Well 2018 is coming to a close and its been magical! I took a leap of faith this year and started this blog. I was scared to do it! Would anyone read it? Would I really have the time? What if I failed? What if I succeeded? So many thoughts. But faith isn’t having all the answers or being assured of a positive outcome- it’s doing what God calls you to do when you’re scared- and even if you fail! So in February I put on my red dress and asked kind strangers to snap pictures of me against the Love Wall in Culver City and the Inspired Chick Blog was born.
Thank you all for subscribing and sharing my work and stories. It has truly meant the world to me. Seeing some of you try my ideas or tell me how the blog has helped your marriage or family in some way has been one of the best parts of my year and given me the motivation to keep writing and baking. I’ll never forget the moment I realized one of my recipes was going viral on Pinterest or when I wrote my first blog post as a guest contributor for the Moms of Preschoolers Blog (MOPS).
As for our New Year’s plans, we are taking it easy tonight with a family friendly appetizer party. We will tuck the kids in at 9pm per usual. I can’t even promise that I’ll stay up till midnight- ( I know I know but such is toddler mom-life!) My husband and I will close out the year on our knees praising God for His endless mercies and the beginning of a new season. So I leave you with a few easy ideas to say good by to 2018 and welcome a New Year.
- MAKE A FESTIVE NEW YEAR PIE.
An open-faced apple pie is super elegant and festive for the New Year. I made a rose and leaf border with pie crust cutters I got at William Sonoma. You literally assemble clusters of apples with the skin on in a pie dish. Here’s the abbreviated recipe: In a medium bowl I mix a melted half stick of butter, 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of nutmeg. Spoon this over the apples in the pie dish. I made a banner and numbers to celebrate a New Year. You can purchase shape and number cookie cutters for this part on amazon. Bake on 375 degrees for an hour or until the pie browns and the juices are bubbling.
2. SPELL OUT THE NEW YEAR WITH CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES.
This one is super easy! Make your favorite cake- even a box cake mix will do – just be sure to add a package of instant pudding and a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt for an especially dense and rich cake! I personally love bundt cakes because they’re elegant and effortless. Not to mention that a glaze that drizzles the top of a bundt cake has less sugar than icing! Simply dip 4 strawberries in warm chocolate melt dip and let them refrigerate for about 10 minutes or until the chocolate dip becomes a hard shell. Then pipe out the new year on top of the strawberries in icing! I also sprinkled the cake with edible golden stars.
3. MAKE NEW YEAR COUNT DOWN CUPCAKES
Again! Start with your favorite cupcake recipe and yes a box mix is just fine! Pipe a pretty buttercream swirl on top. For the countdown clock- just use Oreos and take one side of the cookie off. Use the side that still has cream on it and pipe out your numbers and arrows for your clock using black store-bought icing. I have found it to be almost impossible to get my homemade icing black without it tasting like tar from an excessive amount of food coloring so I just buy it from the store. I hate to waste so I used my food processor and made crumbles out of the cookie halves that did not have icing and incorporated them into my icing.
4. MAKE A NEW YEAR COUNT DOWN CAKE
This was my very first time trying to make a festive New Year’s Eve cake a few years ago. I was so proud. For this cake you’ll need to ice two or three 8 inch rounds in buttercream icing. I use Wilton’s recipe because it’s stiff and good for covering a cake. Pipe in your clock the opposite color of the icing of the cakes. I would also add one of those sparkly candles that are hard to blow out for an extra good measure of fun.
I am wishing all of you an amazing year to come! Thanks again for your support it’s priceless.
With only 24 hours in a day, how is this possible??
Thank you!