Things that Make me SAD

Late last night, I went through craigslist.com and found a few garage sales I wanted to stop by this morning. The last time I went to a garage/yard sale was probably this time last year, and I wanted to see what treasure I would come across today. The plan was to bike to 3 different garage sales, but plans changed because my sister and her man-companion also wanted to go treasure hunting. We decided to drive and then go grab some free samples at our favorite Costco. The horrible surprise we found as we walked to the car...my diver side mirror was dead (broken and hanging by it's thin plastic wiring). I'll be the first to confess that I don't love my car was much as some guys out there do, but this made me really sad. And then mad. And then sad again, because I have to money to repair this.

After a few calls, to my insurance, then my dad, then the police, and back to my insurance, then my dad, I am now just one sad lady with a broken mirror mount. :(

So since I have no collision coverage, thus no money from the insurance company to help me pay to fix my car, here's the quick fix: lots of gorilla glue! My very own Mr. Handyman glued the two broken parts together, and for over 40 minutes, he held it in place. Oh, what would I do without you and your very strong arms? My mirror would just fall back to its doom without you.

I guess we'll try again tomorrow to go rummaging at the local yard sales, but today we'll just watch glue dry (literally).

**And to the evil person who broke my mirror...you should have left a note, now I have an ugly mirror. And if you read my blog, please fess up so I can report to my insurance who you and and get my mirror fixed. Thanks. Oh, before I forget, I HATE you. :)
Update

The glue has dried and the mirror has survived a week of driving without falling off! YAY!!!
Here is what the mirror looks like today. It's still not as pretty as it used to be, but it works so that means this cheap fix will have to do until I save enough money to buy a new mount.

Summer Dresses and Jumpsuits

Aside from shorts and sandals, the one thing that screams "summer" in one glance is a floral summer dress. One of the best thing about summer dresses is how vibrant the colors are, and no matter how much I may avoid color throughout the year, color always finds me in the summer. This particular dress is very colorful and has a very playful print that really says "summer" in a dress. The clear buttons on the dress let the dress stands on its own and the length of the dress is just right, not too short and not too long. There really is no shape to this dress, but that's one of the beauty of the dress, because you can cinch it wherever you want. I personally like to cinch dresses at the hips, but wearing belts at the waiste is growing on me too. The belt I decided to wear with this dress is a double-braided tan belt. I wanted something more casual mostly because the shoes I really wanted to wear were quite casual as well.

Price breakdown:
Dress:$2.00
Braided belt: $1.50
Mossimo Supply Co. olive heels: $6.00

Total: $9.50

This second outfit doesn't instanly say summer, but it can work beautifully for summer. The beautiful teal color always reminds me of mermaids and for that reason, it's so fitting for beaches and summertime. This jumpsuit actually came to us from a thrift store that we don't frequent, so it was a great find. Its intended purpose was a night out outfit, but it can be worn as a day outfit as well, a very versatile piece. The jumpsuit is paired with some very big earrings. These earrings are actually very heavy, they were certainly worth the money spent, so they are rarely worn. Even for today, the were worn just for pictures. But they are so beautiful and I love them, even if I do just get to look at them and nothing more. The shoes that complete the outfit are my very dangerous royal blue (with silver lining) heels. These heels look painful, but they are actually not too bad. The extra height always makes me feel sexier, and that's always good.

 

Price breakdown
Jumpsuit: $3.50
Earrings: $6.00
Heels: $20.00

Total: $29.50

We're going to be bringing on the color, so don't be surprised if one day this summer our blog becomes a rainbow of summer dresses and sheer blouses. And may you also brave color along with us and shower yourself with the different hues of sunshine awaiting us this summer! Oh, and don't forget to hunt those thrift stores for summer steals! We will and we'll share whatever finds we make.

Blast of Blackberry

On our way home from Costco, we stopped by our secret roadside blackberry bush and picked ourselves some free blackberries. And what can you love more than free fruits? Free fruits that you can turn into a cocktail!

In the heat of summer, you can't beat fresh berries and ice cold drinks. So as a salute to summer, drink up!

Blackberry bliss, makes me smile.
Note--the top right corner picture is my lemon-infused syrup, the syrup left over from the last time I candied lemons.

