Get Hoppin' In The Kitchen

It's the Year of the Rabbit, so this spring everyone should try making the super cute Betty Crocker Bunny Cake for Easter, or just for fun!! My mom made this cake for Bunko, but she used Paula Deen's recipe for Cool and Creamy Coconut Cake, which is very moist and decadent.  It is  from The Lady and Sons Just Desserts cookbook. If you decide to give Paula's recipe a try, one helpful hint we offer is to look for the cream of coconut in the liquor section of your grocery store. It is the same coconut they use for Pina Coladas

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 2 Hours and 10 Minutes

What You Will Need For The Cool and Creamy Coconut Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
water, vegetables oil, and eggs called for on the cake mix box

1  can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1  can (12 oz.) cream of coconut
1  container of cool whip
1  cup shredded coconut

What You Will Need To Decorate

a tray or a piece of cardboard, covered with foil

white construction paper

jelly beans or robin's eggs

green food coloring

1  cup coconut

Heat oven to 350°F. Make cake as directed on the box for two 8 inch or 9 inch round pans. Using a fork or skewer, poke holes in the entire cake. After mixing condensed milk and cream of coconut, slowly pour over warm cake. Cool cake completely.

Reserve one layer for another use or to make a second bunny. Cut one layer in half as shown in the diagram below. Put halves together with cool whip to form a body.
 Place cake upright with the cut edge down on the tray. (If you prefer the Carrot Cake, follow the directions of the box and frost with cream cheese frosting instead of cool whip.) 

Cut out notch about 1/3 of the way up one end of the body to form the head as shown in the diagram below. Attach half of cutout piece from tail with toothpicks. Frost with remaining cool whip, rounding body on sides. Sprinkle with the 1 cup coconut. Cut ears from construction paper; press into notch on top. Use jelly beans for eyes and nose.

 Shake 1 cup coconut and 3 drops of the green food coloring in a tightly covered container until evenly tinted. Surround bunny with green coconut grass.
 Add additional jelly beans or robin's eggs if desired.

Click HERE to read reviews and comments on Betty Crocker's Bunny cake!!

A Fresh Look For Spring, Or Any Time Of Year

Choosing a paint color for a room can be challenging and overwhelming because there are so many colors to choose from. Luckily, Sherwin Williams created a free online
 Color Visualizer to help you see what your room will look like before you paint it.

My parents felt like their living room needed a little color, so we decided to paint an accent wall. An accent wall is using color to treat one wall differently from all the others in a room. It adds excitement and importance to a space. Pick a wall with a major focal point such as a fireplace wall, an unusual shaped wall, walls holding dramatic artwork, or the wall behind a bed's headboard. This is where your eye goes first. An accent color makes a focal point more dramatic. We chose the wall with the fireplace in my parent's living room. We weren't sure what color we wanted, so we gave the Color Visualizer a try. We tried gold to compliment the brown couches and the rock fireplace, seafoam green to pull in the accent color on the pillows and accessories, and brown for a rich, warm feeling. We took a picture, uploaded it into the program, and then tried the three colors.

 My parents liked the seafoam green, but went with the brown. They felt like their fireplace stood out in the room too much because of its size, but the brown really softened the look, and I agreed! Brown is a great neutral color, so they can still switch out pillows and other accessories depending on the season. I painted the wall for them in just a few hours. They have been happy with the results and have received many compliments on their color choice.

Click HERE to try this fabulous free program with a photo of your home. If you still feel unsure of your paint color choice after trying the program, you should consider hiring an Interior Designer. Let me know if you need help!

Here are a few Wise Design tips for painting:
{1} Choose an inspiration piece in your room and pull a color from it. For example, a rug, accent pillows, or art work.
{2} Check out Sherwin Williams and give the Color Visualizer a try before you purchase your paint.
{3} If you like more than one color, purchase a small sample can and try painting a little before doing the whole wall.
{4} Don't be afraid to try bold color!
{5} When painting, tape all molding, cut in the edges with an angled brush, and make sure you have the right roller cover for the textured surface you are working with.
{6} Cover all flooring and furniture.
{7} Wear old clothing. No matter how careful I am, I always seem to get paint on my clothes.
{8} Open doors and window to air out the room and to help the paint dry. Wait 24 hours before hanging anything on the wall or pushing furniture back into place.
{9} Keep in mind, the paint color changes a bit as it dries.
{10} Enjoy your room's new look!

An EGGceptional Idea For Spring

I was recently inspired with an idea when I visited the Pottery Barn in San Jose. I loved all of their spring decorations, but this "Happy Easter" display really caught my eye. It was hanging above one of their

dining room tables. 

While I was there, I picked up their spring catalog. The catalog showed the holiday eggs being used as center pieces on the table, too.

I wanted to make my own version of this spring display at Dolce Home, where I work as an  interior designer. Although they have the holiday eggs for sale at the store or online at Pottery Barn.com, I decided to make my own with a few changes. First, I wanted mine to be multi-colored. Instead of white eggs I chose light blue, light pink, and light yellow eggs from Joann Fabric and Craft Store. Second, I wanted to use a decorative ribbon instead of twine, so I chose a cream ribbon with scalloped edges. Next, I bought black scrapbook letters to use instead of painting on the letters. Last, I wanted the eggs to say
"Happy Spring" instead of "Happy Easter" so that the display could hang in the shop for all of spring!

Everyone who visits the shop loves our new spring display. So, thank you Pottery Barn for giving me the EGGcellent idea to create my own "Happy Spring" eggs!!