Minions Whoopie Pies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsAtTarget #CollectiveBias

Recently, we had a good old-fashioned movie night at home with Minions, and I baked up some adorable whoopie pies to go along with it!  This recipe is kid-friendly, so everyone can enjoy baking and decorating them.  :)

The cookies in the whoopie pie are a luscious lemon flavor, with bits of lemon zest throughout.  The filling is a light and airy blueberry and lemon zest whipped cream cheese frosting.  You know that cream cheese frosting is my favorite kind, so I had to include it!  I used blue food coloring in the filling because I thought it would look like their little pants.  Right?  :)

Lastly, I think the Minions Whoopie Pies look adorable!  It's so much fun decorating them by choosing one or two eyeballs, deciding on if they'll smile or look shocked, and designing their goggle straps as well.  :)

Are you ready to take a bite now?

But first, back to the inspiration for this sweet dessert...

I must admit that I'm one of those adults who loves cartoons and sometimes borrows nieces and nephews just to have a reason to see the movie in theaters.  Actually, I was bummed that after seeing both Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 with the little ones, I missed out on Minions in theaters.  That's why when the movie came out on 12/8/15 on DVD, I rushed to Target to buy it!  I bought the Target-Exclusive Deluxe Minions Metalpak Blu-ray/DVD, which has 40 minutes of extra content.  The DVD case was just too cute not to buy!  There was also an exclusive $5 Target gift card deal upon purchase, so it was a total no-brainer.  :)  Besides, I was able to pick up all of the ingredients from my shopping list.  Easy peasy!

Now, let's get to the recipe!

Minions Whoopie Pies
Adapted from this recipe

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5 Useful Tips for Off-Season Storage

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ZiplocSavesSpace #CollectiveBias 

Recently, I was at my parent's house when I noticed a sneaky pile of cushions and blankets in the corner of the living room.  Being a neat freak, I immediately noticed it, even though my mom had scooted a bookshelf over to try and hide it.  :)  You have to understand that I am such an organization aficionado, that as a kid I would organize the kitchen, garage, closets, and every other room in the house for fun.  Basically, she's used to me poking around in her closets!

So when I asked my mom about what was going on, she told me that the storage closet was already full!  When the holidays come around, my family loooves hanging out here because there are three couches, plus lots of comfy pillows and blankets.  That means she has a stash of guest blankets that only need to come out for the big holiday parties.  Also, this summer she bought new cushions for her patio chairs.  Now that winter is rolling around, she decided to store them inside to avoid weathering

Well that explains it!

I suggested that we maximize the space in her closet by using Ziploc® Space Bags®, which create three times the storage space.  Get this... my mom has never used them before!  Immediately, I decided that I needed to share a few useful tips on how to use Ziploc® Space Bags® with both her and all of you.  After I show you how well they worked for my mom, then I'll share those helpful hints.  First stop, Lowe's!  You can find the Ziploc® Space Bags® in the Home Organization section, in the Storage aisle.  Easy peasy!

So here are the items that I started off with in the Ziploc® Space Bags®.  I stuffed them in there a bit, so I thought they were already compressed.

Nuh uh!  I always feel like it's magic when I see HOW MUCH space is saved!  I mean, on the box it says it compresses up to 3 times the space compared to uncompressed storage volume.  I believe it!!!

Now, are you ready for the tips?  Let's get started!

Tip #1: Utilize Your Sizes

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Gift Guide: for Home Chefs

Welcome to my tenth gift guide of the season, for all of the home chefs and kitchen dabblers out there!  (Psst...  Check out these links if you missed my other nine gift guides for Travel Bugs, Men, Kids, Dogs, Everyone, the Home, Tech Geeks, Crafty Gals, and The Edible Gift Guide!)

The room where most probably spend the most time in could arguably be the kitchen, because who doesn't love eating and making delicious treats?  Then, why not outfit your favorite room with some awesome appliances, pretty serving pieces, and a complete library of cookbooks!  Hopefully you can find something new to add to your shopping list.  :)

Let's get to the guide!

