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.