Author Archives: amylandini

Tutorial on Using Disco Dust for Decoration

Me Too Cakes Tutorial on Using Disco Dust for Cake Decoration

Disco dust (aka shimmer dust, glitter dust or sparkle dust) can add a special sparkle to your next cake!  It is fun, playful, non-toxic.. but best used on elements that will be removed before serving the cake. Or for this birthday cake design the disco dust was used on a styrofoam tier that will not be served.  The inspiration for this cake was from a Papyrus greeting card.  You can watch the tutorial video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAPjyC-pe30

Enjoy! Me Too Cakes

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Valentine’s Day Game Plan?

Valentine’s Day Game Plan… do you have what it takes to melt her heart?

Yes Men, Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and right after that comes Valentines Day.  I know what your thinking ‘ ugh, not this again – romantic bs ‘.  But it doesn’t have to be painful.  Here are some ideas to get your GAME ON:

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– Traditionalist:  making dinner reservations and bringing her flowers.  Yes, this is the safe strategy…..but yawn boring.  Surprise her by wearing the apron. Cooking her a nice meal at home, trust me she will be head over heels.

– Cooking Class:  you enjoy cooking together but need a little inspiration.  Sur la Table is the place for you, register now as spaces will fill up fast.

– Sweet Tooth:  Your girl likes chocolates?  Surprise her by hand delivering to her office with a nice box of chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat  (my fav).  Her cheeks will really flush if you are the one delivering instead of a service and her colleagues will be giggling like lil’ school girls.   Or does she like the quirky kind of sweets, check out these rice krispie treats at Treat House.

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If you are a DIY kind of guy – you can make your own rice krispie treat hearts, use a cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes.

– Lingerie:  Need I say more.  This is a gift for both of you.

 

TokiDoki. WM 4.13.ldpi – Proposing needs a lot more time to plan than two weeks.  Make it special and meaningful.  If this Valentine’s day seems like the most appropriate opportunity to sweep your girl off of her feet and you can’t imagine yourself spending one more day not engaged to your lovely woman.  It’s 2014 and Women know what they want.  Postpone the diamond ring tradition and propose with a right hand ring.  Something she can wear down the road on her right hand and after she screams “YES” go shopping together for that PERFECT RING.  If she loves to Laugh, play it silly with a ring pop, box of custom cookies, custom cake or DIY – make edible rings with Gusher’s Candies.  Follow the directions on this blog post by Gourmetmom.  Be forewarned…she may have a questionable look on her face, just explain right away that you want to find her a ring that she will LOVE forever, just like your relationship.

(below: cookie – Me Too Cakes, Ring – Swarovski Dazzle Ring, Gusher’s ring pop – Gourmetmom)

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2014 Trends – What’s Hot and What’s Not..

Sunday I attended the Martha Stewart Wedding Party @ Gotham Hall.  There was a panel of talented wedding industry professionals: Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart, Amsale Aberra – Fashion Designer, Preston Bailey – Floral and Event Designer, March Blum – Eventiste, Sylvia Weinstock – Cake Designer, Peter Callahan – Callahan Catering and Kellee Khalil of Lover.ly.  Listening to the Panel and walking the event I took away a few key trends for 2014.

photo – “Your Wedding is Unique, Make it your Own.”  Darcy Miller.  It’s great to get ideas from Pinterest and other wedding websites, but before pinning everything in sight.  Sit down and think about what is really important to you as a couple and you may come up with your very own unique ideas.  One table had ovenware stacked with flower display for the centerpiece that could get a very unique spin if your family loves to cook.  Set up the table arrangement seating and choose one relative at each table to contribute a family cooking vessel – which your florist will use to display flowers instead of a vase.  At the end of the night, the family member who contributed the vessel gets to take home the flower arrangement.    How cool would that be?  Each table will have it’s own story behind it.

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– Photo booths are not going anywhere.     Continuously getting bigger and better, adding more features like open air booths………. maybe you will get “photo bombed”.

 

 

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– Preston touched base that rustic is out and glam is in.  Don’t be afraid to channel your inner Great Gatsby and add touches of Sparkle and Luster to your event.  Add a Vintage RR to drive you around.  Your wedding cake can be Glamourous by adding edible Sparkle, Silver or Gold leaf.  Lots of kids attending your wedding can be entertained by adding a Glitter Tattoo Artist – Liana Bergman. glitter

 

 

– Ice is Nice!  Adding fruits to the inside of the ice cubes is not new trend, but it could really tie into a special moment in the couples life.  My first date with my husband included him buying me my favorite fruit – watermelon.  That would have been an awesome idea to share that memory on our wedding day by putting pieces of watermelon inside the ice cubes and later sharing the story during the event.   fruzenice  FRUZEN ICE specializes in making your celebration extra special with “ice never looked so Gud!”  I agree.

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– Okamoto custom ice studio was allowing attendees to engrave into their wall.  Check out their website for a video clip on a graffiti wall:  http://www.okamotostudionyc.com/spotlights/graffiti-ice-wall/

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– Pantone Reveals Color of the Year for 2014:  PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid.  “An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

Love It!  Amy from Me Too Cakes

 

 

I love Pumpkin Pie, but what about my gluten-free friends?

