Sweet paul

Holiday countdown 2010.........24th

Wow, this december has gone so fast. Today is christmas eve and Im getting ready to take a break from blogging.
But before I do I want to take this time to wish you all a very Happy Holiday.
Wherever you are and whatever your dreams might be, I hope they all come true.
Thank you all for the support you show me in my work on the blog and the magazine.
It means the world to me.
Back in january.
Love
Paul

Voted best online magazine!

OMG, I'm so excited.
Sweet Paul Magazine just got voted best online magazine by the readers of CasaSugar.
Its amazing!
What a holiday gift!

Holiday countdown 2010.........23rd

Cupcake Flowers 
Wrap your gift in pretty floral paper. Take three regular size cupcake paper liners and turn them inside out; hot glue together. 
Take three small cupcake liners and do the same thing. Glue the large and small flower together. The middle is made of a small liner cut up in strips and glued in the center of the flower. 
The small tassels are pieces of cut-up liners glued on the string.  
Photo by Frances Janisch

Holiday countdown........22nd

Calendar
A great gift that costs about $1 to make.

You will need:
Old photo
Calendar (you can find one online)
Hole puncher
String

Cut out the calendar and glue it together so that you can tear off month after month.
Glue to the picture.
Make two holes on top and fasten with string.

Holiday countdown 2010............Dec 21st

Its time to think about the holiday table.
This is a really cute place card idea.
You cut out images of your guests and place them on top of a cupcake.
Kinda a dessert and place card all rolled into one.
So simply cut it out and glue it on a toothpick.
Easy as pie.
Photo by Hector Sanchez

Holiday countdown 2010............Dec 20th

Oh my, its already december 20th.
Where have the time gone?
Oh well, I guess there are still some time left to "Deck the halls", right?
But while we do Deck the halls, we need to cookies to keep the energy up.
So today I leave you with some yummy Snowcaps.
And don't forget the Sweet Paul Holiday Party on Twitter wednesday!

Snowcaps
Makes 20

4 tablespoons butter, soft
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
4 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
confectioners sugar

Beat butter and sugar creamy.
Add the egg and milk and mix well.
Stir in flour, cocoa and baking powder and stir until you have a smooth dough.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls.
Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Take them out and roll them in confectioners sugar.
Place the balls on a baking tray, bake at 350F for about 12-14 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Photo by Colin Cooke

Sweet Paul Holiday Party!

Holiday countdown 2010............Dec 19th

Today I want to introduce you all to another Sweet Paul Magazine contributor.
Sabra Krock is a photographer, food stylist and stylist all rolled into one person.
And when she is not shooting fab food she takes the most awesome children's portraits.
Im really lucky to have her in my team.
Check out her fan work right here!
And her blog is here!

And finally I leave you with the recipe for her awesome cranberry almond streusel cake.

Cranberry Almonds streusel cake
The cranberries makes this cake so moist and amazing.
Serves 8

2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 stick salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla exstract
1/4 teaspoon almond exstract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons sugar
Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 stick salted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl mix together flour and baking powder.
Butter a 9 inch square or round baking pan.
Cream butter and sugar until light.
Add the eggs, one at a time, stir well.
Add vanilla, almond extract, sour cream and the flour mixture.
Beat until combined.
In a small bowl toss the cranberries with sugar.
Fold them into the batter.
Spoon the batter into the cake tin.
Im a small bowl work together sugar, flour and butter until crumbly.
Sprinkle crumbles on top of cake.
Bake until golden brown, about 50 to 60 min.
Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Holiday countdown 2010............Dec 18th

Today is the perfect day to bake cookies.
At least in my mind.
The butter is already sitting out to get soft and the smell of freshly baked cookies will very soon drive my building crazy.
Im doing a bunch of these snowmen, easy to make and they make a great gift.

Basic Sugar Cookies
This is a basic simple cookie recipe that never fails to please.

Makes about 30 cookies

1 stick salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the egg and beat it well into the mixture.
Add flour, baking powder and vanilla and mix until combined.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use.
Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface.
Cut out cookies and transfer to a parchment-paper-covered baking tray.
Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until just golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container.

Snowman Cookies
Makes 12 snowmen

1 batch sugar cookie dough
1 small batch of peppermint cookie dough (see Sweet Paul Magazine)
Confectioners’ sugar
Water
Shredded coconut
1/4 cup melted chocolate
1 small piece of orange fondant
1 piece of red and white string

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut out 3 different circles of the sugar cookie dough (small, medium and large).
Place them on top of each other to create a snowman shape.
Press them gently together and transfer to a parchment-paper-covered baking tray.
Cut out small hats using the peppermint cookie dough and place on the same tray.
Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Mix confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth.
Cover the snowman with frosting and dip into coconut.
Add extra frosting to his head and place the hat.
Use melted chocolate in a piping bag to make buttons and a band for his hat.
Take a small piece of fondant to create a thick carrot. Fasten with a small amount of frosting.
Tie a string around the next as a scarf.
Photo by Ellen Silverman

Holiday countdown 2010............Dec 17th

This holiday Im all about making my own paper.
This idea is a smash hit, if I might say so myself!
Find all your holiday photos, old and new and make them into a collage by simply placing them next to each other on a printer.
Now take that print and go to a print center and copy up larger sheets.
They are quite inexpensive.
You now have your very own holiday wrapping paper.
Cool right?
Photo by Hector Sanchez