Rainbow cake!

Two friends share a birthday on March 20.  We were going to be together, so a cake was in order.  When I was at tutoring on Monday, the girl I'm tutoring told me about a cake that she and a friend of hers had made.  You know what I did then... went to Pinterest to look for a recipe.  Here is what I found:



This was really easy to do.  Essentially, you make a white (box) cake according to the directions.

 

I then split the batter into bowls, added different colors of food coloring to each, and spread them in a bundt pan a layer at a time.  I was worried about stirring them together accidentally as I spread the layers out in case the colors would mix, but found out later they didn't really mix.

I also needed a glaze, so went with a recipe from here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vanilla-glaze/

The glaze didn't work as planned.  It seemed to be a lot of powdered sugar for very little liquid, and the recipe said, "Stir until creamy."  It wasn't getting creamy anytime soon, so I alternated adding milk and powdered sugar until it was a good consistency.  Ended up with WAY too much glaze, but it tasted good!

The final result was REALLY moist (yum!) and very pretty!

Definitely recommended!  Enjoy!

Balloon avalanche!

Scenario: We were going out of town on a youth retreat.  One of the youth in my group would celebrate her 13th birthday while we were there.  Something special had to be done, right??

Inspiration from here...

Source: diyhomepins.com via Nancy on Pinterest

It was a great success!  I definitely needed help to pull it together.  I had to alert the six other people in her room that once they went to bed that night, they needed to stay in there.  And that the birthday girl needed to be the one to open the door in the morning!  They agreed to do their part.  Also, there is no way I could have held those balloons in place AND taped all of the crepe paper to the door frame!  I had three helpers - all willing to stay up extra late to make the surprise happen.

She came out in the morning and was definitely surprised.  We were actually trying to fix some of them that had fallen out right as she opened the door, so I think it scared her a little to see us standing there. Oh well. She enjoyed it and will hopefully remember it for a long time!

Here's our final product...

Highly recommended as a fun way to celebrate a birthday!!

Thinking spring!

On a day when many schools are closed due to snow and ice, it seems only right to think about a spring wreath for my front door!  While I will not yet hang the wreath, it helps to think about warmer days on the horizon.

Inspiration from here...

Source: optimisticmommy.com via Nancy on Pinterest

You will need a Styrofoam wreath, plus these supplies...

And here's the finished product!

Okay, spring, time to pay us a visit and stay for a while!

Oven Hard Boiled Eggs

I had been wanting to try this for a while, and just got around to it this week.  The idea came from here...

Source: fitnessisyourfavoritepassion.tumblr.com via Nancy on Pinterest

I have to say I was skeptical because they take longer to make in the oven.  But it says they taste better, too, so it was worth a try, right?

I put the eggs in a mini muffin pan so that they didn't roll around as much...

One website warned that the egg shells would have brown spots on them once they were baked.  They did.

But it also said that once you put them in cold water to cool, the brown would come off.  It did, mostly.  I did notice that the eggs were easier to peel.  I also noticed that there were some brown spots on the actual egg (the outside of the white).  I didn't worry about it too much and I'm still fine several days later! :)

I used them in egg salad and didn't notice a major taste difference.  If you eat the egg straight, you might.  So I guess I'm indifferent on this one.  Might be worth it because they are easier to peel, but it depends on whether or not you have the extra time for cooking!

Guest blogger with Valentine's Day fun!

I have been looking forward to this for weeks.  Welcome Erica, first guest blogger here at One Pin Per Week!
-----------------------------------------

A couple weeks ago I had a bright idea to do something fun for my husband for Valentine’s Day.  Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love that many people take time on this day to appreciate those they love.  With that spirit in mind, I went in search of a great pin to bring to life. 

My inspiration:

Source: caseyandnicolehoughton.blogspot.com via Erica on Pinterest

I ended up switching out several items for things my husband would like better.  I also used labels to attach my little sayings.  I gave him one gift a day starting on February 1 and continuing until Valentine’s Day.  Here are mine. 

Also, since I was feeling extra loving, I decided to make a small gift for all the little kiddos at my daughter’s daycare.  I used bubbles and attached a small sticker that said “Hope your day bubbles over with love!”  

Crock Pot Chicken

I had bought all of the needed ingredients to make this chicken but had not yet done it.  It was a last minute decision one morning this week and I threw it all together.

Source: Uploaded by user via Nancy on Pinterest

I ended up using frozen chicken, which was not what the recipe called for.  I also used frozen pineapple juice, where you add water.  I really just guessed about how much water to use and went from there.  I knew it was an experiment.

The result was not bad.  It was not wonderful, but I think the recipe could use a few modifications.  Would probably try it with a can of pineapple chunks, with juice, instead of just the pineapple juice.  I'd like to try it once with fresh chicken, too, just to see how it turns out.

I'm all for having dinner ready when I get home from work.  So even if this wasn't "wonderful," I'd be willing to give it another try with some minor changes!  Plus - I forgot to take a picture - so it might need to be repeated just for that purpose! :)

Dried strawberries

I had seen this pin a while back and pinned it, but just decided to make them this week since I had half a container of strawberries that needed to be used.

Inspiration from here...

Source: theworldwidegourmet.com via Nancy on Pinterest

So, I confess that I gave up a little early.  They were supposed to be in the oven for three hours, which they were.  But I'm sure they were supposed to cool completely on the cookie sheet after that.  I was ready for bed, so I threw them in a tupperware and went to sleep.  They were still soft in the morning and not dried!  They still tasted good, though, so this one will be repeated, and earlier in the day. :)

Before

After