A while back Megan posted about making a cake stand out of a vase (or glass) and a plate. I was obsessed with how cool and simple the project seemed. Genevieve's dedication lunch proved to be the perfect excuse to try it. Check out my results:
I am a HUGE fan of bright and bold nail colors, especially for toes. However, for lack of drying time due to a crazy life, I tend to paint my fingernails far less than my feet. Neutrals tend to work better so I don't have to worry about my bright electric blue clashing with my outfit for work. But nude colors can sometimes be boring, so here are two of my most recent favorites that I believe qualify as neutrals but are far from ho-hum. Both are from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure line, which I love for it's great consistency and short fat brush. The first is Pedal to the Metal, which is a metallic-y silver with a slight lavender sheen. (It is not as dark as it looks in the image below!) The second is Commander in Chic, which is a peculiar mixture of grey and brown that results in the most wonderful mushroom color. Pick them up at your local Target for only $6.49 this week!
How on Earth I reached the age of 30, er I mean 29 and have never made cupcakes is beyond me. I'm probably the only female over 15 who hasn't. Nevertheless it's true. At least it was true until Genevieve's dedication luncheon. Despite my fear of baking, I couldn't help but try my hand at them...It was only a matter of time, given America's latest obsession with cupcakes. Since I am not a baker at heart and had zero experience I decided to amend a basic store bought cake mix and make the icing from scratch rather than make everything from scratch. I found a good recipe in "Women's World":
Perfect cake-mix cupcakes:
1 pkg cake mix such as classic vanilla or devil's food
1 cup buttermilk in place of the water called for in the package
Vegetable oil (the amount on the pkg)
4 eggs in place of the number called for on the package
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin cups with paper liners. Prepare cake mix according to package directions in a large bowl, using the buttermilk instead of water, the oil, and the 4 eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer.
- Spoon half the batter into a large ziploc bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a 1/4" corner from the bag and fill the paper liners two thirds full. Repeat with the remaining batter. Bake until golden (if using a light colored cake mix) and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the baking pan, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Makes 24 cupcakes.
A few notes: This recipe is SUPER easy. If I can do it; anyone can! Secondly, I'm not sure why it calls for putting the batter in the ziploc bag half at a time. That was annoying. Next time I'll put all of the batter in at once. Lastly, I didn't want to waste money on a quart of buttermilk when I only needed a cup (and my mom insisted that I could make it with milk and vinegar). After googling it to make sure my mom wasn't making it up (why I doubt her I have no idea. She knows everything about homemade cooking.), I followed her advice and added a TBS of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it stand for 5 minutes). 
For the icing, I wanted something creamy and sweet but not store bought. I used Magnolia's recipe. There are a few different versions of it online but I trust foodnetwork so I used theirs. Click here for recipe.
I added a few drops of food coloring (ok, I asked my little sister to do it for me) and voila! They came out perfectly. They were light, fluffy, and sweet! When my adorable nephew Luke tasted one, hugged my neck and said "Aunt Tiffany you're the best" I knew I'd accomplished my mission!
I was blessed with an amazing sister-in-law who coordinated a bunch of meals for our family when my daughter was born. The kindness of those ladies meant so much to me and made the transition much easier. Want to bless someone in your life with a bit of new mama love? Here's a few tips to keep in mind!
- If someone is not coordinating meals for the family, make sure to call mom or dad ahead of time to coordinate what day would work best for them, and to see if they have already received meals, so you're not duplicating and bringing them their fourth lasagna of the week!
- Find out if the family has any food allergies. Though your enchiladas are to die for, that won't matter if mom's allergic to cheese!
- If possible, bring a complete meal... protein, starch and a veggie. Dessert is bonus! This completely takes any prep work out of the hands of the new mom (or dad!) and doesn't leave them to have to supplement your main course.
- Bring a meal that can be stretched into several meals with leftovers, such as a casserole, or whole chicken, and something that re-heats well.
- Meals that can be refrigerated or frozen are also great, in case for some reason the meal is not able to be eaten that night.
- If possible, provide meals in disposable containers and dishes, so the new parents aren't left with a stack of Pyrex dishes to return.
- Label food with the contents, date and heating instructions if necessary.
Not a cook? No problem! Find out the couple's favorite take-out spot and menu items for a fun surprise. Or, try one of the meal assembly centers such as Dream Dinners to provide delicious freezable meals to be eaten whenever is convenient for them! Even better, give a creative and thoughtful baby shower gift of a Dream Dinners session and let mom and dad stock up even before baby's born!
