Lily Jane Stationery Giveaway

Good news: Nicole is hosting a little giveaway on her blog.  Stop by to see how you can help other women and win a set of my pinwheel thank you cards!

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Baking Day: Mississippi Mud Pie

On occasion, I've been known to use bribery to get something I want.  Take this week, for example.  To convince my husband and his friend that they should put the kids to bed while said friend's wife and I went for a walk, I bribed them with a dessert of their choosing.  Happily, they agreed and Mississippi Mud Pie was put on the menu. 

I found this recipe in a tempting cookbook that was given to me a few years ago called Chocolate Box.  It's full of mouth-watering photography and recipes to keep a kitchen busy for months.  This version of Mississippi Mud Pie is rich enough to satiate with a small slice but has a light and airy texture that makes it perfect for hot summer months.

Mississippi Mud Pie

Pie Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced


• 2 tbsp sugar


• 1-2 tbsp ice cold water

Filling:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter


• scant 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 4 eggs


• 5 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted


• 1 1/4 cups light cream

To Decorate:

• 2 cups heavy cream


• sugar, to taste


• chocolate flakes or curls

To make pie dough: whisk together flour and cocoa.  Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until pea-sized crumbs form.  Add sugar and 1 tbsp ice water and combine with a fork until a soft dough forms, adding more water if necessary.  Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

To make filling: Beat together butter and brown sugar.  Gradually add in eggs, melted chocolate and cream.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Bake: Remove pie dough from refrigerator and roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough on to pin and transfer to a loose-bottom tart pan or pie dish.  Press into bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Line dough with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove pie weights and paper and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.  Pour filling into crust being careful not to over-fill.  (The filling will expand slightly during baking so fill to just below the top of the crust to allow for this.)  Bake for 45 minutes at reduced temperature.  The filling will form a thin crust with cracks running through it; this is perfectly normal so don't worry when you see it cracking.

Allow pie to cool completely.  Whip cream with sugar to a soft and fluffy consistency.  Spread on top of pie and garnish with chocolate flakes and curls.  Serve immediately or chill for later.

{images by me}

Baking Day: Blueberry Lavender Muffins

I have a confession to make: I eat breakfast for dinner all. the. time.  Perhaps as often as once a week.  I love all things breakfast (I'm talking real breakfast here, not a bowl of frosted flakes) and it's just so easy to throw together and tastes so delicious that I find myself cooking Brinner all the time.  This week was no different.  On the menu: blueberry muffins.

I'm warning you in advance: these things are highly addicting.  You won't be able to eat just one.  I've adapted the recipe slightly from one found in Gourmet.

Blueberry Lavender Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 3/4 cup lavender sugar


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 3/4 teaspoon salt


• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  
  


• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk


• 1 egg plus 1 yolk


• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla


• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen


• TOPPING:


• 
  
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
  
  
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
  
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons lavender sugar
  
  
  
  

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Prepare muffin pans.

Prepare topping:

• Using your finger tips, rub 3 tablespoons diced cold unsalted butter into 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 3 1/2 tablespoons lavender sugar until pea-sized crumbs form.  Set aside.

Prepare muffins:

• Whisk together flour, lavender sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.


• In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, milk, egg, yolk and vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients into reserved dry ingredients and stir just until combined (don't over mix).  


• Fold in blueberries.


• Divide evenly among 10 muffin cups.  Sprinkle with crumb topping.


• Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.


• Cool 15 minutes before removing from pans. 

{images by me}

DIY: Walnut Boats

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for how to make walnut boats over on Hip Hip Hooray.  They're adorable and so easy.  Take a peek!

{image by me}

Printable: More Toy Bin Tags

Remember the toy bin tags I made for my son a few months ago?  Well, when I shared them with all of you everyone liked them so much I decided to make a second sheet.  Hurray! 

So many of you had requests; thank you for sharing!  I couldn't do everything, of course, but I did choose the ones that the greatest number of people asked for: play dough, puppets, little people, puzzles, blocks, dress up, balls, games, art supplies and movies.

To use these tags, all you have to do is download the pdf and print.  You can then use them however you please.  I chose to punch a hole and tie some thread through mine to hang on storage baskets.

I'd love to hear about how you're using them.  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know.  And be sure to tell your friends so they can get in on the goodness, too.

{images by me}

New at the Shop: Pinwheel Invitations

I just designed these pinwheel invitations for a baby shower, but I can't help but think of all the possibility they hold.  

They seem just right for a garden party, family picnic or birthday party, too.  I've just added them to the shop.  What would you use them for?

{image by me}

How to Ship Muffins (or Cupcakes)

Recently, my father-in-law was involved in a boating accident and injured himself enough to land in the hospital for a few days.  Happily, he is home now and starting the long road to recovery.  To help cheer him on his journey my son and I decided to send him a little package full of one of his favorite treats: Banana Crunch Muffins.  (If you've never tried these, please do.  They're so good.)  I wanted to package them in an aesthetically pleasing way that would also help them stay intact during their travels.  My solution: an empty cereal box.

1.  Select an empty cereal box that is the same width as the box you'll be using for shipping.  Mine happened to be Frosted Cheerios.  Using scissors, cut holes just wide enough to securely hold your muffins.

2. Wrap your cereal box in some pretty paper.  I used Kraft, but some patterned wrapping paper might look even better.  Once wrapped, cut holes through the paper, too.  Lay tissue paper inside your shipping box and slide the cereal box in on top.  It should fit snugly and not wiggle.

3.  Nestle frozen, wrapped (plastic secured with a bit of tape or a sticker) muffins into their spaces.  Freezing them before shipment will help keep them fresher for their destination.

 

4.  Fold over the tissue and secure a pretty card on top.  To keep the muffins from sliding out if the box gets turned up side down, pad the remaining space at the top of the box with bubble wrap or bunched plastic grocery bags.  Be sure to fill it up to the top before closing the box and test drive it at home to make sure your muffins are truly secure. 

You could also use this method to ship cupcakes, although I would highly recommend sending them unfrosted.  Put frosting in a separate, small plastic container for the recipient to add on themselves. 

Have you ever shipped baked goods before?  What are your favorite methods?

{images by me}