Last night I was at a loss for what to make for dinner, as I had no protein defrosted and could not bear the thought of packing up my exhausted after-school kid to head to the grocery store. As I scavenged the refrigerator, the garden, and the cupboard, I saw that I had pepperoni. My husband does not consider dinner a true meal if there is no meat involved, so I wondered what I could make with it that wouldn’t require me to whip up dough like a pizza. Pepperoni pasta? Pizza Pasta? Could it be done, like in a non-casserole, gourmet-ish kinda way? Would it be tasty?
Yes, it can be done. And OH YES, IT IS TASTY. Get my Pepperoni Pasta Recipe… (more…)
How to Sew A Girl’s One-Piece Swimsuit (Free Pattern!)
Sewing a swimsuit is one of those projects that has been sitting on my to-do list for years to come. Do you also find that every summer when you are out bathing suit shopping with the kids you think to yourself, I could make that? Ruby, from Zaaberry, makes sewing up a swimsuit look like a cinch and she includes a pattern too. Take along her Fold-Up Tote with you too on the next pool day. While you’re sewing for the kids, make sure to add her Ools to the list and the easy-to-tote toy bags.
Take it away Ruby…
Summer Vegetable Recipe Round Up
Got a big garden (or farmer’s market) haul of fresh veggies like that mouth watering tomato from my house? Get cooking with some of our favorite summer veggie recipes from the Prudent Baby archives…
Make a scrumptious Galette.
Learn How to Can Tomatoes (Without a Canner).
Bake up a Healthier Zucchini Bread.
Or turn that zucchini haul into Sweet Zucchini Pickles.
Or stick with the tried and true Classic Spicy Dill Pickles.
Make a kid-friendly batch of Cucumber Mint Popsicles.
Or how about some cucumber vodka? Yes.
Turn that parsley into delicious Parsley Pesto.
You could shove a bunch of veggies inside some Homemade Hot Pockets for easy summer lunches.
And my absolute favorite thing to do with summer vegetables… grill pizza! Learn our Easiest Pizza Sauce Recipe and How to Grill Pizza.
Outdoor Flowers, Drugstore Makeup, and Goofy Smiles: It’s Friday I’m in Love
Cute thing my husband did: He bought me some flowers and put them in a vase outside. I never would have thought to do that, but I love it SO MUCH. And the flowers loved it too, they lived for a week and a half in pure bliss on our patio. So I guess I’m recommending that you put your flowers outside, or maybe I’m just showing off about my husband being awesome, ha.
Random beauty product I want to tell you about: This stuff is like $3 at CVS, so the price is right. It strangely goes on clearish-whitish then somehow magically matches your skin tone, evening out your whole face without looking like you painted it on. It also has SPF 15, but feels light and non-greasy, so it’s ideal for summer afternoons gardening and sweatily chasing after small children. Totes recommend: Almay Smart Shade Anti Aging Makeup
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Pinterest love: Y’all were very much digging this idea for using fabric scraps to make seat cushions. We have a seat cushion tutorial here – quilt away!
Blog upon which we crush: The DIY Adventures. I always love a good DIY site, but this one is also REALLY FUNNY. I like the funny.
Silly internet time-waster that made me giggle: The Public Radio Name Generator. I am addicted to NPR. Now I know that my public radio host name would be Harper Abassi-Smirnoff. Jacinda, yours is Rosario Kurshner-Liu.
Fun interview we did: Elizabeth Street called Prudent Baby “where craft meets class” – why, thank you ever so much.
Thing I acquired that I adore: This amazeballs camera bag from Incase. It holds every single piece of camera equipment I own, including five lenses, two bodies, all my intervalometers and chargers and extra batteries and doo hickeys and what-nots, even my tripod. Oh, oh, oh and even my laptop, too. I use it to store all of my equipment here at home – it’s better than any shelf or drawer because it’s completely padded and transformable to any set-up I desire.
I also dragged it on the airplane to Italy (made this video with my gear) feeling confident my equipment would be safe, and I could fit a bunch of snacks and kindles and trashy magazines in there too. Love. It’s the DSLR pro pack and you can find it at goincase.com.
That’s my I love my new thing! face. Ha.
Watermelon Jalapeño Mojito Recipe
A few weeks back when I showed you How to Make a Watermelon Keg and shared my simple Watermelon Agua Fresca recipe, I mentioned that while we all adore some watermelon juice (kid friendly! refreshing! all natural!), my husband and I had to take it a step further and get some afternoon cocktail action happening. As of late I have been channeling my inner “mixologist” (that is a ridiculous word, no?) and working on creating some interesting cocktails with the contents of my garden. May I present to you the watermelon jalapeño mojito…
My husband liked it. Perhaps you will too…
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How to Build the Perfect Kids’ Craft Station
I’m so excited to share the second installment in my video series with DailyCandy Kids. I’ll be sharing fun crafts, DIYs, and activities to do with your littles throughout the year. For our first adventure, we made dad the coolest Father’s Day gift on the block – a scavenger hunt on ice. Today we are building the perfect kids’ craft station – a system that allows your littles to reach just what you want them to reach and clean up after themselves, too.
Head over to DailyCandy Kids to get the full scoop on just what makes this craft station so special and learn how to create one of your very own: How to Build the Perfect Kids’ Craft Station.
Homemade Drumsticks
Yesterday afternoon I hopped into my car only to quickly find out that it was 98 degrees outside (so glad I wore jeans, not). Is a trip to Ikea really worth it in this sweltering heat? Obviously the heat was making me delirious and I thought, yes. So as I’m driving up to the valley the temperature starts rising and before I know it I’m standing in front of those bright yellow and blue Ikea doors with sweat drenched jeans (TMI) in 102 degree weather. Thankfully there was air conditioning, but honestly all I wanted was something refreshing and delicious to eat. This is where Delightfully Tacky’s Homemade Drumsticks come in.
From the moment I laid eyes on Elizabeth’s blog, Delightfully Tacky, I was hooked. Her recent post Embrace Your Inner Pin Up was perfectly timed for summer with its empowering message to love who you are. She gives great photo tips and when she’s not whipping up homemade drumsticks she’s serving up delicious Clover Club cocktails.
After yesterday, I think today will be all about escaping the heat and eating ice cream treats. Take it away Elizabeth…
DIY: How to Make A Paper Mache Lamp
Disclaimer: This project has not been tested for safety. Use at your own risk.
Note: This project has not been tested for safety. Consider this project at your own risk.
My friend Anna and I like to get crafty together, so when she needed a new pendant lamp for her home office/guest room, we put our heads together. I’d been wanting to make a paper mache lamp for a while, ever since the Paper Mache Table DIY, so we decided to go for it.
This is a totally rewarding project that requires no special DIY skills, and is definitely a fun one to do with a friend. Let me show you how to make a paper mache lamp…
