Friday, May 31, 2013

Sneak Peak at the Bridals/Groomals



Just a quick sneak peak from our Bridals
this week, or I guess they call them Groomals
if you include the groom and we did.

When my oldest daughter got married, some
kind and wise friend suggested that we
include the groom for the pictures, 
just in case something bad happened
that could ruin the pictures
on the wedding day - weather or something....

Little did she know that 8 days before
the wedding he would get his whole face
smashed in from a boating/tubing accident
and have to have plates put in his face,
so needless to say, we are great fans
of including the groom.


I created the bouquet for the bridals
using ideas from Pinterest and Youtube
on how to wire brooches and how to secure
them with special floral glue (I used
the glue and floral holder he recommends
for fresh flowers - I will do a tutorial
when things slow down here!) 

 You just have
to love the internet for all of the wonderful
information you can find.  The brooches
can be found for practically nothing
at Fabulous Brooch. (Most of them were
$3-$6!)



One other fun thing I found on Pinterest
was a picture of the groom blindfolded
so that seeing the dress for the first
time was captured.  


We did that and
to see the look on his face was priceless!



Well, that is the only tidbit for now!
What fun to be the Mother of the Bride.

Since June is wedding month,
I will be sharing this on

(And since my last two posts were on
anniversaries and celebrations - just
thought I would mention that I just
flew past my 3rd Blog-a-versary! 
Wow, how did that happen?)

Just a quick PS

I just found out today that my daughter's
niece (on her husband's side) is to 
be married June 15 and her fiance was
just hit by a car walking across the street
and is in the hospital with his back broken.
They don't know what they are going
to do at this time!

I had just written that you don't know
what might happen and here it is within
the extended family!!


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Ahoy Mateys - Happy Anniversary Tablescape


These here old Pirates be celebrating their 34th year
of wedded bliss and they done took their entire flock

Ye remember talk of Pirate's Cove on
this here blog.


where there be jumpin' and divin'
and swimmin'


and slidin' through an old wrecked ship


and even explorin' in caves
for all yer scurvy mates!


There be somethin' fer every age!



and if ye really be lucky
ye might set yer eyes on a live
mermaid


There be friendly mermaids here,
none of them there man eatin' kind!


Today lunch be served in this here
cave


Known as One Eyed Jack's Tavern.


It be mighty scary, but plenty of fun.

The table be set with a treasure of jewels
right in front of the Skull Wall.


Right next to the Skull Wall is a fancy
dungeon where a Pirate Maid
watches over the vittles.



There she be!


All of this dinin' finery is here on 
the property.  
The plates and bowls shine with metallic
skulls.


Huge skull goblets be over the top.


For this table this humble pirate
did bring the napkins and
the napkin rings from her abode, 
but the placemats are located here
at Pirate's Cove.


The place be filled with trinkets to fill yer tables.


All this finery was right here in the cave.


The kitchen had three choices of flatware -
what a bounty of fun for a wench like me.





I be willin' to sign up for permanent residence here.


Fancy this table and chairs in your own cave.



Here the skull cup be filled with slushy


one of the little pirates' favorite treats.




There be plenty of staff around in the cave to help
with yer lunch prep


Thou they ain't too active with that there
ball and chain weighin' 'em down.


But we still managed to scrap together
some tri tip quesadillas.


If ye head up the tunnel at the back of the
cave ye be findin' jailed pirates tryin'
to filch the keys from the dog.


They both be movin' and speakin' so don't 
be alarmed.




As night falls everything at Pirate's cove
begins to glow and 
One Eyed Jack's is no exception.


The skull wall takes on a life of its own and
casts its eery glow.

What a fun anniversary to be had here.  There
be so many fun places to set tables that ye be
seeing several more in the future!
This tablescape lovin' wench just
couldn't help herself!


Aye Aye Captain!

Be on the lookout for more Pirate
Tables from Pirate's Cove.

We be takin' this anniversary party to

and
at
The Tablescaper who is celebrating
her 4th Blog-a-versary with a $100
gift certificate for Home Goods
(My store of stores!!)
Give her a visit and become a follower.









Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sue's Winning Cheesecake - Light and Fluffy


Do you remember when I was asked by
The Sara Lee Company to create a recipe
using their Pound Cake?

Sue from I Need Mom described
her light (not calorie light, but texture light)
cheesecake with a Sara Lee Poundcake crust and
it reminded me of a cheesecake my mom and I
made out of a failed cake I had created when
I was first learning to cook with a flat cake layer
and a cheesecake on top, so for sentimental
reasons, Sue won and I promised to make
her cheesecake and feature it on my blog.


Well, if you have been following my life, it has
been pretty crazy with wedding plans, missionary
calls and a Pioneer Trek all going on within the
same week of June 
(definitely not pouring - a deluge!!)

So I had gone off to the store right away
and purchased the goodies for making this.

It's a good thing that cream cheese and
frozen pound cake last a long time.

Yes, you guessed it, we finally made it
for Sunday dinner.


Of course I had to tweak it and top it with 
CHOCOLATE
or it wouldn't be from 
Purple Chocolat Home.


Oh yes, and some fresh strawberries too.

Before I give you an inkling of the recipe 
I have to tell you that hubby said it was 
on the par with Cheesecake Factory
which he LOVES!  He said, "No one makes
cheesecake like this!"


