Tea Party Cakes

Like all young girls, we here at Tough Buns loved having tea parties growing up. If you're not fond of tea, juice is a great alternative but it's not the same!?! You say.

We know but we just really love juice! 

Why not recommend something you love?

Back to the tea party. 

This is one of our favorite and easiest tea party pastries to prepare.

Now, it's not like we have a tea party every day all day. It would be nice to party like the Mad Hatter but there is a lot of crocheting to be done around here so we save the tea parties for special occasions or whenever the office needs a little pick me up.

Each cake will be a two layered cake. You're going to use the standard 12 cup cupcake pan to prepare about 6 cakes. You can use cake mix from the box or make your batter from scratch.

There is nothing really special about the preparation.

Just follow the directions on the box. 

Once you have your batter prepared, generally, you would fill each cup to about 2/3 of the way but for these we did not want the cakes to rise too much so we filled each to about 1/3 of the way.

Once the cakes are cooked all the way through you can decorate them however you want to fit any occasion or holiday.

Once the cakes are done baking let them cool before putting decorating.

If you wanted you could put jam in the middle. We decided to go with a vanilla cream. We added pink food coloring, swirled the same cream and drizzled some chocolate then topped them off with blueberries.

Moist yummy cakes.

This is one of the many suggestions we have here at Tough Buns. Feel free to checkout our handmade plush balls at: Tough Buns Plush

So You Want To Wrap part. 2

Did you try our first wrapping suggestion? Did it worked out well?

Great!!! 

The recipient of the gift must have been amazed by the effort you put into wrapping that gift!!

 Do not worry, your secret is safe with us.

Here is another idea you can try!!

This can work as a centerpiece, party favor as well as a personal gift.

For this particular project you will need:

Ribbon

Glue

Mason Jar (we used a 16 pint wide mouth jar)

One Cupcake Liner

Large Bow

Pick colors according to a theme to make sure your gift looks it's best!

We started with the ribbon first, we thought outside the bun and used three ribbons. It is fun to play around with different patterns and themes, the colors we selected here match the paper cup used to line the plush ball. 

If you are working with three ribbons like we are here, place two of the ribbons next to each other and put a decent sized dot of glue half an inch from the ends and one in the middle; place the third ribbon on top and press down to adhere. While the glue dries you can prepare the rest of the gift.

Here we used a 16oz. pint jar. * There is a link below if you would like to use the exact jar.

You can either place the cupcake liner on the plush ball before stuffing it into the jar or you can place the cupcake liner in the jar before squishing the plush ball into the jar. Either way, stuff or squish your plush ball will sit comfortably inside its lovely jar.

Before screwing the top on the jar, make sure the plush ball is in the upright position for optimal admiration. Viewing the plush from above once that special person opens it will be magical for a few seconds but the effect is well worth the effort in our opinions! 

Coordinate your colors!

Once all is done and your cupcake is aligned, top off your lovely work with a pretty bow!! 

Everyone loves something with a bow on it!! 

It is one thing to give a gift but how you present it makes the moment all the more special!! 

Find these cute plush balls here!! Tough Buns

*To find the exact jar click the link here: 16 oz. pint Mason Jar or use any 16 oz. wide mouth jar

 **This is NOT an advertisement, the jar and all materials used in this gifting process were purchased not provided.**

So You Want To Wrap

These yummy fun creations make a fun gift for any occasion!!

You can buy most of these items at your Dollar Tree or local store or you are always welcome to substitute items to make this your own. 

No matter who you give a plush ball too you can get creative with how you gift it!

Adding a little color for pop!

I always start off with gathering all my necessary materials. You can make this D.I.Y more fun if you prepare everything you need before getting started. 

Here I made sure I had enough ribbon to wrap around the box. I used a solid colored ribbon and paired it with one that has a pattern.

Take some tissue paper to add as a cushion for your gift.

Adjust the paper accordingly to ensure the gift will fit securely.

The cupcake plush ball pictured here can be purchased upon request here: Tough Buns

Our Cupcake plush ball fits perfectly inside this cute box.

This is a helpful staple to have in your arts and craft corner.

I glued a few together to create something fun.

You can mix and match flowers to create some pretty designs.

Something fun and cute is hiding... :p

You too, can wrap!!! 

