Fun Striped Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Striped Mardi Gras Cupcakes



Inside a striped surprise!

 Aren't these precious! Inspired by a rainbow version,  I decided to try a striped Mardi Gras cupcake in honor of our blogiversary. These cupcakes were easy to make and turned out so cute. This is a kid friendly baking project, too. The colored batter reminded me of bright play dough once it was mixed. What child would not love to play/bake with bright colored batter?

My version of these cupcakes is purple, green and gold for Mardi Gras, but any fun combination of colors would work. How about red and green for Christmas or purple and gold to support my favorite football team? Get creative! You can  swirl the colors together in the batter or just layer them like shown below in the tutorial. Swirling gives the baked cupcakes a tie-dye look.

Here is the tutorial for these yummy, easy and festive Mardi Gras striped cupcakes along with a few helpful hints I learned along the way. If you make some, be sure to share your color creation with us at Ideas@mardigrasoutlet.com.

Supplies:

Boxed Cake Mix (along with ingredients for cake mix: oil, eggs,etc..)
Plain paper cupcake liners (plain, so you can see your fun stripes)
3 plastic zip-top bags
Gel food coloring (in your preferred colors, here purple, green and yellow)
Icing
Decorations/ Sprinkles



How To:

Preheat oven to temperature suggested on your box for cupcakes. ( 350 degrees for my cake mix)

Combine cake mix and ingredients needed for you mix in a large bowl (oil, eggs and water for my cake mix).


 Mix until combined as directed on your cake mix directions.

Fold over the top edge of the plastic bags. This is to help keep the top of the bag clean when you pour in the batter. Line the bags up in a row standing up. If you can not get them to stand up you can put the bag in a cup while you pour in the batter.

Add equal amounts of batter to each bag.

Coloring the dough:

I used gel food coloring to color my batter. Wilton's gel food coloring is pictured here in violet, leaf green and lemon yellow. (Gel coloring is usually available in a larger variety of colors and creates richer color depth, but regular food coloring will work, too.)

Add a small amount of gel coloring to each bag. Remember a little goes a long way. You can always add more.

Once you add food coloring, fold the top of the bag up and close each bag, sealing out most of the air. Mix the coloring into the batter by kneading the color into the batter. This is a great time for kids to help. Just make sure the bag is firmly closed.  Look how festive the batter colors up!

With the cupcake liners in the muffin pan, clip a small corner off your zip-top bag of batter with scissors.

Use this hole to pipe batter out of each bag into a cupcake liner. An easy and mess free to add each color batter.

*NOTE* I put too much batter in each cupcake liner when I made these. Remember, the batter will rise considerably and you have to get all three colors in. Again, less is more.

Repeat with each color batter. Pipe in the batter on top of  the previous color. I layered the batter in a circle when I filled them to keep the colors from mixing.

When all the colored batter is poured in, bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for the time directed on your cake mix. Be sure to use the time recommended for cupcakes (12-15 minutes for me).

  

Let the cupcakes cool. Then ice the top and decorate.

I decorated mine with bright yellow sprinkles and plain white icing to let the stripes of the cupcakes SHINE.

Simply STRIPED and so CUTE!

Bon Appetite!

Update:
We have made even more cupcake designs here at Party Ideas:
Mardi Gras Cupcake Toppers
King Cake Cupcakes

Time Flies...It's Our 1 Year Blogiversary!

Happy Blogiversary to US!

Do you know what that means? This blog has reached its 1st birthday. YEAH!  It has been a fun year! Along the way, learned lots about the blogging world and all the wonderful bloggers out there!

This blog was inspired by Mardi Gras Outlet's inclusion in Martha Stewart's, October 2009 issue. Mardi Gras Outlet received  national exposure when our plain  paper mache masks were featured in Living's 2009 Halloween mask ideas.  How thrilling. It was an honor! Martha is a personal role model for me and my crafty side. I had just joined the Mardi Gras Outlet team when the Halloween issue was published. It must have been fate! A blog was the perfect place to share the good news. This blog also gives us a way to show our customers and new readers other creative ways to use our products. Being raised in the party business, I see party ideas in everything. I have collected binders full of ideas for parties and entertaining. I was eager to share some of these ideas. It has been a fun year of sharing ideas, cooking and creating for the blog.  I look forward to many more years of creative ideas!

