New August Cake Classes coming up next week..... State Fair entry deadline is Sept 1, 2014.

Hello Everyone,

My apologies for being away so long,  as many of you know I had to cut my Course schedule for summer due to my treatment schedule. Kim A. at Michaels was kind enough to take some of my classes in the interim. I do have two classes starting next week and I am hoping some of you will join me at Michaels :

Course 1 Decorating Basics - will start Saturday August 16 from 10 am - 12 pm . Tuition is on sale for this class so the price is $22.50.

Course 2 Flowers and Cake Design starts Tuesday August 12 from 10 am - 12 pm . Tuition is also at the sale price of $22.50.

For more information on my classes go to the schedule tab on my blog at : http://www.sweetcakesandsparklythings.blogspot.com/p/class-schedule.html

Email  at sweetcakes@sc.rr.com or call me at 803 319-7217 if you have any questions!

Also State Fair is almost here, if you would like to enter your cakes you should do so now, the last day for entries is September 1! You can go to www.scstatefair.org and then go to the Competitive

exhibits tab to enter your items.


 See you in class,

Tara

Cheap Thrill - Saturday morning restoration project.

Ever since I got my 1950's appliances, I have wanted a Vintage Cosco kitchen cart. Problem is Cosco carts from the 1950's in good shape are rare and expensive. I tried for months to find one and just could not find one I could afford that fit in my kitchen.

A couple weeks ago, I finally found one on EBay that is the shape I wanted. It was only $38.99 plus shipping versus the $200.00 they normally sell for in good condition. Of course, it had a good bit of rust and wear. Structurally it was in good shape.

I spent Saturday morning before class sanding and refinishing the enamel. The paint was only $3.50 since I used Michael's coupons to purchase it.

Check out the results! It felt so good to do something artistic....


 

1950's Cosco cart after, with all my 1950's kitchen goodies........



1950's Cosco cart before....




































 

Some wonderful cakes from Orangeburg Technical College...

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would share some of the lovely cakes they are making in cake class at Orangeburg Tech. in St. Matthews. I used to teach this class and my student, Henrietta W. took over the teaching duties when I was unable to teach any more due to cancer. I am so proud of her and her students, they are doing amazing work!!!

Cheap Thrill- The best pie crust recipe I have ever tried....

OK so this is only a minor cheap thrill, you save about .30 cents making this at home instead of buying those premade pie crusts. The thrill here really is that this is the best pie crust I have ever tried. I just whipped this up in my food processor ( Ninja Blender) and refrigerated it and rolled it. My husband even noticed that the pie crust was really good when I made my tomato pie last week!

Here is the link to Food52 that featured the recipe last month:
http://food52.com/blog/8953-cook-s-illustrated-s-foolproof-pie-crust?utm_source=FOOD52+Subscribers+List&utm_campaign=03d6acf9fa-Midweek_Edit_Prov_11_13_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_191568346e-03d6acf9fa-19027429

You can print right from their site.

Great Recipes are available at Wilton.com for free!

You all know I love a cheap thrill and baking from scratch is not only cheaper, it is so much fun!!! Wilton has great recipes on their site that are simple and free. Plus they are tested so you know they work! Here is one they shared recently on Face book:

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/White-Chocolate-Cake-with-Raspberry?cmp=fb2014&icid=0307whitechocolatecake

Wilton Quick Twist Coupler - my favorite of all the new Wilton Tools.

I saw this on the Wilton feed and thought I would share it here. I don't know what I ever did without this tool. And oddly enough I don't love it for the quick twist feature they demonstrate ( although it is neat). I love it because it comes with a secure snap on lid so I can store my whole bag in the freezer with a bag tie on it and it stays air tight and perfect!!!

Check it out:

http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/twist-quick-coupler-a-new-twist-on-a-decorator-favorite/?cmp=fb2014&icid=0228twistquickblog

Win a Wilton Cake Carrier today only.....

Hey Everybody,

If you do not get the Wilton Face Book feed you may want to go to their page at :


https://www.facebook.com/#!/wilton.cake.decorating

Scroll down an bit and you can read about and sign up for today's contest to win a free Trim and Turn Cake Carrier!