Chalk paint recipe and before and after

I loved the final product of this chest.  It was an item that was always in our house growing up so when my mom gave it to me, I wanted to give it some new life. I love how chalk paint is a different texture than paint so it seems softer and the brush strokes don't show. See the recipe below.  On furniture it can be sanded on the edges to distress or just leave the full coverage.  It is good to cover it when it dries with a layer of wax and buff the surface. If you want to paint several items, you can save alot of pennies by making your own chalk paint.

Chalk Paint:
1 part plaster of Paris with water to mix
3 parts paint

The paint must be flat paint.  Other paints clump up and if they have a sheen in them it doesn't look like chalk paint anyway. I used plaster of Paris from Ace hardware (in a milk carton shaped box). Mix with water till it is smooth before adding the paint.  I used a whisk to combine.  You want to make sure there are no lumps.  I also used Olympic interior flat white paint from Lowes. It's best to only make as much as you are going to use to paint an item because it starts to clump up and change consistency.  I did save some overnight in a jar and it worked just fine. You may want to sand edges and then buff with a light coat of wax. On this item I didn't sand at all and just waxed it (Briwax from Ace) when dry. 

Lemon Curd Recipe

So good!  We love this on toast in the summer time!

What You Need

Ingredients
3 or 4 lemons
3/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Peel and juice the lemons. Zest 3 of the lemons using a zestor or fine grator, taking as little of the bitter white pith as possible. Cut all the lemons in half, juice them, and measure out 1/2 cup of juice. Save any leftover juice for another use. Combine the sugar and lemon peels. Add the butter, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the bowl. Incorporate all the ingredients into a bowl by hand. (You can also use a stand mixer.)

2. Cook the lemon mixture. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and place over very low heat. Stir frequently, using a heat-proof spatula. Do not leave the mixture unattended as it is very easy for it to overcook and curdle.

Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, 12-15 minutes. If you are using a thermometer, cook the curd to 170˚F. You can also test the curd by coating the back of a spoon with the curd and running a finger through it. It should leave a clear, distinct path. You can strain out the lemon peel/zest but I like to leave it all in so I don't strain it at all.

3. Allow to cool to room temperature, then pour into a clean jar and store in your refrigerator. It will keep for a few weeks, if it lasts that long!

Notes:

 • Lemon curd can also be stored in the freezer for several months.

Best summer dessert...Fruit Pizza!!

This dessert seems to scream summer and is a fast and easy one for a party or potluck.  Make it round or square and bring it anywhere....just don't expect for any leftovers.

Fruit Pizza:
Sugar cookie crust recipe (see earlier post on Best sugar cookies)
Whipping Cream
Cream cheese
sugar
Fruit (sliced)

After making the sugar cookie dough, spread it out evenly on a cookie sheet with your fingers. 
Bake it for 10-15 minutes at 350.  
Let it cool.
This is not a precise recipe!!!  Whip about a cup of whipping cream and mix in some cream cheese...(half to a full pkg.) that is at room temperature with the electric mixer or kitchen Aid.  Add sugar to taste (approximately a quarter cup). Spread on the cooled cookie crust. Top with fruit of many colors!  The only fruit I don't usually add is apple because it is too crunchy and not too colorful. Bananas do well if you will be serving it right away.

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Peppermint Bath Salts

Whether you want to make this for somebody else or for yourself, an excuse to take a bath is a good thing to have around!!  Happy Mother's Day.

Peppermint bath salts*** Here's what you need:
1cup of Epsom salt
1 cup of sea salt or rock salt
6 T. Almond or jojoba oil
20 drops of peppermint essential oil 
(I actually used peppermint extract)
Red or pink food coloring.
The bottle is from the Dollar Tree and so are the chalkboard stickers.
Mix well in a large bowl and then transfer to a bottle or jar.

Best Sugar Cookies...for any holiday

Yes, we make these sugar cookies for every holiday...though not for all holidays each year, or we would be making them all the time!  For example, I haven't made them for St. Patrick's Day for several years now.  We sometimes make them for Valentine's Day, sometimes for Easter, but ALWAYS for Christmas!  I have had this recipe since growing up at home and the thing that makes it special is the almond extract.  Sugar cookies without that are just not the same!