I really loved the look of the Sara Lee crust.
It looks like petals.  


You begin by slicing the cake into thin layers
and lining the springform pan with the
slices of cake. Press them together.


The creamy filling is then spooned in, and this is creamy,
it uses 4 C. of sour cream in the filling.  That is 
what gives it the fabulous moistness.

It calls for a 10 inch springform pan and I only
had a 9 inch so I had some left over.  I used the
ends of my Sara Lee Pound cake and crumbled
them in the bottom of a small pan and poured
the remainder on the crust so hubby and I
were able to take a sneak taste test.  We
loved the way the crust tasted and thought
it was a great cheesecake.

Of course it disappeared quickly on
Sunday. 
I am in love with Sue's recipe
and it will be a family favorite from
now on.  She said that everywhere
she took it, people just loved it and
I believe it.
I really liked the flavor and texture of
the Sara Lee Pound Cake as a crust.



 Cheesecake:
1 loaf Sarah Lee frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 1/8 inch slices
3 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
 4 cups (32 oz.) sour cream (yes, that isn't a typo!  It really is 4 C.!)
2 teaspoons vanilla

 Topping:
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
 Cherry pie filling (or whatever you like)

I substituted with a chocolate layer
Melt 1 1/2 C. semi sweet chips
with
2 T. vegetable oil
Stir together until the chips are all melted.
Spread on the cooled cheesecake.

     Arrange cake slices in two overlapping layers on the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch spring form pan, press them together to close all gaps. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat just until combined. Pour over cake slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, spread chocolate or sour cream over cheese cake; top with fresh strawberries or cherry pie filling. 12-14 servings.

To serve the cheesecake topped with chocolate,
heat the knife up a little bit by dipping in hot
water or holding over the flame of a stove
for a few seconds.  Wipe and slice.  The
heat of the knife will help make a clean cut
through the chocolate. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Perfect Bridal Shower Cake




My dear, dear friend Sharon
made this lovely Wedding Dress Cake
for my daughter's neighborhood bridal shower.

It was the hit of the evening.  
We had seen several of these on Pinterest and my friend
Cricket posted it on Facebook saying that it made her
think of me.  Sharon volunteered to make it.



It was so beautiful that no one wanted to destroy
it.  Sharon made the cupcakes following my
(which was my very first blog post!)
but substituted almond yogurt and almond flavoring.

She had extra cupcakes that she brought on
a platter that people did eat.  Sharon even tried
to encourage people to eat the cake by removing
one of the cupcakes to the side and someone
came and replaced it - no one wanted to
be responsible for destroying perfection!


I can see this dress cake being used for so many parties.
It could be for baptisms, in pink for a little girl's birthday
party, for a princess party, etc.

Thanks Sharon.
(I don't know who came up with this original
idea, but I thank them too.)

I will be posting this with

Friday, May 17, 2013

Simply Irresistable - France's Loire Valley - Castle Country


So glad to be able to join Anita
for her third and final
Simply Irresistible Party
which this year takes us outside of Paris
into the rest of France, all of which is
Simply Irresistible!



The Loire Valley in France is filled with more
than 300 chateaus and castles,
what could be more dreamy that to visit
this spectacular area.


This is what every princess dreams of,
castles, moats, towers...


For someone who loves architecture almost as
much as she loves food, having the
opportunity to travel here was a
dream come true.

Our friends, the Harlines were the directors
of BYU study abroad and they invited us
to come visit them in Paris and stay with
them and then spend a week traveling 
with the students to visit the castles
and chateaus.  Craig new I would love this.


This is the spectacular
Chateau de Chambord.



You can't help but be struck by the
beauty of the roofline of this spectacular
castle which was built by King Francois I.


There are 282 fireplaces in this castle with
440 rooms.  Having loved watching Downton Abby,
can you imagine the staff it would have taken to
run a place like this?


This little princess would have liked a room up on the
top of this.  I don't remember what building this
was from the trip, but it is fabulous.


The size of these buildings are so immense.
Of course most are not filled with furniture
anymore, but the architecture still delights.


I don't remember the name of this one, but I love how
it sits right on the river.
reminded me it is Chenenonceau - thanks
Sarah!)
These places have lasted for so many years
and are still awe inspiring.


This shot hardly does this justice but this 
is the Chateau de Usse which was the inspiration
for Sleeping Beauty's Castle.  
I want to be an architect during this time period!
How filled with fantasy and whimsy they are.




Of course I can't do a post on Paris without
a little chocolate thrown in.  This was our breakfast
several days from a little pastry shop right
by the apartment
Chocolate Chocolate Eclairs and Chocolate Napoleon.




We decided to spring for lunch at the
Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
(They lived just a couple of blocks
away from the Eiffel Tower)



I chose this Lobster Salad.
The presentation and atmosphere 
were incredible.  Lunch is always
a great way to try out some pricey places.


I think this was a Lobster Bisque that my
hubby ordered.


And as always we had to try out
several desserts, just because.....

Yes, this little princess was living a
fairy tale by being invited to come along and
visit some of the fantastic chateaus and castles
of the Loire Valley and she is happy to share
this with

and


Just because I want to make you drool and inspire you
to go to France!
(Best macaron I have ever had from Angelinas - yes it
was huge!)




May the lights of Paris (and France) never dim!
And may you have an opportunity to visit
there!!!


Amour
I will also be posting with

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