Liam's Steak House & Oyster Bar

I remember wanting to go to Liam's for the last two "event" dinners...and Mr. Flip Flop groaned about putting on "real clothes".  We have REALLY gotten into the casual mode over our years at the coast!  This year, I thought "heck, it's the island, wear what you want"!  We sure aren't trying to impress anyone. LOL!  If you have 'em, put on some blinged out flip flops and go on with your bad self.  We saw folks in their work clothes, tropical shirts and shorts, dresses, slacks, etc.  The island is well-known to be a "no tie zone" so no one should let the fact that they didn't bring any upscale clothes with them on vacation stop them from eating at one of the finest restaurants on the island.

The service was outstanding, the food was exceptionally delicious, and while a bit pricey, it was worth every dollar spent.  A great addition to our list of places we will go for celebratory dinners.

We decided to skip alcohol since it was a week-night and his shift Friday was likely to be long and arduous.  So, we splurged instead on an appetizer of Calamari - a beloved favorite.  This dish was outstanding.  Light textured crust and a generous plate of perfectly cooked nuggets of squid tentacles and rounds made us both smile!.  Topping this dish with delicious slices of large green olives lightly dusted with Parmesan cheese was a surprising, yet scrumptious, addition to the plate.  A crock of warm and spicy, chunky tomato dipping sauce was the perfect complement for the Calamari.  Two huge thumbs up.

They also served a hot loaf of French bread with a scoop of soft butter.  Delish!  Best of all, the service was prompt and attentive, but never intrusive,  The table setting was minimalist and lovely (you know I'm always checking out the dishes) with a crisp white tablecloth giving it the steakhouse vibe.  The decor was definitely coastal, centered by a gorgeously appointed wooden bar with several people seated there sipping drinks.  Quiet and "restrained" - which is a nice switch from some of the more hectic environments you sometimes find on a tourist concentric island.

Now, on to the rest of our dining experience.  Mr. Flip Flop ordered the Prime Rib.  It was served with asparagus and a loaded baked potato as well as a bowl of au jus.  There was a small condiment bowl of creamy sauce, but I didn't even notice it until I was looking at the photo.

The angle of the photo above (because I'm leaning across the table while my spouse rolls his eyes at my wasting his time with photographs of his plate of food) makes the really quite large piece of meat look smaller than it really was.

This angle gives a better idea of how thick and meaty this delicious prime rib actually was.  He said everything was very good and he had to bring home part of the slab of meat as it was so big and thick.  I'm sure it was the breakfast of champions before work this morning!  The man loves eating leftovers for breakfast.

Now, I had heard the Cobb Salad was outstanding, so my decision was basically made before I arrived. The only thing I had to decide upon was my choice of beef filet, chicken, or shrimp as one of my toppings.  It was a deliciously classic Cobb so my brain wanted to go with the chicken.  However, those who raved about this salad had specifically raved about the Filet Cobb - so I went with that.  I am so happy I did.  It was too huge to finish but I did put a healthy dent in it.  I also made sure to eat every bite of the tender, melt-in-your-mouth filet, the perfectly ripe avocado, the boiled eggs, and as much of the bacon and bleu cheese as I could.  I was about to pop.  I now know why my lady friends raved!

I will have to say I am glad it was a little dark in Liam's... I asked for my filet to be medium and that's a little more edging towards medium rare in my opinion.  However, it was probably the better service for the meat - it literally melted in my mouth.  Really glad I couldn't see it all that well at the time though!!!

Bottom line...go there.  It was delightful and everything I could ask for (except a view) upon the occasion of my 22nd wedding anniversary!  I give it my highest rating and will be back again soon!  They are a small venue, so reservations are recommended during the busy times on the island.  We fortunately didn't need them  - but it wouldn't hurt if you want to avoid a potential wait!  I didn't see a single soul hurrying through their dinner!  Be safe, not sorry!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

5 – OMG – that was an outstanding meal!  I can’t wait to go back 

Causeway Cafe - Port Isabel

In our continuing tradition of "ladies who do lunch", my friends and I decided to try a relatively new spot for lunch this month.  Iris had already been before and vouched for it being quite good.  Well, let me tell you, it was better than good!  This is a coffee shop and then some!

