may faves

I've been lovin the spring rain and summer sun and a few other things. some of them are things I own and love, and others are things I think are utterly adorable.

lace socks

these are the cutest. I was actually in american eagle when I saw these and put them with my other finds, but somehow dropped them on the way to the cashier. I have regretted not purchasing them ever since! socks are super trendy w/ sandals (strange trend but equally strangely cute) or pjs. these lavender socks from ae (a bit spendy though) are a great find. (top ones are from topshop)

calligraphy set

I've been doodling constantly, and someone commented that my abundance of quotes in cursive looked like calligraphy. ever since I've been looking for a good set and this one seems professional. If you have one that you've liked, please comment a link! super great way to personalize envelopes or design your own prints!

overalls

YES! reasonably priced overalls. I've been looking for some overalls these but they're all for people who have a lot of money to spend. these are even on sale!! ordering!

color-block peplum tankini top

another YES! this shop has the cutest modest swimsuits! it's so hard to find good ones anywhere. they are great quality, and they have such great customer service. I just got mine yesterday, and I love it! the shipping estimate was 4-9 days. I ordered mine on Thursday, and got it on Friday! and to think I was worried that it wouldn't come by Friday next week. (I love the high neck and that the boy shorts have good coverage. the print is a bit more green in real life though)

frosted lemonade

if Chick-fil-A didn't already make my mouth water every time I think about it, I would totally go just for this. It's creamy and lemony and summery and everything you would want in a shake. please go try one! (I may have to try a homemade version very soon... 2 ingredients! 2!)

mason jar "aquarium"

I found this new website that has really great DIYs. you just find the one you want to make and the supplies are all included in your package! so all you have to do is order and then start right as you receive the package, rather than having a sort of scavenger hunt to find all the supplies. this one's especially cute, because it's in a blue jar with seashells and cute plants that almost look like seaweed.

elastic sandals

these look so cute! since they're made out of elastic, they'd probably be really comfortable. I'm hoping to buy these soon!

hoping your shopping experiences are as successful as mine were, 

Julia 

Happiness

I have a new kind of post for today. (I know! Not food... Shocking!)

It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I've been trying my best to do the right thing all the time and to be kind and have courage (thank you if you know what movie that's from) and all that good stuff.

But sometimes trying to be perfect is tricky. It's definitely something we all strive for, but it's sure a hard thing to accomplish. So I decided that there's a good way to help balance out all of the things. It's not perfect, but it seems to work pretty darn well.

Basically, we just need to step back and realize what is important. If you're deciding between two things, think about what you will remember and have the best memories about. There probably won't always be a "good" and a "bad" choice. Sometimes it's between "good", and "better".

And what I've realized is, when you're switching to an eternal perspective, it's the "little" things that seem to matter the most. The moments when you're not worrying about anything-- from spontaneous dance parties to painting your little sister's nails are usually fonder and better remembered memories than the things that seem to be the "most" important. (Prioritizing well is key.)

Yes, studying for the "big test" is important. And so are sport tournaments and competitions. But it's when that crosses over the smaller things, and they get ignored as the "not important enough" category, that it gets stressful. You're trying to hard to do everything sometimes. It's good to occasionally take a walk, or sit outside and listen to the rain, or look for a rainbow when the sun comes out. It sure helps me clear my mind of all earthly distractions and just think about things that are important-- both kinds of important.

Whether you realize it or not, something you do (even if it's very small) can impact someone else's life very greatly. Recently someone said something quite nice to me. Even though it was short and they probably didn't remember it afterward, it made me feel so loved. I go through the day when I'm laying in bed or taking a shower, and sometimes I'll be smiling so hard in the dark because of something someone said or did to me. I wrote a note to my mom recently, and she wrote one back. When I received her note back, I felt all warm and cozy and loved. I didn't realize that my note could have had that impact on my mom-- the small things really count.

And sometimes you need to take a break. For yourself. If you have been trying too hard to get everything done and are starting to stress, that's when you need it. It might seem weird to some people to not ever take a break for yourself, and weird to others to be doing something that isn't to help someone else. But you need to let yourself calm down and take a breather. (Baths, walks, a good book, a movie with a blankets and popcorn, and writing a letter to someone are always very good options. Try not to let your phone get involved).

"Life by the yard is hard;
by an inch it's a cinch."
Take everything a day at a time-- and sometimes the little things matter most.

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

We've had a lot of raspberries lately (as you can tell from my recipes) and I've been able to experiment with them much more than usual, since they're so expensive normally. (We got close to 30 cartons for $1 each!) Mmm mmm yeah.

I just used a box cake mix for this recipe, since the buttercream was the for suuuure best part of the cupcake. 

Blend up some raspberries (we seem to be doing a lot of that lately...) and press through a fine mesh sieve. I used a cheesecloth, because we don't have a sieve.

Blend 2 sticks of softened butter (just soft enough that you can smoosh it easily, but it's not melted, don't set the microwave for a long time just because you want it done fast, you'll regret it later. Plus patience is a virtue...) until light and fluffy and add the vanilla and raspberry juice. 

It will look all gross and separated but keep blending. Trust me, it will look better later. Patience is a... ok I'll stop now.

Add your powdered sugar (either put the lid on or blend very slowly bc this stuff is messsssy-- personal experience) and blend until fluffy.

And you've got beautiful, velvety, perfectly pink raspberry buttercream. It almost looks like there's food coloring in there. But nooo, it's all natural, folks! (at least I think so... don't quote me on that)

Spread/pipe it on some vanilla cupcakes (use your favorite recipe!) and take a big ol' bite. Make sure you put a raspberry on, too!

