Valentine’s Day Mini Ombre Cakes Recipe

Looking for a fun dessert you can make for Valentine’s Day? If so – try these mini Ombre cakes.

They are cute from the outside, and when you cut through them you’ll reveal a surprise:

different colored mini layers of cake! While these may look fancy, the good news is that they require easy to find, inexpensive ingredients and equipment.

Here’s what you’ll need.

  • Boxed Yellow Cake mix (Duncan Hines was used for today’s recipe)
  • Ingredients for the cake mix (Duncan Hines is: 3 eggs, 1/3 C oil, 1 C water)
  • Red food coloring
  • Pink food coloring
  • Round cookie cutter
  • 2 sheet pans/cookie sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Cooking spray

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, you’ll also need: 

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 4 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbs milk
  • Red food coloring
  • Pink food coloring

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.

Line pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Prepare cake mix according to box and divide the batter evenly into 4 bowls. (3 bowls plus the one you mixed in is fine.)

Leave one the way it is, and color the remaining 3 different tints of pink and red.

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20 Best Coupon Apps to Save Money

It’s mind-boggling to think about how much has changed in the past ten years. Most people didn’t even own a smartphone back then, and now they’re everywhere! Download one or more of the best coupon apps for extra savings on …

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Free New Year’s Resolutions Planning Printables

I love a good New Year’s Resolution! In my experience, your success in reaching your goals starts with making a solid goal and plan in the first place. It’s so easy to slap down a resolution without giving much thought to why it matters or how you’re going to achieve it.

This year, I wanted to help you make your best set of New Year’s Resolutions ever! To do that, I’m offering up a FREE set of New Year’s Resolutions printables you can download and use to assist you through the process. You can always find these on Amazon, yet we wanted to make them accessible here.

I recommend you print these out and find an hour or so when you can be quiet and reflect on what matters to you for the year ahead. This might involve leaving your house to hit up the coffee stand or library so you can clear your thoughts.

Resolution Brainstorm

The first printable you’ll want to print out is the Resolution Brainstorm. On this sheet, your goal is to come up with all of the ideas in your head…all those resolutions that appeal to you or you’ve been kicking around for a while.

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4 Tips for Making New Year’s Resolutions that Stick

4 Tips for Making New Year's Resolutions that Stick {Read this before writing your Resolutions!}

Do you like making New Year’s resolutions this time of year? Or, are you in the camp that says they’re a waste of time? As someone that loves making goals and seeing them through, I’m honestly somewhere in the middle. I don’t think every resolution is a worthy one, but I also think that the process of self reflection is underrated!

I’ve had some years where my resolutions went fabulous (my 2009 resolution was to start a blog) and I’ve also had years that my resolutions were forgotten by mid-March. Today, I thought I’d share some of my tips and thoughts for what to consider when penning your resolutions.

Tip #1: Make sure the goals are yours.

Chances are, your Facebook feed is starting to fill with friends sharing challenges like these:

  • 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge (may or may not include a “buy in”)
  • Project 365 (take a picture every day for a year)
  • Run 1,000 miles next year
  • Save $10 every week for a year

I am easily moved by my friends’ enthusiasm for challenges and goals like these and can very quickly mistake that for my own interest, if I’m not careful. However, I’d really caution you about adopting other people’s goals without careful thought. Some of these require big commitments and may or may not align with what matters most to you. For instance, I’ve decided I’d like to run a 6:30 mile (or faster) in 2016. That’s a much more meaningful goal to me than making sure I’ve hit an arbitrary number of miles next year or completed a 365-day running streak.

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Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

Over the course of my blog, I’ve shared a few tutorials and recipes that would lend themselves well for Christmas and holiday gifts! Here are some of my favorites: Homemade Sugar Coffee Scrub. Easy and quick to make. Would make a …

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25 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Are you looking for some fun crafts to put together with your kids this Thanksgiving? If so, I’ve got a nice round-up of 25 different kid-friendly Thanksgiving crafts for you to consider! For the full tutorial for any of these, …

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Thanksgiving Planning Checklist {Free Printable}

Thanksgiving has got to be one of my absolute favorite holidays! If you’ve ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, you know that organization is key. This year, I thought I’d help you out by assembling a free Thanksgiving Planning printable to …

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50 Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is a little more than a month away! This year, I wanted to do a little something special for my gluten-free friends out there, so I’ve assembled a collection of 50+ gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipes! These recipes have you covered …

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16 Best Sites Like Groupon

I love Groupon, and I’m guessing you do, too. After all, it helps you save on everything from restaurants to activities to spa visits. There are lots of ways to save on sites like Groupon! The Groupon Goods section offers …

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11 Best Places to Get Coupons

woman at grocery store

Wondering how to get coupons? We’ve got you covered! You’ve no doubt seen and heard the stories about shoppers who are able to bring their grocery bills down to practically nothing. While it’s fun to watch these savvy consumers pull …

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30 Game Day Finger Food Recipes

If you’re looking for some tasty game day snacks – look no further! I’ve assembled a collection of 30 for you – and the best part is they are all finger foods (no utensils required!). To get the recipe for each, simple click the link and follow.

Mexican Tortilla Rollups

Mexican Tortilla Rollups from Tastes of Lizzy T

Loaded Potato Bites
Loaded Potato Bites from Hearth and Vine

Ham and Cheese Sliders
Ham and Cheese Sliders from Dinner At The Zoo

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