Causeway Cafe is on the South side of Lighthouse Square and if you are at the light going towards the island, just look to the right - it's the last shop before the Causeway.  Plenty of parking, outdoor seating, lovely indoor decor.  My friend and I just looked at each other and were both going "wow"!  This is just what Port Isabel needed.

Lovely staff, gracious serene surroundings, delicious food, good coffee, lovely coffee cups and dishes.  I was in happy overload!  Another friend had posted how nice it was to have a place to go and sip a good cup of coffee in Port Isabel and, after hearing that, I should not have dragged my feet in getting there.  I can picture myself with a latte and a book, whiling away a morning.  I didn't even notice the pastries, but I'll give an update when I go back!

I brought home a menu but I'm not going to post my pictures - because it is easy to find on their website which I am linking here.  They have a nice little lunch menu and I selected the daily special.  It included one half of a sandwich and a cup of soup for $7.99.  The soup of the day was a Sirloin Vegetable Minestrone I believe - it was delicious.  I selected the seasonal Albacore Tuna Salad on Croissant for my sandwich. It was described as wild-caught tuna blended with relish, mayo, onions, fresh herbs, and spices. Served on a plate with a pickle it was exactly enough for a light lunch.  The flavor of both the soup and sandwich were really outstanding.  Tea and the lunch special totaled right at $10.

Iris had Vickie's Chicken Salad which she gave high praise.  She said the addition of cranraisins was an outstanding touch to go with the all natural chicken breast, walnuts, gala apples, mayo, fresh herbs and spices.  She opted to have it as described on the menu with tomato, onions, and spinach.  She could have had it as a sandwich or over field greens if she preferred.

Our non-eating friend always has coffee and she smiled happily at the generous clear glass cup and the coffee within.  You could tell we were all having a most excellent time as we grinned through most of our time there and lingered longer than we usually do over lunch!  Causeway Cafe had a great vibe!

I can't wait to go back.  I am, of course, posting this in February, so all I know are Winter Hours - 8:00 to 3:00 Tuesday through Saturday - closed Sunday and Monday.

I didn't see breakfast items on the menu, but I did see mention of Muffins!  This will be a great place for Mr. Flip Flop and I to go on those "on-call" week-ends he has wherein we are land locked and can't go over to the island.  Yay!  Love new places!

UPDATE 2/27/2015
Planned my day of errands and appointments to include a second visit to Causeway Cafe - all alone - so I could just sit and take it all in.  Lunch special today included a most excellent Tomato Basil Soup and my half sandwich choice to go with it was the chicken salad on a croissant (what Iris had last visit but as a sandwich).  OH MY - it was to die for.  There was a lot of foot traffic as I sat there - Winter Texans ending their visit and others just coming in for the first time.  Nice to see the place was hopping.  I was happy to find they did have WiFi and I spent a little time staring out the window and reading my book before I decided to have a coffee for dessert.  I selected a White Chocolate Mocha Latte with Half and Half with Whip. O*M*G!!!  It was beyond delicious.  Next time I'll have a double shot of espresso - in it - but for today it was absolutely perfect.

I also had the opportunity to view, but not taste, an array of desserts in their pastry area.  They have gluten free muffins, pies, bars, cheese cake...and I was told the offerings changed regularly.  If I hadn't been so full from lunch and coffee I'd have wanted a piece of something - likely the lemon bar.  I love lemon!

So, take two lived up to the first visit and then some!  YAY!!! (Pssst... I hear they are soon going to have a deck and wine and beer...I think I heard right.  Can't wait to see that happen. I'm hoping that means they might extend their hours some in the Summer.  They didn't mention that, but I can always hope.) Lovely place.  Check it out if you haven't already done so!



SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

4 – Lip smackin’ - good quality – flip flops will definitely be parked under their table again!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

Tricks of the Trade

I often ask myself "why didn't I think of that?"  Yep, it's the million dollar question, isn't it?  I suspect many of us ask ourselves that question when we stumble across something that makes life easier! This post is eventually about creating pods from tipless bags...but first I have to wax on a bit about the creativity that abides in the cookie decorating world.

