Lemon Cake Roll

Ingredients                                     

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• FILLING:
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

• Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper. Grease the paper; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs for 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar; beat for 2 minutes or until mixture becomes thick and lemon-colored. Stir in water. Combine dry ingredients; fold into egg mixture. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, egg, water and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature.

Unroll cake; spread filling evenly over cake to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up again. Place seam side down on a serving platter. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Recipe compliments of http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Lemon-Cake-Roll 

No Bake Cake Truffles

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup yellow cake mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 Tablespoons milk
• 2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

• 16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)
• 4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix
• sprinkles

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla.  Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished. {Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted chocolate, just leave it by itself}

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

 Recipe from: The Girl Who Ate Everything    

The Beauty of Nail Art

Ever since 3,000 B.C., Egyptian, women used henna to dye their fingers and nails red to both signify their status in the social strata and to beautify their appearance.   In China, they used a mixture of crushed or mashed flowers like orchids and roses to extract their colors.  The Incas decorated their fingernails with pictures of eagles, but it is unclear how the practice of coloring nails progressed following these beginnings.

Nail art began to advance in modern society, beginning in the 19th century.  In 1830, the orange wood stick was developed in Europe and this began to modernize the process for manicuring the nail. 

 

Polishing fingernails is by far, not what it used to be.  Thousands of nail styling salons have been popping up across the nation within the last decade performing stunningly glamorous artwork.  Applications are available in a full range of shapes and colors and in most instances using stickers, freehand drawing or airbrushing over stencils to achieve a certain design. 

There is no limit to creativity as women combine a unique look to compliment their individual fashion style.  If you want an easy and affordable way to jazz up your outfit, look no further than a bottle of nail polish, glitzy colors, and some magnificent artwork.  Some ideas can truly be way over the top, but the styles I've added here within this post, I've found to be truly unique and beautiful.