Fun with Pancakes

My daughter, Tristan, found this fun website the other day called Jim's Pancakes. We had a lot of laughs looking at his amazing pancake creations. Over the years, I have been known to make the girls pancakes in the shape of anything they asked for, but I don't even come close to Jim's talent in the pancake department! The secret is to "draw" the pancakes with a squeeze bottle filled with pancake batter. You can also add food coloring to some of the bottles as pictured below.

Below are pictures of our attempt to make crazy pancakes. We had so much fun making our own creations. Check out Jim's Pancakes for more pictures and instructional how-to videos!

Bacon & Eggs by me and Tristan

Tristan's Chickee

Jeff's Giraffe

Tristan made Taylor Swift and her band, The Swift Agency, into pancakes! Aren't they adorable?

Zee Avi

Hollywire.com

I heard this charming song the other day while shopping in Anthropologie. I immediately fell in love with the singer's chanteuse-style voice (it reminded me of Zooey Deschanel's sultry sound) paired with a jazzy ukelele. So, I tapped out a few of the lyrics on my phone (so I wouldn't forget) and googled it when I got home.

You were sitting at the coffee table

 where you're reading Kierkegaard

Minutes later, you proceeded to say 

something that almost broke my heart

Up came a song titled You & Me by Zee Avi, another internet discovery, this time a 25-year-old singer-songwriter/guitarist/ukelele player from Malaysia. Her first self-titled album was released in 2009 and is available on iTunes, includes You & Me and another new favorite, Bitter Heart. It feels a bit like traveling through time back to an old-fashioned, jazzier place. I just love it!

Her second album, ghostbird, is due out August 23rd. You can listen to the first single, The Book of Morris Johnson here.

Secret Weekend Sale...

It's time for another secret sale! Take 20% off my entire shop July 7-10 by using coupon code JULY20. Thanks for stopping by!

4th of July Cupcakes

Burgers and corn on the cob for dinner. Whoa, wait- look again! It's dessert! My 9 year old daughter has been dying to make these "hamburger" cupcakes for the 4th. Since it has been raining all day here in Florida, we decided to make them a few days early. While at the grocery store, a picture of the corn on the cob cupcakes caught our eye, so we decided to make those, too. They were so much fun to make!

Hamburger Cupcakes

1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Golden Cake Mix

1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Fudge Cake Mix

2 cans Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Buttercream Frosting

Red, yellow and green food coloring

Chocolate sprinkles

Pastry bags

Simple syrup (see below)

-Bake cupcakes according to package instructions. Let cool.

-Cut yellow cupcakes in half, making the top half slightly thicker than the bottom (like a real bun).

-Carefully trim the "bump" off of the top of the chocolate cupcake, then slice in half.

-Divide frosting into 3 bowls and make your "condiments" using the food coloring; red for ketchup, yellow for mustard, green for lettuce.

-Using a pastry bag, pipe a small dollop of any color on the bottom half of the "bun" to anchor the "meat."

-Top with chocolate half.

-Pipe "condiments" on top of chocolate half, making sure they show on the edges. You don't really need much in the middle at all. 

-Place "bun" top on burger.

-Brush top with just a little simple syrup (see below) to keep chocolate sprinkles from sliding off. 

Simple Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

-Bring to a boil, let cool.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Golden Cake Mix

1 can Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Buttercream Frosting

2 cups yellow jellybeans (we used Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn - available at Dylan's Candy Bar)

Yellow Starburst Candies (also available by the color at Dylan's)

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Wooden skewers or corn on the cob holders (optional)

-Bake cupcakes according to package instructions. Let cool.

-Spread buttercream frosting on each cupcake.

-Take jellybeans and create rows going across each cupcake to resemble corn cobs.

-Place three cupcakes together to create the illusion of corn on the cob. You can also use a skewer to keep them together or place corn on the cob holders on the ends.

-Place one starburst "butter" on the middle cupcake, and sprinkle with a little sugar to look like "salt."

-Enjoy!

Free Music!

