Tip-sy Tuesday: Frosting

After making the cookie dough cupcakes last week I learned something I didn't know - the batch of buttercream frosting made exactly enough frosting for 2 tablespoons on each of 24 cupcakes. Usually I pipe the frosting on using a decorating bag but this time I used a scoop and found the size of the scoop is exactly right to divide the frosting evenly on one batch of cupcakes. Cool. Good to know.

mmmmm...nothing like ice cream scoops
of homemade buttercream frosting! 

I've posted my buttercream recipe a few times, but here it is again so you don't need to go looking:

Cream 1 stick of unsalted butter in a standing mixer (or use a hand mixer) until its fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1 cup powdered sugar. Gradually add another 3 cups of powdered sugar alternating with a little milk or cream until you reach the right consistency.

You can change it up by adding cocoa powder to make chocolate frosting; or beat in some cream cheese or marshmallow fluff; or fold in thick pudding, whipped cream, or cool whip...lots of variations but you can't beat plain ol' vanilla buttercream in my book.

Funny story from when my nieces were little - I made cupcakes and for whatever reason used canned frosting. They were all "these are weird and don't taste like usual" - even little kids could tell the difference! After that they'd ask for cake with "the good" frosting. So cute.


7.16.18: golf counter pin
7.16.17: zucchini lasagna
7.16.16: Jen has a fun friend gift idea

Felt Flowers

Guys!

Check out the beautiful felt flowers Miss Lori made - I'm so, so impressed with how talented my friend is (and if I'm being truthful I'm also a tiny bit jealous - I mean c'mon, I make silly Lego crap and she's turning out these stunning flowers?). Just look how pretty they are, are you thinking what I'm thinking and cannot wait to attempt this yourself? 'Cuz after seeing these photos my first thought was 'I need to learn how to do this, and I need to do it asap'!

Big thanks and shoutout to Miss Lori for sharing this with me (and you!) along with a few notes, I will absolutely be attempting to make these in the near future. Seriously, I love these wreaths so much...I can't even pick a favorite, they are all gorgeous.

Here's what Lori has to say about making them:

Thank you Jill! I saw this little video on the Hobby Lobby website and gave it a whirl!  (I started with the flowers on the side like in the video but I didn’t like how it hung when it was done, so changed it up a bit)

https://www.hobbylobby.com/DIY-Projects-Videos/Crafts/Felt-Flower-Wreath/p/18_0031_Wreath

I did a little variation on the one where you clip straight lines along the fold-I just did the cuts diagonally instead and it turned out cute!

For the tall, longer flowers, you use the same folded and clipped piece that is shown in the video and then hot glue at the top of the wire then wrap the piece around and around from top to bottom, push it up to where you like and hot glue bottom in place.

For the flower with the felt center, I just cut the inner piece for example, 1 inch and the outer piece 2 inches.  Cut and rolled the inner, then cut and rolled the outer piece over it.

I tried a couple variations-a 6 petal flower instead of 5, and I used pinking shears on a couple.

I saw this pic for the daisy-it is the only one that is sewn rather than hot glued-

By altering the colors and sizes the possibilities are endlessly wonderful!  The best thing, they don’t take long at all!

This is it for a bit now though, my fingers need a break from hot glue!

7.15.18: greek chicken bowls
7.15.17: card holder
7.15.16: Jen organizes some clutter

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 28)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a recap of what happened at camp this week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

7.7: 🔥 (week 27)
7.8: beaded hoop earrings
7.9: Tip-sy Tuesday: Jen's hair bun hack
7.10: cookie dough cupcakes
7.11: my niece is hungry: oslo pasta bake
7.12: za'atar bread with kefir cheese (sounds weird, but it's so good!)
7.13: Cathy's banana pudding

What's cooking ~

• steak, stuffed mushrooms, sautéed green beans and spinach
• grilled chicken, veggie tots, salad
• grilled pizza, salad
• grilled brats, potato salad, kale salad
• bbq ribs, roasted green beans, mashed potatoes

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy but not worth a whole post ~

• Spent all morning weeding, staking, and working on my miniature garden which is just popping with beans right now! and the plumeria stick has 4 leaves on it, yay I'm actually growing a tree.
• Read #2 Amos Decker series book "The Last Mile" by David Baldacci ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and "A Dangerous Act of Kindness by LP Fergusson ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 
• Our cc&r's forbid (among many things) pink flamingoes in our yards. Sigh. So guess what I have all over inside the front courtyard where you can only see them from the house? Yep - lots and lots of pink flamingoes 😂 I will not be denied my flamingoes - just sayin'. 
• Made my sis another golf stroke counter, maybe if she didn't need to count so high every game she would stop wearing them out LOL!! Don't tell her I said that...