Blackberry Mint Cocktail

40 mint leaves

1/3 cup blackerries

2 tablespoons simple syrup

1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 lime, cut into wedges

4 ounces vodka

club soda or lemon-lime soda

1. Muddle mint, lime wedges, and blackberries in a tall pitcher.

2. Add simple syrup, vodka, and lime juice and mix well.
3. Strain into glasses filled with ice.
4. Top with soda.

I love blackberries and wanted to make the most out of our loot. I've always loved blackberry pie and have never made it so I thought, why not? A really good friend of mine got me a pie book last year for my birthday, so I looked up a blackberry pie recipe from the book and ran with it.

 

Blackberry Pie

1 pie crust (recipe follows)**

1 cup blackberries
1 tablespoon flour

1/4 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2. Mix blackberries, flour, sugar, and lemon juice together. Set aside.
3. Divide pie crust. Roll out one pie crust and line pie dish.
4. Spoon blackberry mixture into pie dish.
5. Sprinkle butter on top of blackberry mixture.
6. Cover blackberry filling with second rolled out pie crust. Sprinkle pit crust with sugar.
7. Crimp the edges to make sure the filling will not seep out during baking.
8. Bake for 1 hour.
9. Let cool before serving.

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (I just used vegetable oil)
1/4 cup cold water

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add butter and rub until mixture resmebles coarse sand. Work quickly so you don't melt all the butter.
3. Add vegetable shortening and mix with a fork.
4. Add cold water and mix until incorporated.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
6. Divide dough into 4 peices and rool each piece out to 1/8 inch thick.

**For the above blackberry pie recipe, I made 3 mini pies (using a large cupcake tin) and used only 1/4 of the pie crust recipe for all 3 pies.

So, if you have a blackberry bush to pick from, do it and make something delicious out of it. And when you do, let me know what creations you think of and hot it turns out. Happy summer!

Bicycles and Sunsets

Today was a really nice day. A new friend visited and I was reintroduced to some of the things I haven't done in a while. After Mexican food, a walk through nature, bowling, and drinks, I was able to finally fit in some exercise. I'm not sure if I was actually invited, but I went biking with the guys today, and for 20 whole minutes, my legs were actually feeling something other than sleep.

We went biking right before sunset, and I tried to get as many pictures as I can, but that was very hard to do because I was on a moving bicycle and everyone else was moving, including the cars on the country road we were riding on.

Out biking adventure included  a little bit of bike repairs, but thank goodness for the handyman in the group.

Enjoying the sunset and taking advantage of the golden lighting.

It was great to re-explore all the back roads that make up this little town, especially in such good lighting. We were able to exercise and enjoy a sunset. I had an awesome trying to catch up with these guys, so until next time--I will lead next time!

Summer Rock

If you don't know already, I'm a big fan of rock (country rock, Hmong rock, Thai rock, American rock) and I love to add little streaks of rock in my everyday outfits. And I'm not always in black but I do love the slimming affect it has. However, for the summer, black is just a bit suffocating. But here's my take on something that can be a bit rock-n-roll and still extremely light-weight and very subtle. Some may not consider this rock-n-roll enough, but for me, it's just right.

I don't like to accessorize too much for everyday outfits because jewelery can be heavy and can mess with my hair. I do love my digital watch with everything I wear as well as my gold and diamond necklace.

My cheetah shorts are really cool, that are the main rock piece of my outfit. This is actually the first animal print bottom I own, and I love them beyond belief.  But these shorts come in second to my lace sweater top. This top is so beautiful and very cool. The material is very lightweight and breathable (especially because of the little holes created by the lace pattern).

Oh, and, again, if you know me, you know I rarely curl my hair, but I recently to learned to quickly curl my hair so I love that with every outfit, curled hair.

Price breakdown:

Miss Chievous lace sweater top: $13.00

Almost Famous cheetah print shorts: $10.00
Chaps belt: $14.00*
Casual Cool flats in black: $1.00

Total: $38.00

*This is the most expensive belt I own because I actually bought this out of pure necessity when I went to Oregon. The belt was originally $26 dollars, but I had a 55% discount.

Strawberry Mint Mojito

One of the more interesting things about my family is that we are strawberry farmers. So this past weekend, I made the effort to pick some strawberries and make something delicious with it. Last night, I made some drinks for us with the freshly-picked strawberries. I also went to the park and picked some mint; and thus the strawberry mint mojito was born. I've made a few changes to the drink since last night, so I'll update the blog as soon as I make another drink.
 

