Saturday, March 28, 2020

SPECKLED SPRING

Posted on 4:00 AM by Now That You Are Home...

Spring is slowly arriving here. Easter is just a few weeks away. Unlike all other years, this year Easter dinner is at my home. Do I worry what dinner will be...no! It is all about chocolate bunies, jelly beans and Easter baskets, that is all I need. But, having some touches of spring around would be nice. Must be simple. Easter will be small, just my family. But, as we know, sometimes good things come in small sizes. New tradition, making it special.

Just beautiful...

Simple...

This is what you will need-

Craft Eggs

Chalk Paint-Duck Egg

Chalk Paint-White

Silver Metallic Paint
Craft Paper (something to protect you work space)
Craft Brush

Scrub Brush or Old Toothbrush

Craft Paper

Tape

Paper Towels

An Empty Cardboard Box

These little paper/plastic eggs are perfect for many egg decorating crafts...Link here. Light weight and made from who knows what, just right for this project.

Duck Egg Chalk paint...Link here. This is the sample size, you just need a little paint. I used what I had on hand. More about that later...
White Chalk paint...Link here. This is similar, no need to purchase a quart of paint when a small pot will work. If you have a similar paint, even better!

Silver Metallic paint...Link here. Any silver metallic paint will work, I have so many cans of paints, it is good to use what you have.

I purchased this can of paint a few years ago hoping to paint a bistro chair to match the color of a bench I saw in a catalog. I bought the same paint, same color. Oh, but no. I was in for a big surprise when I opened the can. This paint bore no resemblance to the photo of the bench. None. Needless to say I closed the can and never used it. The chair was never painted.

And here we are today thinking of some easy spring décor, I thought eggs are a sign of spring. Spring is the awaking of new life…and what could be better than some cute blue speckled eggs?

I have no idea what a duck egg looks like, let alone the color, but I was thinking pretty spring colors. I located this long forgotten lost can of paint. I opened it up, looked inside and said “nope”. It is not Spring. And, most importantly, I still don’t like it. Maybe, by mixing it with a little white chalk paint it might be a go. Lighten up the color and see what happens. Sooo…

I mixed equal amounts of Duck Egg to White chalk paint. Gave it a good stir. What a surprise, a beautiful spring color fit for any spring table! I used a medicine cup to measure the two colors, added them to a plastic cup and stirred away.

I folded a piece of tape into a loop and placed it on the craft paper.

Using a craft brush I painted one side of the plastic eggs. I placed the unpainted side on to tape so the paint could dry and the egg would not roll around my table. I was amazed by who beautiful this new color had become.

Paint always dries slightly darker than when the paint is wet. In this case, the paint dried lighter. And prettier!

After all my eggs were painted on one side, I flipped them over and painted the other side and placed it back on the tape to dry. The paint dries quickly.

Place a few of the tape loops on the inside of your cardboard box (spray box). Lay one egg on a piece of tape to secure.

Dip the ends of your brush into the silver metallic paint.

Gently tap the bristles onto the paper towel. You just need a tiny amount of paint.

With the paint end of the brush pointed at the eggs, about 8-inches or so away, flick the paint off the bristles with your fingertips. If you have too much paint on the bristles, you might get big blobs of paint speckles. It is best to practice a few times on the craft paper. Start with a few and small speckles, just a little bit of paint. A toothbrush makes a much finer spray, smaller splatters, if you like. Trial and error. Practice on the craft paper, if you like.

Let dry for a few minutes. Remove eggs and repeat on all sides until all the eggs are covered. I rotated the eggs around two or threes times.

Repeat the same process with the white chalk paint. Let dry.

Beautiful little Easter eggs...

Welcome at the door...

At the table...

Or in a hiding spot on the wall...

Happy... simple... spring... Easter...

Saturday, March 21, 2020

CINNAMON COMFORT ROLLS

Posted on 4:30 AM by Now That You Are Home...

You know that smell. Ooooh, the smell of comfort. Cinnamon rolls. Comfort food at its best. With all the uncertainty in our lives lately, one thing you can count on to make all right in your world is a soft soothing bun right out of the oven. And baked by you. This easy to follow recipe can be made the day before, stored overnight in the refrigerator, and baked first thing in the morning, if you choose. The perfect way to greet each day.

This is what you will need-

Dough

1 C. Milk

1 Packet Dry Yeast

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbs. Salt

3 Tbs. Soft Butter (+ a little extra)

1 Egg (must be at room temperature)

3 C. Flour

Filling

1 C. Soft Butter

2 C. Brown Sugar

3 Tbs. Ground Cinnamon

Icing

4 Oz. Soft Cream Cheese

¼ C. Soft Butter

1 ½ C. Powdered Sugar

1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs. Milk

Any time of day, a little comfort is just what you need. Yummie.

In a large mixing bowl, add a small amount of vegetable oil and coat the inside of the bowl. Set aside.

Line a 9 x 12 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to make filling. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine soft cream cheese, soft butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Use a hand mixer and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Microwave 1 cup of milk in 30 second intervals. Heat the milk to 100-110 degrees. This is pretty much a touch warmer than room temperature milk. It is best to use a food thermometer, if the milk is too hot or too cool the dough will not rise.

Once the milk is warm, add a packet of yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour the milk/yeast/sugar into a stand mixer with the flat beater and blend on low for a few seconds.

On slow speed, add salt, 3 Tbs.butter and egg. Stir briefly.

Change to the dough hook. Add the flour, a little at a time (about ½ cup) and stir on low speed.

Once all the flour has been added, turn the mixer up to about medium speed. The dough will quickly form a ball. As soon as the dough becomes a ball, stop mixing.

Remove the ball of dough and place in the vegetable oil lined mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and set in a warm spot. I like to place it near a sunny window.

Let sit for an hour. Sometimes if the air temperature is cool you might have to let it rise a bit longer, and that is OK. The ball should double in size. If your dough has risen, you will have success!

Place your fist in the dough to let out the air.

Place the deflated ball on a lightly greased and floured surface. Prep your rolling pin with a slight amount of vegetable oil to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll out to a 12 x 18-inch rectangle. You may need to sprinkle a little flour on the dough as your roll.

Take a little soft butter and spread it over the dough, covering the entire rectangle.

Spread the filling all over the dough.

Gently pat the filling down.

At the 12-inch end, roll the dough/filling to the other 12-inch end, forming a pinwheel.

Cut as shown, 1-inch slices with a quick snap using dental floss.

Place in pan.

If you are making these the day before and baking the cinnamon rolls in the morning, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. In the morning, remove from fridge. Take plastic wrap off and cover with a towel. Let sit in a warm spot and allow about an hour for the rolls to rise. Once they are nice big puffy rolls, bake for 24-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool, then frost.