Have a great week - stop back often to see more recipes, crafts, whatever else is happening at camp!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and flamingo lover

Banana Pudding

Cathy made this banana pudding for a party and it is SO good - really, I don't even like bananas and I just about licked my bowl clean! When other people at the party said they didn't want to try it we forced them to at least take a bite, sure enough they didn't stop at one bite hahahah.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups cold milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 4 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 (12 oz.) package vanilla wafers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.

2. Line the bottom of a 13x9" dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

Za'atar Bread with Kaffir Cheese

Janis and I had lunch at Sammy's in El Segundo and shared the most delicious appetizer - I wasn't familiar with Za'atar or Byblos Lebni before having this dish and am now obsessed with both!  Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that you can purchase or make your own - it tends to be a mix thyme, toasted sesame seeds, oregano, and sumac. Byblos Lebni is a rich creamy dairy product, similar to thick greek yogurt or sour cream - if you can't find it I'd substitute plain greek yogurt in a pinch.  This is a very easy, flavorful, and pretty appetizer - thanks to Janis for the recipe so we can now make it at home!

Za’atar Bread with Kefir Cheese

Pita Bread, Flat Bread or Frozen Dough Rolls

Olive Oil

Zaatar Seasoning

Byblos Lebni (pasteurized kefir cheese) - add salt to increase flavor

Chopped Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350.  Brush olive oil over bread and sprinkle with a generous amount of Za'atar seasoning.  Place in oven to for approximately 6-8 minutes or bake until dough is cooked if using raw dough.  Cut into slices and serve with kefir cheese and chopped tomatoes. 

note: to serve, I put the byblos lebni or yogurt in the middle of a big bowl or plate, top with more za'atar seasoning and chopped tomatoes; place the warm seasoned bread around the outside edge of bowl or plate as shown above. 

I bought za’atar seasoning at the grocery store, here’s a recipe if you want to make your own: 

Combine all in a small bowl ~
1 tablespoon ground sumac
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

My Niece is Hungry: Oslo Pasta Bake

My niece questioned why my sis is getting meals to review (all those "my sis is hungry" posts I've been running), as she is also hungry. So today it's "my niece is hungry"! Here's her review - recipe and notes follows what she has to say:

This weekend my Mom came to visit me in Chicago, and brought a dish in a cooler that my aunt made for me. (I didn’t even ask what it was but excited for 1. Free food and 2. Who doesn’t love pasta? 

At first glance, the dish looked like some sort of lasagna/red sauce casserole? The small bag of shredded cheese on top of the dish made me excited (more cheese!) and her directions seemed easy so I popped it in the oven and was ready to give it a try. I’m not really sure what kind of meat she used but it was good.  It wasn’t overly seasoned and not too heavy (where afterward you’d most likely feel ‘gross/too-full’??)  Overall I thought the pasta was super delicious; total comfort food, yet felt somewhat ‘healthy’ thanks to the sauce. The base of the sauce felt more like real tomatoes than pasta sauce, which I enjoyed. My only suggestion/recommendation would be to enhance the spiciness...maybe something with more heat, or even additional pepper. I personally would’ve liked it over a bed of spinach or chopped spinach or another “green” for dimension (which I did the second day, when I packed leftovers my for lunch!) I’d definitely enjoy this meal again (take 2 ‘my niece is hungry?’ or maybe I’ll save the recipe and give it a whirl!)

Personally, I’d love if there were more ‘my favorite niece is hungry’ recipes 😉!!

 😊 Thanks Auntie/Make My Daycamp!!