Strawberry Mint Mojito

1 1/2 tablespoons mint-infused simple syrup
3 large strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
5 fresh mint leaves, more for garnish
1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) white rum
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup club soda

In a small bowl or glass, muddle the simple syrup, strawberries, and fresh mint leaves until just fragrant.
Add a handful of ice to an old-fashioned glass.
Pour the strawberry mixture over the ice.
Pour in the white rum and lime juice.
Add the club soda. Gently stir the drink.
Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Mint-infused simple syrup
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a cup and microwave.
Let cool, and strain the mint leaves.

Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day! (last weekend)

Father’s Day has come and gone and I forgot to post up what we did to celebrate dad. I had some time on my hands so I decided to come up with a theme that was both environmentally and pocketbook friendly. I thought for a very long time before I came up with the idea to use newspapers as the sole materials for the decorations.


Where we live, the school has free newspapers, available daily for the students. I actually started this project after school was out, so I had to do a little searching (I actually had two little elves who did this for me) to find stacks of unread paper and reuse them. I’ll have another post up later that outlines the decorations how-to.

For the food, we came up with a menu of the foods dad loved. We tried to keep it simple, up dad is dad.

 Menu:

Smoked pork ribs
Grilled oysters
Spring rolls
Spring salad
Watermelon
Wilted greens
Chicken ad tofu soup
Pan fried peppers
Dessert soup (a play on naabvaam, a tapioca dessrt except there's no tapioca, just lots of different flavored jello, fruits, and coconut milk)
Cupcakes (pandan, ginger, jasmine green tea)


Not everything is pictured, given that when we celebrate, we tend to forget to take too many pictures, but use your imagination.

Hopefully everyone had an awesome time celebrating their dad (and/or father figures), because we did and you should too!

Looks for the Lake

Yesterday, in attempt to beat the baking weather, we spent almost the entire day lake-side. The cooling breeze almost called for sweaters, especially with what we decided to wear.

Outfit #1

This outfit, especially because of its print, is very tropical and fitting for any day out near water. The fabric is very thin, light, and being cotton, very breathable. I initially wore the full length skirt as a sun dress by leaving the top button undone and cinching it at the waist with a thin leather belt. I paired this with a short denim jacket to make sure my shoulders and arms do not burn, for the short while before I jumped into the water. My sandals are very shiny, but not too flashy, which I love because I can always spot them from a mile away.

Price breakdown:
Sag Harbor floral print skirt: $2.50
Old Navy denim jacket: $15.00
Ralph Lauren silver sandals: $5.00
Belt: $0.50

Total: $23.00

Outfit #2

Shorts become a staple for summer, and these short are becoming my default short this summer. I've been searching for shorts are aren't too short nor too long, and these fit the bill just right. This beautiful satin and lace top is sexy and cool, I honestly feel guilty when I wear it sometimes. The overall material is very thin and light and although satin is not the most breathable, the lace panels does allow lots of cool air to breeze on in. And then there are my shoes. I love, love, love these shoes. They fall in between shorts and socks (on my love-o-meter, because I also love, love socks that keeps my feet warm and soft). I got these tax-free from a trip to Oregon and are the only sandal I wear.

Price breakdown:
H&M satin and lace panel top: $5.00
US Polo denim shorts: $8.00
Bass sandals: $30.00

Total: $43.00

Happy Summer and have fun dressing up to warmer weather!

Day at the Lake

Happy Summer!


Today is going to be the longest day of the year and officially the first day of summer! And that is why we decided to go enjoy some sun yesterday, so we can stay in today and bask in the coolness of a nice AC system. J

In our little town we call home, we have a small lake of our very own. And even though its beaches man-made and its waters pumped in, it’s a lake we can call our own. With the warming days, the lake called to us, and yesterday became a day at the lake.

Joining us were two of our favorite little girls. The lake offered such beautiful lighting and serene background, that it was only natural we have a camera with us. And being who we are, we needed a mini photoshoot before everyone went into the water and ruined their beautifully curled hair. 

There were many swimming lessons throughout the day, and let's just say, little progress was made by the end of the day. Everyone did enjoy a few ice cold popsicles, even though the breeze from the waters was more than enough to make me forget that summer is almost upon us.

