Cake Decorating Ideas: Bear Cupcakes

I am definitely not an expert cake decorator. My mom always made our cakes, so I do my best with my boys:) I thought it would be fun to share ideas on the blog. Comments and additions are welcome! You can also e-mail me cake pictures (if you know who I am;) and I'd be happy to post them on the blog.

I made these bear cupcakes for my elementary group to eat during our games, after watching "Prince Caspian" this weekend. In the book they eat bear meat, although in the movie they just kill the bear. Gross, I know. Anyway, they were so easy my 6 year old actually did most of the decorating. My afterschool kids at church loved them! Start with any cupcake recipe. I made mine from scratch only because I didn't have a mix on hand and couldn't run to the store.

For decorating I used: white chocolate mini reese's cups, mini nutterbutter cookies, white chocolate chips, and chocolate icing.

It probably would have looked more authentic with regular mini reese's, but I didn't want to make or buy white icing in addition to the chocolate (was short on time) and chocolate icing would not have shown up. Also could use mini oreo's for ears and a mini nilla wafer for mouth if you don't like peanut butter.

1. Ice cupcakes

2. Put Reese's bottom-side up for nose/mouth.

2. Put two choc. chips for eyes

3. Cut cookie in half and put in icing for ears

4. Use contrasting icing to decorate mouth, nose, and eye dots.

5. Enjoy!

Kids eat (practically) free

I was pleasantly surprised to learn recently that kids eat free at Kona (www.konabistro.com) every day from 5-6 p.m. Always in search of a bargain, I'm hoping that others who read this post will help add to the Kids Eat Free list.
Here's one other place that I know of: at the Golden Dragon Chinese Buffet in Hamilton (take Main St. to the Goodwill/JoAnn Fabrics shopping center, on the left, before you hit downtown Hamilton), kids under 3 eat free; ages 3-6 are $2.35 for lunch/$3.75 for dinner; kids from 7-11 are $3.85 lunch/$4.75 dinner. (Adults are $5.69 lunch/$8.89 dinner, but it's a bit pricier on weekends).
I think kids might also eat free at the Skyline Chili and the China One in Oxford, and possibly at the Golden Corral in Hamilton, but I haven't had a chance to do any research on those places yet. If you have any info, please let me know. Thanks!

Jungle Jim's

So you've just moved to Oxford from someplace bigger, and immediately, you lament the lack of an Indian restaurant here. Or maybe you've got a craving for some pho, or some really fresh sushi. Perhaps your problem is that you need baklava, and lots of it. Head to Jungle Jim's, my foodie friends.
I won't go on and on about what a food-lover's paradise it is. You probably already know it carries a huge selection of international groceries. Need tea from Africa? check. Want to try a so-called 10,000-year-old egg from China? check. Looking for candied grasshoppers, or maybe a turducken? You can find it at Jungle Jim's.
I thought I'd highlight two products from the Asian section that I've recommended to several people. One is the frozen dumplings. The kind we love is made by a Taiwanese company called Wei-Chuan. It almost doesn't matter what flavor you get. Look for a logo that says "New and Improved!"
Granted, they're not quite like homemade dumplings, but they're really, really close, and they're WAY better than the doughy versions you find at most Chinese restaurants. Making Chinese dumplings at home is something like a 12-step process that can take all day. With the frozen kind, all you have to do is boil water. If you prefer potstickers, you can pan fry/steam them. Look for directions on the back.
While you're having dumplings, you might as well get the most delicious soy sauce I've ever tasted. It's also made by Wei-Chuan and is available at Jungle Jim's in a tall bottle in the Taiwanese aisle. It's called Prime China soy sauce. It's much thicker than Kikkoman and is rather sweet, with a wonderful soy-saucy flavor. I'm addicted.
Finally, because this is not a commercial for Jungle Jim's, I should mention that you can find slightly better prices (on the dumplings, at least) at a small Oriental market just up Dixie Rd. As you're headed home from Jungle Jim's, look for a rather forlorn little shopping center a few blocks ahead on the right, with one or perhaps two shops in it. The market carries a larger selection of Chinese groceries than JJ's. You can also buy cookware, chopsticks, incense, tiger balm and other cool stuff.
What: Jungle Jim's
Where: 5440 Dixie Highway. Take 27 N. out of Oxford. Turn left onto 130 as if headed to Hamilton. Turn right onto Main St. (177) in Hamilton, and go through the shopping district there. Turn right onto OH 4 South, which turns into Dixie Highway. Look on your left for the Jungle Jim's complex, which looks a bit like Disney World, complete with its own monorail. Takes about 35-40 minutes to get there.
Contact: (513) 674-6000
Hours: Opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 10 pm, which is good if you or your spouse wants to make a late-night trip after the kids have gone to bed. Note that it closes early on the major holidays.