Tag: red white and blue

Memorial Day Poem

On By naomimgruerIn Contemplation, Poems, WritingLeave a comment

I’m re-posting this poem, a prayer, from last Memorial Day with an added line.

In this year,

an historic year

of a global pandemic,

economic and educational disparities,

racial and religious hatred,

ideological and political divides,

innocence and freedom terrorized,

and our beautiful, irreplaceable earth

in deep trouble,

remember those who have served our country

and those who still do,

sons and daughters

whose families long to embrace them

and welcome them home.

Amen.

Flower Box Flag, Hudson River Park
Flags fly at Liberty State Park.
Flags in front of the American Legion post.
Liberty State Park, NJ
Liberation Monument by Natan Rappaport
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American Flag-Inspired Cupcakes and Cookies, Re-Post

On By naomimgruerIn Hand-Made, Kids' Activites, Parties, RecipesLeave a comment

Hostess gifts idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. Wrap them in cellophane for a pretty presentation.
DIY Hostess gift idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. Wrap them in cellophane for a pretty presentation.

Hon, you know what I like about a holiday besides spending time with family and friends?

 The built-in theme!

One of my daughters and I had fun taking the American flag colors to the extreme.  We baked red, white and blue sugar cookies and cupcakes.  Click here for sugar cookie and Royal Icing recipes.  My daughter decorated with flags while I tried my hand at tie dye effects. I used a toothpick to “drag” two or three icing colors from the center out, then swirled with the toothpick to create a tie dye look.

Patriotic Cookies
Patriotic Cookies.

Tie Dye effect.
Tie Dye effect.

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.

Coloring on cookies.
Coloring on cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________

Baking Day continued with red, white and blue cupcakes. 

We were inspired by Ziploc Bag’s Patriotic Piped Tri-Colored Cupcakes, but they turned out to be more challenging than they looked.  So, we abandoned our pastry bags and spooned the colored batter into baking cups.  The result?  Still patriotic, fun and delicious.

*Tip:  Wear plastic gloves because colored batter is messy and stains.

1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.
1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.

2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl vanilla.
2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl plain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________

3. Transfer three bowls of batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored strips.
3. Spoon batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored stripes.

 

 

4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags at all.
4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags.

 

 

_________________________________________________________

5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.
5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.

 

Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.
Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________

6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.
6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.

American Flag Fun!
American Flag Fun!

American Flag-Inspired Cupcakes and Cookies

On By naomimgruerIn Hand-Made, Parties, Recipes1 Comment

Hostess gifts idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. Wrap them in cellophane for a pretty presentation.
DIY Hostess gift idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. These funky melamine dishes are from SEED387. Wrap cookies in cellophane for a pretty presentation.

Need a patriotic-themed kid activity? Or are you in the mood to bake? Either way, enjoy this re-post.

Hon, you know what I like about a holiday besides spending time with family and friends?

 The built-in theme!

One of my daughters and I had fun taking the American flag colors to the extreme.  We baked red, white and blue sugar cookies and cupcakes.  Click here for sugar cookie and Royal Icing recipes.  My daughter decorated with flags while I tried my hand at tie dye effects. I used a toothpick to “drag” two or three icing colors from the center out, then swirled with the toothpick to create a tie dye look.

Patriotic Cookies
Patriotic Cookies.

Tie Dye effect.
Tie Dye effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.

Coloring on cookies.
Coloring on cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

Baking Day continued with red, white and blue cupcakes. 

We were inspired by Ziploc Bag’s Patriotic Piped Tri-Colored Cupcakes, but they turned out to be more challenging than they looked.  So, we abandoned our pastry bags and spooned the colored batter into baking cups.  The result?  Still patriotic, fun and delicious.

*Tip:  Wear plastic gloves because colored batter is messy and stains.

1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.
1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.

2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl vanilla.
2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl plain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________

3. Transfer three bowls of batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored strips.
3. Spoon batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored stripes.

 

 

4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags at all.
4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.
5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.

 

Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.
Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.
6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.

American Flag Fun!
American Flag Fun!

American Flag-Inspired Cupcakes and Cookies

On By naomimgruerIn Hand-Made, Kids' Activites, Parties, Recipes7 Comments

Hostess gifts idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. Wrap them in cellophane for a pretty presentation.
DIY Hostess gift idea: Bring dessert on a dish the hostess can keep. I bought these funky melamine dishes from SEED387. Wrap them in cellophane for a pretty presentation.

Hon, you know what I like about a holiday besides spending time with family and friends?

 The built-in theme!

One of my daughters and I had fun taking the American flag colors to the extreme.  We baked red, white and blue sugar cookies and cupcakes.  Click here for sugar cookie and Royal Icing recipes.  My daughter decorated with flags while I tried my hand at tie dye effects. I used a toothpick to “drag” two or three icing colors from the center out, then swirled with the toothpick to create a tie dye look.

Patriotic Cookies
Patriotic Cookies.

Tie Dye effect.
Tie Dye effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.

Coloring on cookies.
Coloring on cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

Baking Day continued with red, white and blue cupcakes. 

We were inspired by Ziploc Bag’s Patriotic Piped Tri-Colored Cupcakes, but they turned out to be more challenging than they looked.  So, we abandoned our pastry bags and spooned the colored batter into baking cups.  The result?  Still patriotic, fun and delicious.

*Tip:  Wear plastic gloves because colored batter is messy and stains.

1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.
1. Start with boxed cake mix. Separate batter into three bowls.

2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl vanilla.
2. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue to another, leaving the third bowl plain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________

3. Transfer three bowls of batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored strips.
3. Spoon batter into three pastry bags (or Ziploc bags) OR skip this step and spoon colored batter into baking cups one at a time in colored stripes.

 

 

4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags at all.
4. Seal pastry bags or Ziploc bags OR skip this step if not using bags.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.
5. Tape bags together so batter can be piped at once OR skip this step.

 

Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.
Tri-colored cupcakes after baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.
6. Frost and decorate cupcakes. We used store-bought icing.

American Flag Fun!
American Flag Fun!