2.25.2011

Adam's Belated Surprise Bday Party!

I mentioned in an earlier post about a ginormous bday cupcake that I was going to prepare, and I haven't forgotten to post the results! But goodness, there was more to it than just a cake. My friend Jax let me host things at her place, since most of our friends are in the Chicago area anyways, and we prepared a feast!
Lovely ladies with their creations :D
You can't tell too well through the picture, but here's how the menu went down (hope I didn't forget anything!):
Dinner
   - Croissant Sandwiches either with:
 *Sweet Chicken Salad (recipe on the bottom!) 
*Peppercorn Turkey & Cheese
   - Green Bean Casserole (thanks Jax!)
   - Curly Fries
   - Lime Chips & Salsa
   - "Ramen" salad (thanks Jamie!) 
Dessert
   - Triple Chunk Brownies
   - Chocolate Mousse
   - Ginormous Cupcake Bday Cake
Drinks
    - Lemonade
   - Coke
Don't worry, even though I'm on the 4-hour body diet, once a week we get a "cheat" day, so I was sure to get my fill, lol! Everything was soo tasty, and to be in company of good friends was even better X3 BTW, aren't these little cups Jax had at her place just PERFECT for mousse? Sooo delish and RICH.
Oliver Winery = yes, but Rilakkuma = WIN!!!
 But on to the finishing touch, THE CUPCAKE!
Sooo....beautiful!

It may not look it, but this guy is pretty big. I was a bit intimidated with making it, as in " do I have enough ingredients", "will it look okay?", ect. But it all worked out fine! You only need one box of cake-mix, so via Jax's suggestions, I opted for Funfetti XP. And stupid me, I forgot to spray Pam on the inside of the silicone pans, but it came out not problem! *whew!* There is a little hollow divit on the inside too, so you can fill it up with some type of frosting/jam. I forgot all about this, but thank goodness Jax had some Apricot Jam, delish!
Just wanna throw my face in there, LOL

As for frosting, I went for the homemade Vanilla Bean, and it was great! I'll admitt, I was really worried it was "too-sweet", but everyone else said it was fine. I was very happy to see the little flecks of VB too! X3 The finishing touches were colorful sprinkles and one of Adam's favorite sweets, Dots. Yum!
Yes, I'm in the bathroom with the cake. Don't judge me! :P 
I tried to use my hand as a reference, so you can see how big it is. Maybe not as big as I had imagined, but it still fed 8 people no probs! And to answer your question, I had to decorate the cake in the bathroom to keep it a secret from Adam, so yeah, don't think I usually cook/bake/decorate out of there, ha!
yay!
Even if the cupcake turned out to be a one-time-deal, I can't complain, I was able to get it at my local Menard's for only $5! I have a couple other ideas of when to use it again, so don't be surprised to see more pictures in the near future ^_^

Almost forgot my recipe! If you're looking for a chicken salad on the SWEETER side, this one is for you!:

Chicken & Fruit Salad
- 1 apple (quartered, cored, and diced)
- 1/3 C pecans, diced (* if you can get praline, then the sweeter the better :D )
- A handful of either raisins or dried cranberries
- 1 package of boneless, skinless, diced chicken (I use: Tyson's Grilled & Ready Refrigerated Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast. You can find others in the grocery store too!)
- 1/2 C Vanilla yogurt
- 1/3 C mayonnaise
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- (optional) 1/2 C seedless red grapes, halved ( I'll use these if I don't have raisins/dried cranberries)

Just mix together, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Use it as a sandwich or on top of some lettuce, and you're good to go! Hope you like it! Alright, this has become a long entry, I'm out! ε=ε=ε=ε┏(●´Д`●)┛

2 comments:

  1. Hahhah, it was def good times and whooaaaa good eats :D~ I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the cake in our bathroom,, very very close to the toothpaste... then back at the icing on the cake... LOL

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  2. Beautiful pics! Looks like a great time was had by all! And that lasagna looks AMAZING!

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