The precious Mardi Gras striped cupcakes pictured here are the perfect way to celebrate our blogiversary. They are Mardi Gras themed,  festive and creative....all things we strive for in a blog post! Look for a tutorial for these striped cupcakes coming soon. These cupcakes are precious and  easy to make. My kids are going to love them. Not just eating them, but making there own unique color creations, too.

What started as a way to share some exciting news..has blossomed into a blog filled with lots of tips and tidbits about Mardi Gras and our Louisiana culture.  I hope all of you out there reading this blog are enjoying the posts! Let us know your thoughts! And don't forget to share your ideas and creations with us at ideas@mardigrasoutlet.com. We would love to see what you create!

Happy Day! Happy Blogiversary!

Mardi Gras Outlet awarded 2010 BizRate Circle of Excellence Platinum Level

MardiGrasOutlet.com was awarded the BizRate® Circle of Excellence Platinum designation, having scored in the top 1% of all BizRate® customer-ranked online retailers for 2010. Only 34 merchants out of the 5,000 that were considered received this designation. MardiGrasOutlet.com is honored to be in the Circle of Excellence for the second year in a row, having been first awarded this designation in 2009.

 The Bizrate® Circle of Excellence recognizes those online retailers within the Bizrate Insights Network who have demonstrated outstanding performance, as rated by their customers, throughout a one year period. In 2010, 5,000 online retailers in North America were considered for the award. Winners consistently obtained feedback from their customers throughout the award year and received the highest ratings. Platinum winners received a rating of 9.0 or above in all seven key satisfaction indicators. The ratings are from direct feedback, collected at the point-of-sale and after the delivery of goods, from customers concerning seven key satisfaction indicators.

 Key Satisfaction Indicators: 

• Overall satisfaction at the point-of-sale
• Product selection at the point-of-sale
• Ease of finding products on the website
• Intent to buy from the same retailer again, collected after the order is received
• Product met expectations, collected after the order is received
• On-time delivery of the order
• Customer support assistance

We are thrilled that we achieved this level of excellence this year and are honored to be in the company of other businesses who believe customer satisfaction is so important! See the complete list of the 2010 award winners here.

Thank you Biz Rate and all our customers for this recognition!

Work Wreath works miracles for crafters!

A work wreath is a blessing for those of us who love to create unique wreaths, but do not have time to spend hours making a wreath. This 24" work wreath is basically a wire wreath form with 36 pre-attached metallic wire tips. The  wire tips can be used to quickly attach poly deco mesh garland, ribbon, floral sprays or ornaments to the wreath form, creating your own one-of-a-kind wreath.  It is creative and easy! This impressive wreath was created in as little as 10 minutes!

For a tutorial on creating this fantastic Mardi Gras wreath, watch this video below. You will be amazed to see how easy it is to create this Mardi Gras Deco Mesh Wreath. Simply wire the 21" deco mesh garland around the wreath form twice and the wreath is finished.

The wreath shown here is filled with our 21" wide deco mesh garland (in the Mardi Gras Deluxe Pattern). You could also combine two or more colors or patterns for a designer wreath look with a low cost!  This deco mesh wreath looks fantastic with just the poly deco mesh garland, but you could also add other accents to it. Using the pre-attached wire tips, layer in coordinating ribbon, Mardi Gras masks, floral sprays or colored balls. The possibilities are endless for the combinations you can create.

Both the poly deco mesh garland and wire wreath form are weatherproof and durable, making them perfect for outdoor use. Unlike traditional sinamay, which is a natural product, this poly deco mesh is resilient against heat and humidity.

This work wreath comes in a variety of colors to match your school colors, party theme or holiday. These are just a few examples of the wreaths you can create. A similar version of the work wreath is available as a work garland form. Click the links below, to see  available colors and styles in all of these products that coordinate with this wreath form.

Poly Deco Mesh Products

Work Wreath Forms

Work Garland Forms

Mardi Gras Ribbon

Floral Sprays

Mardi Gras Masks

Create something unique with one of these fun work wreath forms! Share your creative ideas with us at ideas@mardigrasoutlet.com.

Happy Crafting!








2011 Update:
We now have several more video tutorials to help you make Christmas wreaths, garlands, bows, wall trees and even how to decorate your Christmas tree with deco mesh.

Click here to view the entire list.

Red Beans and Rice...a Monday tradition!

