by | July 8, 2011 · 7:51 am

She Said Oui!: A Parisian Bridal Shower

My cousin Jim and his high school sweetheart Jenny are tying the knot this September. It was our families’ honor to throw Jenny a shower. Jim proposed in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, so a French-themed bridal shower was a no brainer. Held at Retro Bistro, a wonderful French restaurant in Mt. Prospect, IL, we sipped on Kir Royales (champagne and Chambord) and dined on delicious French cuisine.

French-themed items along with pictures of the couple were placed on the gift table as guests walked in.

Slender Eiffel Tower vases in purple, black and green with simple callalilies adorned the table, atop Parisian paper and alongside dishes of Champagne flavored candies.

Guests were given a variety of scents of Eiffel Tower bottles of lotion, placed at each place setting at the table, along with a name card to match the invitation.

Each guest was asked to choose a card out of a pile once seated for lunch. Written on each card were different French terms, phrases and places. Throughout the course of the shower, the hosts would pick a card from the box and read it aloud. If your card was read, you were able to choose a Parisian prize.

If I do say so myself, this shower was magnifique! An early congrats to Jim and Jenny, we look forward to the big wedding celebration this fall!

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by | July 6, 2011 · 8:29 am

Potato and Bacon Pizza with Garlic Cream Sauce

It is no secret that I love to experiment with pizza.  I can’t get enough of trying different flavor combinations and changing them up until I find just the right one.  I made this pizza last week and my husband declared it the best pizza I have ever made.  And I must admit, it was pretty good.  It seems strange at first to put potato on a pizza, but the flavor was out of this world.


Potato and Bacon Pizza with Garlic Cream Sauce

Enough pizza dough for one large pizza or 1 pre-baked crust, such as Boboli.
3/4 cup homemade garlic cream sauce or jarred Alfredo sauce
1 large potato peeled and very thinly sliced
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skilled, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and cook sliced potatoes for about 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked through.  Removed from heat and set aside.

Roll out your pizza dough and spread on a thin layer of garlic cream sauce.  Add a layer of cheese, followed by the cooked potatoes.  Layer on another thin layer of cheese and bake your pizza according to the directions on your pizza dough.

Remove the pizza and sprinkle with the cooked and crumbled bacon.

Slice, eat and enjoy!

Check out my other favorite, goat cheese, apple and pine nut pizza.

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by | July 5, 2011 · 7:49 am

Lemon Lavender Cupcakes

I’ve had several requests lately for the Lemon Lavender Cupcakes that I made for my sister’s recent lovebirds themed bridal shower. So today, by popular demand, I’m sharing the recipe! The cupcakes have layers of subtle, fresh flavors that work perfectly for a shower or party.  Enjoy!
lemon lavender cupcakes

Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcakes
1 1/2 C self-rising flour
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (1 lg lemon)
2/3 C fresh squeezed lemon juice (3-5 lemons)
1/3 C half and half

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flours in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla and lemon zest. Juice lemons. Begin with the flours and alternately add one-third of the flours and half of the lemon juice beating well after each addition. Add final third of flour and beat well. Beat in half and half. Spoon mixture into lined muffin pans, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes for large cupcakes or 15-17 minutes for standard cupcakes. Let cool completely.

Lavender Frosting
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temp!)
4 Tbsp butter (room temp!)
3+ C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp half and half
2-3 Tbsp flour (if needed)
3-4 Tbsp Lavender Simple Syrup

Lavender Simple Syrup
1 Tbsp dried lavender flowers
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C water

In a small sauce pan, combine sugar and water and bring to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add lavender and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Strain liquid into a small bowl to remove lavender and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until well combined. Beat in vanilla and 2 Tbsp simple syrup. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time until mixture is moderately sweet. Add 1-2 more Tbsp simple syrup. Beat in additional powdered sugar if mixture is not sweet enough or half and half to get a creamier consistency. To thicken, add more powdered sugar or a few Tbsp flour and beat well. Lavender flavor will be subtle. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with dried lavender flowers.
lemon lavender cupcake

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by | July 1, 2011 · 7:46 am

{4th of July} Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

When it comes to celebrating the 4th of July, a frosty adult beverage is a must. Nothing says land of the free and home of the brave like this fresh strawberry “ame-rita.” My family and I recently went strawberry picking at Polzin Farm in Cedarburg. We got a bit over zealous and found ourselves with over nine pounds of strawberries when it was all said and done. These strawberries don’t even resemble what you buy in the grocery store. They are bright red and bursting with juices.

