Saturday Snapshot: Ant on a Wing

See my other butterfly wing shot here.


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Grilled Caprese Pizza

This is SO delicious.  I'm hungry just thinking about it!

When I was in law school, friends of mine made a bunch of pizzas one night for a group of us hungry students.  I remembered it was super tasty, and that our hosts made the crust on the spot- no yeast involved!  So, I had to ask for the crust recipe and see if I could put it on the grill (spoiler alert: I could!).

For one pizza, you will need:

• Equipment:
• Grill
• Aluminum foil
• Stand mixer (optional)
• Crust:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Toppings:
• 1 small to medium vine ripened tomato
• Sliced fresh mozzarella
• 4-5 large fresh basil leaves
• Balsamic reduction (just simmer balsamic vinegar in a pan until it thickens)

First, get your coals lit in your grill.  While they are getting hot, mix the dry crust ingredients in a bowl.

Add the milk and olive oil and stir vigorously until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.

Gather the dough together into a ball and knead 10 times.

Use your palm to knead the dough out onto the aluminum foil.  Be careful not to smear it or it will stick to the foil!  Place the foil on the grill to get the dough cooking for about 5 minutes.

Turn the crust over onto another piece of foil.  Top with cheese and tomatoes.

Cover and let cook for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is gooey and the tomatoes softened.

Top with basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction.  Cut, serve, enjoy!

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Grilled Stuffed Apples

Nothing says summer like grilling out!  I've got a slew of grilling recipes to share with you, and up first is this delicious stuffed apple recipe.

For each apple, you will need:

• 1 apple (duh!)
• 1/2 small (tiny, really) pear
• 1 ounce blue cheese crumbles
• 1 tablespoon walnut pieces

For equipment, have a sharp knife, a melon baller, and (of course) a grill.

First, cut a small slice off the base of your apple so that it sits level and sturdy.

Then, use your melon baller to scoop out and hollow the apple, stopping before you scoop all the way through.  Discard the pieces with the core, but save the rest for stuffing.

Finely chop the pear and apple pieces and combine in a bowl with the walnuts and half of the blue cheese.

Stuff your apple, topping it with the remaining blue cheese.

Then, place your apples on the grill, using indirect heat (that means to the side of the coals) and a piece of foil underneath.

Let the apples grill until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating after about 10 minutes.

Serve them up and enjoy immediately!  They are the perfect side to serve with pork, or any other grilled meats.  Yum!

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Rhubarb Pancakes

John and I have been working over time to use up our massive rhubarb bush in the backyard.  We did our best with rhubarb cobbler, rhubarb cake, and rhubarb syrup, but the bush is on its last legs.  So, these rhubarb pancakes will probably be the last rhubarb recipe of the season. 

This recipe is super easy!  Just add cooked rhubarb to your favorite pancake batter!  Or, use this recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup cooked and drained rhubarb, plus extra for serving (check out the rhubarb syrup recipe to see how to make this!)

Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in the middle.

Add the milk, egg, and butter, and stir until smooth.

Add the rhubarb and stir until well incorporated.

Heat a non stick griddle over medium to medium low heat.  Add scoops of the batter to the pan, turning when golden brown.

One way to tell if it's golden brown: wait for these little bubbles to finish popping, then flip!

Top with a pat of butter and a spoonful of cooked rhubarb.  Enjoy!

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Saturday Snapshot: Lichen

DIY Monogrammed Baseball Cap

For the 4th of July, I was going to be spending a lot of time outdoors.  In years past, I have gotten a little bit of a tan during the sunny months, but this year I have decided to embrace the paste.  So, I needed some extra coverage, and a baseball hat fit the bill.

Sadly, the only baseball cap I had was one with Bud Light front and center.  No offense to Bud Light, but I'm just not a big beer drinker.  So, I needed a way to cover this up, and I came up with a monogrammed solution.

To make your own, you will need:

• Baseball cap
• Fabric
• Straight pins
• Contrasting embroidery floss and needle
• Fabric paint and paint brush
• Pinking shears
• Monogram stencil (I'll tell you how to make your own!)
• Exacto or other knife

First, cut out a piece of fabric big enough to cover the offending design (or, if you're lucky to have a plain hat, however big you want it to be!), with seam allowance on all sides.

Pin your seam in place and press with an iron.

Now, you'll make your monogram stencil.  I don't have pictures for any of this, so bear with me.

1) Open Microsoft Word and choose the "Insert Word Art" option.  There is a Word Art choice that peaks in the middle- select that (or whichever design strikes your fancy). 
2) Type your initials in the box (First, Last, Middle) and select your font.  I chose Algerian. 
3) Now, making sure your Word document is set to 100% view, size your monogram to fit your fabric.
4) Finally, select white as your "Shape Fill" color, and set your "Shadow Effects" color to white as well.  You should be left with an outline of your monogram.

Print it!

Then, carefully cut the letters away using a small, sharp knife.  If you have a letter like "B" make sure you leave a little connecting paper so that the insides of the "B" stay in place.

Place the stencil over the fabric and very carefully paint in the border of the monogram.

Remove the stencil and fill in/touch up any areas you need to.  Allow it to dry completely.

Then, using a running backstitch, simply stitch your painted fabric to the front of your cap. 

Ta da!  No more free advertising for beer! ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  Have a great weekend!!

DIY 4th of July Wreath

 

It's time for another wreath!  Check out my monogram wreath and picture frame wreath for some other ideas :)

Today, I've got a 4th of July wreath just in time for Independence Day!  This was the first project I got to do in my new craft room!  And, of course, it had to have glitter in it.  Because what good is a craft room if it isn't covered in glitter? ;)

To make your own, you will need:

• Wire
• Ribbon: red, white, and blue
• Wooden star (available at craft stores)
• Paint (silver, gold, red, blue, anything patriotic!) and paintbrush
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Super glue or hot glue

First, paint your star.  I went with gold and silver.

While your paint is drying, shape the wire into a circle however big you want the wreath to be.  Add a few extra inches to your desired length and cut the wire.  Then, cut two more strips of the same length.

Next, cut your ribbon, adding another few inches to your wire length.  I personally think that different textures makes the braid a lot more interesting, so I used a satin cream ribbon, a glittery blue, and doubled up on a sheer red.

Twist and fold your wire and ribbon together at one end, assigning each color of ribbon to a wire.

Then, simply braid the three wires, bringing your ribbon along as you go.  The first few bits of the braid are the hardest, but it gets easier as you go.

Once you've braided the full length of wire, make your circle and twist the ends of the wire together to secure it.

Glue the star to cover the wire closure, and trim the excess ribbon.  I left a little hanging down, but made sure my ends were pretty.

Then, hang it up and get ready for fireworks!