via whisk-kid
Monday, June 07, 2010
FREE Father's Day Card & Envelope Download
Make your own Father's Day card & envelope! Images print beautifully to any black & white printer:
CARD:
1. Click on card image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to the 8.5"x11" cardstock of your choosing
4. Cut using the crop marks as your guide. (A ruler & xacto knife works best)
5. Fold in half
A-7 ENVELOPE:
1. Click on each envelope image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to each on the 8.5"x11" text weight paper of your choosing
4. Cut on the solid grey lines
5. Glue 1st area, as marked
6. Fold up bottom flap & glue 2nd area, as marked
7. Fold on all other dotted lines (see diagram for examples)
8. Enjoy your fab, hand-crafted card & envelope!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY ETSY SHOP: sierraPRINT!
CARD:
1. Click on card image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to the 8.5"x11" cardstock of your choosing
4. Cut using the crop marks as your guide. (A ruler & xacto knife works best)
5. Fold in half
A-7 ENVELOPE:
1. Click on each envelope image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to each on the 8.5"x11" text weight paper of your choosing
4. Cut on the solid grey lines
5. Glue 1st area, as marked
6. Fold up bottom flap & glue 2nd area, as marked
7. Fold on all other dotted lines (see diagram for examples)
8. Enjoy your fab, hand-crafted card & envelope!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY ETSY SHOP: sierraPRINT!
Friday, June 04, 2010
cupcake wars
I absolutely love to bake & have often thought about party planning & coordinating events. (yeah, I'm adding it to the list of my many aspirations, which as of late seems to change daily.) Following is a great post by Amy Atlas Events w/ info & tips in regards to frosting desserts w/ fondant vs. buttercream. Some good food for thought in planning any event!
{All cupcakes above are from Amy Atlas's dessert bars.}
"Everytime I meet with a client, I hold my breath because I know the discussion is coming. Usually it's a battle rather than a discussion. The debate of buttercream vs. fondant. Every client wants buttercream because they have all had a bad experience with the tasteless and often rubbery texture of fondant. We've all had that experience, right? Having styled both buttercream and fondant cakes and cupcakes more times than I can count, I always breathe a sigh of relief when my client picks fondant. I know I'll gain some criticism for this, but I'm sticking to it. Many don't realize it, but good bakers will use better tasting fondant like Fondarific, a company that makes vanilla, chocolate, and fruit flavored fondant. Now don't misunderstand me...I adore buttercream. I make buttercream cupcakes all the time with my family. I'll serve buttercream cakes when I'm entertaining in my home. I'm also not saying that fondant tastes better than buttercream. But if the cakes are being transported in any way, you can bet I'm going to lobby for fondant.
Here's a few reasons why...
(1) Buttercream in the summer is a nightmare. I mean a real nightmare. No matter how much the buttercream is set, it instantly loses it's shape when exposed to heat. If you are transporting anything with buttercream, it makes it that much worse.
(2) Everything sticks to buttercream. Once, we were serving buttercream cupcakes and somehow black sweater hair made its way onto the precious vanilla buttercream cupcakes we were serving. That was an interesting lesson in troubleshooting. Thankfully, we had lots of other treats to serve.
(3) As I discussed here, all of the adorable cupcake wrappers that are on the market now are better suited for fondant cupcakes. Often buttercream will leave cupcake wrappers looking greasy and messy.
(4) We have more flexibility in incorporating our design onto fondant. Take a look above at a few examples of designed fondant cupcakes we've used on our dessert bars {I limited it to cupcakes for this post, I'll save the pictures of fondant cakes for another post}.
If you're a huge buttercream lover and can't be convinced to go with fondant, then try these tips...
(1) Refrigerate your cake/cupcakes so the buttercream is very cold.
(2) Limit the amount of time your buttercream is exposed to heat. Time it very carefully.
(3) Stay away from the dressing up buttercream with cupcake wrappers until lined wrappers hit the market (hint, hint to my cupcake wrapper manufacturer friends).
(4) Use fondant sparingly and incorporate buttercream in places where it won't get messy or melt. For example, place a fondant chip over a small dollop of buttercream on your cupcakes. Alternatively, infuse buttercream into the center of your cake/cupcakes with a bismarck tip.
(5) Ice the cake or cupcakes on site, if possible."
