Category Archives: Host

Banana-Nutella Sandwich ‘Pops’

I’m not sure why it took me this long to discover Nutella, but I just bought my very first container of the delightful chocolate-hazelnut spread this week.  I’ve tried it over the years, at a friends house or in a restaurant dessert, but have always refrained from keeping it as a pantry staple (apparently many others do).  Of course, my 3 year old son was very happy about my recent purchase, so I decided to make a little treat for him today.  Kids go crazy over anything in a ‘pop’ form, so that’s what I did.

Banana-Nutella Sandwich 'Pops'

Banana-Nutella Sandwich ‘Pops’

Banana-Nutella Sandwich ‘Pops’:

makes 6 
 
1 ripe banana 
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 tbs Nutella
6 lollipop sticks

Using a 1″ biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from the wheat bread (toast the bread for an extra warm crunch).  Cut the banana into 1/2″ thick slices, spread the nutella on two bread rounds and sandwich the banana slice in between.  Press the lollipop sticks through the mini sandwiches and serve.

Assembly was a pinch on these yummy morsels!  They were the perfect Sunday afternoon snack, but would also be a hit for any kids party.

'Pops' to Share

‘Pops’ to Share

Simple Tablescape & Floral Centerpiece

For years, my Mom has impressed me with her ability to pull together floral arrangements in a variety of vases; big, small, low and tall.  I have known that she used a floral frog in some of her arrangements, and she even gave me one years ago, but somehow I never pulled it out until now.  Its sharp spikes were intimidating, and I always imagined using it would be complicated and most likely painful.  I was so wrong, the ‘frog’ has changed my floral arranging life!

Floral Centerpiece

How To Use a Floral Frog:

  • Place the floral frog in the bottom of your vessel and use floral tape to adhere it to the bottom
  • Cut flowers to desired length and stick the base of each stem into the frog, starting at the center and working your way outward
  • Cover the frog with decorative rocks and fill the vessel with water, ensuring the base of the stems are submerged

The floral frog pictured can be purchased on Amazon.com.  The one my mom handed down to me has more spikes than this one, but I’m sure it will do the trick.

For Thanksgiving this year, I kept the table setting simple.  I’ve never been one to enjoy holiday themed color schemes, or a lot of color in general.  Instead of using typical fall colors and leaf patterns on my Thanksgiving table, I used a more neutral color palette and added Thanksgiving flair with a Thankful Tree  and Golden Pumpkins (left over from Halloween) adjacent to the dining table.  The floral centerpiece was the star of the table.  That, and the place cards, helped to break up the neutral tones.  Simple and elegant, but still casual enough for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves.  No need to worry about staining a fancy tablecloth or breaking the china.

Simple Tablescape

Thankful Tree

I am truly thankful for my wonderful family, who filled my house with love and laughter this Thanksgiving.   Have you thought about what you’re thankful for this year?  It’s never too late to give thanks. . .

Over the years, I have seen many variations of ‘wishing trees’ and ‘thankful trees’ and thought it was time to create one of my own.  This was such a simple way to decorate for Thanksgiving.  It also served a very meaningful purpose to allow the family to share what they were thankful this year.

Thankful Tree

Supplies:

  • Large Twigs- I got mine for less than $7.00 in the floral department at the Market, or you can cut from a tree in your yard
  • Decorative Paper cut into leaf shapes- I made a template to get a uniform shape and used three different papers in the same color scheme
  • Thread or String to attach the leaves- I used thread and created a hole in the top of each leaf with a needle for a more discreet look
  • Vase & Decorative Rocks- Make sure to weigh down your vase with decorative rocks if your twigs are top-heavy 

Give Thanks. . .

My favorite thankful quote was from my Mom.  She wrote: “I am thankful for the family Thanksgiving traditions that my Mother and Mother-In-Law ingrained in us”.

Over the years, we have held onto many family traditions, and as our family has grown and extended, we have taken on new ones as well.  We are all creatures of habit, and the traditions that have been handed down can extend the legacy of those that started them and are no longer here to share in the joy they bring.

Pumpkin Heads & Spooky Bats

Growing up, I didn’t carve pumpkins like most kids.  Our family tradition was creating silly faces on pumpkins using vegetables and gourds.  These are super fun to make and I think they’re much more kid friendly for the younger trick-or-treaters.  They would also be great for decorating a children’s Halloween party, or as a party activity.