1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
1T. almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2-3 Cups all purpose flour
shamrock shaped cookie cutter
buttercream frosting with green food coloring and 1 t. almond extract

Cream the butter and sugar and then add the rest.  Stir until well combined and knead together with your hand to form a ball that you can roll out. Roll out to about 1/4" thick and cut out the cookie shamrocks. Place the shapes on cookie sheets. You can put some green sugar on them before baking OR just bake them plain so that they can be frosted later. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely and then frost.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day...yes...my maiden name was Murphy!

Cake Pops

My daughter and I attempted cake pops for the first time.  It was a success and a fail all in one. We started out intending to make panda cake pops since she is a panda lover.  But after that wasn't working out too well, we gave up (after decorating only 3) and just did simple cake pops....success because they tasted really good!  
The food writers that we bought for our panda pops did not work as planned, making it hard to draw on the mouths like we had thought.  We'll put the pic of our attempts down below....it's like one of those failed pinterest pics!
Anyhow here are the steps to some simple cake pops and if you want to go all fancy on them, it can be done....but here are the basics!

You will need: 1 box of cake mix and the ingredients to prepare it.
chocolate or candy coating
9oz. of frosting
lollipop sticks...25-35
more candy coating for embellishing with a pastry bag (use a contrasting color or coating)

First just make one box mix of cake...any flavor and bake it in a 9" by 13" pan. After it is cooled, crumble the entire cake into a bowl till it is all fine crumbs and mix in 9 oz. of frosting (we used homemade butter cream, but you could also use store bought.) I think the flavor of the cake pop is really based on what kind of frosting you use here, so that is why I avoided the store bought version. I kind of think they taste like plastic, but that is just me.

Next, roll them into balls of about an inch to an inch and a half diameter. We tried to use some cake pop presses to get them perfectly even, but it turned out to be easier to shape them by hand. Ours weren't perfectly round....but we decided to roll with it anyway. Cool in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or more before the next step.  You can also freeze them to deal with at another time.

Dip lollipop stick ends in a tiny bit of the melted chocolate or white chocolate candy coating.  Then put it through the cake ball about 3/4 of the way. Next, you will dip the cake ball into the melted coating or chocolate. We melted the white candy coating in the microwave in a Pyrex measuring cup so that it was a narrow area and we didn't have to use a lot of extra.  After dipping....it will be dripping...so hold it and turn each one over the melted coating for a minute. We had some little Styrofoam blocks that we set them in to dry.  You could also use a bowl of dry beans or rice to hold the sticks right after dipping.  They dry pretty quickly, so you could change them out with the new ones as the previous ones dry.

As they dried, we just laid them on wax paper on a plate. Here were our attempts at making some pandas.  The icing for the eyes wasn't really working out for us and neither was the edible pen we were drawing the mouths with! I didn't mind too much, but she wanted them to look EXACTLY like the pictures we were looking at. So she decided she would just have them be more plain....with a purpose of eating vs. being beautiful!!

So now it's off to bring them somewhere else...so that we don't have to eat them all (minus a few of them of course that will stay here, but not for long)!!

Fall means Pumpkins

The pumpkin patch in our backyard this year has been so fun! We picked them yesterday, yielding 73 pumpkins! 
If you live nearby and see me often, you will also be seeing pumpkin pies!..among other things. I think my kids might have a plan for selling these in the neighborhood so that should be good for them! 
Here is one of our favorite recipes for pumpkin!
Chocolate chip Pumpkin muffins
4 eggs
1/3 C.oil
1C. sugar
15oz. pumpkin
3C. flour
2 t. baking powder
2t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 C. mini chocolate chips
Wet ingredients + dry ingredients and add the chocolate chips in. Bake in cupcake liners in a muffin tin (or just a greased muffin tin) 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. (makes 2 dozen muffins).

Mango Sorbet

This is such a great summer or end of summer recipe for those yummy mangoes.  We love mangoes in any form, but this was a fun, easy and yummy way to use them and my daughter was the one who made this so that made it even better!!  The first time she made it she put in 1/4 CUP of salt instead of 1/4 teaspoon.  She realized it after it was done and said, "It will probably be ok still mom, right?" I told her we would for sure have to throw it out and start over.  She didn't believe me and it was so cute to see her eyes open really wide after tasting it.  All it tasted like was salt!  It was a great cooking lesson for her to see how a little salt goes a long way!!

