Monday, April 29, 2013

Pretty In Purple


Do you remember when I had a luncheon and
I taught my guests how to do the ombre rose cake
and then we ate it for dessert?
(Follow the link above for the tutorial.)

Well, they had such a fun time taking turns trying
to frost the cake that they have gone home and
made their own.  The gorgeous lavender one
above was made by Barb for her daughter's
birthday. 


This stunning yellow one was made by Breta
for one of the kiddie's birthdays.


Annette and her girls made one just like this one of
mine in pink and sent me a photo of it.

Isn't it fun that we can take a photo with our 
phones and send them right out to our friends.

I am so proud of all of them and this is
making me crave a slice of cake!


It is really fun to get together and try to
learn something new.  Give it a try
with friends or family.








Friday, April 26, 2013

Baby Gate Slipcover


A stone staircase is wonderful 
but with two babies now old enough
to be crawling around
at
Purple Chocolat Home
we need to protect the little ones from falling
down the stairs.


These are the stairs leading to the basement 
from the kitchen so the babies are 
always in this room.

These stairs don't work for any baby gates -
they are too wide so  
 this has been our solution.
We got the widest gate we could
find and used bungees to hold it
in place.

Hideous!

It doesn't really go with the decor.


I had one of those moments the other day
- why not make a slipcover for the hideous baby gate -
and I went upstairs and found this wonderful
script fabric I had purchased  at
Hobby Lobby for pillows.


I just cut it to size - folding over the gate at the top
and returning down the back.  Then I finished
the edges and added ties.


Now that looks like it fits in my home
while keeping the little ones safe.
(The best part was that hubby came home,
noticed it, commented on it and loved it!)

I will post this with




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bumble Bee Tablescape


Kathleen at
Let's Dish 
is having a table theme challenge of
Birds...Bees...Flowers...Trees
so it was fun to bring out my
Bumble Bee plates that I 
purchased a few years ago at Horchow.


This is one of the first nice days we have had
so I decided to set the table outside.


Bright white and yellow -
 it just makes you happy doesn't it?


Our spring flowers are in full bloom so they
joined our table.  I planted all my pansies
last fall in these two colors and with some
daffodils and pink tulips, it looks like spring
around here.


I just think these Bumble Bee plates are
so fun.


The dinner plate has honeycomb in the center
and bees buzzing around the outside.


The salad plate has the honeycomb around the
edge and nice big fat bee in the center.


Bubble goblets in clear and yellow
 are fun and sunny too.


Of course my Napolean Bee flatware needs to 
adorn this table.
I think I like bees in this form best -
no danger of getting a sting.


I love the textural interest on all of the plates.




This is another one of my new tablecloths
that I ordered from

This one is 132 inches and is under $20!
I ordered this one in champagne 
and another in lavender (of course).
The really nice thing is that you 
don't have to order in multiples - you can
get just one if you like.


The centerpiece is a silk floral with 
lemons and pears.  I often have this one
in my kitchen and thought it would
be perfect with the bees.


Yes, there is still a lot of snow on Mt. Timpanogos,
just keep it up in the mountains, we are done
with it down here in the valley.


I didn't realize this was my third Bee tablescape.
Wish I had one of those cupcakes right now.


Guess I will just have to settle for
Moonstruck Chocolates.

I will be posting with







Monday, April 22, 2013

Getting Ready for Swimsuit Season


This Grandma gets in the water all the time with her little
cuties so swimsuit season is here.

Don't you just love the women's magazines
this time of year - "Get swimsuit ready in 2 weeks
with these easy exercises!"
Ha ha - don't we wish!  Just pose with a grandchild
in front of you instead.


We always laugh and say, "When do rolls and cellulite
go from being cute to not being cute?"



We are all water bugs!  I definitely learned it from my
mother and I am trying to pass it on to the next
generations.


We love the sun too and I also got that from my mother.
How I miss her.  She has been gone for 23 years now
and she would have loved hanging out at the pool and
in the sun with us.

Mother's Day will be here before we blink.
Write down a few memories of your
mother and make some memories
with your loved ones.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

An Engagement Table


My youngest daughter is
ENGAGED!
She is the one that you met earlier on my blog
that graduated from Culinary Arts School, Amanda.

(Actually she has been for a while now, but I 
just wasn't able to get around to creating a table.)



I wanted to create a table to celebrate her engagement 
to a wonderful young man.


I think doing a wedding is one of the funnest,
most creative opportunities, especially when it is
a wonderful bonding time with mother and daughter.


Amanda is also the one that had the opportunity
to travel to Paris and Italy with us and take
some cooking classes there.


So we have decided to use a Paris theme for her
wedding reception.


I saw these fabulous Paris inspired plates 
the other day at Home Goods/ TJ Maxx and I knew
that she would love them.



I had to search all over for them to get enough 
for her to start her new home and I knew
that these plates were the ones that would be
used to create a tablescape to celebrate her engagement.


They couldn't be more beautiful.  I love the soft 
flowers that add a touch of femininity and the scalloped
edges.