Pumpkin Heads

Halloween just isn’t the same without these funny pumpkin-heads on my porch.

Pumpkin Heads

There are endless possibilities for decorating a pumpkin-head, but I try to stick to heartier vegetables that will withstand the weather, and hold well with a toothpick.

I typically use a variety of kale or collard greens for hair.  For this one, I found Chinese Long-Beans at the market that made a great dreadlock hairdo.  It’s become  slimy over the last couple of weeks, which is perfectly fitting for this spooky holiday.  I usually try to make these no more than 2 weeks before Halloween, any longer than that and the vegetables start shriveling and falling off.

Pumpkin Heads

Pumpkin-Head Tips:

  • Use hearty vegetables
  • Poke toothpicks into the pumpkin, leaving the other half out to skewer through the vegetable
  • Use a thimble to push in the toothpicks (don’t poke your finger)
  • Eyeballs:  Use mushrooms, radishes, potatoes, beets, or zucchini, and layer them up for more dimension
  • Nose:  Use funky gourds, carrots, parsnips, mini pumpkins, or peppers
  • Lips:  Use red peppers, carrots, or beets, and create sharp teeth with a slice of mushroom or potato cut into a zig-zag
  • Ears:  Use baby carrots or radishes
  • Hair:  Use kale, collard greens, or Chinese long beans, and attach with discretely placed toothpicks

Spooky Bats:

Last year, I made these little bats from a template found on MarthaStuart.com.

Spooky Bats

I used black construction paper, and hung them with clear wire and thumb-tacks.  They were very easy to make and have lasted 2 years!  They held up great outside (under a covered porch), but would also be perfect for inside party decorating.

There are two sizes and best of all, the template is free!  You just download and print.

Happy Halloween!

Superhero Birthday Party!

My little man turned 3 this week and I threw him a Superhero Birthday Party that won’t soon be forgotten.  My wonderful friend, Vanessa Gosseen, helped me capture photos of the party details.  Check out her blog Project 52: A Year in Photos.  (Photo’s not marked with TheLushNest.com are credited to Vanessa)

Super Enzo!

The theme for this party was inspired by the ‘Superhero Calling’ birthday invitations I purchased on TinyPrints.com.  Once I saw the invite, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of the party.

Superhero Picture Backdrop

Tiny Prints Invitation

The grassy knoll and abstract city skyline made the perfect backdrop for the Superhero on the invitation, so I decided to replicate the scene for a picture backdrop during the party.

I re-purposed the backdrop frame I created for the Peacock Bridal Shower.  I simply removed the old fabric and staples, and it was ready for a new look.

To be cost-effective, I used a plastic tablecloth from Party City instead of fabric for the blue background color.  The tablecloth was less than $2.00.  I used duct tape to attach it to the back of the frame and made sure to stretch it tightly to release an wrinkles.

Superhero Backdrop

The black buildings were cut from sheets of felt and yellow paper helped to light the windows from inside.  The puffy white cloud was created from left-over batting from a throw pillow and the grassy knoll was cut from an oversized sheet of green construction paper.  I used craft glue to attach everything to the blue background, and also created a green floor mat out of craft foam.

Capes & Masks

Super Enzo!Go Superheros!On Superhero Watch!

The kids had fun getting their picture taken in front of the backdrop and they loved playing ‘Superheroes’!

They each had masks and a cape with their first initial as their superhero logo.  They flew around the house with their arms out like Superman.  It was so much fun to watch!

The capes were very easy to make, thanks to the great time-saving idea I spotted on TheSouthernInstitute.com.  I came across their Superhero Cape Tutorial and knew the capes would be great during the party as well as a party favor for the kids to take home.

I went to my local craft store and they had a great deal on solid colored t-shirts (5 for $10), so I purchased a different shade for each kid.  Using my rotary cutter I carefully cut out the shape, leaving the neck hole in tact.  I cut the length of the t-shirt as well, since some of the kids are still small, I thought shorter might be better.

You could easily leave the edges unfinished, but I chose to turn them under one time and used a contrasting thread with a zig-zag stitch to add a bit more polish.

