Dance Recital Update!

With just three days to go before the dance recital - we're in the home stretch! Last night I finished the rest of the flower headbands... (click HERE to go to the tutorial)


Lilacs


Cherry Blossoms


Daffodils


Bluebells


My Mum was here this weekend and brought out the roses and lilac tutus - they are so pretty! The daffodils and cherry blossoms are done too, just bluebells to go - and a few other non-tulle costumes!

Can't wait to share photos of the costumes in action after this weekend!

A Little Bitty Round Up

Some favorite recent projects from around the blogosphere... check them out! (click to enlarge)


1. Freezer paper stenciling by Roots & Wings Co.
2. Photo Wedding Guestbook by Chica & Jo
3. Keepsake pincushion box by Samster Mommy
4. Laptop Sleeve at Sew, Mama, Sew!
5. Cheesecake Pops by Bakerella
6. Patchwork Button Pouch by mairuru

Fourth of July Cupcakes: Prototypes

Heather and I got together for a little baking fun this weekend while the boys worked diligently on putting up a new fence in our backyard.

Inspired by some fancy patriotic sprinkles I had found last week, we decided to prototype some 4th of July cupcakes.

We used a Betty Crocker white cake recipe divided into a cupcake pan. It made for nice, dense, cupcakes - which complemented the sweet frosting (courtesy of Saucy's Sprinkles) really well.


Betty Crocker White Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Stir in the milk until batter is smooth.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

We used the same concept as Saucy's Sprinkles' Superkid Cupcakes which we made for Lily's Birthday Party to make red, white, and blue cupcakes!


Then I experimented with icing. Only problem was that the tips and coupler I bought didn't match - so I couldn't use them! I winged it and used the bag only... (can you tell I know NOTHING about this!)



Thank goodness for sprinkles - they totally cover up imperfections!



Looks like Heather and I need to get ourselves to a cake icing class to hone our skills. Not bad for a first effort though, and we still have a month until July 4th!

Technical Difficulties

So I'm having comment posting issues. For some reason my new blog format is not letting folks post comments. Hang in there while I try to get it worked out. And in the meantime feel free to send me a note at joanneroehm(at)yahoo(dot)com

**UPDATE - 1:40pm - Fixed!!! (I think!) Comment all you want!**

Recipe: Yummy Gnocchi!

This recipe, courtesy of Everyday Food Magazine, was a big hit at our house this week. Simple and quick to prepare, it's an easy no-meat meal that's full of flavor.

Gnocchi with summer vegetables
serves 4
prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min

1 tbsp olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each quartered and sliced (we used one of each!)
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15 to 16oz) frozen gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2tbsp grated romano cheese
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash in crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Enjoy!