Yes, I truly LOVE Pumpkin pie!

I could eat one all by myself in a course of a week.  YUM!  But what if you have friends or family attending your holiday feast?  Gluten free pie crust may not please the entire crew.  So make something new and different, along with the traditional pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Panna Cotta with sauteed Pears.  Click on the recipe below, Enjoy!

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Sugar Flower Display Box

Congratulations You Got Married!       

You had an elaborate cake with beautiful handmade sugar flowers…now what to do with the flowers?  

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Ask your reception site to keep the flowers from your wedding cake so you can use them to make gifts for your mother and mother-in-law or a keepsake for yourself. Sugar flowers will keep for a lifetime as long as they are not exposed to extreme humidity and a plastic display case will keep them dust free.  A common misconception is to store the sugar      flowers in the refrigerator.  This is not the case since sugar flowers are dried and storing in the refrigerator will cause them to collect condensation.
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Step 1:  Find a nice size display case. I like the doll exhibit box at Container store for $10.

Dimensions:  10″ L X 5 2/5″ W X 6 4/5″ H

 

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Step 2:  Cut a styrofoam block to fit inside the box, but leaving ample room for the size of sugar flowers to fit in the box.

 

 

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Step 3:  Cover the top portion of the base and styrofoam with fondant.  You can use a light mist of water to allow the fondant to stick to the styrofoam.  You can add a stamp or design to the top portion if you like or leave smooth.  Allow to dry overnight so that when pushing the sugar flowers into styrofoam the block does not move around.

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Step 4:  Arrange flowers, checking frequently to make sure the plastic box will fit properly over the flowers.

 

 

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Step 5:  Personalize the gift and you can add ribbon around the box once the plastic cover is fixed into place.

 

Summer Fun – Family Fun in the Kitchen

Now that the kids are out of school – think about spending some quality time with the kids in the kitchen by making some old family recipes.  My favorite cookie that my Great Aunt Amelia and Grandma Landini use to make were Apricot Fold Over cookies.  Not too sweet, just right – I LOVED THEM! Apricot CookiesWM.ldpi

Recently, I made these delightful cookies to thank a Landini family for their hospitality over Memorial Day weekend and shared the recipe so they could pass on to the next generation.  I was thinking of my relatives as I was making these cookies.

With all the processed foods out on the market, please don’t let family recipes die when your loved ones pass.  Keep them alive by making them with your kids so the recipes can be passed on from generation to generation….

 

Love Magnolias? I do..

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Magnolias are beautiful – but they only come once a year.  A fun way to incorporate your favorite flower into your wedding is not only including them on your invitations, but with the wedding cake. pink magnolia.circles WM.ldpi

 

 

 

 

Magnolia

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Meaning: Love of nature
Best For: Arrangements
Scent: Depends on variety

In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: Magnolias are more common in Southern-style weddings, as most magnolia trees grow in the South.

 

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Like me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/MeTooCakes

To Learn is to Grow…. MTC doll.full.watermark.ldpi

I had the pleasure to take a class with a very talented sculptor and illustrator – Anna D. Puchalski.  With her instruction, we were able to create my Me Too Cakes Logo Girl.  I’m always interested in learning new techniques and sharpening my skills, and am inspired by all the awesome cake artists out there.  During the class I learned how to sculpt the body and face to make more realistic features, dress the figure and hand paint the facial features.

 

Anna is teaching an upcoming class at Pink Cake Box –              Gibson Girl Class
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April 20, 2013 – 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM (2 day class)                           April 27, 2013 – 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM                                                         If you are interested in learning these wonderful techniques, you need to sign up soon:                 http://university.pinkcakebox.com/cake-decorating-classes/figurine-class-mold/

First Year Anniversary Cake – save it or devour it?


Why do I provide a 1st Year Anniversary Cake?
As traditions continue, you probably ask yourself…do I really want to eat a cake that has been frozen for a year? For me the answer would be NO!
I offer a 4″ First Year Anniversary cake either as the cake topper to give more height or I package, wrapped in plastic wrap in a small box. Often at weddings the couple is too busy to sit down to eat food or cake. I recommend that you take that little box of wrapped cake on your honeymoon. We all know you will be burning calories from all the extra curricular activities and you will be hungry…
If you choose to freeze for a later occasion, please follow the steps below to ensure proper storage to avoid freezer burn:

Freezing – Place cake in refrigerator to harden the icing, Wrap tightly with plastic wrap a couple times, place in freezer bag and press as much air out of it as possible, put in a box just big enough to hold the cake, wrap the box with aluminum foil and make sure to label (you don’t want to forget about it).

Defrosting – Defrost your cake by pulling it out of the freezer and into the fridge the day before, unwrap the layers as the cake defrosts and pull from fridge 1-2 hours to bring the cake up to room temperature.

Even after taking all precautions, you must remember that you are eating food that is a year old so there is no guarantee as to the taste. You can ask your baker to recreate a small cake or they may even share the recipe with you….if you ask nicely 😉