For the letter logos, I purchased colored sheets of felt with sticky backing.  For a more permanent solution, you could sew the felt on, which is something I simply didn’t have the time to do.  The sticky felt worked great and was very easy to cut through with an Exacto knife.  I sketched each logo on paper first and looked at the sketch as a guide while cutting out the felt.

The capes turned out to be really fun during the party and I’ve heard the kids are still wearing them at home!

I also purchased black masks for the boys and white masks for the girls from Party City.  They were only 99¢ each, and made the perfect addition to the superhero costume. Overall, the cost of the cape and mask for each child was about $4.00.  I’m so happy I took the time to make these; hopefully they will be added to their dress-up collections for years to come.

Super-Buddies!

The pictures in front of the backdrop turned out super cute, and even some of the adults got into the action.  I’ll spare them the embarrassment, and won’t be posting those pictures.  :)

Party Food

After the kids had a chance to break in their new capes, we sat down for lunch.

Healthy Lunch

Crudité

The adults enjoyed a simple and healthy meal that was quick and easy to throw together.  With a chaotic kids party, keeping the menu simple was important!

I made chicken souvlaki skewers, warm quinoa salad, a crudité platter, and fresh berries.

The quinoa was dressed up with chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, finely chopped red onion, minced garlic, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Quinoa Salad

This salad is healthy and tasty, and can be served hot or cold, which makes it great for parties!

For the chicken souvlaki, I tossed the chicken tenders in a quick marinade of lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, minced oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper, and set it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  I skewered each tender and used an indoor grill-pan instead of the bbq, which was super quick and easy.

To drink, we had lemonade and sparkling lemon water (simple and refreshing).  I put the beverages in matching pitchers and garnished with fresh slices of lemon.

For the kiddo’s, I made sack lunches complete with a ‘Super-Enzo’ logo on the bags and all of the special snacks my little man loves.

Sack Lunches

The kids had mini PB & J sandwiches, applesauce ‘squeezies’, string cheese, strawberry fruit bites, and a choice of a juice box or chocolate milk to drink.

Kids Lunch

I set-up the lunch bags and kids drinks on a tray with another city-scape backdrop behind.  This one was made with foam board to fit above the desk in the kitchen.  I wrapped the foam board with another plastic party tablecloth, similar to the picture backdrop.  The buildings were cut from construction paper and attached with craft glue.

City Backdrop

The ‘Super-Enzo’ garland and tags on the lunch sacks were another special touch.  I used teal textured paper with a yellow background to create Enzo’s very own Superhero emblem.

Super-Enzo Emblem

I started by cutting out the outer shape in the teal paper and used an Exacto knife to cut out the ‘E’ on the inside.  I mounted the teal on yellow paper, leaving a slight border of yellow around.  To avoid making a million of these, I scanned it to my computer and then made color copies in different sizes for the lunch tags and the garland.  The color copies were a huge time saver, and they still looked dimensional, even up close!

Ice Cream Bar

To finish off lunch, the kids (and adults) enjoyed making their own ice cream sundaes.

Ice Cream Sundae fit for a Superhero!

l put ice cubes in the bottom of a small galvanized beverage bucket, placed a large plate over the ice, and set three 1/2 gallon containers of ice cream on top of the plate  (this kept the ice cream cartons from getting soggy).

I chose 3 classic flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry.  The kids got to choose their ice cream flavors and their special toppings.  The sundaes were served up in clear plastic cups with red spoons.

To top off the layers of yummy ice cream, I had a selection of fun toppings.  Gummy bears, mini chocolate chips,  star shaped sprinkles, crushed oreos, mini marshmallows, and even more sprinkles…

Sprinkles Galore!

Once the Superhero Sundaes were assembled, Enzo blew out his candle and made a wish!

Yummy!

Make a Wish!

After an afternoon of Superhero fun, my big 3 year-old was tuckered out…

Time for a Nap…

Peacock Bridal Shower

Finally, a follow up to the Bridal Shower Invite I posted at the end of March.  The peacock themed lingerie bridal shower went off without a hitch, and was a great celebration of one of my best friends who will be getting married this summer.  I co-hosted with the Mom of the bride and the shower was held at her house, so I took full advantage of the time I didn’t have to spend cleaning my own house and got extra creative with crafty decor.

Peacock Feathers & Cupcakes

Shower Invite

Once we decided on a color scheme and looked around for party supplies and paper to make the invites, it was clear that we had to go all-out with a peacock them.

