Brilliant!

Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?

I love making homemade cupcakes — just the perfect amount of cake and icing! Yumm. I can never, however, create a beautiful cupcake worthy of any party or event. What a shame my abilities do not match my love of cupcakes!

A problem no longer!! Introducing, Ticing, decorative edible sheets of icing. They come in a variety of designs and motifs. Just frost with your favorite buttercream (yes, I can handle that much), peel the ticing off its backing, place on your cupcake and press. Voila!! The flavor of the frosting is all you taste, but yet your cupcakes are little miniature works of art!

I just love the daschund design. I’m thinking little Tucker may have a birthday party this year!!

Weeknight Dinner – Asparagus And Arugula Spaghetti With Lemon And Pine Nuts

I am always looking for new, easy dinner recipes. I do love to cook, but my weeknight schedule is not conducive to meals that require 2 hours of prep and/or cooking time. And did I mention, the fussy palates for whom I must provide meals!?! Yes, children add a certain challenge to any cook’s repertoire. I do insist that my kids eat fresh food — we are not a fast or box food family. Furthermore, I encourage them to ingest greens. It is not popular. I do not always win. It is a battle, however, that I am willing to wage.

Tonight I’m making Asparagus and Arugula Spaghetti with Lemon and Pine Nuts by Chef Jon Ashton. The title says it all: simple, wholesome ingredients make wonderful meals. And no, I am not so misguided as to think my 6 year olds will gobble up the arugula and asparagus with reckless abandon. They will pick and push green things around on their plate. They may even complain. They may, however, miss a spear here or there and accidently enjoy this creamy, delectable dish!

For the full recipe: Cookstr - Asparagus and Arugula Spaghetti with Lemon and Pine Nuts.

Spring Green Risotto. AKA Love In A Bowl.

I believe I have mentioned before that I LOVE Ina Garten, or the Barefoot Contessa, as she is known in the culinary world.  I love the simplicity of her recipes.  I love the fresh ingredients.  I love her elegance and confidence in serving.  I do indeed love everything Ina.  Her Spring Green Risotto is a perfect example of simplicity, fresh ingredients and elegance all in one perfect bowl of gooey love!

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.  It is a wonderful cookbook.  A true staple.

You start with these basic, delicious, fresh ingredients:

Honestly, how can you go wrong from there?!

I made this dish last night — yes a weeknight risotto!  It takes only 35 minutes from start to finish.  Served with leftover ham and a nice dry white wine, it was the perfect beginning to our week.  Click here for the full recipe.

Rainy Day Activity.

This afternoon it was breezy, wet and cold! We were stuck inside and starting cleaning out our craft supplies. I had seen this idea on The Party Dress and thought my kids could be busied for hours tearing the paper off crayons. Amazingly, it worked. What a simple way to recycle something old into something new. Bonus: my kids didn’t fight once during the entire project.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Peel paper off crayons, break into small pieces, place in mini-muffin tin, place in oven for 10-15 minutes, and voila, new round crayons.

The BEST Day Of My Life. No, The Second Best.

Kaden, my darling seven year old son, lost his first tooth last night. That’s right. His first tooth. At age seven. You would probably guess that he was anxious. Excited even. To finally loose a tooth. Everyone has been losing teeth since kindergarten. It is now April of 1st grade. It was time. And the tooth was loose. And I mean very, very loose.

As it turns out, Kaden was not at all excited about losing his 1st baby tooth. In his words: “I’ve had these teeth since I was a baby; I want to keep them all.” So sentimental at such a young age. I’ve been trying for weeks to pull this tooth. The adult tooth has already come in behind it. We were on borrowed time. Kaden pleaded and begged and cried and begged and pleaded. Just one more day. This, as I mentioned, has been going on for weeks.Last night, however, I got a good hold on it and he (as he generally does as soon as I touch it) yanked his head away from me. This time the force was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back or, in this instance, broke the final bond between tooth and boy. The tooth came out. Blood gushing. Kaden crying. I thought this was about to be a horrible moment filled with blood and tears. I thought he would never let me pull out another tooth. And we have so many yet to go. Then through the tears Kaden exclaimed: “This is the BEST day, no second best day of my life!” I bit: ”so what was the best?” His reply: ”The day I was born, of course, if not for that day I wouldn’t be here now.” Indeed. A wise old soul my friend calls him. Sentimental yet joyful. Over a tooth.