I recently threw a bridal shower for my very near and dear friend Crystal in my mom's back yard. The theme was "backyard bash" complete with plenty of lemonade and pie. It was so much fun to plan (I love creating cohesive environments) and even more fun to be a part of as we got to celebrate Crystal and her future union with her fiance Sean. So without further ado, or too many words, here is the shower, here is Crystal and here are the recipes I used for the pies and lemonades.
We begin our journey the day before the shower, during my mom and I's pie baking marathon...
Love the look my mom is giving the camera.
My mom makes the best pie crusts, have I ever mentioned that?
Isn't it puurty?
On to the shower...
So I made this glitter banner just by printing out some huge letters, cutting them out, gluing and glittering them and then stringing them on some fishing wire to hang in front of the fabric.
Time for pie!
For the pie toppers I just copied this clipart banner and typed in the words I wanted. Then I printed it onto some bone cardstock, cut and glued it to some coffee stir sticks.
Plus, all the pies had these flavor labels.
My mom and I made a Bluebarb (blueberry + rhubarb), Cherry Almond Crumble, Ginger Peach and and Apple. The recipes are linked to the names, of course we used my mom's bomb pie crust, not the ones in the recipes, as well as her apple pie filling so you can ask her for both if you are lucky enough to know her. The cherry is a compilation of this pie filling and this topping.
Mmmmm.... even more delicious with vanilla ice cream and Fleur De Sel Caramel on top. Of course, I had to try a piece of each!
I made the lemonade labels using this clipart image.
Ok, on to the rest of the party and the beautiful bride to be.
Hair tie party favors. Get it, "tying the knot???" So cheap to make to, you can make 20 ties for $1.50 worth of fold over elastic as opposed to $1.50 for 1 at some LA boutique.
Usually, I hate doilies (I'm not 80 after all nor am I a huge fan of the whole country chic thing) but they kinda worked with whole theme, so I taped the paper kind together to make a runner.
Crystal enjoying some 'ade.
Silly bow head.
And off she goes to get married!
Love you Crystal! And love all you readers for making it to the end of a very long post!
Hello to all my long lost readers! It's been so long and I apologize! Life has been a lot busier than normal, thanks to a new work venture that is incredible but takes up more of my time than my job does during the rest of the year. I am on a "Summer Project" with college students from all over the country back in my ol' stompin' grounds, LA. Well, Santa Monica to be more exact.
The sad part about it though is that I don't have a mixer, or any baking ingredients, or cake pans, or even measuring cups! So that means no baking for me until August! But fear-ye-not! There are plenty of sweet things to eat in Santa Monica that other people have baked or made, which is where my story begins...
Lemonade. Sweet, sour, yellow, a favorite from my childhood, but mostly a memory of times past...until now. Lemonade has revamped itself and taken on different shades of color and flavors and is once again claiming the throne of Summer from young children to your grandma. Where might you ask is this come back occurring? Lemonade eatery in Venice!
At Lemonade they are squeezing out all sorts of flavors like cucumber mint, blood orange, watermelon rosemary and peach ginger.
Not to mention, the iconic lemony liquid is not the only thing they have slapped a fresh coat of paint on, they are also reintroducing, in a oh-so-gourmet way, cafeteria style eating! That's right, when you get there you just grab a tray pick your sides and the pot roast of your choice and move on down the line.
My favorites thus far are their lima beans with shaved parmesan, brussels sprouts with shaved parmesan and balsamic and their harissa chicken with bulgur wheat and apricots. Yum!
Once you get to the end of the line make sure to pick up a dessert, the blondies are TA-STY!, and the lemonade of your choice. Really you can't go wrong with any of the flavors, but I particularly enjoy cucumber mint and peach ginger.
There it is! And don't worry, if you don't live near Santa Monica there are other locations in Brentwood, Downtown LA, Beverly Hills, inside the MOCA and coming soon.... Pasadena!
So go to Lemonade and relive the glory years of summer in a new, fresh and very exciting way. I'll join you if you want :)
I love Christmas; I don't think I need to explain why. I also love having friends, which also needs no explanation. But do allow me to explain why having a lot of great friends during Christmas puts me in a tough spot...
Without friends, Christmas would be lonely, boring and not quite as joyful. However, the more friends I have, the more Christmas gifts I want to buy, which I just don't have the budget for. I say want because I know I don't need to buy them all gifts, but I love giving gifts, and I think in a small way giving a gift says, "I love and value you." Call me crazy!
