Phew!  With Grace now back in preschool, some end of summer events, and our always growing project list, we have been going nonstop this past week.  Nevertheless, I was feeling inspired (by Nienie, here) to throw together a quick back-to-school dinner/celebration for the girls.  I had just a couple hours to put something together so it wasn’t a big to-do, but it involved the necessities:  homemade strawberry lemonade, crowns, and cupcakes.  That, and a well-balanced dinner, were just enough to put the girls over the moon.

I used Cricut to make the crowns, cupcake liners, and cutesy owl and deer toppers.  To frost the cupcakes, I used one of my tried and true easy frosting tricks – Pastry Pride.  This is a non-dairy dessert topping that you can buy from cake supply stores.  It comes in quart-size cartons and I keep a supply in my freezer.  Then, when I need a quick batch of frosting, I thaw a carton out, whip up the amount I need (don’t overwhip), and I’m ready to go!  It’s great for spreading out smoothly and also for piping swirls, borders, and dots; it isn’t the best frosting for a lot of detail.  Frosted cakes and treats need to stay refrigerated.  The texture and flavor is similar to whipped cream, not too sweet, and really light and yummy.