Mango Sorbet

2 ripe mangoes (chopped into cubes)
1/2 C. sweet cream of coconut (with the drink mixers at the store)
1/2 C. pineapple juice
2 T. Lime juice
2 T. maple syrup
1/4 t. kosher salt
1 C. coconut flakes (toasted)

Spread mangoes on a cookie sheet and freeze for four hours or overnight. Combine all except the coconut flakes in the food processor and blend until smooth.  Freeze in a container until firm.  Scoop and serve with coconut sprinkled on the top.

13 Year Old Birthday Parties!!

It's a sad thing when themed birthday parties are not cool anymore!  Or maybe it can be seen as a relief too huh?  No more spider man or Lego or dinosaur party themes.  In some ways having a theme makes everything easier because you know just how to decorate, what favors to buy and what to put on the cake! Life has been busy around here, which is why I haven't been able to blog about the recent happenings. We just returned from a once in a lifetime (for us anyhow) Alaskan cruise and I will do a post on our adventures from that soon. There was no wi fi or cell phone coverage which was a nice change.   

But another recent event around here was my oldest son turned 13!!  We have a teenager in the house!!  I think I am ready.  Luckily he is very easy going and ready to tackle new adventures that life brings his way.  When he asked to have a birthday party I was excited because last year he didn't even want one. He had some specifics in mind this year though.  "Nothing on the cake mom, just chocolate", were my instructions.  "Just gift cards to sports or outdoors stores" was the request when I asked what he wanted for a gift.  And a movie at the theater, food, and wii was in his plan for the party, but he also let me add in a scavenger hunt of my own creation. 

When my daughter started to hang streamer the morning of the party, Andrew (birthday boy) asked, "We don't really have to have those, do we?"  I said that we could take them down if he wanted, but being the easy going guy that he is, he said, "That's ok, but just do a few!"

The party was a smashing success and the boys even loved the door to door scavenger hunt!  (picture of the list is below).  We saw Mall cop 2 in the theater, which was a very clean and funny/silly movie...perfect for 13 year old boys.  We ate pizza, salad and buffalo chicken strips (recipe below).  Next of course, the cake and ice cream.  Then, they played wii for 45 minutes or so.  

So I think the moral of my story is that teenagers like it simple and relaxed but still like to do things that push them a bit out of their comfort zone...like a scavenger hunt.  And they like lots of food!!

Here is the paper that I made out for the scavenger hunt.  I divided them up into two teams of 3 and then sent them in different directions.  It was a race to see which team would come back first:

I really love buffalo chicken wings but sometimes it is nice not to have to eat around the bones, especially if you are a teenager and you inhale your food...

Buffalo chicken strips recipe:

10 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into strips
3/4 C. Flour
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. melted butter
1/2 C. Franks red hot pepper sauce

1. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken strips, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the strips on the baking sheet, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Combine the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the chicken strips into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the strips over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Enjoy!!

Kid friendly Kale (even the adults like it!!)

I admit that I have NEVER liked kale...never until now, that is.  It's one of those vegetables that I would buy because I know that it's good for you.  I would saute it with soy sauce or put it in stir fry, but I always was trying to choke it down and simultaneously not let my kids know how much I despised it.  But since I discovered a kale salad that doesn't require any cooking of the kale and has lots of Parmesan cheese involved, I love it and so do my kids!

Try this...and if you don't like kale, it may just convert you to a kale lover!  It really is good for you:)

Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale leaves (shredded thin)
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
3-4 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 to 1 C. of Parmesan cheese (grated)

Wash the kale and then pull the leaves off the stem (or at least off the thickest part) by grasping the end of the stem and then pulling the leafy part off with the other hand.  Pile the leaves up and cut them into thin shreds with a sharp knife and put them in a large salad bowl.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes.  Mince the garlic and add to the oil, cooking and stirring it over medium heat till the garlic just begins to brown.  Add the teaspoon and a half of kosher salt and then the red wine vinegar.  When you add the vinegar, it will sizzle.  Just stir for another 30 seconds or so until the salt begins to dissolve.  Pour the hot oil/vinegar mixture over the kale and toss it.  This will just slightly wilt the leaves:

Grate between a half and a full cup of Parmesan cheese: 

Toss this into the bowl.  Serve immediately.