Fabulous edible art in the cookier world is being created by creative people every day.  Everyday items are also being repurposed by creative cookiers everywhere!  They see a problem and they propose a solution...and before you know it, someone has created a new way to perform a task, and sometimes it evolves into a product that meets the specific need!  Entrepreneurs abound in the cookie world!  Tooth picks to boo boo sticks to needle tools, using craft tweezers to pick up tiny little sugar beads, using a bead tray to corral our sanding sugar and non pareils and safely return them back to the jar. The group of people we all longed to be with started with Cookie Camp, evolved to  CookieCon, and then someone said "hey, how about a CookieCruise?" Learning via online tutorials from Montreal Confections, Haniela, Sweet Ambs, Julia Usher, and McGooU (and so many more)!  Blogs by the awesome Sweet Sugarbelle, CookieCrazie, Glorious Treats, The Enchanted Oven, and Ali's Sweet Tooth (those were my early ones to follow - I follow a LOT more now). There aren't enough words to describe what Julia Usher's CookieConnection has meant to the cookier world!

More tools - Ikea Bevara clips to hold your bags closed, cookie stencils in glorious multitudes of designs and shapes, magnets to hold your stencils in place and free up your hands, the Stencil Genie to get away from using 8 to 16 little round magnets, embroidery hoop with mesh to hold a home made paper stencil, stencil masks to hold down the round stencils that don't fit in the square Stencil Genie, painting on cookies by creating a palette of dried gel colors in an artist's palette, a box of pressed dusts to use like a paint box, BRP Boxes to showcase our cookies, and a Notta Cookie to practice on...OMG, the list goes on and on and on.  The cookiers who read this will likely be able to identify each and every cookie artist who DID "think of that".  I know I have followed and learned from many of them... maybe all of them.  Amazing people one and all and I didn't even go down the path of specialized cookie cutter creations!  Plaque cutters alone could take an entire blog post.  Remember when we just had a big circle or a big rectangle to use as a plaque?  Airbrushes, the KK, now miniaturized projectors....I have to stop and get on to the point of this particular blog post! (Talk about run on sentences and a gushing style - oh well, that's me)

One of my favorite newish products is a very thin piping bag, commonly called a "tipless bag" because it can be cut with a tiny little hole and used to pipe words, or a larger hole to outline and fill a cookie...all without the mess and fuss of using a coupler and tips if you so desire.  It's an import (the downside) and is therefore, longer in shipping time, but it's cheap and very flexible and it doesn't hurt my hands as much as "regular" disposable piping bags do after hours of piping.  They are branded as Master disposable piping bags.  I know I have heard of others in the U.S. who sell these online, but I have only bought mine on eBay and just use the search term "disposable piping bags" to find them.  Arrival time is anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks - so don't order expecting to receive them day after tomorrow!

I was washing out other brands of disposable piping bags so I didn't have to throw away bags that could really be used more than once.  I was freezing my leftover icing with the coupler still in so as not to waste frosting and bags...lots of hoops being jumped through to stretch my pennies.  I didn't jump on the tipless bag craze at first because I LIKED using tips.  So, when I first tried them, I used the couplers and tips and just enjoyed the softer bags in my hand.

However, I noticed more and more artists in the cookie world were being seen with a tipless bag in their hand in photos and videos. I am now all happy about that after using them regularly since Christmas decorating....still, often with a coupler and tip.  Another craze that's been around a while is the icing "pod".  I am not 100% certain, but I think it was the idea of that crafty Karen of Karen's Cookies - the beloved supply shop with the happy yellow tissue paper wrapping their goods for delivery.  Also, of course, Karen is the  CookieCon maven along with her husband Mike.  I never fell in love with the icing pod because, well, I'm a bit clutzy and I slung an entire pod of icing around my kitchen when I tried to make one and instantly went "oh hell no".  Others reported better luck with the Press 'n' Seal product to reduce the potential for icing slingage (that's a new word)...but, I just wasn't going there again.  I was kind of stuck in my ways and I walked away from the pod.