Red beans and rice is a Monday tradition in Louisiana. Red beans and rice is a simple dish (everyone, everywhere eats beans), but southern style red beans and rice is full of Louisiana flavor and so evocative of home cooked Creole comfort food. It is both creamy and hearty with nice Louisiana spice!

All over south Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, red beans and rice is cooked and served on Mondays. I am sure it is served on other days, too. But tradition dictates it is served on Mondays. The plate lunch special around town and dinner at my house is sure to be red beans and rice on Monday.

The folk tale behind Red Beans and Rice:
“On Dit Que” (it is said that) the tradition of red beans and rice as the customary meal for Mondays evolved because of laundry day. Wash day, long ago, took all day (thankfully this is not always the case anymore.) For the mommas to be able to wash all day and have supper on the table that night, they needed hearty meals that could cook all day with little help from the chef. An easy solution was to use what they had on hand...a big pot filled with the favorite Creole seasoning vegetables (the trinity: bell pepper, onion and celery), the ham-bone from Sunday dinner and a pound or so of red beans. This pot could be left to simmer all day. TADA! Creamy, hearty Red Beans and Rice was born!

About Red Beans and Rice
This delicious pot of red beans is traditionally served over white rice with a portion of salted meat served either on top, mixed in or on the side. The beans in red beans and rice are said to have been brought to Louisiana from the Caribbean. The rice portion of this meal is easy to trace. South Louisiana is filled with rice fields. It is one of Louisiana’s core crops. A lesser known version of red beans and rice is white beans and rice. Same creamy bean dish served over rice, just substitute white beans for the red beans.

Red Beans and rice is made with salted meat used to flavor the beans. A big hunk of ham will work. A large ham bone is even better. Need something to do with the ham bone left over from Christmas? Making a big pot of red beans and rice is a great option. Sauteed down with simmering vegetables and water, a ham bone packs a lot of flavor. Sausage or pork chops are also served with red beans and rice. A common way to see red beans and rice served and the way I like my red beans and rice is with sausage (either whole links or slices.)

How to make Red Beans and Rice
No matter what meat you choose, the key to good red beans is a creamy texture. Crunchy beans are a No-No! The key to this creamy texture is cooking them for a long time. An option to help reduce the cooking time is to soak the beans overnight. Even if you only have time to soak  for a few hours, the beans will soften considerably. I usually soak the red beans for most of the day and then put the beans on to cook in the early afternoon. Cooking red beans (the cooking time) is not an exact science. Some beans need longer, others cook faster. This is a dried product. As with most Creole dishes, the longer it cooks, the better it will taste. You are aiming for the beans to be creamy, but not so mushy they disappear. This sounds complicated. Please don’t be intimidated…after all this dish was invented for hard work laundry day. It is definitely easy enough for modern cooks! So here is how I make my red beans and rice...on Mondays of course.

Ingredients
1 medium onion-finely chopped
1green bell pepper- finely chopped
2-3 stalks celery- finely chopped
garlic- finely minced
Parsley
White Rice
Creole Seasoning
Bay leaves
hot sauce
1 pound smoked sausage/ham
1 pound New Orleans style Red Beans

Directions

Sort and rinse the red beans. (This just means to sort through the beans and throw out anything other than red beans. Also cull any beans that look bad.)

Put the beans in a large bowl. Cover the beans with ample water. The beans will expand and soak up water as they sit so make sure there is enough water in the bowl to keep them covered.

Let the beans soak over-night or all day. Add more water to the bowl as needed.

When you are ready cook, drain and rinse the beans again.

In a large dutch-oven style pot, turn the heat on medium high on stove top.

Saute your preferred meat. Your goal here is to have the meat render some of its fat and seasoning. I like sausage as my seasoning meat. I slice about half of the sausage and I save a few longer link pieces of sausage to serve on top of the red beans. All of the sausage is sauteed until browned. The links are removed from the pan; the slices stay in. If you are using ham, leave it in the pot to flavor with beans.

Add finely chopped vegetables (garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery) to the pan. Saute until tender and softened. The vegetables will continue to cook with the beans.

Add bay leaves, red beans, creole seasoning and enough water to cover these ingredients in the pot. Lower the heat down to medium-high. Boil gently for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until beans are tender and creamy. Add water as needed while cooking to keep beans covered.

