Pinterest Duel Updates

We had our party last weekend, which was totally fun. Nothing got broken even though copious amounts of wine was consumed. Although I did knock over a small plant when I was "Paul Abdul-ing" in the breakfast nook...only a little dirt spilled though.

The party gave me an excellent opportunity to make a few more things from my recipe boards and get me further on my way to achieving my goal.

First up: The Appetizers

Balsamic Vinegar Bruschetta

This came out awesome. I specifically looked for a recipe that used balsamic vinegar because I just love the flavor. I made it early in the morning so it would have plenty of time to soak up the flavor before the party, which I highly recommend doing.

It made quite a bit of topping. Everyone liked it so much that we ran out of bread and I had to send Scott to the store to get more. Some of which was promptly put in the toaster and forgotten about by the drunkards. They ate ALL of it!

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers

I'm posting this again because, being my second time making it, I have a few more tips. I made it a bit spicier this time around, which I preferred. I also sliced it a lot thinner to make smaller bites. I thought it would make them more of a finger food, I could either way on this. I did not make nearly enough though. It was gone in a mere half hour and late guests didn't get a chance to try them. Perhaps double up if you are making this for a group because people love them!

Now for Desserts!

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

I'll admit, I used a box mix to make the cupcake pat of it. I didn't have a lot of time and making a chocolate cupcake from scratch is nothing new for me. I was more interesting in the peppermint frosting. Which came out amazing! I didn't do the fancy red stripe because I don't pipe my cupcakes. There was a lot of extra frosting. So if you make this you might want to have a game plan of what to do with the extra! Super easy to make and delicious.

Peppermint Cream Bites

I definitely had a theme to my desserts! This was also easy to make. You spread the chocolate layer on after its been in the freezer. This made the chocolate cool a bit too quickly to be spread around properly. If I made it again I might let it warm up before putting that layer on.

I didn't use a cookie cutter to cut mine but just sliced it with a knife instead. When I sliced it the chocolate layer on top crumbled a bit and broke apart. I might use a cookie cutter next time so if it might remedy that problem. They still tasted great!

So that is 11 out of 35 things made. I'm almost a third of the way there! I plan to make a few more dinner things over my break next week.

Have you brought anything on your pinterest boards to life lately?