swellcupcake

Breast feeding can be a special time in a mothers life but have you heard of breast milk jewelry? Either you’ll think this is really cool or strange. I lean towards the latter.

Article found online - We’re betting this is going to come a couple spots after “spa day,” “diamonds,” and “actual time with my kids” on your mom’s list of preferred Mother’s Day presents: breast milk jewelry. Apparently it’s the natural follow-on from keepsakes like dried umbilical cord stumps and positive pregnancy tests. Breast milk can in fact be integrated into a wide variety of presents, from handmade soap to DIY lockets. Some crafters will treat the milk in such a way that it creates a semi-hard, resin-like substance that can be molded into different shapes. Not all moms are buying it: “There’s something about plasticizing breast milk … that almost seems like some sort of weird worship of nursing,” one said.

Several companies sell the items, including one called Mommy Milk, and it’s run by a woman from Rhode Island. You send her breast milk, and she turns it into pendants and other keepsakes. You can learn more about it at  breastmilkpendants.blogspot.com

MilkMomBaby , on  Etsy.com , sells a kit that lets you make an item at home.

Below are some examples of this latest fad:

So lately I’ve been watching The Chew….a little too much. And I’ve also been craving Mexican food a lot so when I saw this recipe, I thought I gotta make this soon. I made it yesterday night and it was literally awesome. In Mexico, they have street stalls that sell this corn everywhere hence the title.

I bought some fresh corn from Publix and had some feta cheese on hand, so after grilling the corn on the stove, I slathered it with butter, mayo, rolled it feta and sprinkled some salt and chili powder on top. So yummy and very summery. Growing up,  my parents would buy bushels of corn every summer and we’d enjoy different corn recipes throughout the hot months…I am so happy to add this one to the mix. My mother makes something similar to this: it includes mixing lemon juice, salt, and spicy chili powder together and then brushing it onto the corn…also very delish!

Here is the recipe for Crazy Street Corn:

• For the Crazy Street Corn:

• 6 ears of Corn (husked and rinsed)
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (if grilling)
• softened Unsalted Butter
• Mayonnaise
• 1 cup thoroughly crumbled Queso Fresco; Cotija; Farmer cheese or Mild Feta
• Kosher or coarse Sea Salt
• Dried Ground Chile (such as piquin or a Mexican mix such as Tajin)
• 3 Limes (halved)

For the Crazy Street Corn: To grill the corn, prepare a medium fire in an outdoor grill or heat a grill pan over medium heat. Lightly brush the corn with the oil. Add the corn to the grill or pan and cook, turning every 3 minutes, until tender and slightly charred, 9 to 12 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook the corn in a big pot of boiling water until tender, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the freshness of the corn. Remove the corn from the heat, or drain it, and pile on a platter, along with corn holders or thick wooden skewers.  The traditional way is to spread on a layer of butter, then a layer of mayonnaise. Next, thoroughly cover the corn with the crumbled cheese, either by rolling the corn on a plate of the cheese or sprinkling it on. Finish with a shower of salt and ground chile, then a squeeze or two of lime juice.

My quick version: I took the corn and put it directly onto my gas stove, turning it every few seconds until charred (use tongs), this takes only a few minutes. Then while still warm, spread margarine onto corn with a butter knife, then the mayo, next sprinkle feta cheese onto the corn, then sprinkle salt (I used regular table salt) and chili powder (you can use the smoky kind or the Indian spicy kind for whatever flavor you prefer, I used smoky) and then I squeezed lemon directly onto it. I didn’t have limes on hand. It still tasted amazing!

Wow. This cake is gorgeous.

What I like about it is that it looks like a lot of work but isn’t. If you’ve got cocoa and a paintbrush handy…you’re set! I think this would make a spectacular cake for a baby shower or Easter! I want a slice now!

The Cake Blog does a great job with this cake and the steps if you’re interested.

SPECKLED EGG CAKE
a DIY by Carrie Sellman

Supplies

• cake of choice, assembled and crumb-coated
• buttercream icing
• food coloring
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 T vanilla extract
• clean paintbrush
• wax paper
• paper towels, for clean up
• speckled eggs

STEP 1:  Color your buttercream frosting with a few drops of food coloring.  I used 2-3 drops of Americolor Sky Blue gel.  When tinting buttercream, I like to add one drop of color at a time until I reach the right shade.  If you’ve ever ruined a batch of icing before, you already know the benefit of adding color gradually.  And when in doubt, I like to error on the light side.  Buttercream naturally darkens slightly as it sets.

STEP 2:  Frost your assembled and crumb-coated cake with your pretty blue buttercream.  Smooth and shape to your liking.  It does not have to be perfect.  We’re about to splatter it up!

STEP 3:  In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract.  Stir well until cocoa is completely dissolved and you have a thin, chocolate paint.

STEP 4:  Cover your work area with wax paper.  Lightly dip your new (or totally clean, never used for paint) paintbrush into the chocolate.  Holding the paint brush with one hand, gently flick the bristles with your other index finger to splatter the chocolate paint.  Practice first onto your wax paper until you get the hang of it.  No need to move on to the cake until you master the flick.  When you’re ready to start speckling, hold the paintbrush fairly close to the cake and start splattering.

NOTE: A little chocolate paint goes a long way.  So dip your brush lightly.  If your paintbrush becomes ‘clogged’ with paint and is no longer splattering nicely, rinse it with water.  Dry with a paper towel.  And start again.

STEP 5:  Keep splattering away!  Move up, down and all around to completely cover the cake.

NOTE:  As you work, you will undoubtedly get a splatter that is bigger than you would prefer.  Or accidentally get carried away and bump the cake with your paintbrush.  (Don’t ask me how I know this!)  You have two options here.  Either embrace the imperfections and let it go.  Or wipe it off quickly with a light dab of water and paper towel.  Then go back to speckling.  If you look closely, you can see where I wiped one of my oh-no-it’s-too-big splatters.  Left-middle.  Not too bad of a correction and I think it adds to the speckled egg charm.

STEP 6:  Now that you have the hang of splattering, you’ll also speckle the eggs you previously made.  While you wait for the cake and the eggs to dry, now is a good time to wipe off any stray splatters on your cake pedestal.  Once both the eggs and the cake are completely dry, arrange eggs on top of cake.  Use a dab of buttercream to hold them exactly where you want them.

STEP 7:  Cut, eat and enjoy!

I love weddings. They are magical. So happy.

I am drawn to trends and pretty details so naturally I like wedding themes. I saw this one and had to share, coral and lavender? Sounds odd but when the pairing happens its vivid and lovely. I think this would be a great combo for a living space, attire or even a baby’s room. It’s very now yet sweet.