Make this strawberry margarita for your BBQ or parade watching this weekend. With a little festive garnish, you re-create this Mexican treat into an old American favorite.

Fresh Strawberry Margarita

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 C. tequila
1/4 C. sugar
juice of 2 limes
approx. 10 ice cubes
5-6 mint leaves, chopped (optional)
Fresh strawberries and blueberries for garnish

In a blender, puree strawberries, tequila, lime juice and sugar until smooth. Add ice and blend. Mix in mint. Pour and serve.

Looking for other goodies to cook up for your 4th of July BBQ? Try some of these HAP favorites!

Wishing you a safe and wonderful holiday weekend! What are you eating this 4th of July?

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by | June 29, 2011 · 8:53 am

Cream Cheese Frosting

This cream cheese frosting recipe is probably my number one requested recipe.  It blends a traditional butter cream frosting with a cream cheese frosting to create an icing that is rich and creamy but not overly surgery.  It tastes good on just about anything, but I especially love it on simple vanilla cake.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz brick of cream cheese, softened

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4-6 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 Tbsp milk

Start by blending the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add a few cups of powdered sugar one at a time and blend after each addition.  Add the vanilla and the milk and blend again.  Finally, add the rest of the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you reach the consistency that you desire.

Don’t forget to taste as you go in order to get the right amount of sweetness for your liking!

 

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by | June 27, 2011 · 7:49 am

Iced Tea Mojitos

After an exhausting weekend filled with nursery painting, basement renovations and yard work, all I really wanted was a mojito. Or a cold beer. *sigh* Oh, the woes of pregnancy.

Thankfully I was introduced to iced tea mojitos, or faux-jitos if you will, while on vacation in Florida a few months ago and have been recreating them ever since. At first I was a little suspect of the flavor combo but it’s a solid substitute for the real thing and a refreshing alternative to the ultra sweet, non-alcoholic cocktail options that you’re usually offered if you’re pregnant or don’t drink. I plan on keeping them in my summer beverage lineup long after the baby arrives!
iced tea mojito

Non-Alcoholic Iced Tea Mojito
handful fresh mint leaves
1 lime, sliced into 4 quarters
1 Tbsp lime juice (or juice from 1/4 of a lime)
3 tsp sugar
5-6 ice cubes
5 oz unsweetened iced tea
2 oz seltzer water

Add mint leaves, sugar and lime juice to a pint glass. Use a muddler to muddle the ingredients together until mint leaves are mashed and sugar dissolves. Add ice cubes. Pour iced tea over iced cubes. Squeeze in juice from two more lime quarters and toss quarters into the glass. Add seltzer. Mix well with a stir stick or spoon. Garnish with extra mint leaves and remaining lime quarter.

NOTE: You could make them alcoholic by substituting 2 oz of white rum for 1 oz of seltzer and 1 oz of iced tea.

non-alcoholic mojito

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by | June 24, 2011 · 8:08 am

{Before & After} Guest Stand

When my grandma came across this old buffet stand that had been in her basement from the previous owners when she bought her house some 30 years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to take it home and give it some love. I struggled for some time with where to put it and how I wanted it to look, but I couldn’t be happier with the results. We got rid of some old college furniture that had been cluttering our guest room and added this piece as a “guest stand.” Filled with towels, toiletries and a few of my favorite reads for our out-of-town guests, it makes the perfect accent to the room.

Using similar techniques to Katie’s dresser refinishing, I sanded and primed to create the perfect canvas.

I used Martha Stewart Winters Day and Lagoon colored paint in an eggshell finish and replaced the rusted old knobs with some flowered glass knobs from Anthropologie.