When beans have been cooking for 1 1/2 hours, add chopped parsley to red bean mixture. If the liquid the beans are cooking in is not creamy enough and the beans are cooked, take a few beans out of the pot. Mush these up. Add them back to the stock to help thicken the sauce.

Cook the white rice.

When both rice and beans are done, remove bay leaves from beans and serve red beans over a pile of white rice.

Corn bread and a simple green salad are a great accompaniments to Red Beans and Rice.  My husband likes his corn bread crumbled on the top.

Don't forget your favorite Louisiana hot sauce, to spice red beans up for those who like it hot!

Extra red beans can be frozen if you have left-overs. This recipe does makes a large pot!

Bon Appetite!



For fool-proof red beans and rice, try Mam Papaul's Red Beans and Rice seasoning blend. The box contains all the secret ingredients for a good pot of red beans. You just need to provide the beans, salted meat and cooked white rice!

Football Rice Krispie Treats

All the tiny tailgaters will love these little football rice krispie treat. Actually, the adults will  like them too. Who can resist a rice krispie treat?  These football themed chocolate treats are sure to be a hit at your tailgate or football theme party! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Butter

1 (10 oz) package marshmallows (I prefer the small ones but you can use large)
5 cups Cocoa Rice Krispie cereal
White frosting




Directions
In a microwave proof bowl, melt butter. Add marshmallows to bowl and microwave until melted. All microwaves are different so I would recommend setting it for 1 minute increments. Test to see if the marshmallows are melted after each minute. Be careful not to scorch the marshmallows.

Grease a large bowl with butter (so the mixture will not stick to the sides).  Add the cocoa krispies. Pour the butter/marshmallow mixture over the top of the rice cereal. Stir to coat all the cereal. Let cool slightly.
Use buttered hands to shape the rice krispie mixture into mini footballs. Make the footballs about 3" long. This makes 16-24 depending on how large you make them.

Decorate each football by piping white icing on them for stitches and strings. I use a small Ziploc bag as an icing piping bag. To do this, you fill the bottom of the bag with the icing. Snip a small hole in the bottom corner and squeeze the icing out of this hole. Easy and less mess.

Down, set, HIKE! You are ready for kick-off with these tasty football rice krispie treats!


Update:
We have even more blog posts with football decorations and beads:
Football Door Decoration How-To
Team Sports Beads Guide

I ♥ Fall Football !

Just in time for our first home college football game this weekend, the first glimpse of fall weather arrives. Yeah! I love SEC football and all the tradition that surrounds home football games. Every campus has its various tailgate traditions. From the grove to the parade grounds, people in the south love football and the ritual of a home game. In honor of our first home game, here are some of my favorite things about home LSU (Louisiana State University) football games. 

Football Favorites ♥ from home LSU games

1. The sound of the first few beats of the fight song (Da Da Da...Da).
2. The Golden Band from Tigerland marching up the hill to the stadium.
3. Sliding down the Indian Mounds  (sadly, not on game day anymore, see www.2theadvocate.com) .
4. The sensation of coming out of the dark around the stadium into the bright lights of the field.
5. The sound of the crowd erupting when the home team takes the field.
6. Flashes of  poppers going off during the Star Spangled Banner.
7. Mike the Tiger's roar!
8. "Tiger Baiting" a rival team tailgater.
9. Good food, cold beer and a reason to celebrate the "good times" in life.
10. Finding old friends, new friends and good friends all out tailgating!
    

Football Photos- To get you in the fall football spirit, I posted these photos of  footballs I've spotted lately. The Football Rice Krispie treats are sure to be a hit with your tailgaters. They were with my little Tigers!

1. This fun football cake is from our neighborhood Piggly Wiggly. Where else, but the south do we have grocery stores named after a pig? You know we really love our pork products! This cake was not only cute, but also delicious and inexpensive. I paid less than $10 for it. Way to geaux Piggly Wiggly!
2. Have you seen these yet? Football shaped tortilla chips. So festive and great for tailgating.
3. Football Rice Krispies® Treats. Great for tailgate parties or children's football themed party. See our Rice Krispies Treats post for the recipe.

For more LSU football inspired products, see the Purple and Gold section at Mardi Gras Outlet. There are decorations, team beads, football shaped beads, spirit shakers and more.

 GEAUX TIGERS! (Da,Da,Da...Da...I can hear it now!)