Bridal Shower Invite

I found this great geometric paper, which is remenicent of the jewel toned pattern in a peacock feather.  No need to buy pricy invitations when you can easily print them on card-stock at home and add specialty paper and ribbon to tie them into the color scheme.  For these, I used a strip of colorful paper to the left and wrapped one simple ribbon around the seam for some interest.

I also made a recipe card to go in each invitation envelope.  Guests were instructed to fill out a great newlywed recipe for the bride-to-be and bring to the party.

Recipe Keepsake Book

When guests arrived, I gathered all of the recipe cards and compiled them into a special recipe keepsake book that I made ahead of time.

Recipe Keepsake Book

To make the book, I used chip board (which is basically a scrap-bookers term for cardboard), and wrapped each page in coordinating paper.  I punched holes to the left, with my

Inside Cover

industrial strength hole punch, and used 3 ring bindings to hold it together.  To keep the hinge of the rings from shifting, and for extra flare, I added coordinating ribbon tied to each ring.  In the front cover I put the Bride & Grooms initials, and the back had the Bridal Shower Invite pasted in so she will forever have it.

Newlywed Recipe Book

Everyone brought a recipe card, and even some guests that couldn’t make it were nice enough to mail one in ahead of time with a nice message.

The bride-to-be loves to cook, so this was a great activity that made sense for her shower and didn’t require wrapping ourselves in toilet paper wedding dresses and strutting our stuff down the living room runway (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Magnet Favors

The Mom of the bride came across a great idea to create square glass magnets with coordinating patterned paper and give them away as shower favors.  Her inspiration came from Sabby in Suburbia and Simply Modern Mom.

Magnet Favors

She purchased square glass tiles from the craft store and we used colored pattern tiles she found from The Hourglass Studio on Etsy.  She printed them on photo paper and we cut out the ones that were relevant to our color scheme.  We used E6000 glue to attach the paper tiles to the glass and glued the magnets to the back.  To package them, she attached washers to cardstock and each magnet stayed in place on a washer.  Cello bags with coordinating paper and ribbon finished them off.

Fabric Backdrop

In order to make a statement with our color scheme and have the food and decor ‘pop’, I decided to construct a large fabric backdrop to hang on the wall, complete with the bride and grooms initials.

Fabric Backdrop

I’m so glad that I made this, as I’m sure I’ll be wrapping a different fabric around it and using it at my house for other parties down the road.

Wooden Frame

First, I measured the space above the table that I planned to hang the backdrop above.  Then, I measured my car, to make sure I could actually transport it.

With the help of my hubby, we constructed a simple frame from inexpensive trim (even less expensive because my dad just happen to have this on-hand).  We nailed in extra support at each corner, and that was it!.

Staple Fabric to the Frame

Next, I laid my fabric, face down, on the floor and centered the frame on top of it.  I used a staple gun and stapled the fabric on the back side of the frame.  I did one side, and then pulled the fabric tight and stapled the other side.  Repeating the same for the top and bottom sides.  One suggestion is to double check that your pattern looks straight.  I measured the distance of where the design elements hit on each side and tried to even it out as much as possible before stapling.

I picked up the jumbo letters at my local craft store along with some acrylic paint.  Unfortunately, they don’t make an ampersand symbol, so I had to get creative and make my own ‘and’ symbol out of a ‘B’ and another strip of wood.  I tied a coordinating ribbon around each letter and stapled the ribbon to the top of the frame.  We were able to hang the frame on three nails, without adding any fancy hanging wires.  The frame set directly onto the nails.

Mediterranean Spread

This was an afternoon shower, so for lunch we chose to do a mediterranean themed menu.  It was probably one of the easiest shower menu’s I’ve had the pleasure to contribute to in a while (maybe because I only had to make a few things).

Mediterranean Spread

We divided up menu items, which made it easy to pull it together the morning of the shower.

Antipasto Platter

The Mom of the bride made Marinated Shrimp, Roasted Red Pepper Crostini’s, Chicken Souvlaki Skewers, Greek Salad, and Pita & Hummus.  I made a Feta & Tomato Orzo (a Rachel Ray recipe), and a large Antipasto Spread including a variety of olives, greek cheeses, salami, prosciutto, roasted garlic, peppers, two tapenades, and roasted vegetables (I outsourced the roasted veggies to my Mom who is an amazing cook and of course they were a hit!).

