Cupcakes Jazz Up Your Movie Night

So you’ve got a free weekend and you’ve planned out a movie night with a few close friends. And like any movie night, it won’t be complete without food—popcorn chips, soda, pretzels, and all sorts of finger foods. But why not go the extra mile and throw in a few sweet treats? Candy and chocolate work well, but they’re not exactly filling. If you want a different kind of sugar fix, try serving movie night cupcakes. Think about it: they’re cheap, simple, easy to serve and can even be decorated. With a bunch of cupcakes on the table, your movie night is sure to be a great hit.

You don’t even have to be a kitchen whiz to make good cupcakes. A basic cupcake recipe takes less than an hour to prepare and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. Or if you’re really strapped for time, you can just get them from the store—just add a few decorations and you’re good to go. Everyone’s got a sweet tooth, so it’s just a matter of picking the right flavors. If you’re not sure how, here are some tips to help you make the perfect movie night treats.

Keep it light and simple

Moviegoers aren’t expecting a gourmet treat, so ditch the fancy recipes and go for something nice and simple. They’re not only easier to make, they’re also more likely to appeal to everyone. Classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla usually work well, as well as fruit flavors like lemon and blueberry. If you want something a bit different, try making chocolate chip cupcakes—they’re just as simple, but offer just enough variety to make people want more.

Since you’ll be serving other snacks besides the cupcakes, you don’t want them to be too filling. Skip the creamy filling and just compensate with a simple frosting to go with it. A light, fluffy batter usually yields softer cupcakes that taste good but don’t feel too heavy. You can also try making mini cupcakes, so that people can come back for seconds and still have room for everything else.

Make a quick frosting

Cupcakes and frosting always go together, but for a movie night, your options may be a bit limited. Chances are your cupcakes will be eaten on the couch or recliner, so you don’t want to make too much of a mess. Remember to use frosting rather than icing—the latter has more volume and can easily spread when the cupcakes tip over. Cupcake frosting recipes are usually spread on, so they’re easier to use and serve.

Again, simple frosting usually works best—in fact, some cupcake recipes are good enough without being frosted. Choose a flavor that goes well with the cakes themselves. Vanilla frosting works well with chocolate, and cream cheese frosting complements lemon and carrot cupcakes quite well. You can also just use a store-bought buttercream frosting and have people spread it on themselves, so that those who want a lighter cake can just skip it.

Do some quick decorations

Sure, it’s not a fancy birthday party, but it won’t hurt to decorate your cupcakes anyway. You don’t need any experience or training to decorate a batch of cupcakes, especially with all the tools available today. Often, all you need is some frosting, food color, and a theme to go with. If you’re not feeling too creative, you can also get edible cake toppers—just stick them onto a frosted cupcake and they’re ready to serve.

When decorating your cupcakes, make sure they’re completely cooled before spreading on the frosting, Otherwise, the heat will melt the frosting and cause it to seep down the sides—and you don’t want the chocolate getting on your couch! Finish it off with toppers that fit the occasion. You can usually find themed decorating sets at your local store—some of the most popular designs are TV screens, film reels and velvet curtains.

Create a theme

Every party starts with a good theme, and there’s no reason why a movie night should be an exception. If you’re watching a specific kind of film, try decorating your cupcakes to match it. There are cupcake topper designs for just about any genre, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right pieces. For a horror movie marathon, you can use an edible Halloween cake topper. For a chick flick night, Valentine’s Day decorations may be appropriate. If it’s a children’s movie day, grab a bunch of cartoon character toppers. Most stores carry theme in themed or seasonal sets, which can save you both time and money.

If you can’t find the toppers you need, you can just make your own designs with colored frosting and some candy—jelly beans, M&Ms, chocolate chips, whatever you have lying around. You can even get your friends to join in and make it part of the fun!

that taste good but don’t feel too heavy. You can also try making mini cupcakes, so that people can come back for seconds and still have room for everything else.

Make a quick frosting

Cupcakes and frosting always go together, but for a movie night, your options may be a bit limited. Chances are your cupcakes will be eaten on the couch or recliner, so you don’t want to make too much of a mess. Remember to use frosting rather than icing—the latter has more volume and can easily spread when the cupcakes tip over. Cupcake frosting recipes are usually spread on, so they’re easier to use and serve.

Again, simple frosting usually works best—in fact, some cupcake recipes are good enough without being frosted. Choose a flavor that goes well with the cakes themselves. Vanilla frosting works well with chocolate, and cream cheese frosting complements lemon and carrot cupcakes quite well. You can also just use a store-bought buttercream frosting and have people spread it on themselves, so that those who want a lighter cake can just skip it.