So let's make the most of today, and once again, Happy Summer!

The big Big BIG County Fair

This year is the first year our kid brother is going to the fair and we wanted to make sure he had a blast. The funny thing was we did not expect to have so much fun just watching him. It was quite hilarious to see us at the fair, there’s 6 of us “big kids” huddled around one little boy. Let’s just say he had a lot of power that weekend.

Giant tractors...no wait, that's just how big they are!

It’s that wonderful time of year again, when the temperature goes up and up, when we need more and more ice cream in the freezer, and when we start to wear less and less clothes. But most important, this is that time of year when the county fair rolls around and we can once again make use of the many acres of paved land we call the fair grounds.

Visited the jail house, got measured (this method is an extremely accurate predictor), and petted a piglet.

From onion blossoms and cotton candy to petting pigs and riding elephants, we had an amazing time waiting in lines and rooting Phillip on as he attacked his first rides, solo. I’l be the first one to say it, we have a brave boy on our hands.

Rides! Rides! Rides!

We cannot wait until this feverishly hot weather is behind us, especially since the best part of it is over. But there's still next year, and by that time, Phillip will be taller and able to ride the bigger rides. Until next year!

Swim Suit Splash

Summer's here! Since the end of the stuffing holidays, most of us have been trying to shed the weight to decrease the skin folds in our swim suits. Regardless of your shape or size, there are a few things that can always help enhance your bikini look.

Bright swim wear looks youthful and fun. Don't worry about matcing your top and bottom. Mix matched pieces can look very cute together, just be sure to not have too much print. For a flattering look choose one piece with a pattern and one that is solid.


Look for the details, accessories look cute but swimming with them on isn't very practical (wet hair tangled in with a necklace can be a pain). Details like the beads on the bikini top and the studs on the bikini bottom are perfect. This Y back strap looks super cute and adds support :)


Price Breakdown
(All our swim suits were purchased more than a year ago. So I can't remember the prices exactly any more. All prices are estimates.)
Top: $6
Bottom: $16
Ring: $5
Bracelet: $3
Sandals: Gift, free
TOTAL= $30

For those lucky ones with a heavier top, look for bikini tops with underwire. The underwire lifts and separates for a flattering bosom. This matched black suit looks sexy and slimming. For extra glam add a statement necklace and... HEELS! I know it's crazy, but if you're going to a pool party, this look would look sexy and chic, the perfect swim suit version of the cocktail dress ;)


Price Breakdown:
Top: $15
Bottom: 15
Bracelet: $3.50
Shoes: $12
Necklace: $5
TOTAL: $50.50

For those with more of a boyish figure, string bikinis will look best on your frame. If you really want to add some volume to your bosom, ruffles can do that. But don't over do the ruffle or it will overwhelm your frame and look strange.  A little ruffle on the bikini bottom can add some interest and if necessary it gives a little more shape.


Similar to what I have mentioned above about the details, the detail on this top adds interest without accessories.


To enlongate your legs, choose bottoms that are well fitted with slim waistbands or string bikinis.


Make sure you have a well fitted bikini bottom to avoid any accidential slippage and to save you some trouble. In my experience, it's always harder finding a well fitted bikini bottom. A nice solid bikini bottom can be easily paired with another top. This solid yellow bikini pairs nicely with almost any bikini top.


Price Breakdown:
Top $6
Bottom: 7
Hat: $4
TOTAL= $17


POSING IN YOUR SWIMSUIT!!!!


How do those Victoria Secret models look so good in their swimsuit?! Ignore the fact that they have a super model body and look closely at their poses. Here are a few tips on how to pose to elongate, slim, or simply hide some not so camera friendly body parts.


1) Bring the focus in on what you do like about your body.
For example, if you're proud of your busty chest, don't be afraid to use it to your advantage. Bring attention to it with a necklage or a top with attention grabbing details.
If you have a trim waist, show off that midsection, or if you have a cover up on, wear something that you can tie off at your waist. Bring the eye in.
Long legs: show off your legs and elongate them with a slim waistband or string bikini bottom.


2) Get on your tip toes!
Just as wearing heels, getting on your tip toes for a photo enlongates your legs.


