Food

Friday Flair Link Party // Feature Edition No. 1

0 · Jun 14, 2013 · 33 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // It's finally FRIDAY!! This week has been busy. Monday, I sent Haley and Hannah off to Girls Camp and then spent the rest of the week trying to keep Emily and Gage entertained. Who knew two kiddos are almost harder than four! Poor Gage is slowly going from cute little baby brother who can do no wrong… To annoying, pesky three year old, trouble making brother. Let's just say… the babymoon is coming to a close. Poor guy.

I have some fun projects I'm working on and several long term projects that I can't wait to get working on. I just need about 50 extra, energy filled, hours in the day. Isn't that how it always goes? Can you imagine all the wonderful things we could do with just a little extra, quiet, uninterrupted time! Based on all of the fun projects that you guys link up each week… we could all accomplish some pretty amazing thing!! Here are some of the fun projects from last week's Friday Flair that caught my eye…

june desktop wallpaper from tidymom // creamy pasta with asparagus and bacon from love grows wild // diy giant magnetic chalkboard from the turquoise home

diy flip down media drawer from love, pomegranate house // homemade gak from lil'luna // homemade ricotta from wonky wonderful

diy roman shades from just the bee's knees // summer sunglass case from sugar beans // whiskey burger from will cook for smiles

Several hundred fabulous ideas and recipes, it's so hard to select just a few to feature. They're all so amazing! I can't wait to see what you guys have been up to this week. This week here on WB, the WhipperBerry Creative team (veteran Friday Flair members) knocked it out of the park with these two amazing posts…

drab to fab folding chairs by jenn from my fabulous life // raspberry vanilla bean cream tart by jo-anna from a pretty life

Let's get this week's Friday Flair Link Party started!!

Raspberry and Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts

5 · Jun 12, 2013 · 9 Comments

Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts // I'm thrilled to share with you another member of the WhipperBerry Creative Team today! Jo-Anna has been a long time Friday Flair contributor and I've always been in love with her work. She has fabulous taste and I can't wait to show off all of her amazing talents!

Hello Whipperberry readers!

I'm Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, my little corner of the internet, where I share my passion for the home. Everything from recipes to crafts to decorating for the holidays to gardening. I just really love to share ways to make our lives a little more simple and a lot more pretty!

I'm beyond thrilled to be contributing over here today at Whipperberry! I have been reading Heather's blog ever since I discovered this amazing world of blogging. I've always loved her work, so to be able to be a part of the Whipperberry journey, makes me very very happy!

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I wanted to kick things off by sharing an amazing dessert with you! These Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts are perfect for Father's Day or any summer gathering. There's nothing more summery than fresh berries!

You can make this recipe as 6 mini tarts or one large tart…either way it's a fantastic dessert! There's just something so elegant and charming about tarts, isn't there? And while they may seem daunting to make they're really not.

Don't be afraid of the length of this recipe. They are not hard to make at all, and trust me, they are well worth the effort! Your friends & family will love them. And if raspberries aren't your thing, you can use any kind of fruit you like: blueberries, strawberries, bananas. So simple. So versatile. So delicious.

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Let's get baking!

Raspberry Tarts with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

Please note: It's best to make the tarts in this order: Crust first, then the cream.

Tart Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks

1 egg yolk

6 mini 3 inch tart pans, or 1 large tart pan

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream:

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split down the centre to expose the seeds

1/4 – 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Start with the crust. In a food processor, process the flour, sugar and salt for about 10 seconds.

T hen add the chunks of butter and process until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Add the egg yolk and process again until the egg is thoroughly combined.

If you are making mini tarts (tartlets), separate the mixture into 6 – 3 inch tart pans, and press the dough into the molds, making the sides slightly higher than the centre. Bake for 12-15 minutes, making sure to prick them with a fork several times, as the dough tends to puff up. Watch them carefully, as they go from not done to overcooked very quickly!

If you are making one large tart, press the mixture into a 10 inch tart pan (making the sides slightly higher than the centre) and bake for about 15-18 minutes. Again make sure to prick the tart with a fork several times while baking, and watch it carefully.

Next, make your pastry cream. Using a mixer, beat together the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.

In a small saucepan combine the milk and the vanilla bean, bring to a simmer. Then remove the vanilla bean.

Pour about half of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, and stir.

Then return this milk/egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan, and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick and slightly bubbly. Make sure to whisk constantly so that the mixture doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Cover the custard with a sheet of parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming, then it set aside to cool.

Fruit Topping raspberries icing sugar

Putting the Tarts Together

Once the tart shells and custard have cooled, add about a 1/4 cup of the custard to each shell.

Top with fresh raspberries, and a dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

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Thank you so much for reading today! I do hope you'll try these tarts…you won't be disappointed!

And feel free to come on by and say Hi sometime at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, or stop in for some Cheesy Quinoa Bites, or Fudge Ice Pops, or come learn how to make a Fresh Herb Wreath! I'd love to have you!

Have a delicious day!

