Sweetnicks Mailbag, Part 2

Alright, time to answer a few more questions from the comments and e-mail inbox.  I try to get back to the comments section and answer questions there, but sometimes I miss a few.  If I forget you, just shoot me an e-mail.  I get distracted easily.

• A few readers asked about making a chocolate version of my buttercream frosting recipe.  Start with 1/4 cup of cocoa and go from there, adding a little bit more as needed to get the chocolate intensity you’re looking for.  If you accidentally add too much cocoa, then add a splash or two of milk to thin it out.  Sometimes I even use chocolate syrup to flavor it.  And for a delicious maple version?  Maple syrup.  The real kind.
• There were a few people who had some problems making the Homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups.  When I followed the recipe, I used one sheet pan.  As I mentioned in the review, my batch definitely took a little longer to thicken up in the pan than the recipe indicated.  Also, my oven only goes as low as 200 degrees, so that’s the temperature I baked the roll-ups at.  Darby has since added a follow-up post with some additional information on making the fruit roll-ups, which you can find here (scroll down a bit, it’s in the third paragraph).  Hope that helps!
• I received several questions about the paint color for dining room (seen here).  It’s called Toffee Crunch and it’s from Behr.  I didn’t pick it by name, but love that it has a food-related name for the dining room.  Call it kismet.  Truth be told, as much as I love this color, I am still dying to go back to the color I painted in our dining room in the old house.  It was a deep rich, velvety dark chocolate.  Such an amazing color, but this dining room is too small for it, I’m afraid, so Toffee Crunch it is.
• Also had a few questions on the necklace I mentioned that I wear here.  I bought it on Etsy from Mama Beth Bling and here is a picture of it.
  

  

  Whenever I’m holding Madeline, she loves to play with it and find the tag with her name on it.  It totally needs a dip in the jewelry cleaner, but for now, we’re rockin’ the tarnished look.

• The shoes in yesterday’s post are made by American Eagle and I bought them at Payless (this season).  They were $17.99 and are the most comfortable things ever.  Feels like you’re wearing slippers.  Or I’m wearing slippers.  You know what I mean.  They also have a grey/pink variety available as well.

I tried to get all the most recent questions, but if I missed yours, let me know. And now, my turn for questions. Just two today.

1. Does anyone happen to have the Top Chef cookbook?  If so, I’m looking for the Shrimp Mousse recipe.  Please?
2. I’m looking to find a retailer that sells these types of hats.  It’s similar to a beret, but has a bunch of space at the nape of the neck and is more floppier there.  Do they have an official name?  Have you seen them for sale anywhere?  Do tell!

Photo Credit: People magazine

Project 365
June 14, 2010, Photo #110

This is how The Princess starts most mornings.  In exactly four days, The Prince will be able to start his days in much the same way.  Life is rough.  Don’t believe me?  Ask them.

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