new toys!

Yesterday I got me a Silhouette SD machine and today my kit from Studio Calico came...

Yes!

Must go create, will post soon.

P.S. 5 days til Harry Potter time!

Taking Patriotic Pictures

I have looked at so many scrapbooking magazines and websites lately I can't even remember where I saw this, but I loved it!

Drape a flag as your background and just sit individuals in front of it for an instant patriotic portrait that doesn't take any effort. It looks nice and it's practically free.

So easy and classic. There are so many things to take pictures of on the 4th of July to record your own traditions, and the American tradition itself.

Some ideas:
1. The parade: the breakfast you eat at the parade, your favorite floats, the motorcycle cops, the candy being thrown, and pictures of you and your family actually watching it.
2. kids playing with daytime fireworks (parachutes, snakes, poppers)
3. activities you have during the day: family outing such as lake or hike; decorating for the party, kids in their patriotic attire, flag protraits outside (natural lighting!), etc.
4. Food: there are endless things people eat to celebrate this holiday...do you eat anything in particular every year? Take a picture of the prep, the final product, and the people enjoying it.
5. Fireworks: Oh fireworks can be hard to photograph so make sure to use your fireworks camera setting for them, and a night setting for the people. Spell something out with the sparklers. Catch the natural excitment a kid has when watching fireworks.

July 4th crafts

I really love the 4th of July and am always looking for fun ways to detail the holiday. When I got my July Family Fun magazine last month, I fell in love with these:

Firecracker Favors (I am actually turning mine into Weasly Wizard Wizbangs for my HP party)

Basically you take rolled candy like Life Savers, re-wrap them in patriotic paper, and stick these cute little picks in the top (I found my pics at Jo-ann's...they are by Wilton).

For original instructions go here.

Want more crafts? Check these out:

Martha's Star Spangled crafts

Make and Takes has some fun fruit kababs and a craft roundup with lots of links to good ideas.

As American as...

Cherry Pie. I really like cherry pie...well I really just like pie in general.

This is a really good Cherry Pie filling...as I have mentioned before I don't make pie crust I buy if frozen :)


a 9 inch double crust pie
1 (20 ounce) can pitted sour cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional)
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup liquid. In a saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in cherry liquid and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken. When mixture is thickened, add butter, almond extract, food coloring and cherries. Cover and refrigerate.

On lightly covered surface, roll out half of the pastry into an 11 inch circle. Put into 9 inch pie dish. Roll other half of pastry into another 11 inch circle. With a knife or pastry wheel, cut eight 1/2 inch strips.

Pour cooled cherry filling into pie dish. Place pastry strips horizontally, then vertically, across the top of the pie and lightly brush with egg yolk. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, and cool before serving.

For original recipe go here.

As American as ...

With the 4th of July coming up this week I thought what would be better than some American food classics?

So here is a great recipe for Southern Fried Chicken

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 eggs
4 cups buttermilk
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp steak sauce
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 cups oil for frying

In a large shallow dish, mix together flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, then whisk in buttermilk, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and steak sauce. Dredge chicken in milk mixture, then in seasoned flour, alternating in each at least twice. Heat oil in a large, deep-sided skillet to 375 degrees. Fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes each side.

For footnotes, nutritional info, and tips see the original recipe here, at allrecipes.com

For some classic sides:

I generally don't like homemade biscuits, BUT I tried the bisquick heartsmart box and the recipe for regular biscuits on the back of that...yum.

Potato or Macaroni or Fruit salad. Check our allrecipes.com for a million ideas.

Peace of Cake

another Rent inspired creation...

I was at the "EMP:Experience Music Project" museum at the Seattle Center today and saw this cake pan...just had to have it, and I thought to myself, "this is a great example of that quote from rent I blogged about the other day." So here you go...Peace cake.

Even better here is the link to the fabulous company that makes these things...LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

Really Fred and Friends has some brilliant kitchen creations and they also have lots of other stuff too.

To here about Day #6 of my trip to Seattle, click here.

Pizza inspired by the Rock.

So while this pizza pie won't be as awesome* as the one at the Rock in Washington... These are good toppings nevertheless.

* If you know how to toss pizza crust and have a 500-900 degree wood fire oven with Almond wood burning, then it is a possibility :)

So the toppings are:

sweet Italian sausage --Large precooked pieces
pepperoni-- the bigger the better
tomato sauce
mozzarella
ricotta cheese--dallups of ricotta cheese on top throughout


Garlic Mozz Bread:

brushed dough with crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino romano and topped with mozzarella.

SO SO GOOD. I am not even going to include a recipe for crust becasue I wouldn't even know how to find one that was close to how good their crust is...but these are some fun ideas for pizza toppings.

To read about my day #5 in Seattle, go here.