out and about: concerts in the couryard, dogwash and top chef:the tour

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I hope to be poolside for much of the weekend, but I may venture out to do the following:

Concerts in the Courtyard at CAM.  The Contemportary Art Museum is hosting electronica band performances this Saturday as part of the St. Louis Arts Project conference.  Come hear live music and interact with the bands.  A $10 donation is suggested.

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Dogwash.  For 10 bucks, Pets in the City will hose down your dog this Sunday.  All proceeds go to support families in Joplin. 

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Bike St. Louis City Tour. Explore St. Louis with other cyclists and bike lovers this Sunday afternoon.  $8 for Trailnet members, $13 for non-members and $3 for kids.

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Chicago, the Musical comes to the Muny!  Some seating is free, and tickets run from $10-$70.  Bring fan and lots of water, as this outdoor theater gets very toasty!

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Top Chef: The Tour comes to Soulard Farmer's market with demonstrations from former contestants at 10:30, noon and 1:30 on Saturday.  The event is free, but seats are on a first come, first served basis.

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Sell Your Sh*t Sunday.  Stop by the Handlebar to buy wares from people all over the city.  If you're looking to sell your wares, clear it with their contact person here first.



lip-smackin' good: baseball cookie pops

I made these cookie pops last month for a baseball-themed birthday party.  They were part of a goodie bag that each guest received.  The cookies were a hit, and if you read on, you can make them easily.

Ingredients

- cookie dough (I really like this recipe)

- lollipop sticks

- frosting (if you want to make your own, this one is easy and delicious. I used it here.)

- food coloring

- small, clear plastic bags--to wrap the cookie pops and for icing piping purposes (say that 5 times fast!)

- ribbon

Directions

1. Preheat oven 

2. Form 1/2 inch balls of dough. 

3. Spear the dough with your lollipop stick, so that the top of the stick is at the center of the dough ball. 

4. Place the uncooked pop on a cookie sheet.  The dough ball will cook into a circle.

5. Most sugar cookies bake for 8-10 minutes. 

6. Let cookies cool.  

7. Spread white icing onto the cookie pops, forming a circle out of icing on the top of each cookie.

8. Mix red food coloring and a small portion of your icing in a small bowl. 

9. Scoop icing into clear plastic bag and cut the tip of one of the bag's bottom corners.

10. Draw the stitching on each of the cookies, using the red icing.

11. Repeat steps 8 & 9, using black icing. 

12.  Write your message on each of the baseballs, using the black icing.

13.  Let icing on cookies harden a bit before wrapping each cookie in a small, clear plastic bag.

14.  Tie each of the bags to the lollipop sticks using ribbon.

15.  Share and enjoy your baseball cookie pops!

I make mistakes so you don't have to:

My first attempt at these pops resulted in gargantuan cookie pops that expanded almost exponentially in the oven and stuck to each other.  lovely.  My advice is to stick to the 1/2 inch balls of dough and increase incrementally if you want bigger pops.  I also painstackingly rolled out the dough and used circular cookie cutters.  While this did eventually result in small and proportional cookies, it is kind of bothersome and unnecessary if you're just going to make a simple circle shape.  The dough ball method works. I have subsequently tried it, and the cookie pops look just as round as the ones I made using cookie cutters.

scenes from a weekend spent gardening, thrifting, lounging

clockwise from top left: happy dusty, another flower from my garden, lamps for my new place, poolside fun, grilling out, thrifted bar cart waiting for some DIY love

The weekend was the perfect combo of  relaxation and productivity, friend time and solo moments, hanging around the apartment and stepping out in the city.  Next week, I'm moving down the road to slightly larger digs so I was able to pack up most of my current apartment and find a few things on my list for the new place.

Hope your weekend was just what you needed, too!

out and about in st. louis: margaret cho, a sustainable backyard tour and more

one of the photographs in Danziger's Transformations exhibit
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St. Louis has a number of things going on this weekend sure to satisfy most everyone.

 For those intrigued by all things post-Apocalyptic:
Avery Danziger imagines what familiar scenes would look like in a world without people in the exhibit, Transformations.  The exhibit runs through August 5th at the Atrium Gallery. 

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For the socially-conscious humor appreciator:
Margaret Cho will perform twice at Lumiere Place Casino and Hotel on June 23rd.  Shows are at 8:00 and 9:30.

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For the local music aficionado:
STL Loud 4 Showcase release show at the PRIDEFEST this weekend in Tower Grove Park.  Previously unrelased tracks by St. Louis-based artists have been compiled this fourth volume, aptly titled "Pride for Our City" designed to showcase local talent.  The show will include performances by the Big Brother Thunder and the Masterblasters, Jump Starts, and Union Electric among others.

Jeri Villarreal and her sustainable backyard
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For the HGTV watcher/greenthumb hopeful/sustainability aspirant:
The Sustainable Backyard Tour on Sunday takes you on a journey through the backyards of over 50 St. Louisians who have committed to making their outdoor spaces green.  See rainwater collection systems in action, observe the lives of urban chickens and admire lush vegetable gardens in the backyards of your sustainable neighbors.  The tour is free, but you must preregister.

Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

etsy finds: summer wreaths

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A wreath can brigthen up any door, and make guests feel welcome before they even ring your doorbell.  Above are some of my favorite wreaths for summer, and many pictured would work year-round.

fourth of july party ideas

Whether you're going to a party or hosting your own, these treats and decorations are sure to be a hit with everyone:

1. Red and White Berry Trifle
2. Caprese Salad Kabobs
3. American Flag Berry Pie
4. Patriotic Brownie Skewers
5. Preppy Red and Blue Napkin Rings
6. Fourth of July Wreath
7. Balloon Fireworks
8. Star Sidewalk Chalk

What are you doing for the 4th of July?

girls' night out

ingredients for this successful girls' night out:

• 5 fun friends
• 1 birthday surprise
• a complimentary appetizer and free dessert for our birthday girl from our flirty waiter
• 2 chocolate chip cookie sundae desserts and 5 forks
• movie tickets to Hysteria
• 1 large blanket for the freezing movie theater, shared by 3
• 1 karaoke dive
• 4 brave souls belting their hearts out to "Stop in the Name of Love" and "I Want You to Want Me"