But wait, there's more!  While discussing an unrelated topic, I was talking about these tipless bags in a Facebook group for Texas Cookiers, when Rosilind, from The Dough Bar Co. piped up (haha, no pun intended) and said she used the tipless bags for pods, sealing the ends with a sealer tool.  Sirens went off in my head ... "say what????"  Well, Rosilind, aren't you the brilliant girl!!!  When I decorated my Valentine cookies, I used tipless bags as icing pods within coupled tipless bags for the entire endeavor.  Holy smokes was that an awesome thing!  I didn't seal them, but I'm going to do so from here on out!  I'm always kind of slow to evolve.  Everyone in my family will tell you I really don't like change. LOL!

Prepare a coupler bag as usual and put to the side.
Have a second tipless bag ready to prepare the pod.

Using even the unsealed pod just made everything so much easier, across the board.  Now I know why the pod people love their pods so much!  Preparation, utilization, clean up, saving icing...all easier with a pod!  I am on that band wagon from here on out!  I was able to rinse out several of the outer bags and reuse them because they only had a bit of icing around the coupler insert, and the ones that did get overly messy, I felt free to toss.  I used a lot of icing this year so I had DREADED cleaning up the mess!  With this trick, though...wow, so much easier.  I tossed the leftover flood icing - it had sat too long and separated so not worth saving in my opinion.  The piping icing was still perfect so it was sealed and prepared to be frozen.  I was able to flatten it out for much more effective storage in my small freezer.

I used this ultra thin little rubber bands from the hair department
to wrap around the cut tip

These were actually sealed after use - but they held!  Frozen
pods are put in a gallon freezer bag and lay on the bottom shelf
taking up very little room in the freezer.

After a quick thaw, I squished the icing around to
ensure it didn't need re-mixing.  It was good.
Pushed the icing down into tip of bag, twisted, and the pod was
ready to use again.  Piping did well, flood, not so much..
I find flood needs remixing every time after thawing.
I tend not to save flood icing.
I do mark the icing bag with an F or a P to
indicate thickness (use a Sharpie) so I know
what I have when I pick up a bag.

I made a couple of pods of the same color during the heavy use of pink for Valentine's.  It was so nice to just slip out the used  pod, slide in the replacement and on I went.  It even seemed easier to change tips.  I let the inner bag fall gently back into the outer bag while I changed out, then, tipped it forward again and it was ready to go - no muss no fuss.  In the past, I've refilled bags and everything was crusty at the top and, well, regardless of care taken, crusty bits always seem to fall into the icing and, of course, plug up the tips at the most inopportune moments in piping.  Hugely frustrating.  Pods solved that problem and I knew if I didn't use the extra pod of icing, into the freezer it could go and all happy we would be. (that's the royal we...there is no we in decorating at my house...I'm strictly solo unless I have grandkids visiting)

Life changing, Rosilind...just purely life changing for this hobby cookie artist!  Thanks for sharing your marvelous trick of the trade!  I'm sharing the word!

Making a fresh pod in easy steps!

STEP ONE:  Add icing to the bag you will use as a pod.  I find it easiest to suspend it in a glass with the bag top pulled over the rim.

STEP TWO:  Push out as much air as possible, moving the icing as far into the tip as you can.  There is always a little pocket of air at the tip, but that's okay.

STEP THREE:  I use my FoodSaver and seal for 4 to 5 seconds; 3 seconds wasn't enough, 6 was too many.  Before I tried sealing the pod, I used a Wilton Icing Bag Tie for the inner pod. Sealing is easier and lots more efficient when freezing leftover icing.  Also - no crust!  But, still quite doable if you don't have anything to seal with.  Or, if you just want to use it without couplers - this is where you stop - either sealing or tying the back end.  Sometimes I start with the tipless bag and when I am ready to pipe details that need a coupler and tip - I treat it as a pod at that point.

STEP FOUR:  Drop the pod into the bag prepared with a coupler and pull the uncut pod tip through the coupler.

STEP FIVE:  Using your preferred method for closing the back side of your piping bag (I like the clips), secure your bags together...or if you have used a bag tie on the inside, push it down and clip or band above it.  Holding the bag set with tip end up, cut an opening in your inner bag, slide on a piping tip to your coupler, screw on the outer coupler ring and check your flow to ensure it is coming at the speed you want it to.  If you need to cut a larger hole, lean the bag backwards and cut your hole larger in the inner bag, then reapply tip.

