If you REALLY love a good cupcake, the Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan is a product worth your consideration. In my opinion, the creative folks at Wilton come up with some of the neatest ideas and this piece of bakeware is certainly no exception. Can you say 3D cupcake?

First, you bake the top and bottom of the cake in this two cavity pan. It has a total capacity of 10 cups and produces a cupcake measuring almost 8 inches by 8 inches in size.

It has been suggested that since the top piece bakes faster than the bottom, it’s best to position the bottom half toward the back of your oven. It has also been suggested that it is much easier to decorate the entire cake when you decorate the bottom before putting the top in place.

If you will be using a boxed mix to create your masterpiece, you can easily jazz it up by adding ingredients to the batter, right before transferring it to the pan.

You can use almost anything you like… marshmallows, chocolate chips, sprinkles, dried fruit bits or your favorite candy. You are only limited by your imagination and what you have in your pantry.

I’ve never been a big Jamie Oliver fan. Just so I don’t get bombarded with hate email, let me add that it’s not because I don’t like him. It’s simply because I’ve never really taken the time to watch him in action.

I have to tell you though; I absolutely LOVE his line of Bottoms Up Mugs… so much so that I plan on purchasing several of them to give as holiday gifts. Remember, it’s NEVER too early to start shopping.

As you can see in the photo, what makes these mugs unique is their bottoms. (It’s probably fairly obvious by their name.) They are geared toward men. However, a couple of them are suitable for women, as well.

I adore the color combination of blue and brown that was chosen for this particular line. (Secretly, I won’t be 100% satisfied with my life until my kitchen has been painted these two colors.)

The mugs, crafted by Royal Worchester, will accommodate 11 oz of java or your favorite beverage. They are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Each one comes in a gift box that enables you to read the entire saying, without removing it from the package. Two of my favorites are ‘Hot ‘n Steamy Like Me’ and ‘I’m Cooking You’re Cleaning Up’.

I need new ice cube trays. I am ashamed to admit that mine are eons old. Just for the fun of it, I decided to look online to see if I could find some ‘conversation starter’ cubes as opposed to the boring, square, ones that my old trays produced.

All I can say is WOW, am I ever behind the times! I honestly think I found an ice cube tray for every occasion. Martha Stewart would be proud.

You now have the choice of adding jazzy cubes to your drinks, based on the event you are celebrating or the mood you are in.

I found dolphins, penguins, stars, smiles, hearts, apples, submarines (great if you’re a Beatles fan), lemons and Homer Simpson… yes you read it right… Homer Simpson. Believe it or not, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I also ran across even more inventive trays such as long, skinny, cubes you can easily add to your bottled water and the adorable Ice Princess cubes, shown above.

Since I’m on the subject of ice cubes, I want to share this tip. When serving punch, don’t add cubes made with water. Make several trays of frozen punch cubes and add those instead. It’s the easiest way to eliminate a watered down taste.

If you are anything like me and don’t have much talent when it comes to cake decorating, Wilton Candles and Candle Picks are a fun way to ‘spruce up’ an ordinary cake.

They come in a wide variety of styles… everything from ice cream (pictured) to happy faces to Disney themes (like Cars and Wall-E) to flowers, to Sesame Street to cute little rubber duckies.

Wilton candles are clean burning and feature hand-painted details. They are all actually almost TOO CUTE to burn.

(That being said, I guess you could always replace them with traditional candles, when it’s time for the lighting ceremony. The decorative candles can, then, go home with the birthday boy or girl.)

Now for a bit of trivia… drum roll please! The first birthday cakes were presented to Greek Gods and Goddesses, as part of the celebratory event. The Greeks were the ones who came up with the idea of putting candles on the cake, as well.

Also interesting, at least to me, is the fact that during the Middle Ages the English would hide items in a cake that were supposed to predict the ‘item finders’ future. They included objects such as rings, thimbles and coins.

What’s your favorite birthday tradition? I’m always looking for new ways to jazz up a party.