Cocoa Cones

Yeah, so this blogging thing isn't that easy. Not that I expected it to be, but it takes a lot of time! And if you have nothing to talk about then forget about it! On day 10 of my blog I was ready to quit because I thought that I didn't really have anything important to say. But its not about that. Its about doing what you love and loving what your doing. I love art and to motivate myself to do more then I need this blog. It can be kind of an artistic diary for me. I also realized that I do this with everything. I quit half way. I get bored and move on to something new. That's when I decided to keep my blog and if I meet someone in passing and they have the same interests as me then I can refer them to it. Plus it gives me something to do while Johnny plays video games. Which is exactly what he is doing right now! And with the winter months coming just around the corner it gives me something to do when I am snowed in.

Its interesting to look at the statistics side of blogging.I started my blog exactly 16 days ago. September 9th was when I posted my first post. And since then it has gotten 133 views. That's about a whopping 8 views a day.... and no they are not my own views! It's really not a lot but seeing that I am new at this and haven't told many people about it, it's kind of exciting! Someone from Russia has viewed this blog twice and we also have a reader from Germany! 65% of the audience uses Internet Explorer, 31% uses safari and 1% uses Opera. This blog has so far been accessed from an ipad, an iphone, and a blackberry - and for the record I don't own any of those! So thank you to all of you who have listened to me write about what's important to me.

 Hopefully I have been able to share a few good tips with you. I know so far I haven't posted a lot. 14 to be exact (almost once a day). I'm not trying to make excuses but its hard when you work full time, and go to school! Enough of me blabbing about nothing. I'd like to share with you a new project. I actually started this one for a bake sale that we are having at work. Its perfect for the winter months as a little gift or even a party favor. Cocoa Cones!

The supplies that you will need for the cocoa cone include:

Powder Cocoa Mix
Mini Marshmallows
Disposable frosting bags
Ribbon
Scissors

I usually take a tall glass and put the disposable frosting bag in it to stand it up.

I then add the powder cocoa mix. Usually about 2 servings. You can find the serving sizes on the side of your cocoa container.

Once I pour the cocoa in I then take a paper towel or clean unused paint brush and brush the excess cocoa of the sides of the plastic disposable frosting bag. The cocoa tends to stick because of the static. If you just leave it there it will be obvious against the white marshmallows. Once I am done cleaning the sides of the bag I add the mini marshmallows.

The easiest thing to do next is to seal the bag with a twist tie. Unfortunately I didn't have any today so I just tied it with ribbon. Some alternative ideas to do here is to use colored marshmallows or add chocolate chips or some other candy to jazz it up a bit. Since these are just for a bake sale I tried to keep it as priceless as possible with hopes to make a profit off of it for the bake sale which benefits the resident counsel at our nursing home. After you seal the bag with a twist tie, add some ribbon (and curl it) or add a beautiful bow that will make it look really elegent. You can also add a hot cocoa recipe to it or attach a tag that says thank you if you are making it as a party favor.

This is what your final product should look like - or even better if you added extra candy toppings or a pretty bow.

Sea Shell Mirror Update - I have ran into a bit of a glitch with the seashell mirror. I ran out of shells! The good news is that my in-laws are going to Maine next weekend and promised to bring home some more shells!