Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Off To Girl's Camp


It's that time of year again for

Girl's Camp

and I am off this morning.


We head up the mountains for a 
week's stay.  It is filled with fun,
hikes, "singing in the trees", snipe hunts,
canoeing and just a wonderful time
being out in nature.

This year our theme is
about being a daughter of 
a Heavenly King.

I am a daughter of royal birth
My Father is King of  Heaven and Earth.
I was raised in the courts on high,
A child beloved, a princess am I.



I already have my boots on so I
will be out of computer, cell phone, and all
technology range.

See you next week.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Almond Cookies and Cream Ice Cream



Summertime is filled with homemade ice cream
at Purple Chocolat Home and taking  a great
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream and adding a
few of our favorite flavors, we created
Almond Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.



To take it one step further, we added some chocolate
swirls.  This is one of our favorite flavors this summer.


Almond Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

2 1/2 C. sugar
2 - 7 oz. jars of  Kraft Marshmallow Creme
Egg Beaters - equivalent of 8 eggs
1 quart whipping cream
1 quart milk
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1/3 pkg. Oreo cookies, crushed
Hershey's chocolate syrup

In large mixer bowl combine sugar, marshmallow
creme and Egg Beaters.  Mix until well blended on low.
Add the cream, milk and flavoring.  

Process in ice cream maker.  Use 8 parts ice to 1 part
rock salt to freeze ice cream.  

Meanwhile crush Oreos and place in a 9x13 pan
and place in the freezer.  

When the ice cream is frozen, stir into the cold 
Oreos then swirl in the Hershey's syrup.  Place
in the freezer for 6-8 hours or overnight.



This one is a fun twist on Cookies and Cream.

I will be posting this with

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Bees Are Buzzing - 24th of July Celebration



We are lucky in Utah because we get to
have fireworks both on the 4th of July and
on the 24th of July.  On the 24th of July we
celebrate the pioneers entering the Salt Lake
valley in 1847.  It is called Pioneer Day.

Utah is known as the Beehive State,
so today's table honors our 24th of July
Celebration with a bee table. 



A few months ago I received an email coupon for 30 percent
off anything on Horchow's  website.
Of course, I had to go take a look and  I found these
fun Bumble Bee plates.


They are a soft buttery golden color and the 
raised detail is just wonderful.


Matching salad plates have the reverse design 
with the honeycomb around the rim and the bee
in the center.


They also had Wallace's 
Napoleon Bee flatware, and with everything
30 percent off, I decided to splurge since I am from the
BEEHIVE STATE.


Here is a closeup of the bee plates.

It was really fun to use these for the first time
for a family dinner.  Adults and children alike
were really enchanted by the bees, both on the
plates and on the flatware.


I added a little craft store bee to a silver napkin ring
and tucked in a little ivy and a yellow rose from
the garden.


The beehive table needs a little beehive
cake don't you think?





Yellow and clear bubble glasses
and ruffled placemats sit atop a
stone table.


Since bees love flowers and so do I,
I cut some Peace roses and my very first
gardenias ever.



The gardenias are a potted plant that I hope to 
take indoors for the winter.  



The smell is just incredible!

The Bee hive cakes were made
from 
Betty Crocker's  Bonnie Butter Cake Recipe
which is always my go-to recipe for a buttery, rich
cake.  I have my Betty Crocker Cookbook from 1976,
right after I graduated from high school!

 I baked them in my mini bundt pans and
stacked two, then crumb coated them and piped
on a Honey Cream Cheese frosting.
Yum! (I will have to fight off the bees!)



Thanks for helping to celebrate the 24th of July
or
Pioneer Day
with me today.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to 
Purple Chocolat Home.

Plates and flatware - Horchow
Glasses and topiaries - Tai Pan
Napkins - Pier 1
Napkin Rings - Wal Mart
Placemats - Home Goods

I will be posting this with 

If you love pretty dishes and placesettings,
come visit Tablescapes Thursday.  It is so much fun!





Sunday, July 17, 2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Garden Party for Baby's First Birthday


There is something just magical
about baby's first birthday party and
with a cake like this, how can it be
anything but magical.  Goldie is one and mama
Lindsay said she found all
of her ideas for the party

I just adore this
ruffle cake.  I had never seen one
before and now I have seen them  all 
over the internet.

You can find out how to
make it online with how to videos
on Youtube.


Have you joined Pinterest yet?  It is
really fun.  As a matter of fact you will
find that I have pinned many of you, my
blog friends and have featured some
of your beautiful pictures.

Lindsay made this fun lace and fabric
hanging that set the tone for the
table.

She ordered these adorable straws on line and
put them in Ball jars.


Matching lace and fabric ties
top the cute jars.  


Pink is the order of the day
and it looks so cool and refreshing
in the summer outdoors.




A touch of pink was added to
 Rice Krispie Treats and 
then they were cut into hearts and flowers.




These fantstic little ham and swiss sliders
were a recipe she found on Pinterest.  You
make a poppy seed butter and top the
bun with it and then bake them until
the cheese melts.  These were a huge hit.



Pink and purple "ice cream cone"
cupcakes were adored by
all of the little ones.  She
placed the two frostings in 
separate icing bags then put them
in a larger bag together.  The larger
bag had a 1M tip and when it was
squeezed, the two colors came out.
This way the colors don't mix!


Another one sneaks off the platter!






The kids also had fun blowing bubbles.

Now for the funnest part.  Is this
a tradition in your home?  Do you let
them attack their cake on their first
birthday?  We love this.

Look at how she has her foot
up on the high chair tray -  Miss Casual.


This cake is almost too pretty to let her tear into it.
She is just too lady-like.

Ok, so she gets a little help here.
Sometimes you have to teach
them how to dig in!!!


 Mmmmmmm, I think I like this tradition.  Can I do it next
year too?


Let's finish with a few photos of the other 
party goers. (These are all six of my
grandkids!  To be a grandmother is
the greatest thing in the world!)

Everyone had a wonderful time.

Happy 1st Birthday Goldie!

I will be posting this with

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Mini Chocolate Cherry Pies


Our massive cherry tree is ready to be picked
and although we enjoy the fresh fruit just
as it is, I wanted to create a recipe to
use the sweet cherries in.

Chocolate covered cherries are one of
my favorite treats to make at Christmas
so I decided to make a  Chocolate Cherry Pie.


I love any dessert in little individual form.
They make it so much more fun for serving
to guests.  Often for a dinner party I make
small desserts and have each couple share
one.  


Chocolate Cherry Mini Pie Recipe

2 eggs
3/4 C. flour
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. butter (no margarine), melted
1 C/ semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C. chopped, fresh sweet cherries

enough pie crust for 2 - 9 inch pie shells

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Mix the eggs, flour, sugars in a bowl and
stir together.  In another bowl place the
chocolate and butter and microwave for
1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Add to the
egg mixture and then stir in the chocolate.

If you are making a large pie, this will make
one pie, if you are making individual pies,
this will need  the dough for 2 pies and
will make 6 individual pies.

Bake at 325 for 60 minutes for a large
pie or 30 minutes for individual pies.



I dipped some fresh cherries in chocolate for a garnish.


This is a fudgy, rich pie that is moist in
the center with bites of cherry.

It turned out so great!

I will be posting this with

Follow me on Instagram