Gluten Free Dessert & GIVEAWAY!

 I love lemon bars. 

They are a light and refreshing dessert that reminds me of my childhood. The past year and a half I've been gluten free due to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and have been on a quest to find fantastic gluten free food ever since.

I particularly like this recipe that I altered to make  my own and not to mention low cal. My husband who is not gluten free even agrees he can't taste a difference. 

Therefore, You don't have to be gluten free to enjoy this recipe!

Without further ado here it is...

Lemon Dream Bars

-1c. I Can't Believe its Not Butter  (I use it cuz its dairy free)

-2c. Bob's Red Mill {gluten free} flour

-4 eggs ( I use an egg substitute)

-2c. sugar (Splenda)

-1/2c. powdered sugar

-3 tbs. cornstarch

-1/4c. lemon or key lime juice (I like both!)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. prepare a 13x9 pan by covering with foil.

Mix flour with softened flour. add 1/2 of powdered sugar and blend well with a fork. Press this mixture into the bottom of your pan and bake for 20 min. or until a LIGHT golden brown.

Remove from oven and prepare filling.***

Place eggs, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and mix with a whip until blended. Make sure there are no lumps from cornstarch. add lemon juice, stir and pour directly over the crust and return to oven. Bake for 15 min. If the top is white and "dry" remove from oven. let cool for 15 min. and sprinkle on powdered sugar. cut and serve.

The great thing about this recipe, using my substitutes, it only has 136 calories in one serving. There is approx. 18 servings.

Yummy!

If you are interested in cooking gluten {and/or dairy free} this is your chance to win a cookbook that has FABULOUS recipes!

This cookbook is a must to add to your shelf & nowadays, its likely that you know someone with gluten or dairy issues...with this cookbook you can prepare a delicious dish they {and you} will enjoy!


There are a couple of ways to enter the giveaway:
1. Become a follower (We LOVE our followers:)
AND
2. Leave a comment that you are following The Paisley Cupcake.
3. Leave a separate comment about this post.. whether its questions about being gluten free, about someone you know that has food allergies or recipes that I can alter to be gluten free {and possibly feature here!}
OR
if you possibly cant think of anything related tell me your fav. cupcake! We LOVE cupcakes hence, the title of our blog.


I will answer all comments as well as announce the random winner in my next post.
Deadline to enter is August 5th, 2010...so enter now!
I look forward to hearing from all of you...and GOOD LUCK!

-Amanda

Image via: http://www.recipematcher.com/index.php/recipe/show/Best-Lemon-Bars



We link to THESE parties 

Straw leis

Before I get started, I just want to announce that I have a new grandchild!!! My second grandson and 3rd grandchild was born this week. We are so excited to have him finally here!! I'm sure I'll be posting pictures and stories in the weeks and months to come!

Now to the post...

Everyone knows that visitors to Hawaii are often greeted with a lei. What you might not know, is that there are many other occasions when leis are not only appropriate, they are almost mandated. We give them on birthdays, graduations, speaking engagements, retirements, promotions, mission farewells, special church meetings, homecomings, departures, after athletic events... you name it - any time someone is singled out, recognized or congratulated for any reason, he or she will be draped with leis by the end of the event. See my daughter and her boyfriend at their graduation a few years ago...

Frequently the leis are made from fresh flowers, but just as often, they will be handmade from other materials, including shells, beads, pearls, paper, candy, even money. Here is one type of lei you can make for your next Hawaiian themed party, birthday, Aloha shirt Friday etc.

To make this lei, you will need:

• one ball of eyelash yarn (I used Lion Brand Fun Fur)
• worsted weight yarn in a matching or contrasting color (you won't need a full skein)
• 3 drinking straws
• 1/8" ribbon in a coordinating color (may substitute worsted weight yarn)
• 3/8" ribbon - you'll need about 12 inches
• 2 kukui nuts or large wooden beads
• craft wire

To begin, snip a small slit in one end of each of the drinking straws.

Then, measure out your ribbon (which will hold your lei together). You want three pieces that are each twice as long as your finished lei will be. Using the craft wire, thread the ribbon through the straws

and secure the end of the loop through the slit in the end of the straw like this:

Attach both types of yarn to one of the straws with a slip knot.

Then you will wrap the two strands of yarn around the straws, holding the yarn like this

pulling them into a knot like this

Wrap around the straw 3 times, then continue on the next straw, and the next wrapping each straw three times like this:

Continue wrapping around until the straws are full, then push the whole lot down onto the ribbons. Make sure you leave a little bit on the straw

then continue to wrap and push . If you need to set the project down to take care of something else, don't worry, it will be fine.

