as nice as the picture but I think with some practice I could definitely do it. Also, my icing was still cold from being in the car and was not quite as soft as it should have been so it looks a little lumpier and was a little harder to do than it should have been. All in in all I am still happy with my final product.

"LOTE" is not a typo. It's a "thing" with Lord Hill and I. I figured since he baked the cake I would make it special for him.

Stay tuned for next week's post where I show you my attempt at making cupcakes that look like this:

Wilton Cake Decorating Basics: Week 1

Okay so this post is about a week and a half late. I appologize for that, but there is a lot going on in the Hilliverse these days.

The first week of the course you don't actually decorate a cake. You decorate cookies. Which I, being the lazy gal I am, waited till the last minute to bake and then totally forgot about them. This is why it's good to take the classes with a friend. My good friend Linda brought enough cookies for us to share.

Let me give you a tip before I show you our cookies....
The Wilton 50 piece caddy does NOT have everything you will need for Cake Decorating Basics. I wound up spending quite a bit more on individual things that I needed because the lady at register was mistaken when she told me it would be fine. Personally, I'd rather have the caddy and all the extra pieces b/c I will use them all eventually, but it was a bit annoying to not know I'd have to spend more money in the end.

Cookie porn anyone?

The practice board.

The K is me and I made a cookie for Sara over at Who Bakes Cupcakes

All of my cookies. The W is for Lord Hill. I didn't leave him out.

Linda's cookies. She got fancy - look at her cursive L!

At this week's class I attempted to make this cake: (this is the photo from the course book)

 Stay tuned...

Holiday Recipe: Candy Corn Cookies

With Halloween just a few days away and some parties coming up I needed something that was super quick and easy to make. Boy did I luck out!

I totally stole this recipe from the Betty Crocker Website

1. Line 8x4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
2. On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead desired amount of food color into dough until color is uniform. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough into pan on top of orange dough. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.
4. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.
5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container. 

How cool and easy is that?!

My new toy(s)!

Wilton's 50 Piece Tool Caddy Decorating Set!

I'm so excited! I finally went and actually signed up for the class. I splurged and bought the caddy instead of the Decorating Basics kit b/c I had a 50% off coupon and figured it was a good deal. The lady at the register said it had everything I'd need for the first course. WRONG. I still need to go and pick up a few tips and some parchment triangles but I think this was still a good way to go.

The way our classes are scheduled we'll be making a cake the day before Thanksgiving! How cool is that? I guess I know what I'm bringing to my family dinner this year.

Have you taken any of the Wilton cake decorating courses? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section!

Something to look forward to :-)

I'm actually really excited about this...

I finally found someone to take the Wilton cake decorating class with! We'll hopefully be taking it in November. I can't wait! It'll be just in time for me to make something fabulous for Thanksgiving and the holidays. Maybe I'll even make myself a fabulous birthday cake.

Expect a LOT of photos and cake porn.

This is what happens when you watch the food network all weekend...

Mix up the cookie dough!

Eat a little cookie dough

Add "Clean Oven Door" to my weekly chore list!

Let the cookies cool.

Hide cookies in secret container so the hubby can't find them!

I might not be the most domesticated lady in the land, but I can make an awesome batch of Peanut Butter Cookies.

What's YOUR favorite cookie recipe?