XOX - Buffy

Jill here: This pasta dish is layers of tomato meat sauce and pasta in a cheese sauce. I have no idea where this recipe came from, it's in my file of clippings to try sometime and the original name is "Oslo Macaroni Bake" which is slightly confusing to me since it calls for rotelle pasta and not macaroni. So I've renamed it "Oslo Pasta Bake"; it would be fine to use other shapes for sure - I'm thinking any short pasta that you'd use in macaroni and cheese like shells, bowties, penne, heck even macaroni! The way the original recipe is worded is also a little confusing to me - I'm just going to give you the recipe as I made it:

1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 16 oz. can tomatoes, chopped, drained

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Swiss/Gruyere cheese, divided

3 cups cooked rotelle pasta
1 8oz. can tomato sauce

for the meat sauce:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan, add the mushrooms, onion, red pepper, and season with salt and pepper; cook until the veggies are tender. Add the ground beef breaking it into small pieces (I don't like big chunks of meat in my sauce, do it how you like) and cook until the beef is done, stirring often. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Set aside. (I drained off any standing liquid before assembling this casserole).

for the pasta and cheese layer:
In a saucepan, melt remaining 1/4 butter. Add flour and cook, stirring, several minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually blend in milk; cook, stirring, until thickened and smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Stir in cooked pasta.

To assemble and bake:
Alternate layers of pasta and meat mixtures in a buttered 2 qt. baking dish. Top with tomato sauce. Bake at 350'F for 35 minutes, top with remaining cheese*. Bake 5 minutes longer until the cheese is melted.

Makes 6-8 servings.

*note: the extra 1/2 cup cheese you put on after baking for 35 minutes is the small bag of cheese that Macey is referring to in her review. I put the casserole together for her but didn't bake it, sent it wrapped up with the above baking directions.

7.11.18: banana cupcakes with marshmallow filling
7.11.17: spider mum paper flowers
7.11.16: coco lopez

Cookie Dough Cupcakes 2.0

I posted cookie dough cupcakes back in '16, here is another version that had everyone at Al and Cathy's raving - Cathy said "I don't even like cupcakes and these are the best cupcakes in the entire world!" and Al texted "Cathy & I agree your cupcakes are the best we have ever had" and thanked me for bringing them...wow, high praise! This is obviously a keeper recipe.

You'll need:

• yellow cake mix (without pudding in the mix- I used Betty Crocker Favorites yellow cake mix, note the amount of liquid and fat you need might change depending on what brand you buy - change my amounts below if yours calls for something different)
• banana instant pudding (I did not use sugar-free)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk (instead of water)
• 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled slightly (instead of oil)
• dash of vanilla
• 1 24-count tray of store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough (I used Nestlé Toll House, the kind that comes in squares you can break off and bake individually)
• buttercream frosting
• 1/2 block of cream cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the cookie dough into it's pre-scored 24 squares, freeze until solid.
2. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the cake mix and pudding, beat with hand mixer (or standing mixer, or by hand) for a couple of minutes.
3. Divide the batter evenly into 24 cupcake tins lined with cupcake liners. 
4. Place 1 frozen cookie dough square on each cupcake batter, slightly press into the batter but don't push it all the way in. 
5. Bake at 350'F for 16-18 minutes. Do not overbake or the cookie dough will bake solid. Sticking a toothpick or skewer in the cupcake to check for doneness like normal doesn't work because you want the cookie dough soft - check the edges of the cupcake to see if the cake is done. Remove to a rack to cool.
6. Meanwhile, make the buttercream frosting. Blend 1 stick of butter with 1/2 block cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt, and one cup of powdered sugar, mix to combine. Slowly add 3 more cups of powdered sugar alternating with a little milk or cream until you get the right consistency. 
7. Once the cupcakes are cool frost with the buttercream cheese frosting, sprinkles optional :)

*note: I set the cookie dough on top of the batter and didn't press down. The dough didn't sink all the way to the bottom and made the top of the cupcakes uneven - but once you frost them no one will ever know! Don't freak out if they come out of the oven a little wonky. I will lightly press the cookie dough into the batter next time.