{All cupcakes above are from Amy Atlas's dessert bars.}
"Everytime I meet with a client, I hold my breath because I know the discussion is coming. Usually it's a battle rather than a discussion. The debate of buttercream vs. fondant. Every client wants buttercream because they have all had a bad experience with the tasteless and often rubbery texture of fondant. We've all had that experience, right? Having styled both buttercream and fondant cakes and cupcakes more times than I can count, I always breathe a sigh of relief when my client picks fondant. I know I'll gain some criticism for this, but I'm sticking to it. Many don't realize it, but good bakers will use better tasting fondant like Fondarific, a company that makes vanilla, chocolate, and fruit flavored fondant. Now don't misunderstand me...I adore buttercream. I make buttercream cupcakes all the time with my family. I'll serve buttercream cakes when I'm entertaining in my home. I'm also not saying that fondant tastes better than buttercream. But if the cakes are being transported in any way, you can bet I'm going to lobby for fondant.
Here's a few reasons why...
(1) Buttercream in the summer is a nightmare. I mean a real nightmare. No matter how much the buttercream is set, it instantly loses it's shape when exposed to heat. If you are transporting anything with buttercream, it makes it that much worse.
(2) Everything sticks to buttercream. Once, we were serving buttercream cupcakes and somehow black sweater hair made its way onto the precious vanilla buttercream cupcakes we were serving. That was an interesting lesson in troubleshooting. Thankfully, we had lots of other treats to serve.
(3) As I discussed here, all of the adorable cupcake wrappers that are on the market now are better suited for fondant cupcakes. Often buttercream will leave cupcake wrappers looking greasy and messy.
(4) We have more flexibility in incorporating our design onto fondant. Take a look above at a few examples of designed fondant cupcakes we've used on our dessert bars {I limited it to cupcakes for this post, I'll save the pictures of fondant cakes for another post}.
If you're a huge buttercream lover and can't be convinced to go with fondant, then try these tips...
(1) Refrigerate your cake/cupcakes so the buttercream is very cold.
(2) Limit the amount of time your buttercream is exposed to heat. Time it very carefully.
(3) Stay away from the dressing up buttercream with cupcake wrappers until lined wrappers hit the market (hint, hint to my cupcake wrapper manufacturer friends).
(4) Use fondant sparingly and incorporate buttercream in places where it won't get messy or melt. For example, place a fondant chip over a small dollop of buttercream on your cupcakes. Alternatively, infuse buttercream into the center of your cake/cupcakes with a bismarck tip.
(5) Ice the cake or cupcakes on site, if possible."
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Fresh Veggie Turkey Meatloaf
This is my version of the conglomerate of a few different turkey meatloaf recipes! Enjoy :)
INGREDIENTS:
20 oz ground turkey
1/2 cup ground oats or substitute (I prefer Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Cereal)
1 small onion diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms
1/2 cup stemmed & shredded spinach
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chunky marinara sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
DIRECTIONS:
1. Thoroughly combine all ingredients
2. Place in a greased 9.5"x4.5" loaf pan, or similar
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 min
4. (Optional) In last 5 minutes drizzle top of loaf w/ additional marinara sauce or suggested gravy.
*Serving Suggestion (as pictured): Serve with McCormick Country Peppered Gravy, prepare as directed on package & add some sauteed veggies (green pepper, onion, mushrooms, etc)
INGREDIENTS:
20 oz ground turkey
1/2 cup ground oats or substitute (I prefer Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Cereal)
1 small onion diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms
1/2 cup stemmed & shredded spinach
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chunky marinara sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
DIRECTIONS:
1. Thoroughly combine all ingredients
2. Place in a greased 9.5"x4.5" loaf pan, or similar
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 min
4. (Optional) In last 5 minutes drizzle top of loaf w/ additional marinara sauce or suggested gravy.
*Serving Suggestion (as pictured): Serve with McCormick Country Peppered Gravy, prepare as directed on package & add some sauteed veggies (green pepper, onion, mushrooms, etc)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 07, 2010
FREE Mother's Day Card & Envelope Download
Make your own Mother's Day card & envelope! Images print beautifully to any black & white printer:
CARD:
1. Click on card image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to the 8.5"x11" cardstock of your choosing
4. Cut using the crop marks as your guide. (A ruler & xacto knife works best)
5. Fold in half
A-7 ENVELOPE:
1. Click on each envelope image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to each on the 8.5"x11" text weight paper of your choosing
4. Cut on the solid grey lines
5. Glue 1st area, as marked
6. Fold up bottom flap & glue 2nd area, as marked
7. Fold on all other dotted lines (see diagram for examples)
8. Enjoy your fab, hand-crafted card & envelope!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY ETSY SHOP: sierraPRINT!
