I'm in Paris! Guest Post # 4 - Samantha from Of Madness and I!

Hey there LOAC readers!
My name is Samantha and I blog over at Madness And I and I have been lucky enough to be able to do a little guest post for Jules, while she is away in Paris!!!

Jules is so very lucky to be away in Paris right now and I am so very jealous!!! Her recent posts about her trip have made me yearn to travel and now all I can think about is travelling!!! I've travelled quite a bit for my age, but there are so many more places I want to go! Here are a few places that I'm dying to visit!


Paris, of course! I've dreamt about going for years and years and years.

Stockholm, Sweden! It's such a beautiful place with such an interesting culture.

Vienna! It's just so beautiful!

Prague! I don't know all that much about Prague, but I'd love to learn and I would love to visit!

Bern, Switzerland. Another place that is just so very beautiful and so very intriguing.

Edinburgh, Scotland! I have never considered Scotland as a place I'd love to go, but recently I have been doing more research and found some beautiful photos and now I really want to visit!

Egypt! Ah, Egypt!!! I have loved Egypt since I was a little girl, and I loved learning about it's unique culture. This is another place I have dreamed about visiting!!!

Seoul, South Korea! Recently I have been learning a lot about South Korea, and eating a lot of Korean food (YUM!) and I would love to visit there someday!

Manhattan! NYC has been the number one place I have wanted to travel to for as long as I can remember. It is so beautiful and magical and I can't wait till I get the chance to travel there.

Manhattan in 1964! I might've said that NYC was the number one place that I'd love to visit, but one other place tops it. If I could travel anywhere, and if time travel were possible, I would love to visit New York in the 60s. Sure, it's a fairly lofty goal, but I keep it on my list because it really would be the greatest!

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Thanks for having me Jules! I hope she is having the most amazing time in Paris and I can't wait to see heaps and heaps of photos when she comes back!

I'm in Paris! Guest Post # 2 - Caroline from The Old Country Blog!

About The Old Country Blog 

As a recent journalist and National Geographic oral historian, Caroline has a passion for both writing and history.  She also loves to bake and was lucky to have grown up very close with both of her grandmothers. Thus, the creation The Old Country Blog! 

My German grandmother (who married a tall, dark and handsome Lebanese man) told rich stories about the old countries — food was often a major plot point. And, as a New Orleanian, she was raised on great food and immersed in Louisiana's unique way of life. 

Every Wednesday, The Old Country Blog serves up a new recipe with a side of history or a fun tradition.

The Long Life of the Cupcake

While individually sized cakes, baked in ramekins and molds are scattered throughout culinary history, the original cupcake dates back to 19th century America.  

E. Leslie’s 1828 cookbook, “Receipts” concocted the first cupcake. The petite cake saved time in the kitchen — large cakes take longer to cook through — and changed baking forever. 

The treats were called cupcakes not only for the individual serving, but also because they were often bakes in cups, many in teacups. And the darling nature of this process was not unnoticed,  The name Fairy Cakes was coined because of the dessert’s dainty size and charm — fit for a fairy.  In England, Fairy Cake is still a proper term for personal cakes, though they often have less icing and vary in size.  

Cupcakes reached a new level of popularity just after WWII, when packaged brands hit the market. The cupcake craze has only increased with boutique pastry shops and an infinite number of flavors — including my most recent kitchen experiment, Strawberry Jalapeño with Buttercream Lime Icing. 

For more info on Cupcake History: 

http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/learning.htm#history 

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#cupcakes 

Cupcake Recipe 

Strawberry Jalapeño Cupcakes

·       3/4 cup strawberries

·       1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

·       1/4 cup milk, room temperature

·       1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·       1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

·       1 cup sugar

·       1 large egg and 2 large egg whites, room temperature

·       candied jalapeños*

Before we get started.  Here is how I candied the jalapeños …

-       12 slices of jalapeños from a jar

-       Pinch of salt

-       3T vinegar

-       ¼ cup sugar

Bring sugar, salt and vinegar to a boil. 

Add jalapeño and simmer for six minutes. 

AFTER THE STRAWBERRY IS PUREED, puree the candied jalapeños.

Set aside.

OK now back to the batter …

Puree strawberries.  Then, pour them in a bowl milk and vanilla, set aside.  

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, slowly add in eggs.

Slowly blend in milk mixture. Then dry ingredients.

Before totally mixed, blend in candied jalapeños.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 in lined cupcake pan. 

Allow to cool and add icing. 

