February 15, 2011
95 & Sunny - Bottom's Up Designs
I was out with some girlfriends at Cooper's Hawk on Friday, and came across these adorable glasses. I love them! Amazing gift idea here! Below are some of my favorites, but check out more here!
February 9, 2011
Vineyard Vines Spring Catalog!!!
Guess who got a special surprise in her mailbox when she came home tonight?!?!
My main question is how much are they going after Lilly with this Palm Beach issue?? What happened to Martha's??
Some of my highlights from this collection:
Check Check Check... Check it out!
Valentine's Day Celebrations
What are you doing for the Annual Holiday?
If I had the time, I would totally have planned a party. Along those lines, I have some ideas below:
Appetizer
XoXo
If I had the time, I would totally have planned a party. Along those lines, I have some ideas below:
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| Such a beautiful setting especially with the red wine glasses! |
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| An easy centerpiece of red carnations & Hot Tamales :) |
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| Generally fun decorations... but I love the Pink Flamingo decorations |
To go along with some of these great ideas I have some great recipes I've found!
For Brunch:
Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes
- 8 Servings
- Prep: 45 min. + standing Cook: 20 min.
Ingredients
BATTER:- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
FILLING:- 1 cup (8 ounces) Mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 3 to 4 teaspoons minced fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
STRAWBERRY TOPPING:- 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon strawberry or vanilla extract
- Dash salt
- 4 teaspoons butter, divided
Directions
- In a blender, combine the batter ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, for filling, in a small bowl, combine the cheese, confectioners' sugar, basil and lemon juice. Gently fold in strawberries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- For topping, in a small bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, orange juice, extract and salt. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Melt 1 teaspoon butter in an 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour about 1/4 cup batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.
- Spoon filling over crepes; roll up. Serve with strawberry topping. Yield: 8 crepes.
Appetizer
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| Wonton Kisses Recipes |
- 24 Servings
- Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
Ingredients
- 24 milk chocolate kisses
- 24 wonton wrappers
- Oil for frying
- Confectioners' sugar
Directions
- Place a chocolate kiss in the center of a wonton wrapper. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.) Moisten edges with water; fold opposite corners together over candy kiss and press to seal. Repeat.
- In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. of oil to 375°. Fry wontons for 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 2 dozen.
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| Apple-Cherry Pork Chops |
- 2 Servings
- Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 5 ounces each)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2/3 cup apple juice
- 1 small red apple, sliced
- 2 tablespoons dried cherries or cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Directions
- Sprinkle pork chops with thyme and salt. In a large skillet, cook pork in oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
- In the same skillet, combine the apple juice, apple, cherries and onion. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into skillet. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over pork chops. Yield: 2 servings.
XoXo
February 7, 2011
Birthday weekend!
Picking up where I left off last week:
I forgot to tell ya'll I made cupcakes!!
It's the recipe from Magnolia bakery and I thought was reminiscent of snow and ice with seemed apropos. I've included the recipe below, however I would like to note that you should use the high end of the measurement for powder sugar as the actual recipe can be kind of liquidity depending on the consistency of the butter:
I forgot to tell ya'll I made cupcakes!!
It's the recipe from Magnolia bakery and I thought was reminiscent of snow and ice with seemed apropos. I've included the recipe below, however I would like to note that you should use the high end of the measurement for powder sugar as the actual recipe can be kind of liquidity depending on the consistency of the butter:
Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
- Vanilla Buttercream, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
- Vanilla Buttercream
The vanilla buttercream we use at the bakery is technically not a buttercream but actually an old-fashioned confectioners' sugar and butter frosting. Be sure to beat the icing for the amount of time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Yield: enough for 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 (9-inch) layer cake
I brought these into work on Thursday after braving the seriously treacherous roads. I think they were pretty tasty if I do say so myself!
On Friday, my actual birthday, I went and got a great massage with a couple of work buddies after work. Seriously amazing idea! We went out for totties afterward at Cooker's Hawk and seriously like everyone from work came! It was a-mazing! BF even brought cupcakes for everyone to split from Molly's!
Only downside was that my car started making some weird noises on the way home... which called for a trip to the Sears Auto Center first thing in the morning. While BF and I were waiting, I introduced him to my new Sub-urb Brunch place, Benedict's Eggs! We enjoyed some pretty amazing food before picking up my beautiful car. BF headed back into the city, and I checked out this new (to me) place Charming Charlie! I picked up a few things before heading into the city in the evening for dinner with BF for dinner. We hit up Jane's Restaurant on Cortland. This was a beautiful little place with very romantic undertones and large, tasty entrees! Highly recommend, and happen to personally know they're not booked for Valentine's day.
Super Bowl was pretty low key with BF, then headed back to the burbs to prepare for the week. Now it's Monday and I'm writing my re-cap while watch GLEE... ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT STUPID POST-GAME CUT OFF HALF THE FREAKING EPISODE!!! GOSH I HATE SPORTS SO MUCH SOMETIMES! Well kiddies, I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well and look forward to another amazing week!
XoXo
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Yield: enough for 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 (9-inch) layer cake
I brought these into work on Thursday after braving the seriously treacherous roads. I think they were pretty tasty if I do say so myself!
On Friday, my actual birthday, I went and got a great massage with a couple of work buddies after work. Seriously amazing idea! We went out for totties afterward at Cooker's Hawk and seriously like everyone from work came! It was a-mazing! BF even brought cupcakes for everyone to split from Molly's!
Only downside was that my car started making some weird noises on the way home... which called for a trip to the Sears Auto Center first thing in the morning. While BF and I were waiting, I introduced him to my new Sub-urb Brunch place, Benedict's Eggs! We enjoyed some pretty amazing food before picking up my beautiful car. BF headed back into the city, and I checked out this new (to me) place Charming Charlie! I picked up a few things before heading into the city in the evening for dinner with BF for dinner. We hit up Jane's Restaurant on Cortland. This was a beautiful little place with very romantic undertones and large, tasty entrees! Highly recommend, and happen to personally know they're not booked for Valentine's day.
Super Bowl was pretty low key with BF, then headed back to the burbs to prepare for the week. Now it's Monday and I'm writing my re-cap while watch GLEE... ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT STUPID POST-GAME CUT OFF HALF THE FREAKING EPISODE!!! GOSH I HATE SPORTS SO MUCH SOMETIMES! Well kiddies, I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well and look forward to another amazing week!
XoXo
February 5, 2011
MIA
Hi guys, sorry for being MIA... It's my Birthday Weekend! :) I'll be back next week with updates and highlights!
February 2, 2011
Lilly Blog » Blog Archive » Get Printed for Valentine’s Day
Lilly Blog » Blog Archive » Get Printed for Valentine’s Day
I love all the Lilly Valentine's Day theme prints! I already was using the second one for my desktops (work, twitter, tumblr), however I think I'm now going to create a batch work of these!
I love all the Lilly Valentine's Day theme prints! I already was using the second one for my desktops (work, twitter, tumblr), however I think I'm now going to create a batch work of these!
If you'd like to check out my other links, you can do so here:
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