by | August 24, 2011 · 8:21 am

Compound Butter {fresh summer herbs and jam}

I absolutely love making compound butter throughout the year.  It is so incredibly easy to do and makes eating toast, biscuits or just plain bread so much more fun.  I recently hosted a girls night at my house and served warm crusty bread with a trio of summer fresh compound butter.

I made Strawberry Basil Butter by adding a few teaspoons of chopped fresh basil and 1-2 Tbsp of fresh strawberry jam to 1/2 cup softened butter.

Next up was a Fresh Herb Butter.  I grabbed whatever herbs I had on hand in my garden, chopped them up and mixed them with 1/2 cup softened butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Lastly I made a Cinnamon Honey Butter by adding a few dashes of cinnamon and 1-2 Tbsp of fresh honey to 1/2 cup of softened butter.

I then lined 3 ramekins with saran wrap and placed each of the butters into their own container.  I refrigerated until hard, then removed and plated.  They were so easy to make and everyone raved about them.

What I love the most is that the possibilities are endless!  Sweet or savory, you really can’t go wrong.

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by | August 22, 2011 · 9:42 am

Meet Baby Will!



William Christopher
Born August 12th, 2011 at 4:18 am
8lb 6oz and 22″ long

Meet Will, the newest member of the HAP family! Both Will and I are doing great so far!

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by | August 19, 2011 · 8:06 am

{obsessed with} Big Round Balloons

Maybe I am just a kid at heart, but I really cannot get enough of these big round balloons I keep seeing around the web. I am not sure if it is the huge burst of color against the sky, the laughable size in comparison to the person holding it or the way it can beautifully and simply fill up a space.

Photo via Far Out Brussel Sprout

Photo via Flowkery

Photo via Weddingspot UK

I recently used a few of these three-foot balloons at the Pink and Gray Sweet Celebration I styled this summer. They were a hit with kids and adults alike!

All of this inspired me to try them out on my own kid. My sister and I attempted to be professional photographers this week with our 18 month olds. The toddler/balloon situation did not go as swimmingly as hoped, but we were still able to capture a few adorable photos of our own.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, you can get these balloons at Bartz’s Party Stores. I’ve also seen them for sale online at i luv sugar and Shop Sweet Lulu.

If you have a creative way you have used big balloons, we’d love to hear from you!

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by | August 17, 2011 · 8:43 am

Simple Bread Pudding

The other morning we made one of my favorite breakfasts, Orange Scented french toast with Nutella.  My daughter loves when I use cookie cutters to make this delicious breakfast, but we are always left with lots of crust scraps.

Sometimes I will use them to make bread crumbs, but I wanted to try something new. So I decided to whip up a simple bread pudding, and it was such a treat!

Simple Bread Pudding

About 6-7 slices of day-old bread
¼ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter, softened
4 Tbsp Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8 inch baking dish. Tear bread into bite sized pieces and place into the buttered pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Then, slowly whisk in the melted butter.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread making sure each piece is covered with the mixture.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the vanilla glaze by mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
Eat the bread pudding warm and drizzle with the vanilla glaze.

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by | August 12, 2011 · 8:08 am

{Farmer’s Market} Patty Pan Penne

Ahhh. Garden season is upon us. Sure it was fun to plant the garden and watch it grow, but it is so much more fun to reap the delicious benefits. I was delighted last week when I harvested my first four red, juicy Roma tomatoes from my garden. I’m also enjoying the fruit (or vegetables) of other people’s hard labor, aka, the farmer’s market. I adore the look of the little yellow patty pan squash. So I picked up some patty pan and leeks and got to work on what I believe is one of the most flavorful pasta dishes I have ever made.

Patty Pan Penne
1 C whole wheat penne
1 lb patty pan squash
4 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 large heirloom or other variety of large tomato)
2 leeks, washed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C unsalted butter
sea salt
cracked black pepper
2 oz goat cheese

In a medium sauce pan, boil water. Add penne, cook al dente, about 8 minutes.

Wash and slice the ends of the patty pan squash. If they are large, you can cut them in halves or quarters. Heat a large skillet on medium high. Add butter until melted. Add garlic, saute for one minute, moving constantly to avoid burning. Add patty pan squash, season with salt and pepper. Simmer until softened, approximately 10 minutes. Add leeks, saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and penne, cook for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and place pasta in serving bowl. Crumble goat cheese over the top of the pasta, season with salt and pepper and toss.