When your lei is the length you desire (or when all your yarn is used up...) slip the ends of the ribbon off the straws

And sew on a 6 inch piece of 3/8" ribbon for a tie on each end, trimming up the ends of the dangling ribbons. Slip the kukui nut or bead onto the tie and tie a knot to hold it on.

Trim the ends of the ribbon so they won't fray, then tie the ends together and you are done.

Inspired By Others #3

So, I love to keep an eye on the craft-blog world and when I see fabulous ideas...

I must make them mine!

Ruffles and Stuff has a super easy tute' on how to make bow-ties, and since I have a lovely {little} man who loves to accessorize... I made him one in every color! (okay, not EVERY color. Getting there) 

And of course he wears them to church!

I chopped off all those curls today... :(  

Have you seen the appliqued onesies over at Crap I've Made? Who doesn't {L-O-V-E} Wonder-Under?! 

My favorite is the iris. So sweet!

I shared this on Char's flickr group, and...










So exciting!

I am stoked to announce that we have added a flickr group at The Paisley Cupcake, and now if you fall in love and follow one of our tutorials, you can add it to our flickr page, and from time to time we'll share our faves! So please, share your musical art, your round bread, your baby tag toys and snake neckties! We'd LOVE to see them! Go here to link...

<3 AmberLou

I shared this at a few of these parties

Art That Will Make You Sing.

I have a beautiful, antique piano that I like LOVE to play. There is nothing better {in my mind} than sitting down and expressing whatever Im feeling on the piano keys. 

However, there is one tiny problem.

My piano is a little bare. Usually, you walk into someone's home that has a piano and its covered with pictures and/or decor....I got nothing!

So I decided to change that and made a canvas {masterpiece!} haha.

To make your own canvas artwork you will need:

-3 6x12 stretched canvas

-5 pages of vellum [I used sand colored to make it look antiqu-ey]

-Mod Podge & paint brush

-Scissors to trim paper.

-decorative hinges

First thing to do is find some sheet music preferably with no words and print it onto your vellum. If it doesnt take all 5 pages, make an extra copy. (the paper only cover 3/4 of the canvas so you will be trimming the pages and matching it up on the bottom...hence, extra copies)

note: If you wanted to put this on a bookcase you could copy pages out of a book...I suggest Jane Austen:)

Next, pour Mod Podge on your blank canvas {as shown} and spread it around, even on the sides, with your paint brush.

 Then line up your vellum where you want it and press to the canvas and sides. [Vellum isn't as bendy so you may want to try using onion paper...which I couldnt find at our local stores.]

I liked the vellum because you have more colors to choose from and the way it bubbled made it look like old sheet music.

After you stick your paper to the canvas add Mod Podge to the top and smear around once more. It will create creases {which I wanted} but if you want it smooth...BE GENTLE!

Let it dry.

Then you will want to trim the edges if they hang over too far.

After that, using a screwdriver, screw in the hinges where you would like them.

You can set on top of your piano {or bookcase} and it looks like an open hymn book or even hang it on your wall.

easy as pie...and almost fool proof!

Dont judge by the pictures...I did it with my crappy camera phone!!! 

Happy Thursday!

-Amanda

We Participate in THESE parties!

Wordless Wednesday

Daily Hike









Take a peek at Noel's Wordless Wednesday at...
A Sari-Sari Life - Hawaiian Style

I have linked to...
Angry Julie Monday
Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer
5 Minutes for Mom

A Large Frame! What to do?

So I have a problem...

I rec'd this frame for a gift (sorry gift giver to out your generosity). It is intended to be a collage of photos, but a collage doesn't interest me, due to my lack of coordinating photos. I really do want to incorporate it somehow into my home, I'm just lacking the wisdom of how to do so.

It measures 18 x 30 inches and the frame itself is very nice. But I cannot decide what to do with it. SO, I want our readers help. Please give me ideas, suggestions or even pictures of what you have done with such a frame. Your suggestions could leave the frame vertical or turn it horizontal. It can, but doesn't have to include paint,vinyl lettering etc. I have given this a great deal of thought but I need more inspiration! This is why I come to you all, because you all inspire me in tremendous ways.



You can submit your ideas as a comment or if you want to send a photo, email me at paisleycupcake@gmail.com.

In a future post, I will show the end result and some of your inspiring ideas (unless you request I don't feature you, but don't be too shy).

Get your wheels turning ladies. Thanks for your help.
Happy Crafting!
~jan



I have linked to...
A Few of My Favorite Things --It's A Blog Party --The DIY Showoff--11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven--Sumo's Sweet Stuff--Between Naps on the Porch--Trendy Treehouse--Sugar Bee Craft Edition--A Silly Little Sparrow--Coastal Charm--New Nostalgia--Today's creative blog--It's so very Cheri--Lucky Starlane--Tales from Bloggeritaville--Beyond the Picket Fence--