Just last night I was able to drop off meals to both my wonderful sister-in-law and another family friend who recently had babies. This time it was one of my favorites, homemade Mac & Cheese, Martha's to be exact. It makes a HUGE portion, reheats well and is just plain delicious. Enjoy it for yourself, or pass it along to a new mom YOU know!
Image via Smitten Kitchen
Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese
When it says it serves 12.... it means it. Feel free to halve it! Also, I use an Applewood Smoked Gruyere and add Applewood Smoked Bacon, about 6-7 slices, finely chopped. If you ever wondered how to make homemade macaroni and cheese even better... it's bacon, I swear. I also substituted Cavatappi pasta for the elbow macaroni, as it just looks more fun. :) This is particularly delicious with a big, crunchy salad and a steamed vegetable, like green beans or broccoli. - Meg
Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.
5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.
The decision to make baby food rather than buy it was a no brainer. Well, let me rephrase that—the decision to TRY making homemade baby food was a no brainer. It seemed cheaper, healthier, and fairly easy. I figured I might as well try and see how it goes. If it was too difficult, costly, or just plain annoying, I could always jump ship and head to Wal-Mart right?
I have to say making homemade babyfood was easier than I thought…but then when I realized I was supposed to be giving Genevieve fruit in addition to her cereal in the morning, had no baby food prepared and no store bought food (and no applesauce), and spent the next 15 minutes scrambling to bake and mush an apple, I thought “oh, ok, this is where it gets annoying!” So the basic lesson here is that making baby food is easy only if you’re totally prepared and have the necessary utensils. Planning ahead is key in making it feel like fun and not a time consuming, labor intensive chore. And though I haven’t done it yet, I also plan to go to the store and get a few jars of fruits and veggies just to make sure I have something on hand just in case I need it! (I’m obviously not a diehard). ;)
So where to begin? Well first off, make sure you have a few things to start. You’ll need something to chop or blend. I’ve read that the magic bullet works wonders for pureeing (actually I used Jessica Seinfeld’s “Deceptively Delicious” for tips on pureeing and she swears by it). You can also use a blender although I found that using a food processor was easier for me. Then there’s the lavish Beaba machine if you’re really hard core. I myself could not spend $150 on something that doesn’t have the words “True Religion” on the butt. It’s just not that fun. Ok, moving on. You can simply steam the veggies in a pot with a tiny bit of water, but my friend Colleen bought a steamer basket which she said coupled with a blender replaces the need for the Beaba machine. (More on Colleen and moral support later). Next, you’ll need something to store the food in. I used plain old ice cube trays until my mom got me these handy storage containers from kidco. Honestly I could go either way. I do like that these storage containers have lids and you can keep the food in them vs. transporting them to a baggie. But I have to admit I kind of like seeing multi-colored ice cubes in my freezer. I’m a little OCD that way. The blog smitten kitchen, recommends these cubes which I just LOVE. They are hanging out on my Amazon wish list as we speak. So that’s pretty much it! You probably already have all of what you need to get started! 
I’m trying to keep this succinct but I have to say to keep things simple, you really need to set aside a time to make a batch or two of food or prepare the food while you make your own. My pediatrician even said by about 8 months I can pretty much just mash up whatever we’re eating and feed that to Genevieve. For the time being she’s still a bit restricted so on the weekends I make a batch of one or two veggies and pop them in the freezer. It takes maybe 15 minutes!
Lastly, moral support when it comes to all things “mommy” cannot be understated. Colleen and I email back and forth about everything from nursing, to weaning (back to nursing again), to poop (that’s right), to making baby food. It’s great to share tips and misdeeds when it comes to child rearing. Much of what you’ve read has been a result of Colleen’s (not MY) thorough research. She’s even more OCD than I am and I love it! Having someone to talk to whose baby is in the same stage as yours is (or close) is awesome. You can go on and on about random little things and you know they’re not either thinking about what they will wear out this weekend (for the single twenty something) or thinking how none of it matters and you’ll figure that out with your 2nd kid (for the thirty something with 2+ children).
So if you make your own baby food (or have even considered it) tell us what tips and tricks you’ve learned!
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My sunshine enjoying peas.
**some photos courtesy of smitten kitchen**