3) Arms

• Arms up

Bringing your arms up elongates your torso and can make your arms look slimmer. You can rest your hand on your head or have your arms outstretched. This pose can be a little tricky to pull off, Victoria Secret models do this pose a lot and make it look so easy but this can actually look a little weird. Try to relax in this pose. For this pose, looking down or off to the distance or playing with your hair a little will make it look more natural.

• Arms back

Just cross your arms behind your back.

• Hands at your waist

Hands at your waist, squeeze in a little and bring in your waist. Do not press your elbows in. This pose not only makes your arm look slimmer, it also defines your waist more.


4) Prop a leg and stand off set

Just bend a leg and bring that leg forward, crossing your leg a little. This pose hides the thigh a little and can elongate your legs.













5) One shoulder back
Bringing one shoulder back, twists your torso and makes it look longer and more defined

6) Stand with 2/3 of your thigh immersed in water



If you have water and you're in it, this is perfect for hiding your legs or for making them look longer. The water cuts off your legs and gives the illusion that it can be going on for miles beneath the water.

What's for Dinner: Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage

End result, pretty good lookin' eh?

For the past few weeks, I have been watching small exerts of the show America's Test Kitchen, and have been making a few of their recipes. I decided I would make their gnocchi recipe, and pass or fail, I would blog about it. Thank goodness it was not a fail. I actually have not had gnocchi before, so for homemade gnocchi, I have to say, I tasted pretty darn good. I have most definitely set a standard for gnocchi, because I now have something to compare future gnocchi with.

So here goes nothing!

If I can do it, you can too!

Ingredients

Gnocchi
2 pounds russet potatoes
1 large egg , lightly beaten

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) all-purpose flour , plus extra for the counter

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salt 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Poke each potato 8 times with paring knife over entire surface.
3. Microwave potatoes until slightly softened at ends, about 10 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through cooking. 
4. Transfer potatoes directly to oven rack and bake until skewer glides easily through flesh and potatoes yield to gentle pressure, 18 to 20 minutes.
5. Holding each potato with potholder or kitchen towel, peel with paring knife. (I found this a bit difficult, so I just used my hands, because I do have super silicon hands.)
6. Mash potatoes, until smooth, but do not overwork it.
7. Gently spread potatoes into even layer and let cool for 5 minutes.
8. Transfer warm potatoes to bowl.
9. Using fork, gently stir in egg until just combined.
10. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon salt over potato mixture. Using fork, gently combine until no pockets of dry flour remain.
11. Press mixture into rough ball, transfer to lightly floured counter, and gently knead until smooth but slightly sticky, about 1 minute, lightly dusting counter with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
12. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour.
13. Cut dough into 8 pieces.
14. Lightly dust counter with flour. Gently roll piece of dough into ½-inch-thick rope, dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
15. Cut rope into ¾-inch lengths.
16. Holding fork with tines facing down in 1 hand, press each dough piece cut side down against tines with thumb of other hand to create indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. If dough sticks, dust thumb or fork with flour.
17. Transfer formed gnocchi to sheets and repeat with remaining dough.

Sauce
4  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 small shallot, minced (I used half of a realy small onion)

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally, until butter is browned and releases nutty aroma, about 11/2 minutes.
2. Off heat, add shallot and sage, stirring until shallot is fragrant, about 1 minute. 
3. Stir in lemon juice and salt; cover to keep warm.
4. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
5. Using parchment paper as sling, gently lower gnocchi from 1 sheet into water and cook until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds (gnocchi should float to surface after about 1 minute).
6. Using slotted spoon, transfer cooked gnocchi to skillet with sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
7. Gently toss gnocchi with sauce and serve.

Price breakdown:
Potatoes: $1.99 for 5 pounds
Sage: $0.99

I already had flour, eggs, garlic, onion, butter, and salt in my pantry and refrigerator, so those ingredients are free for me!