Dessert!

Mom of the bride found these amazing corset shaped cookies, which were done with peacock details to go along with the shower theme.  These were a great dessert and also doubled as a second party favor since they were packaged in a cello bag to take.  We spent hours ‘ooh-ing and ah-ing’ at the amazing frosting detail.

Corset Cookies

I made mini chocolate cupcakes to round out the dessert choices.

Chocolate Cupcakes

To save time, I used a box mix for the cake, but I added mini chocolate chips along with my Mom’s secret box-mix trick.  She told me to substitute 2/3 of the recommended water with cranberry jelly.  The cranberry flavor made the chocolate taste even richer and they were super moist.  I may never make chocolate cupcakes from scratch again.  Of course, I had to make buttercream frosting from scratch; there are some things you should never take a shortcut on, and that is one of them.

To top off the 3 tiers of cupcakes I made round tags on appetizer skewers (which are slightly longer than a standard toothpick) with the bride and grooms initials.  I printed the initials from my computer and used two sizes of circle punches to get the uniformed shapes.  I’ve tried cutting circles the old fashioned way and it never works out.

Other Party Details

We had extra peacock ‘flare’ all around the party, like feather arrangements, and pretty peacock napkins, as well as peacock colors of deep teal & purple throughout.

Instead of the typical bridal shower activities, which were not fitting for this bride, the Mom of the bride hired a Mehndi Henna Tatto artist.

Mehndi Art

Mehndi Art

‘

We weren’t sure how many people at the shower would want to get a henna tattoo, but we were pleasantly surprised that almost everyone participated.  The artist even did a peacock tattoo for one of the guests!

This was such a fun theme, and all for a beautiful Bride-to-be!

G & B = LOVE

Bridal Shower Invite [Sneak Peek]

It’s been too long since my last post, so I thought I would share a tid bit from one of my current projects.  There’s been no time for fancy meals at our house this month, as we are ‘knee-deep’ in a guest-room redo, a backyard face-lift (involving lots of concrete and heavy stone), crazy work schedules, and to top it off I am co-hosting a bridal shower for one of my best friends.

The bridal shower and the guest room makeover are, by far, my favorites on the to-do list!  I’ll be posting about both in full-detail when the time comes.  But, until then, all I have for you is a sneak peek at the Bridal Shower Invite I created for my wonderful friend (slightly ‘fake’ info on the pictured invite… I’m sure all my readers are extremely trustworthy, but you can’t go posting personal info online these days!).

Bridal Shower Invite & Coordinating Recipe Card

The colors of the shower are chartreuse green, purple, and blue.  If you read the invite, you’ll notice we have asked the guests to bring a recipe on the enclosed card.  These will go into a little recipe book at the shower made from coordinating paper for her to have as a keepsake.  I am co-hosting with my friends mom, and we are well on our way to planning a fabulous party!  You’ll have to wait till the end of May to see the results though…

:)

Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treat ‘Pops’

Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treat 'Pops'

I’ve been pondering ideas for a Valentine’s Day treat this week, and all the latest dessert trends came to mind:  Cake-Pops, Whoopie Pies, Fancy Cupcakes, etc.  I wanted to make something slightly less predictable, but with a good amount of visual appeal.  I decided to make heart shaped Rice Krispie Treats covered with chocolate and pink sprinkles, served on lollipop sticks.  I thought for sure I had invented the next best dessert trend; but, as I do with most of my ‘original’ ideas, I ran a quick Google search to see who may have already come up with it.  To my disappointment, there have been plenty of people to make this exact treat, but that didn’t stop me from creating my own version.

Birthday Pops

This sweet treat is not just for Valentine’s Day.  It was my Dad’s birthday yesterday, and I made him his own special bouquet of Rice Krispie Treat Pops.  Instead of hearts, I cut his in circles using biscuit cutters.

For added presentation, I spruced up the vases with coordinating paper and ribbon.

I measured the paper to fit inside each vase.  In the bottom, I layered styrofoam (which can be purchased at your local craft store), and then about an inch of paper crinkles on top to cover the styrofoam.  I finished them off with a couple of layered ribbons, and then stuck the pops into the styrofoam to arrange my bouquet.