I placed the stack on one of my favorite wooden
chargers.  Everything is cream but it looks more
white in the pictures.


Of course for the celebration we had to
break out the good silver plate.


and the silverplate goblets.



I had purchased these crystal napkin rings
some time ago and hadn't used them yet.
They look just like an engagement ring.


The pearl edged napkins are perfect for the elegance
of the table.


For a mother and daughter, planning a wedding, finding
the right wedding dress, picking the colors and all
of the details is like a fairy tale.  


And truly, they become king and queen of their own
little kingdom as they set up a home and begin
their new life together.


A touch of pale pink blossoms is the 
finishing touch for our table.




This gorgeous pinch pleated tablecloth is 
stunning and is one of my internet finds
at
If you want to see all of the fun we have been
having on Pinterest, check out my board 
for weddings - Your Special Day.
I had started the board long before she
was engaged, because wedding ideas are like
the ultimate party ideas.

You might have noticed my new blog design!
Linda at Life and Linda
designed it for me.  I just love it.  She has a business
doing this and is so creative.  Send her a message
if you are interested in having a header design or 
a whole blog makeover like mine.
Let me just point out a few things I love -
I can put horizontal pictures on without
them being cut off, I don't have to edit each picture
to get a border on it, I now have a search, she created
a button for me,  I love the crown and
the little purple crown that appears up on the tab,
and of course I love that it features my kitchen and
looks like chocolate ganache decorating the  top of the
page.  I haven't had enough time to learn everything
or to organize everything yet in the subcategories,
but I definitely love my new design.  Thanks Linda!!!

I have had so many inquiries about the tablecloth
it was only $24 for one 120inch round!


I will be posting this with




Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Pu Pu Platter


You know me, I am always looking for fun dishes and ways
to serve up food that makes it more entertaining.

One of our local Chinese restaurants, China Bowl, which is
no longer in business, was a favorite place to go for
inexpensive Chinese food.  One of our favorites was
their appetizer called the Pu Pu Platter.
Wikipedia says a Pu Pu platter is a "tray of American Chinese
cuisine consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood
appetizers." 
(Pronounced with a long U so that makes the kids all laugh!)


What makes this such a fun Chinese Dish is that you have 
a mini hibachi that you can heat things over.

Years and years ago I asked if I could purchase some of these
appetizer trays from them and we have enjoyed them
now for years.

I found them on Amazon for you if you want to have
the platter and mini hibachi to use.  They are so fun
for entertaining and often we would just buy the appetizers
from the restaurant and bring them home and serve them
on the platter set.  I gave one to my sister Joni years ago too


What makes them heat up is that you place Sterno in
the mini hibachi and light it so that you can heat up all
of your precooked foods right there at the table.


This time we decided to make some things and to purchase 
some things.

We made these Teriyaki Beef Skewers.

Teriyaki Beef Skewers Recipe

3 tenderloin steaks (you could use other
steak, but these make such a tender skewer)
bamboo skewers
1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. water
1 C. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

Soak the skewers in a pan of water for 30 minutes.

Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips.  Thread
them onto drained skewers.

In a 9x13 inch pan mix the soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic and
ginger.  Place the beef skewers in the pan, turning over to coat
all sides.  Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Cook on 
a grill until medium.  Remove to a platter.

To eat, place them on the hibachi grill to reheat one at at time.


and we made Paper Wrapped Chicken.

Paper Wrapped Chicken Recipe

3 C. cubed raw chicken breast
1 T. oil
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white or black pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil

Tin foil, cut into 6x6 inch squares (I made 18)

Mix all of the ingredients together and place in refrigerator
for about 1 hour to marinate.
Place about 2 T.
chicken mixture into the center of each square of foil.  Fold
the foil in half into a triangle and then fold the two edges
over a couple of times to seal them.

The traditional method is to deep fry the packets of chicken
at 350 for about 3 minutes,
but we like to place them on a baking sheet and bake at
400 for 20-25 minutes.  Check one to see if it is done.  If you
want the chicken to caramelize a little, you can bake it a
little longer.  These are a big favorite.
(This recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook,
printed in 1981.  I have had it since college.)



We pan fried purchased Potstickers


and deep fried purchased Egg Rolls.


Ham Fried Rice filled out the menu and it was finished
off with fresh pineapple and Strawberry Cheesecake.

Ham Fried Rice Recipe

6 C.  cooked, converted brown rice (use 2 C. uncooked rice)
6 eggs, scrambled
1 C. ham, cubed
1 bunch green onions, sliced diagonally
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt (if desired)
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 T. vegetable oil, divided

In a wok or large frying pan, heat 2 T. oil and add the cooked
rice.  Stir fry it until the rice is dry and beginning to "pop" a little.
Remove the rice and add the remaining vegetable oil.  Stir fry
the onion and garlic for one minute.  Add the ham and stir fry
one more minute.  Add the rice, eggs and stir fry for a minute and
stir in the soy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.
(This makes enough for a crowd.)



This is a really fun meal and my daughter in law reminded
me that it had been way too long since I had cooked
this fun, interactive meal.

I will be posting with 



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