Plaid + Dots

ladybug birthday party

Miss N turned two over the weekend and I took the opportunity to "create" a ladybug garden party fit for my little "lady" bug.  Yes, I may have gone a little overboard with the DIY, but I loved the process and am really pleased with the result.  Here are a few pics of the event (photos courtesy of my sister).

Here's the table setting at the ladybug garden party. I made the red and white polka dot table runner for the table and matching tea towels.  To add a little color to the table, I pulled together a colorful array of seasonal flowers (from the grocery store no less!) and placed them in this vase which was tied with a red and white polka dot bow.

I love buntings and banners so I made this "Happy Birthday" banner for the party and added a few ladybugs as accents.  

Using the same paper as the ladybug birthday banner, I made this adorable confetti garland to accent the mantle.   

We also adorned the mantle with a couple of pom-pom ladybugs made during "craft day" with Miss N.  I wanted to make some of the decorations with her so we used some felt, pom-poms, googly eyes and glue to make these adorable ladybugs.  Aren't they cute?!?!  Plus, this is a really fun and easy craft for toddlers and kids of all ages too!

Finally, I made these adorable and yummy ladybug cupcakes.  The ladybugs were made using Wilton Candy Melts and I used Martha Stewart's Yellow Cupcake recipe for the cupcakes.  Not only did the cupcakes look good but they were very tasty too! 

Best of all Miss N had fun with all of her friends and seemed to enjoy the ladybug birthday party!

Happy 2nd Birthday Little Miss!!  xoxo!

happy easter! happy spring!

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!

We're hosting this year and all the prep is done....

The table is set...

The kids' table too!

The ham is in the oven and everything else is ready to go.  Looking forward to celebrating with the rest of the family.  

Happy Easter Everyone!

my favorite holiday things

For some reason the holidays really get me in the spirit to craft and bake.  I make my own decorations, cards, cookies / candies, and get inspired by new projects every day.  Plus we entertain quite a bit so there's always plenty of fun things to do with that too!  Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few of my favorite things from the season... enjoy and Happy Holidays!

supper club : fun in spain

As promised, here are some fun details from our supper club last weekend where we travelled to Spain for the night. The highlights from the meal were the Sangria and the Tapas - the Sangria was a hit and liked by all (guys too!).  Only problem is that we filled up too much on the Tapas that there's wasn't room for the rest of the meal!

 

MENU

Assorted Tapas:  Crostini with Goat Cheese Souffle, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Orange Marinated Olives, Potato Frittata, and Manchego.

Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho with Creme

Seafood Paella

Zarangollo Murciano

Strawberries and Creme

Gourmet Chocolates

LIBATIONS

Peach-Riesling Sangria : Lovely white sangria with fresh raspberries and peaches.  (Recipe:  Peach-Riesling Sangria)

Berry Rose Sangria :  Delicious rose sangria accented with fresh berries.  (Recipe: Berry Rose Sangria)

Cava : Spanish sparkling wine most of which is produced in Catalonia.  Most popular grapes used to produce Cava include: Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. 

Marques de Monistrol Brut

Marques de Monistrol Semi Seco

Albarino : A varietal grown in Galicia (Northwest Spain) noted for its distinctive aroma similar to that of Viognier and Gewurztraminer.  This wine also hints of apricot and peach.

2010 Val Do Sosegot

Garnacha: Spanish Grenache is one of the most widely planted red varieties in Spain.  This wine is spicy, berry flavored and soft on the palate.

2009 Borsao Garnacha

Rioja:  Made from the Tempranillo grape from the region of Rioja.  This wine has a deep red color with bright flavors or ripe berries and a smooth oak finish.

2003 Montecillo Reserva

 

And here's some of the fun details from the evening (my favorite part!)....

To help our friends navigate the meal, we created menus that described the courses and the Sangria/wines we were serving. 

My dahlias were in full bloom and were the perfect accent for the table.  The centerpieces weren't obtrusive (you could actually see across the table) and the flowers added an elegant touch.

I seriously think setting the table may be my favorite part of entertaining.  I love playing with the textures...  fabric + flowers + glass + silver = beauty!

And...  the FOOD!  Here's the frittata made by our friend Kelly.. not only is it super pretty, but it tasted great too!

Finally.. to kick off every Supper Club we serve a sparkling wine from the region.  This Cava was amazing!  Salud!

supper club : a night in spain

I am very excited... this weekend we're hosting supper club.  Every few months we get together with three couples and share a gourmet meal together at the someone's home.  The host couple picks the menu/cuisine, provides the drinks and main course while the other couples bring a different part of the meal to share.  The club started this year and so far we've done holiday appetizers and a German themed dinner.  Both were great.. wonderful food and fabulous company!

Our supper club this weekend is a spanish inspired meal...  tapas, soup, vegetable, paella and dessert.  We're making a couple different types of Sangria to complement the meal and my hubby picked up a number of delicious Spanish wines.  I am very much looking forward to the evening and have a bit of prep work to do to get everything ready in time.  Can't wait to share it all with you!

easy fish tacos

I absolutely LOVE fish tacos and today was a perfect day for enjoy them for dinner.  We use two different recipes (thanks to Cooking Light Mag) and our tacos always turn out great and taste yummy!  Plus, they are super easy, healthy and great for a weeknight meal.

So, here's the scoop on our twist on tilapia tacos..  Make the Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and top the tacos with the Lime-Cilantro Crema.  Serve with guacamole, chips, a nice cool margarita and enjoy!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  

carrot cake celebration

This weekend we hosted an impromptu birthday party for our friend, Jamey.  We had a gourmet dinner of spring green salad and filet mignon accompanied by herb roasted potatoes and creamed spinach.  Paired with fine Napa wine it was a wonderful feast!

To top off the celebration and honor the birthday boy, we decided to make Jamey's favorite cake...Carrot Cake.  I hunted a bit for recipes and made this delicious carrot cake recipe from Epicurious.  This recipe was super easy but I changed it a little bit by doubling the recipe and adding half a cup of reconstituted raisins**.  I also baked it in a bundt pan and it turned out beautifully.  It was probably one of the prettiest cakes I've ever made.  Top it with cream cheese frosting and you have a wonderful, moist, fragrant cake.

I made it the day before and stored in the fridge- the cake got better with time.  If you are a carrot cake fan, I highly recommend that you try out this recipe.. so good!  

Happy Birthday Jamey... I hope you enjoyed your cake!

 

**NOTE:  To reconstitute the raisins, I soaked both golden and regular raisins in water for about 30 minutes before adding to the batter with the nuts.  

entertaining - crudite & dip

I love to entertain.  I love everything about it - the food, the decor, the drinks and most importantly making my guests feel welcome in my home.  When entertaining I love to play with the presentation to find unique ways to plate and serve the food.  I like to make it look appetizing yet pretty!

For my daughter's christening, we served crudites with caramelized onion dip. I cut up long pieces of my favorite dipping vegetables and placed them in two cube vases on a silver tray. I put the dip in a little parfait dish in the middle of the two vases and ta-da... you have an elegant and tasty appetizer.  Enjoy!