Celebrate Good Times Come on!

Hey There!  Happy Last Day of August!  Guess who is the featured user on Celebrations.com today?  Answer: ME!  Check it out! 

I know I've said it before but it really is an awesome site and I'm proud to write for it.  If you've got labor day parties this weekend, you can definitely find some fun summer recipes and ideas there.  And if you're in for back to school mode, its the place to be! 

So thank you Celebrations for picking little old me!  I'm so proud.  Keep an eye out for some fun Halloween ideas over there too! 

Kindergarden

Guess who starts kindergarten tomorrow?  I can't even believe it.  But this guy:

Oh man I remember when he was a tiny little peanut I could coerce into photo shoots:

Easier to do when you're captive in a car seat. 

 And you even let us torture you with funky hair styles. 

Always so well dressed too!

And a great big brother!

Seriously.

Such a big guy you are now!

And so handsome, always. 

 Good luck to my favorite boy!  You are going to be so awesome I can't even wait!



Love, Your Auntie Em

Candy Corn Craziness

I know it's August.  But never too early to start planning for Halloween!  Here is a glimpse at a project I worked on this weekend - it was fun but I spent way too many hours up to my elbows in sherbet.  

Tune in soon to see the final product!   

Baby Pops!

No, these are not pops made from actual babies. 

They are cute though!  Here is a fun way to wrap up some cute onesies for a baby shower - you can even customize your own, with this tutorial, or use fun store bought ones.  Try it out!

(click for more!)

Muffin Mania!

So, I meant to make these for a breakfast treat for the car ride to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware last week, where I went on vacation with my family.  But, I ran out of time and got bagels instead. 

I tossed the blueberries in the freezer and threw these Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins together when I got home, since I had all the ingredients.

But woah!  As I stirred the frozen blueberries in the mix, their skins started peeling off!  It was like taking the mask of of Darth Vader - inside they are all greenish and pale and sickly looking.  I did go a little overboard on the berries to compensate- recipe only called for a cup but I threw the whole pint in, so they were a little less muffin like, a little more massive blueberry craters interspersed with dough bridges throughout.  Definitely edible, though! 

BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL MUFFINS

from Cookin' Up Country Breakfasts Cookbook, via A Taste of Home

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup milk (I used yogurt that was nearing its expiration date)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 egg whites

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add blueberries. Stir in milk and oil just until mixed. In a bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (I used my kitchen aid mixer); fold into batter. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Yield: about 1 dozen (mine made 16).