BaKiNg MACHINE + Party Tips: Don’t over-do it

Good evening,

My BF’s graduation party was yesterday!  Happy graduation to him!!  He graduated with a degree in Engineering and already had a job set up for him at an amazing and successful company where he started management training this past week.  SO. PROUD. OF. HIM.  He worked so hard at his schooling and applying for this job that he deserved an AMAZING party with DELISH goodies.  🙂

I made some crazy cupcakes…

Confetti cupcakes that I tried to dye red…for school colors



I used gel icing for the lettering and I do not recommend it…hard to use and then SUPER runny later on.



Cinnamon and chocolate sprinkles

and delectable oreo balls…

 I add one small container of cream cheese to the bag and smoosh it all together.  Then I put it in the fridge for at least an hour before rolling the balls because it can get messy!  I made the middle of the oreos two days in advance and stored the oreos in the freezer so I could break up the amount of time I spent in the kitchen with all of the goodies I made AND it makes it a little easier to work with.

 Decorate with almond bark!  🙂 (Use the instructions on the bag and don’t overheat the bark!)  And of course make sure to put sprinkles, etc. before it dries and hardens.

AND chocolate covered oreos for the grad party….

Much faster to just dip the whole oreo in the almond bark.  I tried to do a vanilla chocolate swirl in the bark if you can tell.

The oreo balls and almond covered oreos went FAST.  I’m glad I took the time and effort to make them..there were still quite a few cupcakes leftover (anybody want one? just kidding..but seriously).  I made a TON of them thinking those would be the only sweets there but it turns out BF’s mom made her famous rice krispie treats AND lemon bars AND BROWNIES!  Can we say sugar high??!

*Little grad party food-fun anecdotes*:
At grad parties there is usually A TON of food!  What to choose from?? 

• First of all, I always grab the smallest plates for food.  Why?  It’s one of those weird brain things.  We like to load our plates, and when the plate is small, well, limited space.  You can usually go back for more food but this just helps to portion.  Never pick food off here and there!  Always use a plate so you know how much you have eaten!  
• There are usually fruits and veggies, so I grab a plate of those first and maybe some cheese. 
• Then I get a main protein dish (sloppy joes was on my second plate). 
• When I am done with fruits, veggies and the main dish…I put my desired dessert on the plate and savor it. 

~*You CAN enjoy grad party food without going overboard!*~

I went with a simple oatmeal mix from a bag and chocolate chips…easy and pleasing to the taste buds.