Make Marshmallow Flowers for Cupcakes: A Tutorial

Last week's Tablescape Thursday included some yummy cupcakes.

The cupcakes were decorated with little flowers in celebration of spring.

Today, I though I'd share how I made the little flowers.  It's soooo easy, you're gonna love this!
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Colorful Heart-Shaped Sugar Cubes for Parties: A Tutorial

Recently while reading a magazine (I think it was Country Living) I came across the cutest heart-shaped sugar cubes.  The magazine shared where they could be ordered but I decided to try making my own.  I thought they would be fun for parties, especially tea parties or to offer guests with coffee after dinner.

Instead of white cubes as shown in the article, I decided to color mine.  Since it's so close to Easter, I settled on pink and lavender.
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Yummy Iced Coffee Recipe

I'm not a big coffee drinker, which is too bad now that I think about it.  It sure would have come in handy back in my college days when I had to occasionally pull an all-nighter to finish writing a paper.

On the somewhat rare occasion when I do drink coffee, it's always iced coffee.  Actually, when I make iced coffee, it's end up being more like a milkshake that happens to be coffee flavored.  I adore milk and can easily go through a gallon a week.  So when I make iced coffee, I add LOTS of milk or cream.

A few months ago I stopped by the blog, The Pioneer Woman.  While there, I stumbled across a recipe for iced coffee.  The title of the post, Perfect Iced Coffee, caught my eye.  Ree found the recipe in Imbibe magazine and she shared it on her blog.  She also likes her coffee with lots of cream, even using condensed milk on occasion, so the pictures looked insanely yummy.

The recipe makes a large batch and lasts a long time in the fridge.  It's almost like a concentrate, so when you're ready for a glass of iced coffee, you just fill up your glass with ice, add the coffee and some cream/sugar and you're good to go.  This method is so much better than the way I've prepared it in the past where the coffee always ended up melting the ice and watering down the coffee.

Since this concoction lasts for several weeks when kept in the fridge, I decided to give it a try.  My favorite way to dose it up is with the flavored creamers.  Coffee Mate's Peppermint Mocha and their Pumpkin Spice are two of my faves.  I haven't tried my coffee with condensed milk as Ree suggests, but I bet that would be amazing, too...probably like dessert.

Ree mentions in her post, this recipe appeared originally in Imbibe Magazine.

Here's the super easy recipe for making this fab iced coffee.  You're not gonna believe how it's done.   Oh, when I make this, I usually only make half the recipe.  That lasts me at least 2-3 weeks.  If you're a big iced coffee fan and drink it every day, you may wish to make the full recipe.
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Yummy Key Lime Pie Recipe: Welcome to the 154th Metamorphosis Monday!

If you're new to BNOTP, every Sunday evening (by 9:00 P.M.) our Metamorphosis Monday party begins. MM is a chance to share a "Before and After" you may have been working on this past week/month. Click on the category heading Parties at the top of this blog for more details.

I'm sharing an edible "Before and After" for this Metamorphosis Monday. This past Christmas I decided to shake things up a bit.  I made the traditional Coconut Cake and Ambrosia (recipe for Coconut Cake HERE) but I decided to make a pie, too.  Years ago, I used to make a Lemon Meringue pie using a recipe from  an old Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe booklet.  I came across the recipe again recently and decided to give the Key Lime version a try.

The coconut cake took a lot more effort since I made it from scratch, including grating fresh coconut. When all was said and done, there was plenty of cake left and not a single piece of Key Lime pie.   Something tells me I've just started a new tradition for our Christmas feast.

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New Year's Eve Champagne Punch, Delicious and Easy to Make

While we continue enjoying all the beautiful tablescapes linked for this week's Tablescape Thursday, I thought I'd share a wonderful recipe for a Champagne Punch I make every Christmas and New Year's.  It's easy to make and always a big hit.  (If you don't care for champagne, substitute chilled club soda, instead.)

If you are making this for a small gathering of 2-4 people, one batch will do. If you're having a larger gathering, you'll want to make several batches because it's always a big hit and goes quickly. I went through 4 batches (with none left over) when I had a party with 25 in attendance. (So, that works out to be around 1 batch for every 6 folks in attendance.)

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The Upstairs Family Room For Christmas: Welcome to the 153rd Metamorphosis Monday!

