Super Mario Birthday Party

As promised last week, here are the pictures from my son's Super Mario birthday party. Above is a picture of the cake that Aunt Susan made. She took inspiration from this cake.

Here's a close up of some images from the cake. All the figures were made with gum paste.

Decorations

I created images from the Super Mario game with poster board. The concept was for the yard to look like the actual game.

Fun & Games

I put my brother to work and had him paint the kids' faces with Super Mario Themed images.

Just like the game, I had gold coins everywhere. A week before the party I froze coins in a large ice-block. Everyday I would add some water and coins to a plastic tub I had in the freezer. I gave the kids toothbrushes and spoons to scrub and chip out the coins. The game was a big hit. Some kids sat there for a solid half hour trying to get the coins out.

I was kind of lazy this year when it came to the food, we ordered pizza instead of cooking. We ordered pizza from Zachary's Pizza which is a Chicago deep dish style pizza. Sorry there's no pictures. I must have been to busy eating at that time ;)

Upcycle Craft: Doll House Accessories

This project is so easy that I feel a little guilty calling it a craft. I made some doll house food canisters out of my empty saffron containers. Usually saffron comes in little plastic cases (pictured above).

To make the cases look like they're filled with goodies, find a picture online of candy, cookies, etc. Print out a small picture of the food. Roll the picture up and place inside the canister. Done.

Start playing in the kitchen!

Favorite Plum Tart Recipe

I wish I could take credit for this plum tart recipe but it's not mine. I found it a long time ago, well actually 1997 to be exact in an issue of Family Circle. I've been making it every year since I stumbled upon the recipe. Normally, I don't like to post recipes that have been published before but I think this one is worth sharing.

Plum Tart Recipe from Family Circle 8/5/97

Ingredients:
Almond Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup ground almonds - I've substituted pecans before but it tastes best with almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water

Plum Filling:
6 medium-size plums, pitted & sliced
1/2 cup sugar - I adjust this depending on how sweet the plums are. If the plums are tart, add more sugar.
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of salt

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare almond pastry: Combine flour, almonds, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water one tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together. Divide pastry in half. Place one half in the refrigerator for later.

3. Cover the inside of a 9" tart pan ( with removable bottom) with dough. Place tart pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.

4. Remove form freezer and line with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Cool on rack. Turn oven temperature to 350 degrees.

6. Prepare tart filling: Combine plums, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in bowl. Place filling in tart shell.

7. Roll remaining dough into a 9 inch circle. Cut dough into fourteen strips. Place seven strips vertically and seven strips horizontally to make a lattice top. Brush lattice top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. I've found that the edge of the tart darkens to quickly and usually tent it with foil about half way through.

9. Once done, remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Party Planning

It's that time of year again, birthday planning for a certain 6 year old (soon to be 7). This year we're having a Super Mario Brother's themed party. Above are the invitations I made. The concept for the invitations was to make them look like Mario and Luigi party hats. On the back of the hats are all the party details. Next week I'll be sharing pictures from the party.

Upcycle Craft: Doll Headbands

Today we've been making these headbands for my daughters' dolls. They're quick, easy and inexpensive to make. My 4 year old made the one in the picture above. Directions below.

Supplies:
Bottle cap ring from soda or water bottles
Rhinestone stickers - you can find these in the dollar section of Michaels
Optional - paint, glue, beads

Cut a section of the bottle cap ring off with scissors. Refer to picture.

Add some rhinestones onto the bottle cap ring. You might want to glue them on even if they're stickers. This will ensure they don't fall off later. You can also paint the headbands and glue different embellishments to them. Just use whatever you have around the house; that's my motto.

Done.

I put her in this patriotic outfit in honor of July 4th. This is one of the outfits my Mom used to have for her Barbies. I'm not sure if my Grandmother made it or if it was an outfit you could buy.

Hope you all have a Happy 4th of July!