I found this beautiful little vase in the clearance bin at Anthropologie when I was searching for the knobs and fell in love with it. Filled with whatever flowers I pick up at the grocery store or the farmer’s market, it brings a little life into the room. I covered an old bulletin board in some fabric and strung jute to make a picture line topped with old wooden clothespins so our guests (mostly grandparents) can marvel at our little man.

I wanted to line the shelves with some shelf paper and had a horrible time finding shelf paper that didn’t look like it belonged in a 1970’s kitchen cabinet. Enter Chic Shelf Paper. This website has loads of lovely designs and will even cut the pieces to the size you need.

So, voila!  A fun summer project that has brightened up our poor neglected guest room. My next plan is to paint the headboard in Lagoon. Stay tuned!

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by | June 22, 2011 · 8:57 am

{Haute Pie} Classic Blueberry Pie

This blueberry pie recipe was passed down from my grandmother.  It is such a simple, basic recipe that creates the most delicious pie.  I make it every year when blueberries are in season and it is always gone within days at my house.  Many people believe that making a pie is so complicated, but this recipe proves that it really is simple as…well…pie!

Blueberry pie

4 cups fresh blueberries
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
5-6 Tbsp flour
top and bottom pie crust – either store bought or homemade

Wash your blueberries and lay them out to dry.  You want them to be dry before you start your pie so you don’t add too much unnecessary moisture.

Place your blueberries in a large bowl and coat with lemon juice.  In a small bowl, mix the sugar and flour.  Pour the flour mixture over the blueberries and gently mix, being careful not to mash up any blueberries.  (For the best results, let the blueberries sit like this for about an hour to give the sugar some time to work its magic)

Preheat oven to 425.  Place bottom crust in a pie plate, add blueberry mixture and cover with top crust.  Crimp the edges and cut slits to vent.

Cook the pie for 25-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the blueberries are bubbling.

Let cool slightly before cutting.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

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by | June 21, 2011 · 9:15 am

{Featured} Foodie Fave on Cornflake Dreams

I’m so excited to be featured today by the lovely Jillian over at Cornflake Dreams blog in her “Foodie Fave” column! Jillian’s blog is full of chic inspiration for everything from food to fashion to travel (plus she’s a fellow Marquette grad!) so it’s an honor to be hanging out in such fabulous company.

I had the hardest time picking my favorites from the recipes I’ve posted here on HAP so head over to see more of what I chose and to check out the rest of Cornflake Dreams!
cornflake dreams blog

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by | June 20, 2011 · 8:11 am

{In the Garden} Peonies

Just thinking about peonies makes me swoon. I’m a sucker for any fresh flowers but these huge frilly blooms are my favorite. Mine usually make their big appearance at the end of May or beginning of June but with this year’s cold spring they’ve just finally arrived.
heirloom peonies

Telling Stories with Flowers
They were the first plants I put in when we bought our house, with its then non-existent landscaping. I’ve since packed five peony plants into my small city backyard but those first two were heirloom variety plants that have been in my family for five generations. You don’t usually think of plants as family heirlooms but it’s such a fun and beautiful way to keep the spirit of a family going.

Since peonies played a starring role at my wedding, my third peony was a wedding gift that blooms every year around our anniversary. As nice as china and colanders are, plants can be a gift for a special occasion that really can keep giving.

pink peonies

Transferring Peonies
As with most perennials, the best way to grow peonies is by dividing and transferring them from an existing plant from a friend or family member, like my heirloom varieties. Not only is this free (!) but it’s the fastest way to get large lush plants with lots of flowers.

You want to transfer them in early fall so that the root systems can establish before spring. Use your hands to separate out a section of an existing plant and then use a straight spade to carefully make a clean cut through the plant base. Dig deep to get all of the roots out and transfer as soon as possible to the new location. Examine your new plant to locate the “eyes” of the peony (see here).  They will be 1-2 inch pinkish sections at the bottom of the stalks just above the root base or 1-2 inch pinkish cones sprouting from the root base.  When you place the plant in the ground, leave about 1 inch of the eyes showing above ground.  Cover the rest firmly with soil.  Water well.

Do you love or hate peonies?  Do you have a special plant story? Please share!

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