Do some quick decorations

Sure, it’s not a fancy birthday party, but it won’t hurt to decorate your cupcakes anyway. You don’t need any experience or training to decorate a batch of cupcakes, especially with all the tools available today. Often, all you need is some frosting, food color, and a theme to go with. If you’re not feeling too creative, you can also get edible cake toppers—just stick them onto a frosted cupcake and they’re ready to serve.

When decorating your cupcakes, make sure they’re completely cooled before spreading on the frosting, Otherwise, the heat will melt the frosting and cause it to seep down the sides—and you don’t want the chocolate getting on your couch! Finish it off with toppers that fit the occasion. You can usually find themed decorating sets at your local store—some of the most popular designs are TV screens, film reels and velvet curtains.

Create a theme

Every party starts with a good theme, and there’s no reason why a movie night should be an exception. If you’re watching a specific kind of film, try decorating your cupcakes to match it. There are cupcake topper designs for just about any genre, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right pieces. For a horror movie marathon, you can use an edible Halloween cake topper. For a chick flick night, Valentine’s Day decorations may be appropriate. If it’s a children’s movie day, grab a bunch of cartoon character toppers. Most stores carry theme in themed or seasonal sets, which can save you both time and money.

If you can’t find the toppers you need, you can just make your own designs with colored frosting and some candy—jelly beans, M&Ms, chocolate chips, whatever you have lying around. You can even get your friends to join in and make it part of the fun!

Tags: edible halloween cake topper | edible halloween cake topper | cupcake frosting recipes | cupcake frosting recipes | chocolate chip cupcakes | chocolate chip cupcakes | edible cake toppers | edible cake toppers

Ways To Create Storage Space In Gardens

A garden should be a delight for both gardener and visitors to enjoy. This is supposed to be an oasis that soothes the soul and allows people to relax and refresh their spirits. The last thing that anyone wants to intrude on this experience is the clutter of assorted tools and gardening materials.  However this frequently happens because there is often a shortage of storage space in many home gardens.

Large numbers of gardening enthusiasts are facing the problem of too little space for shovels, spades, buckets and soil amendments. This is due to the fact that yards have been downsized a good deal over the past few decades and devoted gardeners are generally opposed to yielding even an inch of garden space for storage purposes.

It is a difficult choice for any gardener to make if they are forced to decide between downsizing their gardens or backyard landscaping ideas and additional storage room. This is why it makes sense to find ways to make the storage space you do have as efficient and functional as possible.

There are some ways that you can stretch the amount of storage room that you currently have. It takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity at times. However, if you really need to find a place to organize your gardening related items then these ideas can be very useful.

Organization is a big key to maximizing your storage space. You should go through all of your gardening tools and other materials to see what can be discarded. This will often provide you with at least a little extra room after you complete this housecleaning chore.

There are many landscaping and garden related items that are multi-functional. This means that just one tool may replace 2, 3 or even 4 of the tools that you are used to using. When you downsize appropriately you can be a more efficient gardener and have more storage space to work with.

A work apron for the garden will provide you with some additional garden storage room that you may not have thought about.  Aprons can maximize the space required for a number of different items. Find one with deep, roomy pockets and label each one for a specific purpose.

In one of the pockets you might keep your small pruning scissors. Another pocket would be useful for holding a tape measure. In yet another of the apron pockets you might have a small bulb planter. The pockets keep everything neatly organized and it only takes a moment to hang up the apron and all of these gardening accessories at the same time.

A dedicated gardening shed is a very good way to extend your storage space in any garden. These small buildings come in many different sizes and shapes. Inside a gardening shed you will have places to put everything and it will seem as though you have twice as much room instantly.

You can use a pegboard to hold small tools and keep them organized. You might want to hang larger tools like pruning shears and shovels on the walls. If you use a stair-step arrangement you can hang several tools neatly in one small area.

Some people have discovered that a comfortable garden bench that is used as seating can do double duty. Buy one that has a covered storage area under the bench seat. This will give you a way to keep many of your most commonly used gardening tools in an easily accessible location.

Potting sheds and potting tables come in a large variety of styles and shapes. These items can be set up in any convenient location throughout your landscaping ideas. The design is elegant which means that any gardener will be proud to have them as a centerpiece in their garden if necessity dictates. These multi-purpose gardening aids can be used for storage as well as a variety of other tasks.

The gardening hutch is one of the smallest storage items available. These are considered mini-gardening sheds and they can hold big tools on one side and an array of smaller tools on the adjacent shelves. Once you close the doors this little hutch adds a rustic beauty to your garden and no one needs to know that this is where you put your tools and gloves.

There are some deep, roomy chests made from cedar wood that can be moved out into the garden. The top of the chest can double as an impromptu bench or worktable. Inside the chest is where a gardener might keep plant markers, fertilizers, sprays and twine.An island bed is also a great addition to a front yard, and this can be used to highlight the front entryway.

Tags: garden storage space | garden storage space | garden storage | garden shed | garden shed