Hola Everyone! First off, a change… Raw Tuesdays will now be…Raw Thursdays! So stay tuned tomorrow for that! My new schedule make a Thursday raw day a little easier, so there you go!
I picked up a mini-cupcake pan when I was in the U.S. and we’ve been enjoying the mini-cupcake love, let me tell you! They are the perfect size, because you feel much less guilty about eating two (or three) when they are tiny! Above are some Lemon Cupcakes with lemon royal icing and below, the Basic Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache icing from VCTOTW.
Friday we had a bunch of friends over for the apéro or cocktails…but it was a well-fed apéro :
Homemade salsa & fresh-baked pita triangles
(I didn’t make the tortilla chips, hélas, but I’ll get that figured out eventually…)
Homemade roasted-garlic hummus
Diann posted about these Samosa Potatoes from VCON recently & I thought they would be a great finger-food – and they were! I doubled the batch, and good thing I did because they disappeared almost right away! I admit to not following the recipe and making my own curry paste… not pictured is the soy yogurt & fresh coriander sauce I made to dunk them in.
The other thing not pictured are the 45 spring rolls I made! Don’t ask me how I forgot to take a picture of them…they took me so long to prepare!
And isn’t this cute?
You already know I’m an Aranzi Aranzo fan, so no surprises here! I aquired their Cute Stuff book this summer, and this felt bag really caught me eye. I added a liner, because it just looks way better with one. I’m really playing with the basic design of this bag and am coming up with some really cute ideas, but need some time to get them together! I really love their style, and find their ideas so inspiring – a great jumping off point for me to make my own things!
Musings From The Fishbowl 
Mini cupcakes have got to be the greatest invention. Yours are so cute! I can never resist eating 4 or 5 at the same time.
And what a well-fed apero indeed. 45 spring rolls! Mmm, and now after seeing them on Diann’s and your blog, I might have to make those potatoes!
Oh and your bag is so cute! Make more and sell them on Etsy!
Mini cupcakes are awesome! 4x as much cuteness for just as much work, which is perfect when you’re feeding a crowd.
Your mini foods look fantastic! And that bag is just adorable. You are very talented.
I love mini cupcakes! And I’m super impressed by your crafting skills. So awesome!
I want that bag. Crafty you are indeed! And I want a salsa recipe that makes salsa look as pretty as yours. I don’t eat salsa (?!!!??) but Tim does.
You sure know how to make tasty snacky foods for parties. I want some of that now too.
Those mini cupcakes look fantastic! I’ve calculated that one regular=3 minis, so you’re right on the mark with not feeling guilty!
The bag is adorable, too, and cool, cool liner–you are SO talented. 🙂
The bag is the cutest thing! For some reason, it reminds me of a lot of the products I had as a kid growing up in Japan.
And I want to share in the mini cupcake love! I think I need a mini-cupcake pan, as making more cupcakes means there are more to decorate!
oh my goodness – mini cuppies = the BEST EVER! instead of eating three i’d probably eat all of them. ahahahaha! yay!
you made 45 spring rolls!?! wow, Shelly! i bet that did take a while. takes me a ridiculous amount of time just to make 4 of them!
and your bag = cutest ever! ohhhhhh, i love the bunny! the fabric inside rocks, too! yay!
You sure have cooked up some fun and delicious food lately! I need to keep an eye out for mini cupcake tins.
Great bag! I totally covet your craftiness.
45 spring rolls? I lose patience around 10! the bag is very cute.
I love tiny things! Your cupcakes and bag are too cute! I’d have so much fun (and be so broke) in Japan 🙂
Your food and your bags look SENSATIONAL!!! And hooray for Raw THURSDAYS 😉
I love, love, LOVE samosas! I should make those potatoes soon. 🙂
Verrrrrrry cute bag! I love the printed liner!! (Makes everything better, right??)
Cupcakes and bunny bags, oh my! Good call on the liner, too. Looking forward to Raw Thursdays 🙂 Speaking of which, I have GOT to update my food blog sometime soon… I’ve been so busy that there just hasn’t been much time, but I’ve been blogging about getting back into shape (aiming for some 2009 triathlons, though lately I’ve been obsessed with bikram yoga) at my old blogger address (www.vegtriathlete.blogspot.com).
that bag is too cute for words. seriously.
how could you not take a picture of the rouleaux de printemps? they took you so long to prepare!
(hey, it was an open invitation, et tu le sais.)