Original recipe, including pictures and a video, can be found at: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=31238

Poached Egg atop Bacon and Polenta

I checked out a cooking book from the library last week. I went though half the book and literally drooled when I saw this recipe. So first off, sorry library, I may have dirtied a page in this book. This was a really simple recipe to follow through, I think the most difficult part was standing over the stove stirring the polenta for a full 25 minutes, and sweating the entire time. The recipe called for prosciutto, which is a dry cured ham, but it was really expensive, so I substituted bacon, which was great. All in all, the dish was pretty much well worth it. Let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

Ingredients:
1 cup polenta (corn meal)
3 cups water
4 tablespoons butter (divided)
8 strips of bacon
4 eggs
4 teaspoons of pesto


1. Mix polenta and water in a pot and cook, constantly stirring, for 25 minutes until thick.
2. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter. (I also added a teaspoon of salt because I wanted it a bit saltier).
3. Pour polenta into a buttered 8x9 inch baking tray and let cool for ~10 minutes.
4. Cut polenta into 4 squares.
5. Put 2 tablespoons of butter into a pan.
6. Carefully transfer one square at a time in the pan and cook until brown on both sides, turning once.
7. Remove polenta squares out of the pan and keep warm.
8. Cut bacon to the same length as the polenta squares and cook until crispy.
9. Bring a pot of water to a boil and slowly place in eggs. (I cracked the eggs into a cup, one a at a time, and then poured it into the boiling water, one at a time.) Cook eggs for 3 minutes.
10. Assemble your polenta squares by place 2 layers of bacon on top of the polenta. Top that with your poached egg. Spoon the pesto on top.
11. Eat and be happy!


Price breakdown:
Polenta: $0.99


I had almost all these things in my refrigerator already, except for the polenta, which I bought from the 99 cents store.


**Note: I forgot to put the pesto on, when I did, I forgot to take a picture of it. Also, I made 50% more than the recipe called for (hopefully that made sense--so, I used 1 1/2 cup polenta, 41/2 cups water, 6 tablespoons butter, 10 strips of bacon, 6 eggs, 6 teaspoons of pesto).

A Free Afternoon

The weather is warming up quick and sometimes it's hard to keep cool and still look good without looking like we don't own any clothes. What's really trendy this summer are sheer fabrics that are lightweight, although I have to confess they are not the most breathable things to wear. We've recently went ona shopping spree where all we bought were sheer tops, so this summer we'll make good use of those.

Today, we have two different outfits to combat the heat.

This is a very simple outfit, shorts and a sleeveless blouse, how much simplier can one get? This sleeveless blouse is very breathable cotton with velvet polka dots. These high-waisted shorts are really nice also, because (1) they are extremely short, (2) they are really flexible, and (3) they are actually pretty thin. I added the royal purple belt for a pop of color, a color that melded with the undertones of my nail polish.  I decided to keep my hair up in a simple bun because I believe that's the best way to keep cool--no hair in the face, no sweat.

Price breakdown:
blouse: $5.00
shorts: $6.00
belt: free (this belt has always been in my closet)
bracelets: $5.00
booties: $21.00

Total: $32.00

This second outfit is a bit more covered up, but just as cool. As I was saying before, we collected a bunch of sheer tops, and this was one of them (actually now that I think of it, this may be part of last summer's collection). I love the floral print of this top and I always adore the tied-up detail. I wore my hair down for this particular picture, but I tied it up right after (let me tell you, long black hair surrounding your face in the summer is like a little makeshift face oven, not very comfortable). I paired this top with a very lightweight jeggings. These jeggings are very thin and part cotton, so it was quite breathable as well. My very comfortable flats were from the most likely of places, Rite Aid. I got these for a smashing $1.00. I was very excited. We eventually bought about 8 pairs at a dollar a piece and ended up giving a bunch away.
Price breakdown:
blouse: $3.00
jeggings: $2.50
flats: $1.00
tank: $2.50

Total: $9.00

Birthday Bash Sweets

I went to a birthday bash and I was in charge of the cupcakes! I seriously hope that means that cupcakes are my gift and I don't owe anyone a gift.

We're celebrating 4 special birthdays so I know I needed to make a lot of cupcakes. I also wanted to make a few flavors because there's going to be kids, parents, and grandparents. The three flavors I decided were (1) chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate frosting because kids love chocolate, (2) beer cupcakes with a beer cream cheese frosting because we have some beer fanatics, and (3) lemon cupcakes with a lemon whipped cream and a candied lemon peel.

*Important Note*
There were tons of food, and when you're going to a party, guess what, the food is FREE!!! That's why I rarely turn down an invitation to anywhere that might have food. Here's some of the things on the menu. May you look at it a drool.

