Childhood Magic and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Is there anything more magical and wonderful than childhood?  That all too short period of time when the biggest of the big dreams are possible.  Where your only plan for the day is FUN for the sake of fun?

Isn't there still a place for all of that in our life?

As we "grown-ups" know all too well, childhood has an expiration date.  As a parent, I want the expiration of my little princesses' childhood as far off in the distance as I can possibly push it.  I want the whimsy and wonderment of childhood to be a thread woven through my girls' childhood memories.

This summer is the last summer before the Tiny Teen starts kindergarten.  That's right, "big kid" school.  I feel consumed by making this summer fun and full of whimsy!  I want her to have wonderful, magic-filled moments to reflect on as she starts the next big chapter in her little life.  Each big step in life seems to leave behind a little more childhood.  Therefore, this is my small window of time to grant her as much childhood magic as I can muster.

So together with my friend D, we mustered up some childhood magic for our princesses in the form of...

 ...a quaint little backyard Red & Orange Party!!

The princesses had the BEST time dressing up, however they chose, 

in their red & orange outfits and accessories.  

 The Tiny Teen...

her good pal, let's call her "Panda" since that's her absolute favorite animal, and of course...

the Texas Tornado in all of her snazzy, sassy, toddler cuteness.

Everything that they enjoyed HAD to be red and orange.  The princesses munched on strawberries and orange slices, as they sipped on Simply Orange Juice's new Simply Cranberry Cocktail.  

Fingernails were red and orange, as were balloons, flowers, and yes...paper lanterns and boas.  

We took the red and orange theme and ran with it!

Lastly, let them eat cake!  That's right.  

The conclusion to their backyard party was red cake with orange frosting in a mason jar.

I whipped up a box of white cake mix (and I didn't even doctor it up this time!).  I dyed the cake mix with a very generous amount of red dye, and then I pour it into GREASED pint-size mason jars.  Only pour the batter about 1/3 of the way full to leave room for the frosting later.  Put the jars into a glass pan with water 1/4 inch deep, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Use a skewer for testing the cake's doneness.  Remove jars from water and allow to cool, at least an hour before frosting.  Again with the frosting, I just dyed white frosting orange.  I stored them in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes before the princesses were going to eat them.  They are FANTASTICALLY FUN!

As you can see, at first the girls weren't quite sure how to eat cake from a mason jar.  

They quickly figured it out!

These cute mason jar cakes brought big smiles and a BIG thumbs-up!

Whimsy, wonderment, and childhood magical moments were at that Red & Orange Party. 

 Can't you just see them?

If you're looking for a little whimsy and wonderment this summer, throw together your own color party either for your kids or even your grown-up friends.  It's amazing what fun a theme party can be at any age!  

Enjoy your summer, but first, please enter to win the giveaway from Simply Orange Juice Company!

In celebration of their spring release of Simply Cranberry Cocktail, Simply Orange Juice Company is providing you, my wonderful readers, with an amazing giveaway opportunity!  Upon entering the giveaway, one of you will win a fantastic prize package valued at $150 that includes the following:

• (2) Coupons redeemable for a  59 fl. oz. carafe of Simply Cranberry Cocktail
• (1) Coupon redeemable for a  13.5 fl. oz. carafe of Simply Cranberry Cocktail
• (1) Customizable Slate + Wood Serving Board from West Elm
• (6) Silver glass votive holders with unscented tea light candles from West Elm
• (1) One-year print subscription to Bon Appetit plus current issue
• (1) $25 Gift card to Stonewall Kitchen

To enter to win the Simply Orange Juice Company prize package:

• Follow the "Rach and Me" blog.  

• Be a fan of "Rach and Me" on facebook.

• Leave a comment on this post.  (When you leave your comment, check to see that it goes through.  You may also have to enter a code in order to protect the blog from spammers.)

• When you comment, please also leave an email address so that I may contact you if you win.

For extra entries: 

• Like Simply Orange Juice on Facebook.  Leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
• Follow @RachAndMeBlog on Twitter.  Leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the U.S. only.  Winner to be chosen at random.

Giveaway ends Monday, June 4th at 9:00 p.m. EST.  I will announce the winner on this post on Tuesday, June 5th.  I will email the winner.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is closed.  The winner is Laura Emerson (laurasloves).  

