Tie Dye T-shirts for the 4th

We thought we'd try tie dye as our first big project of the summer. Here's the tutorial:

1. Choose an all cotton t-shirt that has been washed and dried without any fabric softener.

2. Place a marble behind both thicknesses of the fabric and wrap a rubberband around it tightly.

3. Prepare your dye bath following the directions on the box of RIT. You will need salt, water, a container to hold lots of hot water, plastic gloves and a stick to move the dye around.

4. Place the t-shirt in the dye bath. Set timer for 30 minutes. Move t-shirt around periodically so it is submerged.

5. When timer goes off, ring shirt out and rinse in warm water in the sink. Eventually, you can turn the water to cool and then cold until the water runs clear.

6. Wash the t-shirt by itself on warm with soap in the washing machine.

7. Dry in the dryer by itself.

Writing Milestones . About My First Grader . Reading and Language . PBS Parents | PBS

Writing Milestones . About My First Grader . Reading and Language . PBS Parents | PBS

It's Time to Eat Locally. Here's what's in season now for Southern CAlifornia:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Basil
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard
• Cherries
• Collards
• Cucumber
• Dates (Medjool)
• Grapefruit
• Green Beans
• Green Onion
• Green Peas
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Kumquats
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Mushroom
• Mustard
• Navel Orange
• Nectarines
• Passion Fruit
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Tangelos
• Tangerines
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

And here are mine...

Black and White Cupcake Inspiration

homemade mango chutney

A Boushell and a Peck

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_mango_chutney/

A number of you have requested the cheese ball recipe. The nice thing about it is that you can blend it in Cuisenart for a dip or you can make it into 3 nice size cheese balls and freeze for future use. It does not stay as garlicky but it is still very tasty. Here's my doctored up recipe for Matha Stewart's Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball:

Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball
Serves 12 to 20

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup any chutney- I use a whole jar of Trader Joe’s mango chutney
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, white and pale-green parts
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1+ cup coarsely chopped pecans
Thinly sliced Granny Smith apple, for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chutney, scallions, and garlic.

Stir until well blended.

Add Colby and Monterey Jack cheese, and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. (don't skip this part)

Form into a lg. ball or 3 smaller one's, and roll ball in pecans.

Garnish with apple, and serve. Keeps well.

Tastes even better after a day or so.