Bunnyprints!

I posted this last year back when I only had 3 followers....

and its still my favorite Easter memory.

Enjoy!

How do you know when your friends 

stop being just friends and become your family?

There definitely comes a day when you realize 

they are a part of all your most important memories.

In our house, 

it also seems to have something to do with everyday vocabulary and conversation.

• We don't eat crispy tacos, we eat 'Christy Tacos'.  (flour tortillas, hot oil, all kinds of good things going on inside)
• You need a super-deluxe, squisheroo, pick-the-munchkin-up-off-their-feet kinda hug?   That's a 'Christy hug'
• What does Jack say when he's looking at the ceiling during a thunderstorm?  "Mommy, we should call Mr. Brian and thank him for making the rain stop in the living room!" (long story for another day-and yes, he says this every time it rains).
• If something needs fixing in the house, and Daddy is thinking about it a little too long without actually picking up any tools, the boys say "let's call Mr. Brian, he'll know what to do!".   Ethan will even bring the phone.

Really, I could go on and on all day....

but its Easter time, so I'm thinking about this...

Ethan was 20 months old at the time, 

and it was Easter morning.

I was inside making breakfast and Joe and Ethan went out to get the newspaper....

and then I heard the giggles.

The doorbell rang furiously and I saw...

Bunnyprints!!!

Absolutely the cutest thing I had ever seen.

So I said (quietly), "Joe, when did you do this?"

He shook his head and said, "wasn't me, I thought it was you."

Ethan LOVED it...(so did I)

After a few moments of thinking there really was a giant man-sized bunny running around town, we started thinking about who could have done this.  

We checked with the most obvious people first, our neighbors...nope not them.

You might be thinking 'didn't they know it was Christy and Brian right away?'

We didn't.  You know why?  

They live a half an hour away!  

They drove all the way over in the middle of the night

 just so our munchkin would have a surprise in the morning....

And....the tradition stuck.

The bunny that visits our house seems to have shrunk a bit and has moved to the backyard

 (this works out better when mom remembers at 10 p.m.

 and is already wearing pajamas-no need to scare the neighbors).

He comes through the back fence,

 hops along the cement to our back door, 

then disappears under the side fence to our neighbors yard.  

I giggle hysterically while I'm doing this...

its absolutely my favorite holiday tradition.

Thank you Christy and Brian (and Reece and Paige)! 

 This is just another way you've brightened our lives!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lizy B

Pretty Little Bunny Cookies!

I loved Mr. Bunny...really I did.

But, he looked a little lonely didn't he....

I made him a girlfriend!!

(*wink*)

She needs a name....

Becky?

Bridget?

Bree?

Oh no!

Becky, Bridget AND Bree!!!!

That Mr. Bunny sure does get around....

Want to guess what comes next?

Baby bunny cookies....in a box!

Looks like I'm going to need a few more homes for all these bunnies.....

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Ding-Dong! The Mailman's Here!

"Hey Jack!!!  I need your help!"

A little while ago, one of my favorite bakers 

The Bearfoot Baker

showed us what came in her mailbox.

I loved reading it so much that I couldn't wait to do the same!

"Mom!  What'd you get?  Legos?"

"No honey, it's baking stuff"

"Oh, I thought maybe you ordered some legos for me."

"Nope, will you still help me open my package?"

"Sure!  That sounds like a great job!"

"Mom, are you sure its not a present for me?

It looks like a present in here....."

"No honey, no present."

 "These are those squeezy bottles you use, but they're baby ones!

Oh, they're so cute!"

"Arrrrrrgh!"

"Don't you already have these?"

"I know buddy...I always need more."

"What's in here?"

"MORE COOKIE CUTTERS!!!"

"Look Jack, its the Eiffel Tower in France..."

"Are you sure?  I thought it was a shooter thingy..."

"Mom I think this shoe would fit me its so BIG!"

"I like this one best....what is it?"

"It's a hot air balloon!"

"Look!  I made a store!"

"Where are you goin' buddy?"

"Can I be done taking pictures now?"

"Of course honey, go have fun, thanks for your help!"