Thank you everyone for participating & for following Rach and Me!

The prize was provided by Simply Orange Juice Company, but Simply Orange Juice Company is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway.  All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Simply Orange Juice Company.

Memorial Day 2012

Today, my thoughts are with those who have served, those who are serving, and those who gave their life serving our country and protecting our precious freedom.  Thank you to all of you and your families for all that you sacrifice to protect all that we hold dear.  A big thank you to my dad and my father-in-law for their service to our country.  I couldn't be a prouder daughter and daughter-in-law.

Today, I hope you pause and look around at all of your blessings.  The simple fact that we have a day off just to play and be silly is a gift resulting from this hard fought freedom.  Proudly remember our history and CELEBRATE!  Their service is for you, for me, and for our families and friends.  

Today I will celebrate with family and friends.  I will look at that silly Texas Tornado in all of her swimming glory and smile, because she lives in a free land that allows her the safety and security of being a happy little toddler.

And her big sister, the Tiny Teen blissfully unaware of how lucky she is to be an American.

Today, I will hug those precious girls and be always grateful that God chose us to live in a land where honorable and selfless people willingly give up all that they have for the greater good of every American.

I offer a very simple recipe today, a fruit salad of watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries.  The colors which remind us of our cherished American flag.  

 I found the image of this salad on Pinterest, and I found it so appropriate for today, as well as for the 4th of July.  I simply layered from the bottom up, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and I repeated it a second time.

 On top of the salad, I added a few watermelon stars. 

Thank you again to all the brave service men and women, and their families.  I am so grateful for every moment of your service.  

Happy Memorial Day!

Citrus Water

Looking for a way to keep cool this summer?  

Not Texas Tornado cool...I mean refreshed.  

Try a simple twist on good old-fashioned refreshing water.

Add some orange, lime, and lemon slices, along with a sprinkling of a few chopped mint leaves, into a pitcher of ice water.  Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes in order for the flavors to marry.  The longer this combination sits, the more flavor your water will have.  

I recommend making just enough for one day.  Any longer than that, and the mint leaves start to lose their pretty green color.

 
This makes a refreshing option to escape the summer's heat.  Enjoy!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Yesterday, I hosted 6 of the Tiny Teen's preschool friends for some outdoor water slide fun.  Adding my own 2 princesses to the mix, that puts my little crowd at 8 kids...5 and under.  Thank goodness their mommies came along to offer help, support, and adult conversation!

The plan was for them to play on the inflatable water slide all morning and then stay through lunch.  What's the best part of having 8 kids around for lunch you ask?  Having 8 people VERY excited about dessert!

My criteria for dessert was this...I wanted to pick something kid friendly and FUN!  That's when I landed on Rainbow Cupcakes.

These little cupcakes are as cute as they can be!  The princesses and their friends loved them too.  Only issue?  They are a wee labor intensive.  Ok, more than a "wee."  More like "very."

Here are the "How To's:"

• First you make your cake batter.  Choose a white cake mix.  You can make it "as is," or for a denser cake add: a 4-serving box of instant vanilla pudding mix, 4 large egg whites, 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of warm water, and 1/3 cup of oil.  
• Once you have mixed your cake batter, divide it evenly into six different bowls.  (I used a little over 3/4 of a cup per bowl just to give you an idea of how much per bowl.)
• Color your batter: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  Click here for a helpful link on how to achieve the right color, as well as any extra help in making these cupcakes.
• Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.  My recipe yielded 18 cupcakes.
• Starting with the purple batter, add enough to spread out along the bottom of the liner.  Next add blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.  Spread the batter as best you can after each addition.  This is the labor intensive part I spoke of earlier.
• Lastly, cook them according to the times and temperatures on the box.  I always check mine early, because I don't want an overcooked cupcake.

Once the cupcakes cooled, I used white frosting in a jar.  To be honest, it was in a spray can.  It's Pillsbury's new "Easy Frost."  And by golly, it is easy!  You just spray it out like easy cheese.  It even has a pretty little decorative top just perfect to make my cupcakes look their prettiest!  Lastly, and because they are kids, I sprinkled on some rainbow sprinkles.  The perfect finishing touch to some mighty adorable cupcakes.