When you are finished, unclip, remove the pod, squeeze out the icing in the tip using two tightly pinched fingers, and close with a little rubber band.  Move on to the freezer as described above...or discard if you don't freeze or save your frosting.

Thanks again Rosilind for such an outstanding idea - I just never would have thought of it!!! (Hey Rosilind, if you do it differently, please leave a comment so we know from the originator that there is a different way to do this. I do moderate so it takes a bit before the comment shows up.)

Thank you readers for hanging with me on this very long post.  I love you guys!!!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

The Valentine Cookie Parade 2015!

Well, it's time!  I finally finished all the cookies I'm gonna finish.  I always end up with unfinished cookies, because I run out of time...once again, that is the case!  Oh well.  I don't care, I just do what I can do.  I'm sure Mr. Flip Flop will eat the "nekkid" ones!

I have been cleaning piping tips, couplers, ties, and all the "stuff" I use...refiling stencils, replacing everything in my cookie armoire where it belongs.  The clutter overtakes my dining area for about 10 days while I bake and decorate in waves before a holiday.

Whew, glad to be done with it for a few days.

Next I start on the donation for the KOA Care Camp auction.  That gives me a week-end reprieve.  Then I'm back to mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, cooling, icing, drying, decorating, drying, and decorating some more!  I only do it because I love to do it.  It's my favorite hobby.  I still get asked "how can I order your cookies" and I have to keep saying "I don't sell my cookies".  I like the freedom to create what I want to create and not what people want me to create.  The few times I've done it, I was a stressed out mess.  Maybe some day - but I'd really rather teach someone to do it themselves than to take orders and pump out cookies looking the same, one after another.  Not my thing!

I had fun stretching my wings this Valentine's with some new cookie cutters.  I bought a few from Whisked Away Cutters (on Etsy) and used the tiny owl cutter to make an owl like Sweet Sugarbelle demonstrated on her web site.  They were one of my favorites this year.

Also had fun with the "wedding bouquet" cookie cutter using the tiny piped roses I learned from my SweetAmbs Craftsy Sweet Elegance class.  They turned out cute I thought.

My friend, Jessica, took the photo below of one of the bouquets - she's an awesome photographer and I really enjoyed her visiting a cookie decorating day at my condo.  All of the ones that I could not take or wouldn't have thought to take (me working on the owls, the piping bags on the table, etc.) were taken by Jessica and you can see them in the Food Photography gallery at Just Us Photography.

I also acquired this cuteeee tiny cupcake cutter which I know I will use repeatedly for upcoming birthdays and other celebratory events.  They are so sweet.

I used a lot of new and not-so-new stencils on a variety of cookies.  I enjoy stencil work quite a bit.  I am getting more tools to help steady things during the process (which you can read about here). The lips and the guitar necks were new to me and I liked their addition to this "musical set".  My granddaughter is in choir (upper left went to her), my middle son has given me a lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter music over the years, so he got the upper right (I'm sure he won't think that's too weird - he'll "get" the connection)  The Love Me Do nod to The Beatles went to my youngest Beatles fan...he texted me that it was "cheeky, Mom".  Fun to do, one and all. Love baking for my family above all others!

I have worked for over two years trying to free hand scroll work without a template or looking at a picture.  I finally just sat down and did this heart on the left below - and the light wasn't even on!  Maybe I just needed to forget the fear of messing up and just go for it.  Turned out pretty well - and I was happy about having one I didn't cringe from.  I love the look of scroll work on cookies - looks elegant.  Another skill learned from Amber Spiegel of SweetAmbs.  She makes it look effortless.

I'm giggling over my ASL "I Love You" cookies - they looked a little funky to me, but I've not figured out just the right way to make them look right.  I've done three sets of these in the past and none were worth photographing.  I'll keep working on it and WILL get it right eventually!

These last three photos were using the chocolate cookie dough from LilaLoa's recipe and a slightly altered recipe of my cream cheese meringue powder icing to top them.  Crusted much better and tasted pretty darn good.