These patty pan squash are nice hearty replacement to meat. If you can’t find patty pan, you can use a regular zucchini, just reduce the cooking time as regular zucchini heats through much more quickly.

I hope you enjoy! What are you making with your farmer’s market and fresh garden produce?

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by | August 10, 2011 · 8:22 am

Creamy Chicken Roll Ups

I ate these delicious bundles growing up and they have recently become a comfort food staple in our family.  The recipe uses store bought crescent rolls that are wrapped around a creamy chicken filling. They are incredibly easy to make and you can add a variety of different ingredients to jazz them up, if you would like.

Creamy Chicken Roll Ups

2 Cans Big and Fluffy Crescent Rolls
2 cups shredded chicken
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350.  In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese with the chicken and the milk.  Set aside.

Unroll your crescent rolls.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the  larger end of the roll.  Fold in the corners and roll, leaving no open spaces for the filling to escape.  Place on a baking sheet.  Continue these steps until you have run out of filling.  I usually make about 8 roll ups.

Brush each roll with a small amount of water and sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

I love the flavor of these just as they are, but if you would like to add a little more of a kick, try adding walnuts, chopped sun dried tomatoes or a few tablespoons of pesto.  It is hard to mess these up, so get as creative as you like!

The filling is incredibly easy to make, but I sometimes will whip up a big batch of the filling over the weekend and then will freeze it into portions that will make about 4 rolls each, just enough for my family.  Then, all I need to do is thaw the filling and grab my crescent rolls.  Can’t get any easier than that!

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by | August 8, 2011 · 8:02 am

{Haute Pie} Peanut Butter Banana Whoopie Pies

This month I’m mixing up the haute pie with whoopie pies, which of course are more cookie than pie but just as delish. Maybe because I’m peanut butter addict or maybe just be because it sounded fun, I was really feeling the classic Elvis-inspired combo of peanut butter, banana and honey this weekend. So I paired an improvised version of my mom’s banana bread with fluffy peanut butter-honey buttercream frosting to get these sweet, salty and super moist little gems. I think “The King” would approve.

Peanut Butter, Banana & Honey Whoopie Pies
Banana Cakes
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C butter
1/4 C shortening
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 C milk
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a glass measuring cup, measure milk and add lemon juice. Mixture will curdle slightly. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, shortening and sugars until fluffy. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Next, alternately beat in dry mixture and milk until batter is well combined.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop even size balls of batter onto a cookie sheet. For smaller pies, only fill scoop half way with batter. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Peanut Butter-Honey Frosting
1/2 C butter, softened
2 1/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C peanut butter
3 tsp honey
1 Tbsp half & half

In a large bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Beat in peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Beat in honey. Spread frosting onto bottom of one banana pie and top with second pie.


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by | August 5, 2011 · 7:49 am

Pink & Gray Sweet Celebration

Growing up, I was not much of a girly girl. My room was always red and black, I had Michael Jordan and Sammy Sosa posters hanging on my wall and pink was not in my wardrobe. As I’ve grown older, pink has snuck itself into my bold colored world. This summer, I was delighted to be hired to throw a beautiful celebration in honor of little Harper Grace. Immediately, I had visions of pink and gray, soft, summery colors and textures with little girly touches. I fell in love with this party and everything girly and I am very excited to share it with you today!

We created a pink candy buffet using rock candy, gumballs, salt water taffy, ribbon candy and lollipops. Guests were also able to take home miniature glass milk bottles filled with pink M&Ms.

Large round gray balloons tied with pink ribbon adorned the entrance to the walkway, which was lined with little white lanterns and pink candles.

Summer floral centerpieces with green hydrangea and pink roses sat atop the tables, alternating with hurricane vases filled with clear glass rock and pink candles.

Guests were able to enjoy the outdoors in wooden Adirondack chairs topped with pink and white polka dot pillows.

A pink and gray Harper Grace pendant banner looped with pink gingham ribbon hung above the sweets table.

Guests enjoyed mini cupcakes from Milwaukee Cupcake Company with flavors including: White Chocolate Raspberry, Pink Champagne and Chocolate Dipped Strawberry.

Guests were able to take their goodies home in translucent pink take out boxes detailed with a monogram sticker to match the invitation and decor.

Guests were also able to enjoy and take home monogrammed sugar cookies.

Even the bathrooms came complete with matching signs for the rest of the party, hung with pink and white polka dot ribbon.

Napkins were tied together with thin polka dot ribbon and a monogram tag.