Merry Christmas!   I have just a quick "Before and After" to share for this Met Monday.   I added a few holiday touches to the Upstairs Family Room this year and never got around to sharing those.  As always, I hung a little wreath on the grandfather clock.




This year the armoire got a bit of lit greenery and I moved the feather tree from its usual spot in the guest room, HERE, to the upstairs family room.

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Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne: A Tutorial

I shared how to make this wine chiller last year, but I thought it would be fun to share that post again in case you're looking for something fun for your Christmas table or for your New Year's eve celebration.  It's easy to make...you'll just need a couple of containers, water and cranberries.  Sliced lemons and limes would work, too.

Tutorial:  Make a wine chiller:

Last year I received a catalog in the mail and it showed this pic/ad. I was tempted to order it until I realized the silver bowl was plastic. I remembered I already had a silver bowl, so I decided to try and make the ice chiller with things I already had and save myself $29.00.




The Before:
The only items I had to purchase were a bottle of wine, cranberries and distilled water. You don't have to use distilled water so you could save the expense of buying that, if you like. But I discovered when I made flower ice cubes HERE, distilled water will usually freeze pretty clear, and it's only $1 for a gallon...more than enough for my ice chiller. If you would like your ice chiller more frosty looking like the one in the catalog, just use tap water.



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Linzer Cookies for Halloween

Beautiful and Halloween-festive tablescapes were linked for yesterday's Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to scroll on down and check them all out. How about a little something to put on top of those table settings?

A couple of months ago I stopped by a local craft store to check out the Halloween stuff and I came across cookie cutters with a Halloween theme.  They were especially made for making Linzer cookies like these.

I've always wanted to try my hand at making Linzer cookies, but I just wasn't sure how.  This Wilton set of cookie cutters makes it really easy.
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Carapelli Olive Oil: Taste Testing Isn't Just for Wine

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carapelli Olive Oil. All opinions are 100% mine.

Think all olive oil is the same?  If your  answer is, yes, that's what I thought, too.  That is until I was offered the opportunity to do my own taste-test of three distinct olive oils made by Carapelli.  You may recognize the Carapelli name.  They were the first olive oil producer to promote bottle extra virgin olive oil in Italy and it's ranked #1 there.

Carapelli Olive Oil is the real deal. Their headquarters is located just outside Florence and their olive oil is made solely from the first cold pressing of olives from the finest Mediterranean olive growers.

I started using olive oil years ago when I read about all the health benefits of olive oil vs other types of oil. Of course, the fact it adds so much flavor to foods doesn't hurt either. I use olive oil in salad dressings, for dipping and for adding flavor to the foods I cook out on the grill. I especially love it on grilled asparagus. Yum!

Ironically, though I've tried various brands of olive oil over the years, the last olive oil I purchased a couple of months ago and is currently in my cupboard, is the Carapelli brand. That's the bottle I already had there on the right.

The other three bottles are the ones I received  for the taste-test.  They came in this neat box.

When I opened the box, here's how it looked inside.  The little bowls on the lower right are for dipping.  I wouldn't need them for the taste-testing, but the small blue glass was to play an important role.

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Tutorial: Carved Watermelon Party Centerpiece

Carved Watermelon Party Centerpiece

This past Tablescape Thursday, I shared a table setting with a carved watermelon centerpiece.

For a party many years ago, I cut the top off a watermelon and hollowed it out to hold fruit.   That was cute, but I've always wanted to try my hand at carving one into a fun shape.

The cookbook below provided the inspiration I needed for this centerpiece.  I've had this cookbook for many, many years and I've always admired the carved watermelon on the front.  I've carved designs in pumpkins as shown in THIS post where I managed a reenactment of the burglars sliding on the ice-covered stairs in the movie, Home Alone. ;)

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Summertime Salad: Arugula with a Fresh Berry Dressing

Happens every time. Yep, I'm a rule breaker...a real rebel. ;) (hee, hee)  Okay, technically when you have friends over for dinner or a party, you are NOT supposed to try out a new dish/recipe you've never made before. I guess that's in case it doesn't turn out right or you just don't like it.