From top left to bottom right: rice, watermelon, stuffed jalapenos, vermicelli rice noodle salad, thai pepper dipping sauce, grilled pig intestines, barbecue pork ribs, grilled spicy Hmong sausages, stuffed chicken wings, lemon cupcakes, beer cupcakes, fruit and yogurt parfait.

The recipe for the lemon cupcakes are posted in a pervious blog post, Happy Lemon Cupcakes. I've made both the chocolate and beer cupcakes before, but I haven't blogged about themyet, so here I go...

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from chocolate cake recipe)
1 1/3 cups of cake flour**
1/4 cups of cocoa powder
1 cup of butter
1 1/4 cups of sugar
4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree and line bking tray with liners.
2. Mix flour and cocoa powder togther and set aside.
3. cream butter and sugar.
4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. add the flour mix to the batte, in 3 parts.
6. Spoon batter into liners an bake for ~17 minutes. Make sure to always tes cupcake witha toothpick for doneness.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat milk and flour in a pot until thick, stirring constantly so it does not stick. (~3-4 minutes)
2. Transfer milk into a bowl to cool.
3. Cream butter and sugar. (~3-4 minutes)
4. Once flour mix has cooled, add vanilla and beat until smooth. (~3-4 minutes)
5. Mix flour into butter mix and beat until think and creamy (~4-5 minutes)

**I actually did not like the consistency of this frosting too much because it was not as thick as I wanted it to be. Once it came out of the refridgator (I put it in there until I was ready to use it), I became really runny. That's why I didn't take a picture of the cupcake with the frosting, but now I realized I should have so you can see it. If I try this frosting again, you'll be the first to hear about it!

Beer Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups of cake flour**
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baing soda
3 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cups of packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of beer (I used Budweiser)

1. Preheat ove to 350 degrees and line baking try with liners.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, to sugar+butter mix.
4. Mix the cake flour and baking powder together, then add 1/3 to the egg mixture.
5. Add 1/2 cup of beer and mix.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 unti all of te flour and beer are used.
7. Spoon batter into liners and bake for ~27 minutes. Make sure to always tes cupcake witha toothpick for doneness.

Beer Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
4 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of sugar, divided

1. Beat heavy whipping cream  and 3 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks.
2. Beat cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft.
3. Mix 2 tablepoons of beer into the cream cheese. (Make sure you taste the cream cheese not to make sure there's enough ber for your taste. The whipped cream should not cover too much of the bee flavor.)
5. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese, in 3 parts.

**If you do not have any cake flour, simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every  cup of flour you use. In this case, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Make sure that you take out the equivalent measurement of flour. Since we added 3 tablespoons of corn starch, we must take out 3 tablespoons of flour.

I know I said to reference the lemon cupcake post for the recipe and that I woudn't talk about it, but I actually made some edible decorations for the lemon cupcakes and I wanted to share it with y'all! I made some candied lemon peels to go atop the cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1 lemon
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

1. Cut lemon in half, juice the lemon and reserve the peel and juice. (We're only using the peel.)
2. Cover lemon peels in cold water and bring to a boil; let boil for 3 mintues.
3. Drain lemon peels.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times.
5. After the 3rd time boiling the lemon peel, let them rest to cool.
6. Remove the inside of the lemons, leaving only the rind.
7. Cut lemon peel into small strips. (Mine were about 1/8 inch, maybe a bit smaller).
8. Return lemon rinds into pot, cover with 1 cup of cold water and add sugar. Bring to boil. Let simmer for 3 hours.
****Very important, do not let the liquid turn brown, that means you're burning your lemon peels. If your reduction start to dry up, add a little bit of water. When you're all done (after 3 hours) the peel would be translucent
9. Remove lemon peel and let it cool for ~8 hours.
10. Roll lemon peels in sugar and serve!

Price breakdown:
FREE!!! I actually have all these ingredients already since this is not my first time making these two prticular cupcakes. Let's pretend you follow this blog and have made the previous cupcakes and have these basic ingredients in stock already.

Decorating Ideas

Browsing online, I came across some decorating that I'm dying to try. Here are a few, if you end up trying them, let me know how it turns out for you. Click on the image to get linked to the instructions. Good luck :)

This would be perfect for a birthday. I haven't worked with fondant before but for this project, I will start practicing.

This looks crazy fun and it's pretty easy.



Edible stamping on cookies! Too beautiful to eat, but too hard to resist.

Cupcake Bouquet!