Rolled and cut large hearts and cut out the center with a
smaller heart - which I simply iced below.

Photo by Jessica
I enjoyed quilting on this cookie on the right.
On the first one I didn't measure the lines.  Awful.
This one I used a ruler and an edible
marker and it was just right.

Another technique I worked on this year was making a
ruffled lace edge on some of the hearts using brush
embroidery.  More techniques learned from the
tutorials from Montreal Confections, McGooU, and
 many other cookie artists.  It sounds easy...but I had to
find just the right brush to make it work right.

Well, that's the end of the cookies I (or Jessica) photographed.  I baked 90, ate a couple, and decorated about 70 cookies.  I know my sons' and my granddaughters' cookies arrived at their destination unscathed.  I have a few local friends to deliver to and then I'm finished with the Valentine decorating extravaganza.  Mr. Flip Flop ended up on-call on the 14th, so we will be celebrating on Friday the 13th.  Hope it's a good luck day for us!

May every day be filled with love - whether it is love for your best friend, your beloved, your family, your pet, the beautiful outdoors, the beach, the mountains...whatever rings your chimes.  Let it fill your heart on the holiday of love.


Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Dolphin Love

I adore the dolphin tribe residing in our bay.  I love seeing them feeding and playing.  I just love everything about them!  Except that I can't seem to get a clear photo of their precious faces.  Oh well, that's my problem, not theirs. I get so excited I take my eye away from the camera and just exist in the joy of the moment.

I adore their biggest advocate, Scarlet Colley, her husband George, their many animals, including the dolphin dogs and the dolphin pig (yes, you heard me, the dolphin pig).  I love that they pass down to the upcoming generations the need to love our environment and care for the sea life that depends on a safe and clean environment. I love the Sea Life Center they run in Port Isabel. (there's lots to love you can tell).

I also adore.... dolphin cookies!

Last month I found a cute new dolphin cookie cutter and matching stencil...which I immediately ordered from Piping Mad Prints.  Just too cute!  My friend, Jessica, was photographing some of my cookie decorating endeavors (see previous blog post) and she wondered why I was decorating dolphin cookies for Valentine's Day.  I explained.

Frequently when I'm sick or sad or sound like I need a boost on Facebook, sweet Scarlet, the Dolphin Whisper, sends me a "dolphin love" comment.  It magically makes me feel better.

My friend, Anna Rae, and I took a dolphin watch last October
 on Scarlet's boat with Capt. George

A little clip from a video shows that moment when my heart
goes pitter patter.  It's dolphin love!

So, when I decorated this tiny set of Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, I thought of Scarlet and her darling husband, George.  They bring joy to so many people .  I just love them for all they do.

Happy Valentine's Day to my friends who do so much for our environment!!! Everyone out on the water, show the dolphins some love by taking care not to run up on them, leave them alone when they are feeding, and be courteous and good stewards of our glorious Laguna Madre.  SWAK!!!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

Using a Stencil Mask

These three cookies were all stenciled utilizing a Stencil Genie.
The top right cookie utilized a 2Ts Stencil Mask

This past week-end I had a friend over to photograph some of the process of decorating cookies.  She and I played with icing for a while and then she began working with her camera while I continued decorating.  I asked her to help me photograph the process of stenciling because it was one of the things I could not photograph myself.  She sent me the photographs yesterday and I can't wait to finish writing this post to share her lovely photographs with you!  All of the rest of the photos in this post are courtesy of my friend Jessica of Just Us Photography. You can link to their web site and their gallery has a Food Photography link.

I met Jessica one Summer after we moved to the coast when she did some home visits for speech training with my youngest son who is deaf and wears cochlear implants.  I liked her immediately and have continued our acquaintance through the years.  The Sugar Skull cookies I made were for her wedding.  She and her husband are really good people and I'm thrilled she took her Saturday to come play "photograph my cookies" with me.  She's really quite good - speech therapy training, photography, entrepreneur... I love a multi-tasking woman!

