Crafty Eggs

Look at this fun, low-cost craft project from the Craftzine blog.

Eye Candy

Eye Candy shows you how to make it, but I bet you could also use mini chocolate chips for the eyes instead of olives.

The Bakerella Spring Chicken Cake Pops

For the baker in you, try to make these cuties for your office!  I made them last year, and people loved them.  They are fairly easy to make, and even more fun to decorate.  Yum!

Billboard Birthday

Heard about this cool website on the radio today!  This Day in Music, chronicles what hit topped the charts on the day you were born.  Love it!

“Crazy for You” by Madonna topped the radio play on May 9th.  I think it’s kind of fitting, at least I hope my parents were crazy for me.  Awww, how sweet is that?!  Music stylings and awesome 80’s video below:

Raspberry Brownies

A quick and easy go-to recipe, at least for desserts, has to be brownies for most.  It’s an easy thing to pick up in the grocery store, but it’s even easier to make from scratch.  If you’re a somewhat avid baker or cook, chances are you have all the ingredients you need sitting your pantry right now.

Ultra Power Indeed

This recipe was taken from Cooking Light, and is 121 calories, the recipe serves 16 (so cut that 8×8 pan up into bite size, satisfying tastes!)

Yum!

Ingredients

• 1  cup  sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon  hot water
• 2  teaspoons  instant coffee granules
• 1/4  cup  butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2/3  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons raspberry (preferrably seedless) jam

1  tablespoon  powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place sugar and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until thick and pale (about 5 minutes). Combine hot water and coffee granules, stirring until coffee granules dissolve. Add coffee mixture, butter, and vanilla extract to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until combined.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring just until moist (batter will be thick).

Disregard the soaking pan in the background

Spread batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Stir raspberry jam in small bowl.  Drop small amounts of jam onto batter.  Take a skewer or knife and swirl jam throughout.

Bake at 325° for 23 minutes or until brownies spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Garnish brownies with powdered sugar, if desired.

More Lady Gaga

It seems we have been getting a ton of traffic from Lady Gaga fans!  First of all welcome, and second of all, here’s another dose of everyone’s favorite, eccentric pop star!

More Barbies are popping up with her signature, unforgettable looks:

 

Check out her performance at the Brit Awards, where she paid tribute to designer Alexander McQueen:

Easy Marble Loaf Cake

Seriously, it doesn’t get easier than this, and chances are you already have all of the ingredients in your pantry!

 

Makes on 9×5 loaf

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and sift with a whisk. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 

3. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.  Add vanilla

4. Begin adding half of the dry ingredients and then half of the buttermilk (I used whole milk and it was fine).  Repeat

5. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.  In a bowl place 1/4 cup of cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon.  Boil 2 tablespoons of hot water and combine with cocoa.  Mix cocoa mixture and the 1/3 of the reserved batter together.

6. In pan, begin by placing three globs of the vanilla batter (one in the corner, one in the right center and one in the other corner of the pan).  Place chocolate batter in the holes.  Repeat once or twice depending on how much batter you use.

7. Optional* take a skewer and run it through the batter.

8. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes

Cool Blog Alert: Missed Connections

Have you ever blown it with a complete stranger?  And by blown it, we mean passed gas in front of them.  Well, that man might still be looking for you on the Craigslist missed connections section, and artist Sophie Blackall might be looking for your next post to provide her with artistic inspiration.

Sophie Blackall, takes posts from missed connection sites and turns them into beautiful artwork, which can be seen at her blog, you guessed it, Missed Connections.

Her illustrations and interpretations are whimsical, fun and poignant.  You can purhcase her prints at her Etsy Store, Sophie Blackall.  Her prints sell for $40 and she also features original paintings for $150-350.

We’re Here!

Sorry antz fanz!  We have been MIA for a week or so, as Christa has been dealing with Snowmageddon in D.C. (yea, we name our blizzards, so what?!) and Jenny and Sara have been busy readying themselves for Valentine’s Day.

Now we’re back, and we are ready to bring you the best in fitness, fashion and food.  I have recently discovered, something that many people probably already know about, and that is Comcast, Exercise TV.  I have recently found a lot of great, FREE workouts here.  Including two of my favorite work out girls, Jillian Michaels and Jackie Warner (of Bravo TV famed show, Work Out).

During the month of February you can work out to Jackie’s new DVD for free.  She has a total body work out that will literally leave your body screaming.  She goes through the exercises quickly, while still noting good form, and ends each set with a power blast.  One word: intense.

What DVDs do you work out to if any?  How are your new year’s resolutions coming along?