I think I am ready for Summer

 This is my favorite summer nail color. It is Nan by Julep. It doesn't show up so well in the picture but it is a faded red khaki color.

 Last day of school. F.W is jazzed and D is having a hard time saying good bye to kindergarten. I think it will take me at least a week to get into the summer groove. Last year's summer learning theme was science. I am not sure yet what we are going to focus on this summer.

Farewell school

Mini Vanilla Cupcakes

Today I made mini vanilla cupcakes to celebrate Summer birthdays at the school. All those poor kids that miss out because they were born during the summer months. These bite sized treats taste yummy but I forgot to add vanilla extract to the chocolate frosting. So the frosting is REALLY rich. I don't think the kindergartners will mind...haha. If I was putting the frosting on a full sized cupcake it would be to much but since these are minis I think it will be alright.  

Maple Scones

 I love Starbuck's Maple Scone. At first I wanted to make a copycat of Starbuck's maple scones but then I thought why not simplify the scone? These are a lighter tea scone...no oats or nuts. Scones pair so well with a warm cup of tea or a hot latte. Today I gave them to the teachers at D's school so I wouldn't eat them all.

 In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and pinch of salt. Use a fork and blend together.

 Cut 1 1/2 stick cold butter into cubes. Mix together with you hands.

 Stir in 1/2 cup pure maple syrup and 1/2 cup whipping cream

 Knead dough gently on a flat floured surface. Use your hands and flatten the dough into an 8 inch circle. Then cut the dough into wedges. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Fiesta de Mayo

 Blondies

 Mustache cake

 Four boring yet yummy cakes.

Busy baking week. Instead of an open house D's school has a Fiesta, every grade preforms a different dance. I made 5 cakes for the Cake Walk. I made the Blondies for the Bake Sale.

Mustache Cake step by step

 Bake a round cake and cut it in half like a Ying Yang

 I used a fork to give the mustache texture.

I used the Buttery Cake recipe from The Dahlia Bakery cookbook. This cookbook is great because it gives VERY specific directions.

Buttery Cake

 Angus hoping D will drop a bit of frosting.

 D's school is having their Fiesta de Mayo celebration. I was thinking of making a mustache cake for the school's cake walk. I'm also baking something for the bake sale. I tried making a mustache cake. This is my test run. I plan on using chocolate frosting on the next cake. 

Beautiful Ruins

Great Summer Read.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter is SO good, I couldn't put it down. The book mainly takes place in modern day Los Angeles and 1962 Italy during the filming of the movie Cleopatra. The novel is mostly about people's dreams and ambition or lack there of. Jess Walter's writing had me falling in love with these flawed characters.
Pasquale Tursi is the owner of The Hotel Adequate View. Walter's describes him..."He found himself inhabiting the vast empty plateau where most people live, between boredom and contentment." Brilliant!
I hope Hollywood doesn't turn this book in to a movie because the movie will never live up to the book.