But, wouldn't ya know, that's when I always get in the mood to experiment and try something different...not the same old, same old.   So far, it's never come back to bite me in the tush...always seems to turn out fine. In fact, I don't know what it is, but sometimes a dish seems to turn out its best, the very first time I make it. Does that ever happen to you? Maybe we try harder the first time, following the recipe to the nth degree.

For our little 4th of July bash, I decided to pull out one of those millions (slight exaggeration) of recipes I've torn out of magazines over the years. I wanted to make a green salad for our cookout and the one I'm sharing today sounded just right.

The Menu:
Several folks have asked what the menu was for the party. It was very much a causal event...just a fun cookout with friends. I kept it very basic, very simple. We had hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill.
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Yummy Peach Trifle, An Awesome Summertime Dessert

One of my favorite desserts for this time of year is a trifle made with fresh Georgia peaches. Georgia is the "peach" state so you just can't get much better than a yummy peach trifle for a summer party on the porch.

This dessert is super easy to make and is loosely based on one I tore out of a magazine many years ago. The recipe didn't make enough for the huge trifle dish I have and I wanted it to have a richer taste, so, I increased the amount of the ingredients and "doctored" it up a bit.
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New Year's Eve Champagne Punch, Delicious and Easy to Make

If you've been reading BNOTP for a little while, you may remember a Champagne punch recipe I shared a few weeks ago. I'm posting it again today because it's also a great punch for New Year's Eve, too.

If you are making this for a small gathering of 2-4 people, one batch will do. If you're having a larger gathering, you'll want to make several batches because it's always a big hit and goes quickly. I went through 4 batches (with none left over) when I had a party with 25 in attendance. (So, that works out to be around 1 batch for every 6 folks in attendance.)


Champagne Holiday Punch

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.

Right click on pic below to save it to your computer, then just print it off...much easier than having to write it all out.

Dip the Rims in Nonpariels for a Festive Occasion:

For a New Year's Eve party or a birthday party, I like to dip the rims of the glasses in nonpareils, instead of the the colored sugars I use at Christmastime.




When you get ready to serve this punch, just pour a little Grand Marnier or any orange liqueur into a shallow dish. Pour some nonpareils into a bowl.




Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier, then into the bowl of nonpareils. Then pour the punch into the glass.

You can serve the punch from a punch bowl and ladle it into the glass, but since the opening of a champagne glass is so small this can be pretty messy with the punch ending up running down the sides of the glass. I found it's much easier to just pour it from a pitcher.




Or, if you have a beverage server similar to the one below, that will work well, too.




You may wish to print off some copies of this recipe because your guests are going to be asking for it. :) Or, just tell them it's an old family recipe and you've been sworn to secrecy. ;)



Your Reviews:

Some of you tried this recipe after I posted it before Christmas and here's what you said:

I made your champagne punch and served it before a luncheon I hosted yesterday! It was a true hit, and oh so very delicious! The addition of using the red and green sugars to rim the champagne glasses is a very nice detail! Thank you for sharing this with us! Loved it! It's a recipe that goes straight to my favorites file! ~At Home with a Country Lady


Made this Friday night for our annual neighborhood Holiday Party.
It got RAVE reviews and a request to make it again for Saturday's Cookie Swap. Thanks a million for an EASY, WONDERFUL treat!! ~Anonymous

Yummy Cranberry Trifle for Your Christmas Holiday Party

Earlier today I posted the recipe for the Champagne Punch I always make when I have a Christmas Party. A couple of folks e-mailed and asked for the trifle recipe, too...so here ya go...




The recipe cames from the December 2008 issue of Everyday Food.




Cranberry Trifle

2 bags (12 oz each) cranberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger (if using ground ginger, use much less or will be too strong)
1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
2 homemade or store-bought all-butter pound cakes, 12 oz. each, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
Candied Orange Zest (recipe follows for zest)

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 cups granulated sugar, ginger and 2 cups water. The ginger is the yellow looking stuff in this pic. At first I was worried that 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger would be overpowering, since ginger is pretty strong. It wasn't though...it was just right!




Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook until cranberries begin to burst...8-10 minutes. They were just starting to burst when I took this pic.




Let compote cool completely. To speed up the cooling time, I poured the compote into a large bowl and stuck it in the refrigerator...otherwise it would have taken a really long time to cool because it is really thick and syrup like.

Make cream filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and vanilla on high until well combined. With mixer on medium, gradually add heavy cream; continue beating until soft peaks form.