I recently purchased some stencil masks from 2T's Stencils, to use with the Stencil Genie from Creative Cookier.  Both of these companies are Texas-based...which I love!  I have occasionally been challenged with feeling like I didn't have enough hands to get a good stencil on a less than perfectly flat iced cookie.  The Stencil Genie really helped me improve my stencil-ability but it didn't help with some of my favorite round stencils from Designer Stencils.  I love the sturdy products from Designer Stencils, but I regretted the inability to use them with the oh-so-cool Stencil Genie.  When I saw a video of Tammy's masks, I ordered them instantly.  Saturday, the day of these photos, was the first time I used one...so that tells you how easy and helpful they are!

The only issue I had was that my stencil slipped around a bit between the masks.  As I was not spraying the color, instead spreading thick royal icing, I was pushing and there was movement.  My solution was anchoring the center of the round stencil with a needle tool (as I usually do anyway) and working around it.  It allows me not to need any addition of Press 'n' Seal or trying to juggle everything (like when I really need two needle tools and an extra hand to hold one of them!).

I'm all about the "easy" way of doing things and this product definitely helped.  The only thing I was less than happy about was the slippery texture of the mask.  It all turned out well - and I'll continue to practice with the other shapes to see how it goes as I grow more comfortable with the product.  I do bake 3/8" thick cookies, and I like using the thinner side of the Stencil Genie so that it lays down on my cookie and sort of hugs it. That didn't work as well with the mask - so, like I said, will need to play with it some more to see what works best. .I simply seem incapable of icing perfectly flat cookies... this helps without a doubt!  I used my Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Dough for this cookie - and I will say this batch was a bit flatter than normal because I only added 1/2 tsp of leavening.  Now, if I can figure out how not to have dips in my icing - no matter what I do, I have slight dips... grrrrr.

Anchoring with a blob of icing and holding a needle tool
on the stencil helps avoid slippage.

Using a plastic scraper instead of a metal spatula
helped me avoid magnet grabbing...but that's
no longer a real problem when you use the
Stencil Genie.  I wish it came in a variety of sizes.
I bake some big cookies it doesn't fit over.

Ta Da! A good stencil...hooray for great tools!

Some simple dots around the edge and voila!  'Tis done!  Well, with a little action from the boo boo stick when  one of my dots became rebellious and didn't comply with my regulation dot size.  I know you guys can tell I am obsessed with dots.  I simply love their look on a cookie.  The great thing about the boo boo stick, which all cookiers know, is that you can take the flat edge and scrape the dot right off of the cookie and it's ready for take-two on the dottage.

I'll admit it is kind of weird to see myself in photos (I demanded no face shots - I had on no make up and I just wasn't going there).  I also find it weird to see my hair in photos of me decorating.  100% of the time it is up in a pony tail or a huge teeth clip.  I really don't want people to find a hair in my cookies!  Ewww (althoug my hair is very clean, it's just a yucky thing).  Jessica, however, kept saying she wanted to get my curls in the picture.  I laughed because even without seeing my face, friends can tell by the hair and freckles that this is me.

I love making Valentine Cookies - it is the epitome of the way I like to decorate - swirls, flourishes, flowers and more.  I have been taking Craftsy classes to learn more and more techniques.  I wonder if the new Culinary School coming to Port Isabel will have a baking and decorating curriculum.  I might need to go back to school if they do!  Secret I'll share - I have dreamed of teaching classes in cookie decorating.  I have to be good enough first...I'll probably be an arthritic old lady before I get to that point... we can always dream, yes?

More Valentine Cookies will be forthcoming - some will have Jessica's lovely photos as well.  I love the soft touch she gets and I can't wait to share the rest of them with you!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

UPDATE OCTOBER 1, 2015
An email from Tammy with a trick to prevent slippage:

Debbi,  I just read your article from back in February and your stencils slipping.

I had that problem to.  Initially I found

made these to adapt to stencils of all shapes and sizes and sandwiching between 2 pieces.  But that does not secure the movement.  So recently I have been putting the stencil I want to closest to the cookie,   Piping a thin line of royal icing or piping jell around that stencil and then placing one piece of the adapter directly on top creating an airtight seal especially for airbrushing and eliminating under spray but it also holds the stencil in place with less movement for royal icing transfers too.

I hope you give this a try and find it an option and less movement. 

I loved your article!!!!

Tammy

2 T's Stencils