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Guest Blogger: Classy Chic & Chardonnay

Happy Monday! Today’s guest blogger, Chelsea, has a gorgeous recipe to share with you all. Her cake decorating skills are crazy impressive, and her blog is awesome! Enjoy! –Liz

Hi! I’m Chelsea from Classy Chic & Chardonnay and I have a confession to make: I love baking… almost as much as shopping! To me it’s relaxing, allows you to be a little creative and furnishes results that you can enjoy! I love trying new recipes and thanks to Pinterest (follow me here) there are endless recipes that are on my “to-make” list! I wanted to make a bake that had spring like flavors and when I came across this Triple Berry Lemon cake I knew it was the one
I used my go-to website for baking (Martha Stewart) and found the lemon cake recipe. I added Trader Joe’s frozen berries (which includes strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) into the cake batter. I wanted there to be three layers so in the top and bottom layer berries were added, the middle layer was just lemon cake.

For the filling between the layers of cake I made a lemon pudding from a jello mix. (Who the heck knows how to make pudding from scratch?!)

The icing was a normal butter icing however I added some lemon zest to give it a little extra zing. (Also, if you’re going to make anything from scratch make your icing! It is super easy, hardly takes any ingredients and you can add just about any flavor to it!) I added a little bit of pink food coloring to give it more of a spring time look.

For the icing of the cake, I piped these roses. I’ve seen it done a bunch of times before, read a quick tutorial of it and was astonished at how easy it is! It was my first time too, so next time I’ll learn from my mistakes.

(You can read the tutorial that I used here via I am Baker!)

Chelsea @ Classy Chic & Chardonnay

May 20, 2013
Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

Today’s post is from the bloggers over at CookingShorts, as husband and wife team “designed to bring short recipes and good food to your table.” We love that mission!

Every woman (and man) loves a good cheesecake. However, many of us steer clear of cheesecake with worries of the calorie count behind a huge slice. My solution is portion control … turn the big slice of cake into small bites. This allows you to enjoy the creamy, sweet deliciousness of cheesecake, but without the guilt of eating a full slice. Tinsley made these cuties for a recent girls’ night out and they were a hit. Our waiter even begged us for one.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients:
1 box red velvet cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray. In a large prep bowl add cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low until combined. Please note, this batter will be very dense. Scoop the cake mixture into prepared pan and spread it your fingers; set aside.

In a medium prep bowl add cream cheese and sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat to combine. Spread cream cheese mixture over the red velvet bar.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bars barely start to pull away from sides. Cool completely before cutting. Use a small biscuit cutter to cut out bites. Garnish each bite with a dollop of whipped cream.

May 17, 2013
Things To Do With Your Dog in VA Beach

Hey all! Today’s guest post is from Aimee over at Irresistible Pets and Irresistible Icing and she has some great ideas for taking your pooch out this summer! Enjoy! –Liz

Hi VA Bloggers! My name is Aimee and I blog at Irresistible Pets and Irresistible Icing. I was born and raised and still live in Virginia Beach and couldn’t imagine living away from the water! I have a Chihuahua named Chuy that I love spending time with, especially at the beach. I put together a list of some of my favorite things to do with your dog in Virginia Beach!

Take a Stroll on the Boardwalk

Virginia Beach has been voted for having one of the best boardwalks in the country. We love going to the boardwalk for bike rides or just a relaxing walk. If your dog needs help with socialization, the boardwalk is perfect! There’s so many different types of people, sounds, and smells.

Play on the Beach

Chuy has been going to the beach since he was 9 weeks old! He loves running in the sand! After you walk along the boardwalk, be sure to let your dog check out the beach!

PS – Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Boo! You can read the full policy from the city here.

Take a Pic by King Neptune!

The King Neptune statue has become iconic to Virginia Beach, so you have to snap a pic! I recommend getting a pic during the “off” season. Otherwise, Mr. Neptune is always surrounded by tourists during the summer. Chuy is in there somewhere lol.

Walk, Run, and Play at Mt. Trashmore

Mt. Trashmore was the first landfill park created in the entire world! Yes, that means it was created with trash! It rises over 60 feet high and you can see it from the interstate! The park itself has tons of trails, lakes, playgrounds, and even a skate park. Chuy and I often go after work to get in a nice long walk. He even loves running up the “mountain!”

If you are ever in Virginia Beach, be sure to say hello on Twitter @MyIcing or Instagram.

Love + Paws,

Aimee

May 13, 2013
Things To Do With Your Dog in VA Beach

Hey all! Today’s guest post is from Aimee over at Irresistible Pets and Irresistible Icing and she has some great ideas for taking your pooch out this summer! Enjoy! –Liz

Hi VA Bloggers! My name is Aimee and I blog at Irresistible Pets and Irresistible Icing. I was born and raised and still live in Virginia Beach and couldn’t imagine living away from the water! I have a Chihuahua named Chuy that I love spending time with, especially at the beach. I put together a list of some of my favorite things to do with your dog in Virginia Beach!

Take a Stroll on the Boardwalk

Virginia Beach has been voted for having one of the best boardwalks in the country. We love going to the boardwalk for bike rides or just a relaxing walk. If your dog needs help with socialization, the boardwalk is perfect! There’s so many different types of people, sounds, and smells.

Play on the Beach

Chuy has been going to the beach since he was 9 weeks old! He loves running in the sand! After you walk along the boardwalk, be sure to let your dog check out the beach!

PS – Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Boo! You can read the full policy from the city here.

Take a Pic by King Neptune!

The King Neptune statue has become iconic to Virginia Beach, so you have to snap a pic! I recommend getting a pic during the “off” season. Otherwise, Mr. Neptune is always surrounded by tourists during the summer. Chuy is in there somewhere lol.

Walk, Run, and Play at Mt. Trashmore

Mt. Trashmore was the first landfill park created in the entire world! Yes, that means it was created with trash! It rises over 60 feet high and you can see it from the interstate! The park itself has tons of trails, lakes, playgrounds, and even a skate park. Chuy and I often go after work to get in a nice long walk. He even loves running up the “mountain!”

If you are ever in Virginia Beach, be sure to say hello on Twitter @MyIcing or Instagram.

Love + Paws,

Aimee

May 13, 2013
Northern Virginia Meet Up!

Hey Northern Virginia bloggers! Listen up! We are having a meet up in Arlington! Details below:

What: Virginia Blogger Meet Up

Where: Bayou Bakery (1515 N. Courthouse Rd.)

When: Saturday, May 18th @ 3pm

RSVP: For questions, leave a comment below and our DC ambassador Rana, will answer your questions!

Meet ups are a great way to meet new bloggers in the area. Feel free to bring your camera and business cards! For other meet up ideas, please e-mail us at virginiabloggers@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do!

May 9, 2013