Buttercream Lime Icing 

1 cup unsalted butter, softened  

3 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt – I may have sprinkled a tad more, to taste

1 tablespoon flavoring extract (Arak; but since it is scarce almond can work)

3.5 T lime juice

Mix it up. (If too runny, add more sugar. If too thick, add a splash of milk.)

Decorate! I topped mine with lime and strawberry slices. 

I'm in Paris! Guest Post # 3 - Toni from Lemon Freckles!

Blog // Instagram

Lucille Ball
August 6th 1911 - April 26th 1989

Lucille Ball, who is best known for her leading role in I Love Lucy, was an American actress, model, comedienne and executive and still to this day she is seen as one of America's most loved.  

Lucille back in 1948 who was already a movie star, co-founded Desilu productions (which she later took over after the divorce) and started I Love Lucy when she was forty years old, showing age wasn't an issue for this gorgeous lady.

Although I don't believe the show I Love Lucy was created to be a massive feminist statement, I do believe it accidentally stumbled into that territory by being such a unique sitcom with the leading role being played by a woman.  Lucille had a hand in writing, editing and directing the show and so was absolutely instrumental in shaping Lucy's character, who was soon to become televisions first female comedian character.  

Lucille was the first openly pregnant actress who ever preformed on television and refused to hide her pregnancy on the show, she was the first public example of a pregnant woman who continued working despite the limitations pregnancy can bring.  

I think it was a bit of a combination of both Lucille and her character Lucy that made her such a fantastic inspiration for women.  Lucy was a woman who refused to give up on her dreams, no matter what limitations others may have seemed to put on her due to her gender and it seemed Lucille was the same, being one of the first women to publicly show maybe we can have children and lead a incredible career.

I'm in Paris! Guest Post #1 - Melyssa from The Nectar Collective! :)

Hello all you lovely cupcakes! My name is Melyssa and I blog over at The Nectar Collective. I am a California girl who has been living in Japan (now in Tokyo!) for about two years. My site, The Nectar Collective, is all about how to spread and ignite your creativity, positivity, and sense of adventure. I tell it like it is and do my best to push people to be their best, everyday. My corgi, Monja, also makes some guest appearances (he's got some interesting stories to tell!). Today, I'm so excited to join you on Jules' adorable blog to share both my love of DIY crafts and making my house a more positive place to live with this "DIY Positivity Garland." It's easy to make and is already adding so much happiness to my bedroom. I hope it inspires you to do the same for your space. Let's get started with the tutorial, shall we?

Supplies

- Paper (card stock is best)

- Pen/marker

- Fake flowers (I got mine from the dollar store!)

- Twine or another type of stringe

- Tape

- Scissors

Step 1: Cut circles out of your paper (I used a jar to trace them with, but imperfection is beautiful, too!). On each circle, write a positive phrase or piece of motivation. A lot of mine are just reminders to make me the best person I can be. :)

Step 2: Tape each circle and your flowers to your twine or string. I used washi tape, but any tape should work! Before taping, I laid out the whole string on the floor and evenly spaced out my circles and flowers so I knew how close they should be in order for everything to fit. I also included a flower for every three circles, but it's totally up to you!

Step 3: Hang it! I used tacks to pin it up...easy peasy!

Was that as easy as you were expecting? I hope so! It was really meditative to make my circles of positive phrases since each phrase means something to me. I love this project because it's personal and therefore extra motivating. Not to mention, my bedroom finally has some spring touches to it! Thanks so much for joining me here today - it's been such a pleasure sharing one of my projects with you all. I hope to hear from you soon over at The Nectar Collective. Keep spreading the cute, the positive, and the...you! Have a bright day, friends. :)

Off to Paris I go!

[ xo ]

Hello, Beautiful!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Tonight I am heading to Paris! Words cannot express how excited I am. I will arrive 9:30am tomorrow (Paris time) a driver is picking me up at the airport and then taking me to Pete! I can't wait to see him. I know we will have an amazing time, and I can assure you all that there will be A LOT of Paris blog posts once I'm home. Have a great week and please pop by my blog to see some guest posts! :)

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Also, today is a sad day. On this day 13 years ago I lost my Dad. I still think about him every single day and miss him so much. He's made me who I am today, and I will live life in a happy and positive way forever in his honour. He is still such a huge and special part of my life.

Today and always I miss him with all my heart. Daddy's girl forever.

♥

So long my loves! Have an amazing week.

GO LEAFS GO!