Cooking Appliances & Tools

• 8 inch Chef Knife Crimson Series High Carbon German Steel With G10 Ergonomic Handle, $65.95 :  I personally use this knife for all kinds of chopping.  The ergonomic handle is both functional and pretty!
• Tagine, $99.96 :  I bought this tagine a few years ago, and it serves as an elegant serving dish as well!
• Automatic Stirrer, $59.95 :  You mean you don't have to spend all your time by the stove stirring and stirring?  It's SUCH a lifesaver for people like me who sometimes forget to keep an eye on all the burners.  :)
• Adjustable Pastry wheel, $21.95 :  Not only is this pastry wheel a useful tool, it's adjustable with interchangeable discs!
• Kitchen scale, $12.14 :  Every home cook needs a kitchen scale.  :)
• Kitchen Torch, $27.99 :  Use this to make my easy S'mores Mini Donuts!
• Draining sieve, $29.95 :  This tool is so useful for draining quickly, without having to take out (and wash) a colander.
• Salt & Pepper shakers, $27.97 :  You can adjust the coarseness of your salt and pepper with these grinders.
• Butter warmer, $9.99 :  Need that butter warmed through?  These may help.  :)
• Measuring cups, $24.90 :  I love the cheekiness of these measuring cups from 1/4 cup of kisses to 1 cup of love!  :)
• Food Mill, $49.95 :  Food mills are such a helpful kitchen tool, streamlining so many of my kitchen jobs!
• 5-in-1 Grill, $74.99 :  This grill also functions as a waffle maker, griddler, and panini press.  It's definitely on my wishlist!  :)

Ingredients & Serving Pieces

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Felt Flanerie feature + GIVEAWAY and promo!

Welcome to another Shop Small Saturday Showcase!  This week, I am featuring one of my favorite new shops: Felt Flanerie!  I met Amanda at a recent craft show and I was totally enamored with her pretty items, and I'm so happy she's being featured today.  In fact, I have already featured her in my Gift Guide for Kids!

There are so many items different items in her shop, from pretty floral arrangements to scary and cute zombies and even groovy ornaments... and they're all made out of felt!  The creations are ridiculously cute, and you even have the chance to win one.  :)

Amanda will be giving away a set of peat pot flower arrangements, which are great for gifts, displaying on a bookshelf, or adding a pop of color on your desk, without having to worry about watering it every day.  So make sure to stay tuned until the end of the post for that, as well as a promo code that will save you 10% off her entire shop.

Now, let's find out more about Felt Flanerie!

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

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My grandma taught me to sew when I was ten, maybe even younger, but I remember ten, haha!  After that it was a whirlwind of bobbins, needles and threads.  Any chance I had to use the skills, I did, always trying to make my own halloween costumes or set pieces for school plays and projects. I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season and then I was hooked. I haven’t really looked back since. I love it too much to stop.


Where did the name of your store come from?

“Flanerie” is one of my favorite words in the vocabulary that I know and my favorite material to work with is felt. I guess it just felt right when they came together and it stuck. Ultimately it made me smile when I said it and I think that how I knew it’d work. Can’t argue with a smile. :)

Why did you start making goods for Felt Flanerie?

I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season. When I saw my two year old sister open the gift, it was hard to ignore just how much it made her smile, whether she really knew what it was or not.


What is your favorite item?

Favorite item right now is Mr. Mint.  He's a one of a kind XL plushie and he’s made with different shades of minty green hues, mint being one of my favorite colors. His shape is a cuddle conductor, his size is conducive to those seeking unscripted play and imaginative fun, and his minty shades are minty fresh. ;) He can work as a decorative throw in your living room or even as a child’s plush play toy.

What is your most popular item?

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Stress-Free Holiday Gifting with Fragrance Gift Sets

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftingAMemory #CollectiveBias 

This year, I feel like the holidays have been impossibly busy, and I am doing my best to make sure that everything is as stress-free as possible.  One thing that I plan to do is make my holiday shopping list as streamlined as possible but still make sure I give thoughtful presents too!  One way I'm doing this is with COTY Holiday Gift Sets, because there are so many options to fit everyone from my niece, to my boyfriend, and everyone in between!


In particular for my boyfriend, I knew that I was going to get him a fragrance right away for the holidays.  For one thing, he's a guy who likes to "suit up."  He can kick back with the best of them, but when he's in professional mode, he has his whole set-up on lock-down: tailored suit, pocket square, and a manly fragrance.  It's pretty dashing if you ask me.  :)

In fact, his scent is one of the first things I remember for our first date.  We had texted, talked on the phone for hours, and I had met up with his friends and him, but we hadn't spent any time alone together yet.  Maybe it's crazy, but we decided to go to a beer festival TWO HOURS away from where I lived.  When he picked me up, I remember stepping into his car, and it had the scent that I now associate with him, in the good way for sure.  :)  It was easily the longest first date I've ever been on, which turned out to be a very good thing!

Yes, I removed the sticker before giving it to him.  :)

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The Edible Gift Guide!

Welcome to my ninth gift guide of the season, and it's chock full of delicious, edible presents!  (Psst...  Check out these links if you missed my other eight gift guides for Travel Bugs, Men, Kids, Dogs, Everyone, the Home, Tech Geeks, and Crafty Gals!)

Since I am a huge foodie, one of my favorite kinds of gifts to receive for the holidays is food!  I did dedicate a whole other blog to places that I eat...  A lot of my picks are of the sweet variety, but I do have a wide variety of edibles on my list.  I included a few favorite shops from Shop Small Saturday and a few other items that you'll want to add to your shopping list!

Let's get to the guide!

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