Organized Measurement

Its true. Pinterest has some incredible ideas. I have put a few to use, my latest, is organizing my kitchen. I have a teenie tiny kitchen. I try to organize it as best as I can, but sometimes a girl needs a little "Pinspiration". I was inspired by this PIN and this PIN and now my measuring spoons and cups are organized! Thanks to a few command hooks Im no longer rummaging through drawers trying to find the right size measuring spoon!

Oh Pinterest, how I adore you!

Blue Rose Cake

Recently I got to do a birthday cake for a friend's wife.  He really liked the Red Rose Cake I did for Valentine's Day, but his wife was more of a blue rose kind of girl. I was thrilled! Its my favorite cake to do, and also my favorite color, not to mention a color not often asked for when it comes to flowers.  We decided to also add a little "tattoo" detail to it. I hand painted the birthday banners in a classic tattoo style text and made black royal icing butterflies to accent the roses.  

Don't you love the vibrant color?! I'm still obsessed with this cake...what color to try next?!

Cranberry Mango Pineapple Chutney

Last week I made "Thanksgiving with a Twist" dinner.  I made turkey and sides with traditional ingredients done up in a non-traditional way.  One of the things I tried my hand at was homemade cranberry sauce.  I made it with cranberries, mango and pineapple. It was delicious.  I'll never go back to canned cranberry sauce! This recipe is easy and quick, and a great idea for a last minute Thanksgiving contribution!

Cranberry Mango Pineapple Chutney

Adapted from Love Veggies and Yoga

Ingredients:

1, 12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 cup mango chunks (I used frozen mango)

1/2 cup pineapple chunks (I used canned pineapple)

1 1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer until thickened. Approximately 20 minutes. Transfer to jars.  Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate. Yields 3, 8 ounce jars or 24 ounces.
*Note: If its a little too chunky for your liking, pulse in the blender until you reach desired texture.

Its so good, even the flamingo liked it....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wonderfall Wine Tasting

Last week I needed to take a break from blogging. Life got a little crazy and I got a little burned out. But, things are settling back to normal, so let me share with you some of the things I've been up to!  Today, I'd like to share with you a wine tasting party I hosted.  Last year, I was doing my 1 party a month challenge and in November I hosted this Paris themed wine tasting party.  My friends and I had so much fun, we decided to make it an annual fall tradition.  The holiday season can be really hard for everyone to coordinate their schedules so we get some girl time in just before the insanity!

This year's theme was Wonderfall Wine Tasting. Okay, okay, so I didn't come up with the name all on my own. Hopefully Pier 1 isn't too mad I used their fall slogan!

For our wine tasting party this year, I planned a menu of appetizers and desserts and asked each person to bring a bottle of a certain wine. They were given their wine assignments and could choose any wine of any price within that variety.  This way, the stress (and cost!) is taken off of me, and everyone gets to contribute to the fun!

I set up this whimsical tasting table for us to sit, taste, and enjoy our food and company!

Over table I hung orange paper lanterns that were embellished with cardstock and floral wire to look like pumpkins. 

I also made these wine bottle candle holders! I found this PIN and followed the tutorial! One word of advice, use rubbing alcohol instead of nail polish remover.  And let it burn until it goes out.  Works waaay better and is a lot less frustrating!

Each place setting had a tasting notes sheet.  It indicated who brought the wine and a space to write in what the wine was, also what food it was paired with.  You could make notes as well as indicate a star rating.

For our final course I made mini pies for each guest.  I was inspired by this PIN for the leaf crust. 

We had such a fun time, and every single wine we tasted rocked! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry Shortcake Desserts

I had the honor of making cupcakes and cookies for a friend's daughter.  She was celebrating a birthday and she loves Strawberry Shortcake. I have a special place for Strawberry Shortcake in my heart.....

This is me, 1987, as Strawberry Shortcake. I was crowned the Strawberry Princess at the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival.

So, when my friend asked me to do  modern day Strawberry Shortcake as cupcakes and cookies, I was ecstatic.  Check it out!

Looks like both me and Strawberry Shortcake changed a little since the 80s!

Tropical Iris Cake

Recently I was asked to do a cake for a friend's wife. It was her birthday and he wanted to give her a special cake. She loves irises, the colors red, yellow, and orange and she was originally from Hawaii. From that, I was given free reign to design her cake. I'd never made sugar irises before, but I gave it a shot. Check out the finished product!

For my first attempt at irises, I'm quite proud. I learned so much doing them, that hopefully my next attempt will be even better!