I kind of like how a scoop of frosting looks on the top
before I smoothed it out - reminds me of a scoop of ice cream

Update * Cathy made these cupcakes the following day and made 1/2 with macadamia white chocolate chip dough; she said they taste great but one thing she found is that the dough was portioned into bigger pieces and filled up the cupcakes a little too much - the Nestle dough I used is a total of 16.5 ounces, check the weight of whatever dough you use. If you use homemade dough I would just put about a couple teaspoons in each cupcake.

Tip-sy Tuesday: Hair Bun Hack...by Jenny

So we have established I don’t cook or craft but there is something I do well... I purchase crap off Amazon. I see an ad usually popping up on Facebook (because they have tracked my history of buying crap so keep popping things up for me).  Here is my latest thing I couldn’t live without. It’s an odd version of a slap bracelet used to make a bun. Yes we have all seen the sponge bun- I have that also. That one makes my bun GIANT and obviously fake. This one looked so easy and great! So boom- $8 on Amazon prime overnight and here it is. 

I eagerly open the packet and pull it out and race to try it out! All the time this will save me in the morning before work!  I put my hair in the pony tail and place the bun maker on- boom. It immediately curls up (like a slap bracelet does). Not to be deterred I try it again. And again. And again. 

On the 10th try I got it. A semblance of a decent looking bun. Maybe with more practice this will get faster. So my verdict? Decent bun but not quick. I’ll keep practicing because I do love the idea. 

Ignore the dirty hair in these pictures but hey.. what do you expect from someone who purchases a slap bracelet to do their hair for work?

Jill here - this is one thing I miss out on since I have short hair, I'd love to play with this bun-making-slap-bracelet! Looks great Sissy!


7.9.18: beach terrarium

Beaded Hoop Earrings

Made these pretty beaded earrings at the campground table, they came together really quickly and will go with pretty much everything in my closet.

You'll need 2 wire hoops, a couple lengths of thin wire (thin enough that you can wrap it around the hoop by hand), and approx. 40 beads in your choice of colors - mine are clear, gray, and black and I used silver wire but there are lots of different wire colors available. Wrap wire around the earring hoop a few times, then add a bead and wrap the wire around, add another bead and wrap again. Continue adding beads and wrapping the wire for as long as you want, then wrap the wire around a few times to finish and hold the beads in place. Easy!

The technique is similar to the beaded ring I posted in '17, click here to see more on how to make wire wrapped jewelry.


7.8.18: gazpacho
7.8.17: 3-ingredient sangria
7.8.16: mushroom rice

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 27)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a recap of what happened this week at camp (in case you missed anything):

Posts ~

6.30: 🔥 (week 26)
7.1: mosaic stepping stone
7.2: Tip-sy Tuesday: storing ribbons
7.3: mini fruit pies
7.4: Fourth of July
7.5: Lego Scottie
7.6: propagating plumeria

What's cooking ~

• crock pot bbq shredded chicken, sweet potato cornbread (both recipes to follow), roasted green beans
• grilled pork tenderloin, butternut squash spiral salad
• marinated chicken, mashed potatoes, mexican street corn salad (recipe to follow)
• grilled tuna, greek salad, roasted garbanzo beans
• grilled chicken sausages, sweet kale salad, potato salad, mexican street corn salad 
• steak, black bean salad with corn, tomatoes, avocado in vinaigrette 

Miscellaneous things keeping me busy in addition to the above, but not worth a whole post ~

• I'm writing this from the campground, it's such a gorgeous day! Brought a couple crafty things with me to make, but first I'm being lazy enjoying sitting outside under the umbrella catching up on the blog. 
• read "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate and loved it. Cathy recommended, it's a historical fiction based on a true story of a woman who runs an orphanage in the 20-50's. Really good, couldn't put it down ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Also read "Memory Man" by David Balducci, also recommended by Cathy - loved it too, in a very different way than the historical fiction one! Memory Man is quite the thriller, while reading it I kept thinking "am I reading the correct Memory Man? Does Cathy like these creepy suspenseful thrillers?" Yes she does, and it's a good one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• picked about 4 meals worth of green beans this week, things are happening in the garden! Tomatoes are still green but they're coming...I'm feeling another 'tomato week' in my near future. 

Hope you had a great week and a happy 4th long weekend. Check back this week to see what fun things and recipes happen at camp! 

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and lazy camper