Did you want to be paid in cash, check or french fries?

Oh how the ice got to me this winter! (Which surprises me a little because we didn't have snow days as late as we did last year) Last Friday I did a very quick session with a paid model. You may think that she is the film star from "Ramona and Beezus", but this kid works for peanuts (or in this case, french fries). We ran around and caught the spots I've been drooling over, than picked up some fries and took them to the park by the airport. I love that park. It is away from the road, do it is quiet, but is fun to sit back, talk, and watch the planes practice taking off.

Welcome Back, Spring.







Want these beautiful blossoms for yourself? Call now to take advantage of this fabulous color~

Best,

Michelle

My Friday Gift to you...

This morning I woke up and made a flakey, warm breakfast for the kids:



English Royalty Chocolate Chip Scones

Using good quality chocolate (Ghirardelli double chocolate chips) chopped into smaller bits, cool butter that isn't completely mixed into the dough, combined with the subtle orange from the juice are the keys to making these tasty little Bad Boys. And if you happen to eat a few chips as you make them...well...you know calories don't count if you are standing while you eat them.

The Recipe:

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tablespoons of chilled and cubed butter*
1/2 cup Ghiradelli double chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix in chopped butter (see note below), then chocolate chips. Add orange juice and work it in just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Hand form it into a circle on parchment lined cookie sheet. It should be about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut it into 12 pieces (like a pizza) and then move them out a bit so they each have some space. Don't we all need a little space sometimes? Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees or until the edges become golden.



*I took a stick of butter from my fridge, put it on the cutting board with my large chef knife and cut it into long strips. By adding some of the dry ingredients to the butter as I started to chop it up, it stopped the butter from sticking together. By the end, the butter was in basically uniform little chunks the size of lentils. I think I read somewhere that when the butter is still in little clumps, it gives it that flaky pastry texture.

I'm back and loving my town...

Spring has sprung and today I hung out with my family at a community event hosted by Princeton University. With volunteers and local sponsors, they filled the Dillon Gym with fun (free) activities for families.

Princyclopedia 2011 brings to life The Lightning Thief

Ice sculptures rock! My kids thought it was so cool to be able to touch it. We loved talking about the process with the artists there. Did you know that they have to shake the ice while it is freezing to make it so clear? By the time the blocks are done, they shave off the top 12 inches of white ice (where the bubbles have accumulated) and the rest is like glass.





Volunteers dressed up and mingled with the crowds. Isn't she pretty?



Shoot the Minotaur! (They also had a math teacher you could shoot. We had to remind our kids that the math teacher in the Percy Jackson books was really a monster...no really)



My girls' favorite stop was the dress ups provided by PrincetonKIDS.com Yea, it's a girl thing.




My husband and I go here...a lot. They may get their own blog post.




Another daughter making a shield. I was proud of her, no flowers for her, man, she made a mace with spikes. Yeah!



I want to feature more Princeton Area businesses that either support our community or I have had a good experience with. Having my own business has taught me just how tricky it is to be a small business owner. I have great respect for those that make it work. These businesses often provide jobs for our friends and neighbors and they pay taxes that we all benefit from.

I really love Princeton and hope that you feel fantastic when you choose local businesses. (I'll be stepping down off my soap box now)

For ice sculpture (Hey, you never know when your summer camp needs a totally cool demo)

www.sculptediceworks.com

To find other fun stuff for your family:
www.princetonkids.com
www.princetontots.com
www.princetonfamilies.com