These were a hit at the birthday party last night, and doubled as decoration for the table.  I’m thinking they might be the perfect treat for my son’s 3rd birthday next Fall.    What kid doesn’t love Rice Krispie Treats, and with chocolate to boot!

Since it’s over a week until Valentine’s Day, we’ll be consuming the heart shaped one’s this afternoon at my Sister-in-Laws birthday party/Superbowl.

Valentine's Day Pops

Usually, I like my Rice Krispie Treats extra buttery and marshmallowy, but since these had to hold on the lollipop sticks without falling apart, I stuck to the recipe on the back of the Rice Krispie Cereal box, which is a little bit drier than my usual preference.  I doubled the recipe below since I was making a Valentine’s batch and a Birthday batch.

The recipe is simple.  Start by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over low heat.

Melt the Butter

Next, add one 10 ounce package of marshmallows.

Add the Marshmallows

 Stir the butter and marshmallow until melted and smooth.

Smooth and Melty

Remove from heat and add 6 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal.  Stir until well combined.

Stir in the Rice Krispies

Press the treats into a greased container or cake pan and let cool.  I left mine about 1″ thick and smoothed the top well.

Press Into a Baking Pan

Once cooled, turn the treats out of the pan onto a cutting surface.

Heart Shaped Cutters

Use cookie cutters, or biscuit cutters to create your desired shapes.

This can take a good deal of elbow grease, depending on how solid your cutter is.  The biscuit cutter was fairly easy, but the heart shaped cutters I had were not as sharp and didn’t have the handle for leverage.  Also, the heart shaped cutters I had were not very deep, so I had to press the bottom half of my treats into them like a mold.  This worked out just fine, and they popped out easily without greasing the cutters.

Biscuit Cutters

Next, I pressed the lollipop sticks in, being careful to center them inside the treat.  You can find lollipop sticks at quite a few places these days.  Since Cake Pops are the new craze, I’ve been seeing them pop up at many grocery stores.  You should be able to find them at your local craft store, party store, or restaurant supply if your grocery store doesn’t carry them.  They come in two lengths.  I chose the longer ones, which worked better for my bouquets.

Rice Krispie Treat 'Pops'

I took the easy route for my dipping chocolate and just melted a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a glass bowl over boiling water.

Melted Chocolate

I also bought a bag of white-chocolate chips and planned on adding a bit of red food coloring for pink dipped treats, but I had so much semi-sweet chocolate I decided not to use the other bag.  Maybe next time!

Heart-Shaped Treats

Some of the treats were dipped half-way, some were coated with chocolate on the front, and others I used a piping bag and squiggled the chocolate on top.  I immediately added sprinkles after dipping each one in chocolate so they stuck well before the chocolate started to harden.  These need to be chilled in order to harden the treats well so they don’t slide off of their sticks.  Once they were dipped and decorated, I placed them on wax paper and into the fridge until we were ready to leave for the party.

Valentine's Day Pops

Such a delightful treat, and super cute!  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Extra Chocolatey* Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Unfortunately, I have not reinvented the wheel (or the chocolate chip cookie), and these delicious morsels were born from the recipe on the back of the Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chip package; with just a few slight adjustments.  This classic cookie couldn’t be easier to make, and I haven’t met a single soul who doesn’t love them.  This particular batch was thrown together as a gift for my sons teacher.  I have all sorts of little treat bags and bakery boxes on hand for those last minute gifts that seem to come up the night before (at midnight).  Even a simple batch of chocolate chip cookies can be impressive to the gift recipient if you put some thought into the presentation.

Extra Chocolatey* Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Most craft stores have a good selection of packaging for baked goods.  I bought these window-top cake boxes at Michaels (my local craft store), as well as the tissue paper.  If you don’t have a large craft store nearby, restaurant supply stores are another great option (but be prepared to buy in bulk!).

All Wrapped Up

As the title of this post suggests, my version of this classic cookie is EXTRA chocolatey.  Just the way I like it!