When my daughter read that Josh Garrels was making his new CD available FREE on Noise Trade (it is not yet on iTunes) she rushed over to the website to check it out. We immediately became addicted! I have heard of Noise Trade before, but never took the time to look. If you are into the indie music scene or just like finding new music, you will love this totally free, totally legal, music download website. The site offers artists a place to create their own page, showcase their music, and even link the page to other online venues they may have. Fans don't have to sign up- all you have to do is provide your e-mail address and zip code- and voila- instant free music! There are tabs for you to share your finds with friends via facebook or twitter, and even a place to leave a tip for the artist if you'd like.

You can start by searching the main page, look up the newest or top downloads, search by genre, city, and more.  My favorite way is  the "for fans of..." search.  Just type in anything you like here; Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, etc. and you are linked to the artists whose music is similar.

Here are some of my faves!

New & top downloads:
http://noisetrade.com/joshgarrels
http://noisetrade.com/grahamcolton
http://noisetrade.com/thevespers
http://noisetrade.com/carybrothers- I am loving the "Blue Eyes" acoustic version!

If you like Bob Dylan, Matt Nathanson and Amos Lee:

http://noisetrade.com/mattmobergmusic

If you like The Civil Wars and Elenowen:
http://noisetrade.com/myer
http://noisetrade.com/evanie

And this is the one I keep playing over and over this morning...

http://noisetrade.com/jennyandtyler

Jenny and Tyler, like Elenowen, are a married couple that make beautiful music together. I also love their song "Carry Me" featuring Mac Powell of Third Day. Read more about them here:

http://jennyandtylermusic.com/

Fresh Peach Cobbler- From Tree to Table!

Driving home from Auburn last week we made a quick pit stop at Lane Peach Orchard in Fort Valley, Georgia. The drive was getting long and hot, so we welcomed the opportunity to browse the huge indoor facility and gift shop. We did not have time to tour the farm and orchard, but Lane does give tours and even has a corn maze to wander around in! We took a stroll upstairs to watch the peaches being hand sorted and put into boxes for us to immediately buy off the shelves- they are that fresh!

Although we did not eat at the cafe, they are very well known for their southern cooking, especially their homemade peach ice cream. In addition to peaches, the gift shop carries many varieties of locally grown produce, pecans, homemade jellies, jams, sauces, juice, even fresh baked pies and bread. We got a little carried away and went home with several goodies. 

The peaches were amazing; they were truly the sweetest Georgia peaches I have ever tasted in my life. I decided to make a cobbler out of most of them. I seriously contemplated not adding any sugar to the recipe, they were really that sweet. I haven't made this recipe since my pastry chef days, but it was always a best seller. It is easy to make and you can also substitute the peaches for any kind of fresh fruit; blueberries, blackberries, apples, etc.

Peach Cobbler

8 cups sliced, fresh peaches (do not peel)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

for cobbler dough:

1 cup sugar

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons table salt

12 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

up to 1 cup ice cold water

2 tablespoons heavy cream

additional 2 tablespoons sugar (for sprinkling)

Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

-Mix cornstarch and cold water until blended.

-Toss peaches with fresh lemon juice and sugar.

-Add cornstarch mixture to fruit.

-Set aside while you prepare cobbler dough.

-Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in large mixing bowl.

-Cut in butter pieces until mixture is blended and resembles small peas.

-Gradually add just enough ice cold water until the dough comes together.

-Turn out onto flour dusted table.

-Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into several 2 1/2 inch circles. (You can use a cookie cutter or even the top of a drinking glass to do this)

-Pour fruit mixture into 9x11 inch baking dish.

-Top fruit with cobbler dough circles.

-Brush dough with a little heavy cream.

-Sprinkle tops of dough with granulated sugar.

-Bake 35-40 minutes until cobbler dough is golden and fruit mixture is bubbly.

-Serve with vanilla ice cream.

-Enjoy!

Stuck in My Head...

I have this song by Andy Grammer stuck in my head today! Here is the video featuring a cameo by Rainn Wilson (The Office). It's a catchy tune that will brighten up your day!