So that's where the DIY (do it yourself) gifts come into play. They are an affordable alternative to breaking the bank on your friends gifts, and they allow you to say just what you want to say with your gift, "I love and value you." And what says that better then your precious time and love poured into the gifts your giving. Well maybe an Ipad says more, but thats not gonna happen. Sorry friends :)
So this year I poured my love and time into making homemade hot cocoa and marshmallows. But not any old hot cocoa and marshmallows, I made "You Go Glen (Valrhona) Cocoa" mix and Cardamom Vanilla Bean Marshmallows. You may have picked up on my slight sassiness right there, if you've seen Mean Girls, you see why this is a hilarious name. If you haven't, then you should watch it, but in the meantime here is the scene I am referencing...
Although the name of my cocoa is a little silly, the chocolate flavor is drop dead serious. That's because I used Valrhona cocoa powder in the mix, which produces a very full chocolate taste, definitely not for the die hard Swiss Miss fans. Then again, if you are a die hard Swiss Miss fan you need to try some good chocolate.
The Cardamom Vanilla Bean Marshmallows are equally as tasty, but a little subtler in flavor. They are a perfect warm and light compliment to their darker counterpart.
I wrapped them all up in some wax paper and candy bags, tied them in some bakers twine I bought here and then finished them off with some free printable labels I found here and then edited a little.
Cute huh?! And it was easy! So if you need some last minute gifts for your friends and your low on dough, or if you just want to avoid the insanity of the mall, whip these up!
"You Go Glen (Valrhona) Cocoa" Mix
Ingredients
*makes one single serving bad of cocoa
2 Tbsp Valrhona cocoa powder (I got mine at Whole Foods)
3 Tbsp of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
Directions
1. Layer the ingredients into a clear candy bag. You can find these at Michael's. Tie off with some bakers twine and finish off with a cute label.
2. Include directions on the back using another label. For directions, see below.
1. Place the gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a medium bowl if using hand beaters, and pour 1/2 cup of the cold water over it. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of water, sugar, corn syrup and salt over medium-hi heat. Cover the mixture for the first 4 minutes, then remove the lid and place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and heat until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove it from the heat.
3. With the whisk attachment in place (or using hand beaters), turn the mixer on low speed and while it's running pour the hot syrup mixture down the side of the bowl slowly into the gelatin mixture. Once the syrup has all been added, add the vanilla extract and turn the mixture on hi and whip until the mixture is luke warm and very thick, about 8-10 minutes. Add the vanilla bean seeds and ground cardamom during the last minute of mixing. Below is a little tutorial of how to seed a vanilla bean.
Using a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Open up the sides using your fingers and use the blunt side of the knife to scrape all the seeds out.
4. While the mixture is whipping, prepare a 9 x13 baking dish. Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, spray the pan with with nonstick cooking spray, and coat the bottom and sides of the dish with the mixture. Pour the excess back in to the small bowl and save for later use.
5. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top using a spatula coated in cooking spray or a piece of plastic wrap coated in cooking spray. Dust the top with enough of the powdered sugar mixture to lightly coat it. Again, reserve any excess for later. Set aside the marshmallows to set for at least 4 hours.
5. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and use a pizza cutter to cut them to the size you want. Coat the sides of each marshmallows that had not previously been coated in the powdered sugar mixture and place in a tupperware. Marshmallows will store for 3 weeks.
6. To wrap, use wax paper and wrap 2 marshmallows like you would wrap a regular present. Tie the package up with bakers twin and secure with or knot or with a cute label from Creature Comforts.
7. Gift your mallow/cocoa packages to your friends. Just remember, "none for Gretchen Wieners, bye."
This will be a short post, but I had to get this recipe for mulled wine out there, because it is truly winter goodness in a cup. Let me set the scene for this drink... red wine, warmed, spiced, slightly sweet with a hint of citrus. So put on your favorite Christmas movie, snuggle up in a blanket next to a good friend or loved one and sip on some of this winter time goodness.
Ingredients
1 bottle cheap red wine
1 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
10 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
slice of orange peel
Directions
1. Put all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until it simmers.
2. Simmer on low (you don't want to cook out the alcohol) for 10 minutes, take off the heat, strain and serve warm.
If sugar runs through your veins this blog is for you. I am dedicated to researching, tasting, and reporting the tastiest treats this side of the Mississippi. Not to mention I have a knack for dessert novelties and curiosities with a dash of nostalgic reflection on the best and brightest treats of the past. So make sure and leave a trail of breadcrumbs because this is one dessert blog you will want to come back to again and again!
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