What a beautiful day it was! A special thanks to Kate at The Home Market and to Milwaukee Cupcake Company, Canopies and Locker’s Florist.

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by | August 3, 2011 · 9:49 am

Coconut Ice Cream Boulders with Hot Fudge Sauce

Summer is the perfect time to host outdoor dinner parties, but not the perfect time to turn on your oven.  Meals on the grill are a no brainer, but dessert can be a little trickier.  This is my go to summer dessert.  The coconut covered ice cream balls and fudge can be made in advance.  All you need to do is plate the ice cream, heat up the fudge and pour on top.



Coconut Ice Cream Boulders with Hot Fudge Sauce

1 gallon vanilla ice cream
4 cups sweetened coconut
velvety hot fudge sauce
whipped cream and strawberries for garnish

Begin by toasting your coconut either in a pan on your stove or in the oven spread out on a baking sheet.  Cook it very slowly on a low heat (or about 300 degrees) and check often to ensure it doesn’t burn.  Remove from pan when it is lightly brown and toasted.

Scoop out about 1 cup of ice cream with an ice cream scoop.  Mold it into a ball using your hands – think making a snow ball without mittens – it is cold!  Place your finished ice cream balls in the freezer to harden.  Make 6 balls, or as many as you need.

Once they have had a chance to harden, remove them from the freezer and roll in the toasted coconut.  Completely coat each ice cream ball and put back in the freezer.  I like to place each one in an individual baggie or wrap it in saran wrap.

Now, whip up some of the velvety hot fudge sauce and try not to eat it all before your guests arrive.  If you are making the fudge in advance, store it in the fridge and then just reheat when you are ready to use.

Place each Ice Cream Ball on a plate and smother with the hot fudge.

Garnish with a strawberry and whipped cream.

Coconut not your thing?  Try rolling the ice cream in your favorite crushed candy bar or toasted and chopped pecans.  Get as creative as you like with this simple recipe!

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by | August 1, 2011 · 8:05 am

Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

The hubs is in the peak of summer fishing season, which means salmon and trout are abundant at our house. Most of the time we end up grilling or baking our fish, which is easy, tasty and healthy but since I’ve only got days to weeks (please let it be days!) left of semi-guilt-free eating I’m going to indulge a bit.

These salmon patties are based on a crab cake recipe, which gives them the same rich flavors. You could probably bake them to make them a bit healthier but I haven’t tried it yet.  I serve them with chipotle mayo – which I could (and do) eat on just about anything!crab cake style salmon patty

Salmon Patty Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
3/4 lb salmon, skinned, de-boned and chopped into small cubes
1/4 C mayo
3-4 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
3 green onions, chopped
handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C flour
1 C panko breadcrumbs + 2 tsp Old Bay
vegetable oil

Remove any bones or skin from salmon filets and chop into small cubes. Do not use a food processor as it will turn the salmon to mush. A fine chop will help the patties stay together and still keep the texture you want. Add to a medium bowl. Gently mix in green onions, mayo and bread crumbs and combine until salmon cubes are well coated. Mix in Old Bay, parsley, salt and pepper until spices are worked through mixture. Form mixture into hamburger-sized patties, about 1/3-1/2 inch thick.

Create a breading station with a shallow bowl, containing beaten eggs, and two plates. Pour flour onto one plate and breadcrumbs onto the second. Season breadcrumbs with extra Old Bay, salt and pepper. Carefully dip each patty in flour, then egg wash, then breadcrumbs and transfer to a clean plate. In a cast iron pan or deep skillet, add a thin layer of vegetable oil. Oil should not be any deeper than about 1/3 the thickness of your patties. Heat oil until hot. Test by flicking a small bit of water in it – hot oil will bubble and pop. Turn down to med-high heat and cook for about 4-6 minutes per side, or until salmon is cooked through to an opaque pale pink color.  Remove patties from oil and pat off excess oil with paper towels.  Serve immediately.

Chipotle Mayo
1/4 tsp chipotle powder or 1-2 minced chipotle peppers in adobo
3/4 C mayo
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lime juice
pinch kosher salt

For chipotle mayo, in a small bowl mix mayo, chipotle powder or minced peppers, garlic, lime juice and salt. Add more chipotle or lime to taste to adjust heat level.

chipotle mayo

Serve patties with a spread of chipotle mayo and lettuce on buns. Serve additional mayo for dipping if desired.

salmon burger

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