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

*Instead of regular sized chocolate chips, I used the mini ones for better chocolate distribution.  I also threw in the entire bag of mini chocolate chips instead of the recommended 2 cups.  I have never understood why anyone would want only 2 cups of chocolate chips in their cookies.  I want the maximum chocolate-to-cookie ratio, so the more chips the better!!  Another adjustment I made with this batch was to add 1 cup of rolled oats instead of chopped nuts.  I like the added texture it gives.  Oats are a little smoother than nuts and I feel they better compliment the chocolate chips.  Personally, I could do without nuts in most desserts.  They’re just too crunchy!  I want my dessert to melt in my mouth with little, to no, chewing.  The flavors should slowly dissolve into my taste buds.  Nuts are simply too much work (and they get stuck in my teeth).

The moral of today’s post:

Cookies are a great gift, but you have to make them pretty (no crumpled paper sacks, or ziplock baggies).  And, once you’ve added the chocolate, ADD MORE.

Robots & Aliens Birthday!

My son loves robots (at least that’s what mommy tells him).  So, for his 1st birthday I incorporated robots and aliens into the party theme.  I am planning on avoiding typical character themed parties as long as possible, so robots & aliens felt a little less predictable than say, Mickey Mouse.  I am dreading the day when he requests a party themed around a Disney movie or popular character, and I have to drag myself to the Party Store and fill my cart to the brim with 99¢ trinkets.  Mickey Mouse stickers, coloring books, Mickey ears, Mickey birthday banner, oh and don’t forget the coordinating plates and cups.  No thank you.  When your child is turning one, the party is more for the adults anyway.  A splash of bright color here and there, a cute invite tied in with the color scheme, yummy food for the adults and you can call it good.

Alien Invite

I ordered the alien invite from TinyPrints.com, which is one of my favorite sites for personalized cards and great when I’m too lazy to make my own (which seems to be almost always, now that I’m chasing a toddler around).

I also made a large poster with special pictures of his first year for guests to look at during the party.  It was basically a really big scrapbook page on foam-board.  I had robot paper, which was the initial inspiration for the theme, so I used that as the background.  I tied in the green, orange, and blue, found in both the invite and the robot paper and used those as my overall color scheme.  The poster was a great focal point on our table and gave guests something to chat about and remind them of how much he had grown that year.

Photo Board

His birthday banner was made from the same paper as the letters on the photo board.  The letters were die-cut at my local scrapbook shop, and I cut some simple triangles to place in between the words.  I used a thin hole-punch at the top points of each letter and strung a thin orange ribbon through.  I will admit, this banner took the man-power of 5 of my best girl friends and a couple of bottles of wine to produce.  Mounting all those die-cut letters on a shadow

Birthday Banner

background is very time-consuming.  And then the hole punching and the stringing… It was tedious.  But in the end I have a great banner with my son’s name on it, and I will probably keep it in the rotation of birthday decor for the rest of his life!

The food was definitely my favorite aspect of this party.  I tried to keep it to finger foods, instead of a heavy meal.   This kept people mingling around the food and also allowed me to use my smaller appetizer sized plates for less mess at the end of the day.  [Food pics below were taken by my wonderful friend Genevieve]

Caprese Skewers and Finger Sandwiches

The caprese skewers are very simple to put together, and they are always a party favorite when paired with my yummy dijon balsamic dressing.  (I will post links to these recipes soon).

Monte Cristo

I made three types of tea sandwiches:  White bread with salmon spread and dill, turkey on rye with cream cheese and apricot chutney, and gooey monte cristo filled with ham, provolone and swiss.  I also served teriyaki glazed meatballs to round out all of the sandwiches.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a 1st birthday without some sort of birthday cake.  Every parent anticipates their child’s reaction to their first taste of cake, and we were right there with them.  I was so curious if he would dive right in, or be the polite child who merely pokes it once and asks to wash his hands.  The answer – he was somewhere in between those reactions.  He watched us closely to gauge our reaction and see if it was ok to touch it.  Once he realized there were 30 people surrounding him, cheering him on, he decided to poke at it once.  I was not about to have that cake go to waste, so I decided to cut it into smaller chunks for him and see if he’d eat it then.  And he did…  It was pretty cute watching him shovel in the frosting (of course the frosting is his favorite; he is my child after-all).

First Cake!

Since he demolished the small cake on his own, I was prepared with home-made vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting for the adults, dressed in coordinating cupcake wrappers in orange, blue and green.  The cake was was a custom-order from Whole Foods.  I gave them color samples so they could match the specific shades closely, and asked for varied medium and large dots of icing.  It turned out perfectly!