invincible inc.

Tetris Cookies!

Ginny — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:34:47 +0000

I gave Anthony a very late Valentine’s Day present this morning – Tetris Cookies. What they lack in timing, they make up for in awesomeness.

To make the cookie shapes, I printed out the tetris shapes on paper, cut them out, then set them on top of the rolled out cookie dough and used the paper shapes as a guide to cut out cookies. It was a little bit more involved than using cookie cutters, but not too bad.

For frosting, I piped the black outlines on the cookies first, then flooded the insides using a thinned-out royal icing. Next time I make them, I will probably coat the whole cookie with a color first, then pipe the black on top.

Anthony had fun setting them up on the table this morning, playing a game of cookie Tetris. He usually only gets to eat my rejects from cookies that I make for other people, so he was super excited to have a batch all to himself.

Blood Oranges

Ginny — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:56:04 +0000

I am currently in day 1 million of a cold that won’t quit. It seems like I have been sick since Thanksgiving, so I’ve been trying to do healthy things like taking vitamins and eating fruit to try to get myself back to normal.

I bought some blood oranges at the grocery store last week, mostly since I never tried them before and I’m working on trying new things. They ended up being pretty tasty, and I really like the color on the inside. Today I juiced this one, and it was delicious.

Thing I Like for the Weekend

Ginny — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:45:40 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! I had a really great birthday on Wednesday, and I got some hot pink jeans that may or may not be appropriate apparel for a 32-year-old woman. But I don’t care and I will be wearing them anyway. Our house has somehow become a disaster area, so I’ll be spending the weekend trying to organize and clean a bit. Fun!

Here are some of my favorite things from the internet this week:

- DIY Confetti Tablecloth from Oh Happy Day
- DIY Dip Dye Curtains from Michael Penney Style
- Downton Abbey Paper Dolls!!!!
- I love this wedding from 100 Layer Cake
- DIY Nail & String Letters from jk jk

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ginny — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:07:36 +0000

I made these cookies over the weekend and I am in love with them.There are a few different things going on.

For the small hearts, I used a small fondant cutter to make the cookies, then decorated them with light pink disco dust, hot pink sanding sugar and metallic silver spray.

For the medium hearts, I went freestyle with the love script, stripes, curves and silver dragees.

And for the large hearts (my favorite), I followed this tutorial, and they are much easier than they look.

I loved the way they came out so much, I almost packed them up and put them in a box to save forever. But the most fun part of making cookies (for me at least) is sharing them with other people, so I gave them all away before Anthony could finish them.

I hope that you are having a wonderful Valentine’s day! I am celebrating by finishing up some invitations for a wedding, shipping some glitter letters for another wedding, and making lasagna in cupcake tins. Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday, so if I get all of my work done in time I am going to take the day off and relax, do my nails, eat some junk food and watch some scary movies on Netflix.

Valentine’s Cupcakes

Ginny — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:08:17 +0000

I spent a ton of time baking over the past few days, cookies and cupcakes for customers, plus some treats for my family. The first thing I made were some chocolate cupcakes with Swiss meringue buttercream.

If you have the time, patience, a hand mixer and a stand mixer, this frosting is THE BEST. It is light and perfectly balanced between buttery and sugary, plus it is really beautiful piped with a big star tip. I also made some small heart-shaped sugar cookies, which I decorated with my new pink glitter disco dust. I can get enough of this stuff – it is so pretty. I did some brighter pink ones too that I coated with hot pink sanding sugar.The recipe for the frosting can be found here, or in the Joy of Cooking (if you don’t have a copy, you should – it has everything). I’ll post more pictures of the cookies tomorrow – I made some really great ones.

Sweet Things for the Weekend

Ginny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:46:32 +0000

My oven has been on for 2 days straight, as I am baking for a few parties and getting Valentine’s Day treats ready. I used disco dust (edible glitter) for the first time this morning, and I can get enough of it. I was to cover everything I eat with pink glitter.

The internet is full of super-creative ideas for things to make your sweethearts next week:

- Crazy creative homemade candy necklaces from Bakingdom via Not Martha
- Valentine’s Day Heart Punch Napkins from Make, Grow, Gather
- Pretty Lace Heart Cookies from Sugarbelle (I am making these today)
- Ruffle Fondant Cupcakes from Jessicakes
- Cherry Vanilla Layer Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Roasted Asparagus and Lemon

Ginny — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:14:20 +0000

I love goat cheese. A lot of people don’t (at least people in my family). This makes the following recipe fairly controversial, but I promise that the cheese turns into a delicious, creamy, mild, amazing sauce when it melts into the pasta. If you have any hesitations about trying goat cheese, this recipe is a good way to give it a try.

Ingredients:
- 1 box curly pasta such as rotini or campanelle
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 small package goat cheese
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2-3 sprigs tarragon, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim asparagus into bite-sized pieces and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare pasta according to package directions.
3. Crumble goat cheese into a bowl, add olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and tarragon.
4. Add cooked pasta and asparagus to cheese mixture and stir until cheese is melted and pasta is coated. Serve immediately.

My Favorite Color

Ginny — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:13:13 +0000

One of my favorite things about February has always been all the pink that turns up everywhere. It’s also the time of year when spring clothes start to pop up in stores, and I’m definitely planning on adding some pink to my closet in the next few weeks. Here are some of my favorites:

- Rock Star Colored Jeggings
- Juicy Couture Super Straw Pailette Clutch
- Kate Spade Juliana Too Flats
- Lilly Pulitzer Critter Earrings
- Draped Snail Tank

Good Things for the Weekend

Ginny — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:13:59 +0000

This week has been pretty busy, and I spent a lot of time babysitting my nephews and niece. We’re headed back to Connecticut this weekend to spend some time with Anthony’s family and see some very good friends.

Here are some of my favorite things this week:

- Awesome Kate Spade inspired Valentine wreath from me oh my!
- Brownie Burgers for the Superbowl from Cupcakes and Cashmere
- Valentine’s Vanilla Sugar from Somewhere Splendid
- Pretty gray and yellow office from Wit & Whistle
- Paper Rose printable from ellinée
- Chevron Stripe Fridge from pocketful of pretty

Happy February!

Ginny — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:16:24 +0000

February has always been my favorite month, mostly because my birthday is on the 15th. This month I’ll be spending a lot of time working on expanding my etsy shop, improving my photo skills, and making cupcakes. It should be a fun month!