Team Spirit Writers by DecoArt

16 · Jun 11, 2013 · 5 Comments

This post brought to you by DecoArt // Yesterday, I sent Haley and Hannah off to Girls Camp for the week! Girls Camp is a fabulous event that our 12-18 year old girls from church participate in every year. This is Hannah's first year and she is super excited. Haley is a veteran and couldn't wait to get together with all her friends and introduce Hannah to the elusive creature the Snipe (wink, wink!) Back in Vegas we had a fun tradition of using Team Spirit Writers to send the girls off in style to camp in style…

I don't know when the tradition started, but for the last several years the girls would always get a hold of these window paint pens and decorate all the cars for the trip up to camp. It was always fun to see what they came up with. Now that we live in a new state with a whole new set of traditions, we thought we would bring one of our old traditions with us.

It was perfect!! The girls felt right at home and everyone at camp drop-off thought it was the coolest thing ever. The Spirit Writers come in several colors and with their easy to use applicators they are super fun to add a little spunk for your next event!!

They are also super easy to clean off with a little window cleaner. You can find the Team Spirit Writers and Jo-Anns.

Disclaimer // I am a part of the DecoArt Core Blogger group and did receive product and payment for this post, however, all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my own.

Green Chile Queso with Cheddar Oregano Breadsticks

0 · Jun 11, 2013 · 2 Comments

Green Chile Queso // I am so excited to finally share a new adventure that I’ve been working on for the last several months. I am a new contributor to Pillsbury’s site and I’m tickled pink!! Here is my first submission… A Green Chile Queso with Cheddar Oregano Breadstick!

It’s a creamy, spicy queso dip with a fun take on breadsticks that will make you think twice about boring old tortilla chips forever! Come on over to Pillsbury for the recipe and say hello…For an extra kick, try it with roasted Hatch green chile to elevate the flavor even more!

Cute DIY Folding Chairs Makeover

141 · Jun 9, 2013 · 92 Comments

WhipperBerry Creative Team // Today I’m super excited to introduce you to another member of the WhipperBerry Creative Team… Jenn from My Fabulous Life. She is one talented lady with an amazing list of talents…

I’m Jenn and I blog about DIY, furniture refinishing, and other random creative endeavors over at My Fabuless Life. I’m beyond thrilled and flattered that Heather has asked me to be a part of her team. Today I’m sharing a cute folding chair makeover story in DIY style!

It’s probably no surprise that I love to host parties and gatherings at my house and volunteer my abode for events whenever possible–my husband totally loves it. So this past year, when the parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told them, without skipping a beat, FOLDING CHAIRS! Buuuttt….I feel like nothing puts a damper on my party quite like adding some drab, ugly folding chairs to a perfectly planned table setting. You can imagine the parents’ joy when they granted my Christmas wish and I immediately said, “Oh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to paint these and recover them.” Queue collective, “Aww, no, don’t do that…they’re perfectly good and new…wait until they’re at least beat up a little….”

I had a little guilt about going against the wishes of the gift-givers, but seriously, these girls were not going to be invited to my parties in this outfit.

How to Makeover Folding Chairs – Do it Yourself Style

I originally set out to do some vintage florals, but plaids have stolen my heart in a big way lately–for some reason whenever I say this, I hear Tim Gunn in my head talking about menswear. Anyway, I was at Walmart, of all places one day, and found the blue and pink plaid (on the right) in their remnant bin for like $2.00 and knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with the chairs. The gold, polka dot burlap was not in the original plan, but when you find GOLD, POLKA DOT BURLAP (at Joann’s), you USE IT! I may need meetings for this burlap addiction because it is quickly appearing all over my house and I can not get enough.

How to Add Cushions to Metal Folding Chairs

Metal folding chairs are a bit uncomfortable. So, if you don’t already have the one’s with cushions you’ll want to add cushions first. This might seem hard if you want to do it yourself but it’s actually easy! The things you’ll need for adding a cushion are below.

Things You’ll Need to DIY:

Spray paint (about one can for each chair)
Fabric (less than 1/2 yard for each chair)
Staple gun (can be purchased for about $10 just about anywhere that sells basic tools)
(4) 1″ screws for each chair

Start by removing the pads from the chair. On my chairs, the ones on the back just came off by unscrewing three little screws.

The seat cushion was attached with some type of plastic screws so I just clipped the ends off with wire cutters (just something will cut through thick plastic). DON’T TRY TO PULL THEM OUT. They have a flat head that’s attached to the wood under the padding and you’ll just rip a hole through the seat–learned that one the hard way.

Then spray paint the chairs. I used Valspar Brushed Rose and Mellow Spring from Lowe’s. While the paint is drying, you can upholster your cushions.

Just lay the cushion on the fabric, cut a piece of fabric big enough to pull around it, and staple it down right over the top of the existing fabric. Make sure to keep it pulled tight, and if you’re using a fabric with a pattern, keep flipping the cushion over as you go to make sure you’re keeping the pattern straight.

Trim the excess fabric and reattach the cushions. To attach the seat cushions, just drill a new screw up through where the old plastic screw used to be.