CARD:
1. Click on card image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to the 8.5"x11" cardstock of your choosing
4. Cut using the crop marks as your guide. (A ruler & xacto knife works best)
5. Fold in half
A-7 ENVELOPE:
1. Click on each envelope image above to open the full size version
2. Right click to save as (mac users - ctrl click) to your desktop
3. Open the image & print to each on the 8.5"x11" text weight paper of your choosing
4. Cut on the solid grey lines
5. Glue 1st area, as marked
6. Fold up bottom flap & glue 2nd area, as marked
7. Fold on all other dotted lines (see diagram for examples)
8. Enjoy your fab, hand-crafted card & envelope!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY ETSY SHOP: sierraPRINT!
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
margarita cupcakes
Happy Cinco de Mayo - for those who want to get their margarita fix w/out the hangover:
1/4 cup butter or nonhydrogenated shortening, softened
1 tbsp soymilk
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp tequila
2+ cups confectioners’ sugar
coarse sugar for “rims”
Margarita Cupcakes
(from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp tequila
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, soy milk, oil , tequila, vanilla and sugar.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to lime mixture and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
1/4 cup butter or nonhydrogenated shortening, softened
1 tbsp soymilk
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp tequila
2+ cups confectioners’ sugar
coarse sugar for “rims”
Cream together shortening, soymilk, lime juice, tequila, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add in more sugar as needed to make frosting stiff, but spreadable. Spread on cupcakes and roll the edges in a small amount of coarse, colored sugar (poured into a small bowl, so it’s easy to direct it).
(via hostessblog.com)in progress: abstract painting
I've been back to painting again & here is a work-in-progress of a new abstract piece, which I'm a tad bit excited about:
Friday, April 23, 2010
friday luvs
turquoise foil stamping on black cover stock as seen here via ohsobeautifulpaper
from my etsy shop: sierraPRINT
b-day card from inkandiron on etsy
hand-thrown berry bowl from vesselsandwares on etsy
PALM SPRINGS (soooo my next road trip!!!)
the Ace Hotel, Palm Springs
from this photo shoot at greylikesweddings
mixed media from alex kopps
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
peach sorbet
*can be made w/ or w/out an ice cream maker*
The recipe below is very basic and can be adapted a number of ways. Use an ice cream maker--or do without. A mixture of summer fruits can be added for variety. The riper and softer the peaches the better; their natural sweetness reduces the need for added sugar. It’s best to start with less sugar and increase it to taste. The alcohol in the liqueur resists freezing so the end result is less icy and softer in texture, but omit it if preferred—it will work just fine.
PEACH SORBET
6 medium, very ripe fresh peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup +/- sugar
2 TBS Peach Schnapps (or liqueur of your choice)
2 TBS fresh squeezed lime juice
Water
How to Make Peach Sorbet
1. Place all ingredients except water into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped into a course emulsion.
2. Taste and add sugar as needed.
3. With the cover on and the processor running, trickle water through the feeder tube until the mixture is thick and smooth.
4. Transfer to a container, cover tightly.
5. To make sorbet with an ice cream maker, chill the mixture thoroughly and follow the appliance manufacturer’s instructions.
6. To make sorbet without an ice cream maker, place the mixture in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
7. Check the texture of the sorbet. If it is icy or grainier than desired, remove from the freezer and using a food processor or blender, blend again until smooth.
8. Refreeze for 30 minutes or longer before serving.
link to this recipe
The recipe below is very basic and can be adapted a number of ways. Use an ice cream maker--or do without. A mixture of summer fruits can be added for variety. The riper and softer the peaches the better; their natural sweetness reduces the need for added sugar. It’s best to start with less sugar and increase it to taste. The alcohol in the liqueur resists freezing so the end result is less icy and softer in texture, but omit it if preferred—it will work just fine.
PEACH SORBET
6 medium, very ripe fresh peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup +/- sugar
2 TBS Peach Schnapps (or liqueur of your choice)
2 TBS fresh squeezed lime juice
Water
How to Make Peach Sorbet
1. Place all ingredients except water into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped into a course emulsion.
2. Taste and add sugar as needed.
3. With the cover on and the processor running, trickle water through the feeder tube until the mixture is thick and smooth.
4. Transfer to a container, cover tightly.
5. To make sorbet with an ice cream maker, chill the mixture thoroughly and follow the appliance manufacturer’s instructions.
6. To make sorbet without an ice cream maker, place the mixture in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
7. Check the texture of the sorbet. If it is icy or grainier than desired, remove from the freezer and using a food processor or blender, blend again until smooth.
8. Refreeze for 30 minutes or longer before serving.
link to this recipe
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
2 DIY's - burned flowers & make your own lotion
DIY: burned flowers: view the full set of directions here - via 100 layer cake
get some inspiration from this lime green satin rosette from nimblergrove on etsy
...........................................................................
DIY: make your own lotion: view the full set of directions here - via designsponge
Friday, April 02, 2010
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