Monday, May 21, 2012

Yikes!

It's been a little stretch since my last post and sadly, this will just be a space filler to thank those of you who keep checking back.

My awesome husband got me this new camera after the one I was using before jumped off of my kitchen island...
(Photo from Amazon listing linked above)

I've got two or three tutorials filmed already and I'm working on editing them. I'm still getting used to the new software and file formats of these videos but I hope to have at least one of them up this week.

If you have any tips regarding my new camera or editing advice, please let me know. Also, if there is something you've been interested in learning I'll be happy to show you what I know about it and if it's something I haven't done before, we'll learn together!

Thanks so much for looking! Check back soon!


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Random Tips and Tricks # 2

The Amazing Lemon!

Photo from: www.adimagephotos.com
There are so many uses for lemons that I would like to share but for now we'll focus on one you might not have heard about: effortlessly cleaning your microwave.

Whenever I use lemon zest or lemon juice in a recipe, I always end up with a peel or a few small slices left over. I usually toss them in my sink to send them down the garbage disposal after I've done the dishes for that day but I try to squeeze one more use out of it first.

I use my lemon peel to clean the microwave. This method is so easy you can set it up during a commercial break, let it run, and then finish during the next commercial! How's that for a quick clean up?

All you need is a small microwave safe bowl, some water, your lemon, and a few paper towels or a clean rag.

  • Squeeze as much juice as you can out of the lemon into the microwave safe bowl.
  • Add the peel and 1/3rd to 1/2 a cup of plain water. 
  • Microwave on high for about 3 minutes. (the first time you do this, please watch to make sure it doesn't burn as microwaves all heat differently!)
  • Watch the next segment of your TV show or finish whatever awesome thing you're working on while the liquid bubbles and boils filling your microwave with lemony steam.
  • After a few minutes of resting, simply wipe out your microwave. The steam will have done all the hard work for you! 
  • Carefully dump the lemon/liquid in your sink to send down the disposal later. 
Three uses out of one humble lemon! I will share more as we go along but in the mean time, I would love you to comment with your favorite uses for this versatile fruit.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Cakes Past

When I first moved to Louisiana a few years ago, I wanted to do something that would allow me to get to know a few people and try to get some formal training for a craft that I knew very little about.

I decided to try my hand at cake decorating. I had been obsessed with the different cake decorating competition shows and I thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I took the first two Wilton courses and watched a number of tutorials online and I ended up making a few cakes that I was pretty pleased with.

A few of the cakes below were made a long as 6 years ago and my most recent was the Lady Bug cake that I made for a coworkers birthday.

Let me know what you think! Please let me know if you would like more information on any of the cakes below. I currently have my tutorial up for the Mommy's Belly baby shower cake below.