You may wonder, how did the kids enjoy them?  They loved them!  Although to be honest, I think they would have loved anything for dessert.  So I'll give you an adult's perspective...they are adorable and delicious!

When you make these, because I know a little part of you wants to, please serve them without the cupcake liners.  They are just too cute to be hidden away!  Enjoy!

If you are looking for reusable baking cups, try these! 

The End of the Preschool Era

Well, it has officially happened.  The preschool years are over for the Tiny Teen.  Yesterday was her last day.  She played.  She partied at the park with her friends.  Then she watched the video of her graduation from the week before, and the flood gates burst wide open...

The Tiny Teen looked up with her enormous blue eyes and said, "When do I get to go back?"  I said, "To visit, or as a student?"  Once I made it clear, that her "student" days there were over.  I felt her heart split in two.  Which, in turn, smashed mine into a million pieces.  My sweet girl who thinks she is so grown up, balling her eyes out for a place she so loves.  I fought back the tears, because I too was sad she was leaving. 

While I know we both are ready for the next phase of her life, we are not quite there.  First I know, we will mourn the loss of her idyllic years at her preschool.  Really, I think the only thing getting me through, is knowing that the Texas Tornado still has 3 more years there.  If both of my babies were out of preschool, I'm pretty sure I would have bloated eyes this morning after a night of crying.

Instead, we are going to treasure all of the blessings and lessons of the Tiny Teen's preschool years, live it up (and bake it up) this summer, and then wake up in August ready to enter the Tiny Teen's next phase of life.  

Today though, we are going to enjoy that it is Day Numero Uno of summer.  We are going to spend the morning in our pj's, we are going to bake, and we are going to EAT!

Enter Peach Tart...

Since the amazing Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart a couple of weeks ago, I've kind of been obsessed with puff pastry sheets.  I haven't even shown you all of my "puffy" creations.  In reading the latest issue of the Every Day with Rachael Ray mag, I noticed a yummy recipe for a Plum Tart.  Everything about it drew me in, especially the puff pastry part.  The only problem that I encountered was that the grocery store didn't have any plums.  That's why today's recipe is a Peach Tart, not a plum one.

The recipe, below, is very simple to follow.  I love this tart, because it reminds me of family vacations when we stop into a bakery mid morning for coffee and a treat.  On these trips, I'm always drawn to a fruit tart, so perhaps that's why I find this so appealing.  

With that being said, I plan on remaking this one with apples.  Apple tarts are by far my favorite of all fruit tarts.  My plan is to end a summer evening with a warm apple tart, a pile of vanilla ice cream, and perhaps even a caramel drizzle.  Doesn't that sound dreamy?  

I hope you have a happy start to summer!  Enjoy!!

Link to Rachael Ray's Plum Tart Recipe

Delicious-er Risotto

 Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you Mommas out there.  I hope that you enjoyed your day.  I did absolutely nothing on Sunday.  Nothing!  I haven't had a good old-fashioned "do nothing" day in the over 5 years since I've been a mom. I watched TV, drank coffee, and ate a donut for breakfast in bed. Then the Tiny Teen crawled in next to me with a 102+ fever and fell fast asleep for the better part of the morning.  As sad as it was to see her not feeling well, it was so nice just to have her resting sweetly next to me.

I basically slept, ate, and watched TV on Mother's Day.  LAZY!  A very greatly needed lazy day off for this formerly tired mommy.  A big THANK YOU to my sweet hubby for keeping me fed and the kids well cared for.  He's an awesome dad and husband, so it was no surprise that he treated me like a queen!  Love you L!

Let's get on to the eats...shall we?

In reading the most recent issue of the Every Day with Rachael Ray mag, I spied a yummy looking risotto.  I am weak to the power of a bowl of risotto, so it was only a matter of time until I tried it.

There are SO many fantastic things about this particular one.  For instance, it is VERY forgiving. I messed up, changed things, and still...this is probably the tastiest risotto I've ever had!

Here's what I did...