"You're welcome mom.  But next time I hope there's legos!"

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Royal Icing Recipe, Step-by-Step!

Lately, I've been getting a lot of emails asking about my cookie icing.

I always use Royal Icing for my cookies,

 and although there are many resources out there to help, 

I thought it was about time I put together my own post for you all!

This is the recipe I use.

Yes....I did write the recipe directly onto the top of the container I keep 

the meringue powder in, with a permanent marker.

It's one less thing I have to remember.

ROYAL ICING

6 TBSP Meringue Powder

11-12 TBSP Water (3/4 of a cup)

2-3 tsp flavoring (vanilla, almond....whatever floats your boat)

1 TBSP light corn syrup

  Just so we're clear....I did not make up this recipe, 

I have no idea who did, or I would happily give them credit.

It's very close to the Wilton recipe.

There is a recipe out there called Antonia74,  

I've never actually looked it up, but it could be the same too.

This just happens to be how I put it together!

Here we go!

CK products happens to be the meringue powder I prefer.


Wilton also sells meringue powder that is easy to find at

Michaels, JoAnn's, Wal-Mart etc.

I measure out 3/4 cup of water in a glass measuring cup.  

If the air is very dry, like 'your hair keeps flying up with static electricity' dry, 

I'll add another tablespoon of water.

If its damp or foggy or about to rain, I take away a tablespoon.

Highly scientific...I know.

I stir up the meringue powder a bit with a little bitty whisk,

then measure out 6 TBSPS and dump it into the water.

Whisk it up until its frothy and all the powder has dissolved.

Then....I wait.

I answer a few emails, read a blog or two, 

watch the housewives of who-knows-where

wash the dishes, fold the laundry.

Next, I pour a two pound bag of powdered sugar into the 

bowl of my stand mixer.

Stir it around a bit with a whisk.

If you're feeling super industrious you could sift it.

I'm not usually in that kind of mood.

By now the meringue powder has been sitting 

for about 10 minutes or so.

One more quick stir with the whisk and it goes through

a fine mesh strainer into the sugar.

Right before mixing I add the corn syrup and flavoring.

The corn syrup adds a little bit of shine and cuts down on the 

'tooth-breaking' hardness of the icing when its dry.

The flavoring adds......well, flavor.

That's everything!

No secret ingredients!

I do have a favorite secret tool though.

I love my beater blade.

The silicone edges mean I don't have to EVER 

scrape down the sides of the bowl

EVER!!!!!

They have no idea who I am, nor did they give me anything for saying this.

I just really love mine...

So, the only thing left is to turn on the mixer!!!

After a couple of seconds on 'stir' to make sure all the sugar is wet,

I turn it to 3 and leave it on for about 5 minutes.

In some kitchens, it takes 3 minutes, some others, as many as 10.

Mostly, I've found, its important to be patient and not turn the mixer up too high.

Your icing can become gritty and have many, many air bubbles.

Air bubbles are bad for smooth cookie icing.

Keep checking and turn it off as soon as you get a peak.

Can you see those two peaks up there?

One is pointy and sticking up, the other is pointy but flopped over.

Just how I like it!!

One reader asked me if my icing was 'creamy'.

I wasn't sure at first, but I actually think that's a pretty good description.

Creamy and smooth, but still stiff.

From here its ready to be colored, wrapped and slipped into piping bags...

...or thinned down to flooding consistency and poured into squeeze bottles.

The other big question is usually 

"How do you store your icing?"

I really like these 20 oz disposable

 (but I use them over and over) ziploc containers.

They have an air tight seal and I can fit one batch of icing

into two containers perfectly!

I love that I can use half immediately and pop the other into the fridge!

One last tip.....

This stuff dries like concrete.

Be sure to leave the beater in your mixing bowl,

give it a couple of squirts of dish soap,

 and fill in to the top with hot water.

Nothing is more miserable to clean than a bowl of rock hard icing.

Except maybe decorating tips filled with rock hard icing.

Ick.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

  PSST!......Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!!!

Giveaway closed....congrats Brooksley!