My love of Anne

I am a big fan of Anne Taintor. Her pictures are fantastic, vintage (which steals my heart), funny, and I can relate to so many of them. For these reasons, I have decided to post a picture of hers weekly on the blog. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

3 Tier Serving Tray

This is a great idea I got from Decor It Yourself. You make your own 3 tiered serving tray using plates and cups. There are many different styles in dishware you can choose from to make it your own but I decided on black and white to go with my kitchen. You can use plates and cups you have or random ones you pick up from garage sales or thrift stores.

The supplies you will need are 3 plates in different sizes, 2 cups in different sizes, Gorilla Glue, water, tape, a pencil and a few heavy books. Be very careful when dealing with Gorilla Glue and fully read the directions before starting.



Make sure your plates and cups are clean. Take the largest plate, find the middle and mark it with a pencil. Place your larger cup and place it centered over the pencil mark. Use tape to mark a square around your cup. Pick your cup up and inside the square, get the plate damp with the water. Put a thin line of Gorilla Glue on the bottom rim of your larger cup and place it on the plate where it is marked. Place a few heavy books on top of the cup and leave for 30 minutes.





When it had securely dried, get the medium sized plate, find the middle and get it damp around the area the top rim of the largest cup will be going. Put a thin line of Gorilla Glue on the top rim of the largest cup and set the medium plate on top of it. We chose to rest it upside down so we wouldn't have to worry about glue drips.



When it has securely dried, repeat the steps to attach the second cup and the third plate. When it has finally dried, you are ready for your next get-together! Here are pics of my final product:

A little something I made....

just for the blog!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from my family to yours!

Mountain Dew Cupcakes

I made these for my Mountain Dew fanatic husband's birthday last year and they were a huge hit! The lime green frosting was awesome and really made it very Mountain-Dewie!

Mountain Dew Cupcakes

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup Mountain Dew
1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime)
zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separate into 2 piles, one for buttercream)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. Add the Mountain Dew, lemon/lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Mountain Dew Buttercream

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Mountain Dew
Juices from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime.
Lemon and lime zest (rest of zest from cupcake recipe. Or zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
neon green food coloring (yellow and blue if you dont have green)

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
2. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy
3. Add half of the sugar, turn mixer on low for 5 seconds.
4. Add the Mountain Dew, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined.
5. Add food coloring to the desired color.
6. Gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

The Best Lasagna

Yep, that's really the name of this recipe and I have to say I agree! The recipe lets you make the final decision on certain ingredients and we used chicken for our meat and spinach for our vegetable and it was amazing! I can't wait to make this again!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey (or cooked chicken, Italian sausage, seafood, andouille, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
26 to 28 ounces (about 3 cups) pasta sauce
Salt and peppe
r 2 tablespoons red wine (optional)
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
12 ounces (3 cups) freshly grated mozzarella
6 to 8 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups cooked, well-drained broccoli, spinach, peas, or other vegetables (optional)
1 cup (about 4 ounces) freshly grated parmesan

Heat oven to 400. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Thoroughly cook the ground beef, garlic, and herbs in a large skillet, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Season to taste and add the red wine, if using. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add cream cheese, turn heat to low, and whisk until smooth, about 6 minutes. Season to taste and add the white wine, if using.

Spoon half the meat sauce into the pan as evenly as possible. Sprinkle 1 cup grated mozzarella over the meat mixture. Top with 3 or 4 lasagna noodles. If using vegetables, toss them evenly over the noodles.

Pour the cream-cheese sauce over the noodles and cover with another cup of grated mozzarella. Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over the cheese, then spoon remaining meat mixture over noodles as evenly as possible. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated parmesan. Bake until brown and bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. (You'll need the longer cooking time if you have made and chilled the lasagna in advance.) Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes or it will be too gloppy to cut well. That would drive you crazy this late in the game.

Roma Tomato Bruschetta

This was so easy and it is so good. Make sure to use fresh basil, it really makes a difference!

Roma Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients
10 large fresh basil leaves, chopped OR ½ teaspoon dried basil
2 cups roma tomatoes, seeded adn chopped (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 loaf French baguette

Directions
Heat oven to 425 F.

Stack basil leaves one on top of one another. Roll up. Slice crosswise thinly. Combine tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and sliced basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combne olive oil and garlic in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Cut bread into slightly angled ¼-inch pieces. Brush with olive oil mixture and place on a baking pan. Bakea bout 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Just before serving, drain excess liquid from tomatoes. Spoon tomato mixture evenly over bread slices.