50 is Nifty!

Happy Birthday Mom, you wear 50 well!

My small four person dinner party for my Mom quickly turned into ten people! One of those people was my Aunt who last minute decided to fly up from California to be with my Mom on her birthday! Lucky for me, she is great at entertaining and shared some fabulous appetizer ideas with me.

 This sounds a little odd, but I assure you it's pretty delicious. Sliced cucumber topped with  a mixture of Greek yogurt, chives, salt and pepper, then Salmon Lox and finally a thin sliver of Grapefruit. Somehow, all of the flavors complimented each other.

 Stuffed mushrooms, hummus, pita bread, veggies, pasta salad and my favorite...Baked Brie and apples.

 Yummy cupcakes!

 Sisters!

 Cheers to being 50

Happy Birthday Mom!

Chirp

A few weeks ago for my Mother-in-law's birthday, I finally got to use my our new china! 

I made fresh creamy pesto pasta and a salad. Yum!

When we registered for this set, Michael said he would never use it because it's "stupid" to have plates this expensive. He told me while we're using the nice china, he would be using a plastic Scooby Doo plate (where this was supposed to come from, I don't know). I am happy to report, he did in fact use this china, and everyone survived!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...part 2

 Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party

 Some of my favorite party tricks -


Candy Bar: I purchased fun vases from the Dollar Tree and filled them with pink and black candy, this can work for any type of party and it's easy to find candy of all different colors. On the table I also put packages of Ring Pops, perfect for a Bridal event.

 Photos and Flowers: An easy way to personalize a party for someone is by getting photos of them to put on display. Since this was a Bridal Shower I used pictures of the Bride and added some pink beads (which people could wear) and pink flowers to accent.

Sprinkled glass rims: This is something my Mom and I have been doing for years! It's the perfect way to add a little color to your party and it really looks like you went above and beyond with the details. You can slide a lemon across the rim of the glass or dip the top of the glass in honey (which would need to be poured on a plate so it's flat). Don't use too much of the honey will start dripping down the side. Sometimes it takes a couple tries to get it perfect.

We had lots of fun!

Cookie Decorating Party

I must  start out by saying that my cookie baking certainly did not go as I had planned. Luckily there were no tears, or no throwing of utensils (yes, I sometimes resort to those things when cooking/baking does not go my way). My mom was not home to relay our usual Sour Cream Cut-out cookie recipe, so I Googled it. Apparently, the recipe I found was not the same as the one my family uses. They tasted the same, but were not cookie cutter friendly. Thus, my cookies were simple circles, not fun pumpkins and scary bats. Luckily, we all survived.

I invited some of my favorite kiddos over to enjoy the festivities with me. Messy of course, but always entertaining.

 

We made fun Halloween Monsters out of pom-poms, pipe cleaners and googly eyes (I can't find my pictures of them).

Milk is a must when cookies and frosting are involved!

 Parker would make a Windows cookie

 Tessa has become a much better cookie froster than last year when her strategy was, "put one big glob of frosting on followed by a sampling of every sprinkle within reach. 

My mom decorated cookies with us every year as kids, and let me tell you - I now know what a HUGE mess she had to clean up each time. Yikes!

 We embarked on a walk after our cookie decorating madness. As you can imagine the kids had a lot of extra energy they needed to use up after I allowed them to "try" the frosting. To them try means GIANT spoon-full. So we explored and laughed and played...

I would say it was a success.

Simple Savory Breakfast

Yesterday I spent the morning taking a walk with my Mom, Daisy and Sampson. It was fun watching Sampson follow Daisy around, constantly pestering her. One of the many plus sides to owning a doggie is it motivates me to go on walks each morning and night. The exercise and fresh air have been wonderful for me.

After our walk we went back to my parents house for a fabulous, yet incredibly simple recipe. We have both made it several times before and it is perfect for one, and even better to make for a brunch or a big group of people.

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For breakfast we made Herb Baked Eggs from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

Ingredients
¼ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan cheese and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won’t be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It’s very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place two individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and ½ tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren’t cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread. 

Finished Product!

Tastes great anytime of yea,r but this hot savory breakfast seems even more delicious now that fall is here. We embellished the dish with sliced tomato from the garden and some ham! My mom also used herbs from her garden.

Mom's Day Madness!

This Mother's Day, Mike and I hosted for my side of the family, which proved to be most rewarding and a little chaotic. I tend to over-commit myself and end up stressing out when I entertain (although I must say, it always turns out spectacular)! Because of this lovely little fact about myself, I kept the menu very simple. BLTACs (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese), my Grandma's macaroni salad and fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream. If you ask my Brother, he would say he could have done without the whipped cream - only because I gave him the tedious job of whipping it.

We put a pretty table cloth on our table, and made the island look pretty. It's amazing what a $10 bouquet can do for a small space. By the way... If you ever want fresh flowers for an event, or just to add some color - you should drive out towards Boring. There are so many flower stands with beautiful bouquets for anywhere from $5 to $10. Such a steal, especially keeping in mind they are double or triple the size you can buy for that much at a grocery store. Sadly, it is no longer the most convenient option for me, and seeing as I am a chronic procrastinator...I settled for Freddy's selection.

 Obsessed with my Anthropologie bowls. The table cloth is from an antique store in Missouri.

 Grandma & Mom opening their much deserved Mother's Day gifts.

In the end, although our tiny kitchen was crowded...I think the day was a success! I even had some wonderful and experienced ladies help me load the dishwasher after!