(snarfs the whole thing .00426785 seconds after taking the picture)

And yes, that is my foot. Don't judge.

Go eat your delicious cupcake (or whatever else your heart desires that you slather this frosting on, graham crackers are never a bad idea for leftover frosting) and go outside (even if it's raining. Rain is good for the soul.) A fun experiment would be to practice piping cupcakes, but I still haven't bought a 1M tip, so that's an adventure for another day.

(I'm trying out new fonts and editing websites, thoughts? I'm deciding if it's easy enough to do for every recipe.) 

Raspberry Buttercream

(adapted from sweetpeasandsaffron.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226g; at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries (at room temperature)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)

Directions

1. Using a mesh strainer and a spoon, mash raspberries against strainer until only seeds remain, collecting raspberry juice below in a bowl. Discard solids and set raspberry juice aside.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the butter on medium high until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat in vanilla and raspberry juice. *your buttercream may look broken but it needs to be beaten for several minutes to completely incorporate the raspberries*
4. Beat in the powdered sugar, starting on low and increasing speed to medium once sugar begins to become incorporated. Beat for 2 or so minutes until the sugar and butter mixture is well combined.
5. Beat on medium-high for one minute; scrape sides of bowl with spatula and repeat until the color of buttercream is uniformly pink and smooth.
6. Frost your cupcakes! (Use a knife or a piping bag.)

Orange Peel Flaky Biscuits

These are such a great breakfast. They are quick, easy, and delicious. The taste is just that much better than a store-bought breakfast option like refrigerated cinnamon rolls. And there's only 4 ingredients!

Look at all of that buttery, flaky, sugary goodness.

I made these for Mother's day, but they are great for any occasion (especially if there's no occasion to make them-- you get happiness for no reason at all!)

What're ya waiting for? Go make some!

Orange Peel Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 packages flaky biscuits

6 Tbs butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

Zest of large orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Stand biscuits on end in buttered bundt pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour, then spread over biscuits. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Homemade Freezer Jam (raspberry)

Jam! Sweet, fresh, homemade jam. There's nothing like a piece of homemade bread with a thick layer of jam on it. Whether it be apricot, strawberry, or raspberry (we have made all of those) there's nothing from the store that can even compare to homemade. If you make sure you buy your fruit on season, it's a great way to stock up on lots of jam that will last you through the year.

Make sure you wash out all of the jars you need. Even if they look clean, who knows what's been in that dusty old closet or the corner in your basement.

Measure your fruit into a blender (I've found that one small clamshell has 1 and 1/2 cups, and you need 6 cups for a recipe, therefore use 4 cartons per batch), food processor, or mash it by hand, and blend,

blend, 

blend!

Stop mashing/blending when the texture (feel free to try it!) is just how you want it.

Make sure to measure it into the bowl where the fruit will be, just to be sure that the quantity is right. (you will need 3 cups of crushed fruit)

Mix with more sugar than you'll even want to look at (don't worry-- all jam has a looot of sugar) and let sit for 10 minutes. Taste a bit, to see how grainy it is, so you can tell if the sugar granules have dissolved once you pour the pectin in.

You'll want to start your pectin mixture about 3-4 minutes before the fruit is done sitting, so you can pour it in right when it's done.

(bad picture, but you get the idea) Make sure you mix the pectin in thoroughly, so the sugar is all the way dissolved. (3 minutes.)

I actually had a little routine. I would blend up the berries, add the sugar, and while it was sitting I would pour the jam in the other bowl into the jars. So I actually had two bowls of jam going, one that was done and needed to be poured, one that was sitting, waiting for the pectin mixture. After I finished pouring the finished one, I would start the pectin for the other mixture, which ended up being really close to the exact amount of time it needed for each step!

Pour into your prepared jars, and close the lids.

And, there you go! Look at all that (as my friend would say) 'glorious' red jam.

Aww, what a cute family of jars! (I ran out of small jars, hence the 'mom' and 'dad' jars).

• • Ingredients

    • 3 cups prepared fruit
    • 5-1/4 cups sugar
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

    Recipe Directions:

    Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.Crush raspberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. (Press half of pulp through a sieve to remove seeds, if desired.) Measure exactly 3 cups crushed raspberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.Mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min.or until sugar is almost dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)Fill containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I like these because sometimes you want a big gooey chocolate chip cookie, but after the 2nd batch of cookies you're done and don't want to bake any more? Because same...

So this recipe gives you your chocolate chip cookie fix without all of the rolling and baking over and over. Yes, please.

(If you do want to make actual chocolate chip cookies, here's a video that my friend and I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oUWkpYj_QU.)

I doubled this recipe, because with 5 siblings and 2 parents, things like cookies go quick. (Doubling it makes enough for a 9x13 pan.)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Then combine the butter mixture and add the flour blend to it. My mixture happened to be pretty wet for this batch, but I've had times where it was almost crumbly. It turns out delicious every time, though!

Plop it all in a pan and spread.

Add your chocolate chips,

(mmm...)

and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.

It will flatten out after cooling, which I didn't get a picture of.

And now you've got a warm gooey hunk of cookie.
(Man, I wish I still had those...)

Ingredients

1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 TBS vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Melt butter.  Mix butter and brown sugar.  Add beaten egg, and vanilla and blend well.
Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
Spread in a square (9x9x2) pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 20 minutes.

(recipe from http://cookingoncloverlane.blogspot.com/)