1. In the first step, it asks for chicken or vegetable stock.  I always use chicken stock, but yesterday I chose vegetable stock, as it was all I had on hand.  A random change that darkened the risotto from pale (as it is with chicken stock) to a lovely macaroni and cheese color.  I say this because I was able to convince the princesses that it was called "Macaroni and Cheese" rice just merely based on color, and nothing to do with actual taste.  The Tiny Teen gobbled it up, and declared it "delicious-er" than anything in the world.  A high compliment from a 5 year old...
2. The next change came from using a part of a red onion in place of a shallot.  Again, the change was simply due to what was on hand.  Coming off of a lazy Momma's Day, I had NO interest in venturing in to the grocery shopping world.
3. The third change was simply a mess up on my part.  I usually use any type of white wine in my risotto, but yesterday I had zilch on hand.  I did have the white cooking wine, but only half of what was required.  Instead, I used 1/2 cup of white cooking wine and 1/2 cup of leftover chicken broth from a recipe last week.  I would recommend sticking to a full cup of wine, but it certainly didn't affect the amazing taste of my risotto.
4. Next mess up, when it said to add the wine and lemon zest, I also added the lemon juice.  Whoops!  I should have been reading more clearly, but to be fair, I was also trying to play with Little Mermaid figurines in the process of risotto-ing.
5. I followed the recipe as written until the end.  I added shredded parmesan, again because it was on hand.  Then I used dried basil and tarragon.  I would have LOVED fresh, but you know I wasn't heading to the store.

My point in telling you all of these steps and changes is this...I was able to bring together an AMAZING risotto with random things I had on hand.  This risotto is forgiving and it will allow for many changes...clearly.  It also was one of the creamiest risottos I've had.  

My last tidbit is this...add the tarragon.  I went back and forth with "should I" "shouldn't I?"  You should.  I think it was the extra something special that took this risotto from "delicious" to "delicious-er."  

I hope you LOVE this one as much as my entire family did.  Enjoy!

Link to Every Day with Rachael Ray Amalfi-Style Risotto

Target & Junior Mints

I'd like to begin today's post by publicly thanking the buyer at Target who is responsible for the dollar section.  My life has been revolutionized by 2 dollars that I spent there just the other day.

As my girls were in full on crazy mode, no doubt only worsened by the weekend's full moon, I spotted a reward chart in the dollar section.  In an instantaneous act of desperation, I threw 2 reward charts in.

In the past 2 days, my house has never been more organized, cleaner, or less whiney.  It's like I'm floating in a 2 dollar dream.  The girls have to do certain things to earn stars on their charts, and then if they receive a certain number of stars by the end of the week, they will receive a surprise.  A surprise that will undoubtedly be getting to choose something from Target's dollar section.

Full circle, that's what the Target dollar section is.  Full circle.

Dear Target buyer...YOU are a genius!  As another year of preschool draws to a close...in a week, you have most definitely made this mommy smile!!  Thank you!

As for today's recipe, my facebook friends will tell you that I was on the fence about this one.  Matter of fact, I even said that I WOULDN'T post about it.  Oh how things change!  Today's recipe is Junior Mint Cookies.

First a little back story...

My husband often speaks to various groups and schools.  A school that he spoke at last week, gave him quite a LOT of movie size candy.  Then, two things came together last night.  One, my girls and I wanted something sweet to eat after dinner, and two, I didn't have any chocolate chips, but I DID have Junior Mints.

I quickly "Googled" "Junior Mint Cookies."  When I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand, that's when we started baking.  The cookies were as easy as any other cookie to make.  However, use parchment paper and spread those cookie out!  These things spread and spread and spread...into each other.

They're HUGE!!

The reason I wasn't going to post about them, was because I found them very chewy.  

 After they cooled, I then found them to be very hard. 

Even after my negative reviews, my neighbor still wanted some.  So this morning while running my errands, I dropped a few off for her.  I explained all of their downfalls.  She said, "Are you kidding?  These will be GREAT dunked in coffee."

It's like a little light went off in my head!  I raced home, unloaded the princesses, and at 9 am...we ate cookies.  I blissfully dunked mine in coffee, they...in milk.  It was SO good!  The mint from the cookies was incredible with the contrast of the coffee.

So going against all the negative that I thought of these cookies yesterday, today my outlook has changed thanks to K.  If you like Junior Mints, mint flavors, or if you are like me and you could take or leave them, I say give these Junior Mint cookies a try.  Then, let me know what YOU think!  Enjoy!

Link to the Junior Mint Cookies Recipe

Lemon Caper Scallops

I've got very little to share with you today, besides a yummy recipe.  I'm off to get the little princesses from preschool in a few minutes, but before I go...I must share this...