Making Homemade Play dough

Today is a grey and rainy day and I love it!  The grass is getting super green and for some odd reason, when it is rainy outside I don't feel so much like I have to accomplish as much inside.  No idea what the connection is there, but I am able to give myself more permission to relax.

Little hands of my munchkins need something to do though!!  Or else....for some other odd reasons, little feet have a tendency to want to jump on my couches when it's raining!  So, here is my tried and true play dough recipe given to me by my mother-in-law, who used it with kindergartners when she used to be a kindergarten aid.  My 3 year old and 8 year old have fun playing together with play dough for hours (especially if it's new and smells good).

Here's pretty much all you need: (and I normally just use vegetable oil, but all I had today was the grape seed oil)

And if you want you can add smells or colors:

Play dough 

2 C. Flour
1 C. Salt
4 t. cream of tartar
2 T. oil
2 C. Water
(optional):  Food coloring and flavored extracts
Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook on medium, stirring until it is like scrambled eggs. Cool, knead and be sure it is cool before storing in a covered container. Can be played with as soon as it is cool!
Pictures in order of progression, with the help of my littlest buddy....

 Here comes the fun...even if not the sun!

Homemade fig bars

I love fig newtons and have been wanting to find a recipe for a really long time. This is my first attempt.  I am not sure it's the final though.  This could be a fig bar journey....These ones are really good but you may see a fig bar 2 recipe on here too!!

For the filling:

1 1/2 Cups of dried figs

1/2 Cup sugar

3/4 Cup water

Soak the figs for one hour in a saucepan.  Add the 1/2 cup of sugar to the saucepan and cook on medium for about another hour, breaking apart the figs with a spoon periodically. Pulse in a food processor till smooth, adding more water if necessary.

For the Dough:

1 1/2 Cups plus 1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

6 Tablespoons butter, softened

6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (or lemon)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. On low speed mix in the egg, vanilla and orange zest.  Add the flour mixture in slowly and continue mixing till you have a soft dough.  Put the dough on your rolling surface.  At this point, I needed to knead in about a quarter cup more flour because the dough was almost too soft to roll out.

Roll the dough into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle.  Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces using a pasty scraper or butter knife.  Halve it crosswise (across the shorter side) first and then cut each piece lengthwise into 3 equal parts.

Spread filling lengthwise down the center of each of the 6 pieces, leaving a 3/4 inch border on either side.  Use a scraper or knife to lift the pieces of dough and fold over on each side of the filling, allowing them to meet in the middle.  Gently press the seams together and then place the bars seam side down on the baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees, let them cool and then slice each bar into 6 even pieces. Store in an airtight container.  Makes 36

Other tips:

Double both the filling and dough recipes for a little larger batch.  It is just as easy to do 3 Cups of figs to 1 Cup of water and sugar and get a few more cookies!

I got the dried figs at Costco in a 40 oz. bag:

Here is what the filling looked like after being in the food processor.  It was fairly thick, but not so much that you couldn't stir it easily:

The bars after baking, but before slicing into cookies:

Hope you get to try them and if you do, hope you like them!!

Jeannine

Raspberry Turnovers!!

So Easy, fun and yummy...especially with ice cream!!

I've made these twice in the last month because they are so easy and a great dessert for company too!



You can always use premade pie dough if you are in a huge hurry, but the recipe that I use is down below and it's super easy.

You'll divide the dough into 12 equal parts, which for this recipe, makes 12 balls of dough about this size (that fit into a tablespoon)!

Roll out each ball with some flour to make about a 5 inch circle:

Put a Tablespoon of raspberry jam in the middle:

Then fold the circle in half over the jam, run a little water over one inside edge of the circle to help seal it a fold over the edges to form the turnover. Use a fork to press around it:

Ready to go in the oven:

And done ;)

Here's the recipe:

Raspberry Turnovers

Preheat oven to 375
Makes 12 turnovers/Serve with ice cream

Dough:                                      Filling: 
                                                
1 1/4 C. All purpose flour           1 T. raspberry jam for each turnover. 
6 T. butter 
1/4 t. salt
3 1/2 T. cold water

Mix the flour and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers till the butter is well incorporated.  Add the water and mix with a fork, adding a little more if needed for the right consistency.  Knead the dough on your rolling surface.

Divide dough into 12 equal parts, roll each one to about a 5 inch circle.  Fill each with 1 T. jam then fold over and seal each one.
Bake 12-15 minutes