This n That ~ Good Intentions Gone Awry

Good morning, Yankee-Belle peeps!

Are you awake now?

No.

Okay, I'll have Ruthy put on another pot of coffee.

So how was your July 4th? Quiet? A day of celebration? Maybe you went to the lake or the beach. Did you cookout? 

Whatever the case, I hope you had fun and enjoyed your freedom to do those things in this great country of ours.

Like Jan, July is a month full of celebrations around our house. And the fourth wasn't simply a day to celebrate our independence, it was also my youngest grandson's birthday.

Elijah was one happy birthday boy. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he said, "Candles." 

Well, he got those, along with an entire day of food and fun.

Since it was a birthday, naturally, we had to have cupcakes. Complete with star-spangled sprinkles.

**TIP**  One of my pet peeves when using sprinkles is that they scatter. I find them on the counter, the floor... To remedy that, try setting the cupcakes inside of a baking pan. I was able to fit my cooling rack inside. Then, simply sprinkle away and let all those little wayward pieces land in the pan, instead of scattering all over your kitchen.

Whenever I post pictures of my cupcakes, some of you ask how I make them look so pretty.

Here's  the key.

It's a large star-type decorating tip. All you do is slip it into the narrow end of a decorating bag (If you're using a disposable bag, you have to snip the tip off first. I prefer the disposable ones, so I can just toss them when I'm done), fill your bag with your favorite frosting, twist the top to prevent the frosting from squirting out the back end and then squeeze the frosting onto the cupcake.

Looks like it took all day, but it's SO easy.

After hamburgers and brats, cake and presents, Elijah was ready to swim. 

Don't you love the way his big brother, Caden, photo-bombed the pic.

Elijah challenged his Uncle Ryan to a diving contest.

I'm not sure who the winner was.

While the boys swam, grammy cranked out some more treats.

Like Dutch oven cherry cobbler.

Originally, I had intended to show you every step of this tasty treat, but then I forgot to take pictures. 

I was making this in a cast iron Dutch oven, the kind with legs, that you put coals under and on top of. A cool process I wanted to show the grandboys.

First, I generously rubbed the inside of the pot with butter. Then I added two cans of cherry pie filling and spread that over the bottom. Next, I topped the filling with a package of yellow cake mix. Yep, just the dry stuff. Smooth that around, then cut up one stick of butter (the real stuff) and dot it over the top, like I've done here.

Then you put the lid on, set the pot over approximately 8 hot coals, then add another 19 on top of the lid and let it go for about 35 minutes. That's when the magic happens. 

Between the pie filling and the butter, you get this wonderfully golden crust on the top that is to die for.

This recipe is sometimes referred to a dump cake and can be made in the oven. Again, pour your pie filling into a buttered pan, oblong is fine, pour on the cake mix, add the butter and bake in a 375 oven for 30-35 minutes.

On this day, though, doing it outside and creating a little fun for the boys was the way to go.

And what goes better with warm cherry cobbler than ice cream? 

Why, homemade ice cream, of course,

Just another event I wanted to share with grands, who'd never had homemade ice cream before. 

I'll have to share this recipe some other time. Like when I make it again and have some pictures. Just suffice to say that it was relatively easy.

Time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

See those golden bits of crust mixed in with the cherries?

This is heaven in a bowl, I tell ya.

But all good things must come to an end. After a hard day of swimming, you just want to relax and check out your new toys.

The bonding time with Uncle Michael was an added bonus.

In this pic, Elijah is channeling his inner Superman and Ninja Turtles. 

And to think, this is only the beginning of July. We still have four more birthdays to go!

Now it's your turn. I want to hear about your Fourth festivities.