It's Rach's Lemon Caper Scallops!  If you find yourself clueless about what you want to make for dinner tonight, I would highly recommend this.  It takes under 10 minutes!  That's prepping and cooking.  Does it get better than that?  Why yes, yes it does.  This meal is also tasty!  Think of what Lemon Caper Scallops would cost you in a restaurant, and treat yourself to a MUCH cheaper home made version.  

I was originally going to serve this on top of some couscous, but I was running short on time, and BIG on hunger one day, so I served the scallops over a bed of spring mix greens.  I used the sauce and the flavor in lieu of salad dressing. 

 
It was a quick and delicious lunch!  Check out the recipe below, and you will see how simple this one really is.  Come back and let me know how you decide to serve it.  Enjoy!

Link to EveryDay with Rachael Ray's Lemon Caper Scallops Recipe

If you are looking for a yummy dessert to enjoy after this meal, check out my previous post. 

A Birthday for Ariel

 

What could make two little princesses smile this big?  Why a birthday party for fellow princess, Ariel!  The Tiny Teen woke up yesterday and informed us that it was Ariel's birthday.  Apparently, Ariel just woke up and told her.  Therefore, the Tiny Teen declared a birthday party for Ariel must occur.

Lucky for the Tiny Teen, I was already planning on making a cake for dessert after dinner, so the unexpected arrival of Ariel's birthday couldn't have come at a better time.

Two weeks ago, I saw Trisha Yearwood on TV talking about her Key Lime Cake.  It looked wonderfully appetizing.  Since I'm a Florida girl at heart, I love everything made with key limes, so this project caught my eye and became my obsession.

Preparing the cake batter was simple.  I suggest measuring everything out first, because this cake does require lime gelatin.  The gelatin causes the batter to "set" a bit, so tossing all of the ingredients in rather quickly isn't a bad idea.

The recipe involves making the cake in either a 9 x 13 pan or in 3 round cake pans.  I love a round cake, so that's what I chose.  Below are images of my 3 cakes after they were baked.  As you can see, only cake number 3 came out perfect.  

I buttered and floured each pan, per the directions, however my gut kept whispering "parchment paper."  Always listen to your gut.  I think parchment paper would have helped my situation tremendously.

When the cake comes out of the oven, you then make a lime glaze to pour over the cake.  I truly thought that this would be the thing that would send this cake from good to great.  However, if I were to make it again, I personally would eliminate the glaze, or at least cut the amount of sugar in half.  It was far too sugary for me.  So sugary in fact, that I wanted to write an apology letter to my dentist for all of the damage that I quite possibly did.

After the cake has cooled completely, you make a yummy cream cheese frosting.  Then you frost the layers and the entire cake.  

Since my 3 layers were rather destroyed upon removal from the pan, frosting them was tricky.  I tried, but then quickly gave up.  Yes, it's quite possible that I made this cake look sad and pathetic.  

Lastly, I gave the cake a good sprinkling of sprinkles!  I'm sure Trisha never intended for this cake to be covered in sprinkles, but it's what Ariel and her best pals wanted.  You understand.  

Finally, the streamers were hung and the napkins were handed out (also lucky for the Tiny Teen, that I had left over princess napkins in my "party" drawer).

I got two candles out, one for each of my princesses to blowout.  

As you can see, this cake yielded a very happy Tiny Teen and Ariel!  I think the Tiny Teen was 2 parts happy.  One, that she actually got us to go along with this "Ariel's Birthday" idea, and two, that I made a cake.  A cake that I told her was green to match Ariel's tail.

Finally, with the song "Under the Sea" rocking in the background, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Ariel. Then the girls blew out the candles.  A small bit of extra work to bring BIG smiles to 2 very sweet princesses.

         

If you're interested in trying Trisha's Key Lime Cake, follow the link below.  It got rave reviews, but I didn't LOVE it like I thought I would.  I would make it again, but with the follow changes:

• I would make the batter into cupcakes.
• I would eliminate the lime glaze all together.

The cake itself was indeed delicious!  I think this has the potential to become a summer staple in our home.  I just need to try the above changes.  If any of you make this recipe, please come back and share!  I'd love to hear how it turns out for you!!

Link to Trisha Yearwood's Key Lime Cake Recipe