Find these cute plush balls here: Tough Buns

 **This is NOT an advertisement. All materials used in this gifting process were purchased not provided.**

Italian Herb and Spinach Stuffed Mushroom

Often we find ourselves cramming for something flavorful yet simple to have for a lunch or even dinner. It is always nice to fix something up once in awhile although most of us nowadays do not have much time on our hands; between getting ourselves and our kids ready then work for 8 hours (maybe more) then back to the kids along with everything else. It gets crazy. Life it is a constant battle of time.

I saw a coffee mug that said, "You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce." 
This is correct however the reason why Beyonce can accomplish so much in the same amount of time as us is because she has a team to help her get things done. The Queen B is amazing. She did not get where she is today without hard work and being amazing which is why she can have a team of people working for her. 

It would be awesome if we could all have a team of people to help us get things done...
**We apologize for this mini rant, please do not stop reading!!**

In terms of time constraints, we here at Tough Buns know the importance of eating a healthy meal. We would like to share this simple stuffed mushroom recipe you can try at home. It goes great with any steak, chicken and pork dish. 

If you do not already have these delicious vegetables in your refrigerator you can easily buy them at your local grocery store. Feel free to play around with the ingredients, this is my basic recipe but depending on what my main dish is, I will tailor the recipe to compliment the meal.

Italian herb and spinach stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients:
10 mushrooms
handful of spinach
1/4 onion
1/2 cup of Mozzarella
1/4 cup Panko 
4 pieces of bacon (pan fried)
1-2 cloves garlic
Italian Herb Seasoning (to taste)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

Need:
Small Frying pan
knife
chopping board
medium bowl
Baking pan

15 minute prep time
30-40 minute cooking time
bake at: 350

serving: 5 people: 2 piece per person
or if you want to indulge: 5 pieces for 2 people ;)

Fry the pieces of bacon before you chop your vegetables. 

While the bacon cooks you can prep the rest of your cooking area and preheat your oven. This will help make cooking smoother and efficient for you. I find it very helpful to have everything prepared before I start to save time and help the cleaning process. We want to keep up with the motif of being time-saving. 

Low sodium bacon. Be sure to cook all meats thoroughly. 

You can make the bacon as crispy as you would like, I like to have my bacon slightly crispy for this recipe to add some crunch. Place the bacon on tissue paper to soak up the oil.

Be sure to wash all your produce before chopping.

Separate the mushroom stems from the cap.

Mince all of the mushroom stems, dice the onions, spinach, bacon, add the italian seasoning, panko and mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste.

You do not need to use all of the mushroom stems, you can if you would like.

 Mix everything before stuffing your mushrooms. Sometimes I will save a little bit of mozzarella to add to the top of each mushroom 

Once each mushroom is stuffed you can place them on a baking sheet, be sure to use a cooking spray. 

I love to pack my mushrooms

If you have leftover filling you can save that in a tupperware, its great to use for other recipes. Occasionally I'll have some bell peppers or zucchini and this filling pairs well with those.

Magical Unicorn Cupcake Ball!

What are we talking about!? 

Unicorns!! 

The creature that has been a thing of fantasy, mystery and allure is the inspiration behind this delightfully cute, cupcake ball! 

This cute crocheted cupcake is stitched together with 100% cotton
and crocheted from yarn made of 100% cotton*.

Share the crocheted joy with your furry friends. Let them know how much you adore them*.

About the size of a tennis ball.

Give your adorable pooch another reason to follow you around every day; they can have something soft and fun to play with whenever you leave the house. 

Do you leave your beloved pooch in the create while you are away...? Do not worry! They will have this nice slice of comfort by their side until you return!  

Does your dog have separation issues** and tends to destroy things while you are away...?

This cute plush can not help prevent that however your pet can look cute while walking around your home with this cute Unicorn inspired cupcake plush ball. 

Tennis balls are a staple for any doggy play time but you can make any play time a super fun time and you may ask, "Why me?"

"why me...?"

Because if dogs could order things online we would all have less money for our ieverythings and in game purchases.

Purchase the Unicorn Cupcake Ball here: Tough Buns Plush

This plush ball is handmade and nibbling is it's weakness! If your dog loves to constantly chew on things then this plush may not have a long life span but that should not stop your dogs from having a fun plush by their side.

* - The cupcake plush ball pictured is not sold in store but can be made upon request.

**- The cupcake plush ball or any other plush balls associated do not nor do they help prevent your dogs from destroying your home while you are away. Plush ball is merely a toy.