Arrange 1/3 of cake in a 3 quart serving dish. I bought the boxed Duncan Hines pound cake mix when I made it...to save some time.




Spoon 1/3 of compote over cake; spread to sides of dish. Dollop 1/3 of cream filling over compote; spread to sides of dish. Repeat twice more, ending with cream filling. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Garnish with Candied Orange Zest, if desired. (I highly recommend making and garnishing with the Candied Orange Zest...it was one of the best parts of the trifle!)

Recipe for Candied Orange Zest:
In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add zest of 1 orange (peeled into long strips with a vegetable peeler); simmer, swirling occasionally, until zest is tender...8-10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a plate. Dredge zest in sugar, and thinly slice.

I found it tricky to cut the zest after dredging...felt like I was knocking some of the sugar off. Might be better to cut it first and then dredge it through the sugar. Or, better yet...cut it, put it back into the syrupy water you just drained off and then dredge it...that way the sugar will really stick well. You try it and tell me what works best. :-)


Here's the finished product...




When I made this for my last party, it was a big hit and began disappearing fast...you can see the layers in this photo...



You'll find all the Party Planning Posts under the heading Tablescapes for All Occasions at the top of this blog. (Just scroll down to the bottom of that page.) Enjoy!

Also linking this post to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
Thanks Michael for hosting Foodie Friday!

Champagne Punch Perfect for a Christmas or New Years Eve Party

Several folks have asked for the punch recipe I mentioned in our last Party Planning post.
So here ya go...

The Recipe:

Champagne Holiday Punch

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.


Right click on pic below to save it to your computer:

If having a party, I recommend at least doubling, tripling or quadrupling this recipe, because it's a huge hit and folks keeping coming back for more. When I had around 25 guests for a neighborhood cookie party, we went through four batches, with none left over!

When serving, put red sugar, green sugar and Grand Marnier in a three-part dish or in three separate bowls. I use this divided dish and it works out really well. Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier, then into one of the sugars. Then pour the punch into the glass.




You can serve it from a punch bowl and ladle it into the glass, but since the opening of a champagne glass is so small, this can be pretty messy with the punch ending up running down the sides of the glass. I found it's much easier to just pour it from a pitcher.




Or, if you have a beverage server similar to the one below, that will work well, too.




Your guests will love the look of the sugar-rimmed glasses.

For large parties, I love to use little charms around the stem of the glass. I have a limited number of champagne glasses so it helps my guests keep up with their glass.




For a New Year's Eve party or a birthday party, I like to dip the rims of the glasses in nonpareils, instead of the the colored sugars.







I've placed the glass in front of the paper towels so you can get a better look...

Doesn't this just say, FUN?

Enjoy!

The Best Lasagne Ever!

Ok, that's a really bold statement...but I do love this recipe! Here in Georgia, it's getting cold and rainy out...time for some comfort food.

A Recipe: Lasagne
I'm not exactly a Foodie...in fact, I'd never even heard that word until a few months ago.
But recently, Villeroy & Boch sent me the most adorable dish...and you know how I am about dishes! Fortunately, it's a dish for something I actually make...Lasagne.

Ceramicplus French Garden Lasagne Dish

When I was just a teenager, the wife of the Minister of Music for the church I attended, invited all the choir members to their home for a youth party. She made the most amazing lasagne...best I'd ever tasted. A few years later, our church put out a cookbook of the member's recipes and...Yay, the recipe was in the cookbook. I've been making lasagne with this recipe ever since. I love to make it when I have company coming over for dinner because it's always a huge hit...and pretty much impossible to mess up.

Now church cook books can be a bit tricky. The recipes are typed up by volunteers and not always easy to follow. I'll show you the recipe as it appears in the cookbook and then I'll give you MY interpretation and how I always make it. After that, you're on your own. LOL :)



Larger view:



LASAGNE:

This recipe includes "Italian sausage" in addition to ground beef. You could just buy the Italian sausage already made (like Jimmy Dean) or you can make your own with the following recipe. I've tried it both ways and I have to say...making your own with this recipe to me tastes much better...and it only takes a sec.

Italian Sausage:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. pork sausage
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil

Mix together the above ingredients and let set in refrigerator overnight. (optional)


Next you brown your Italian sausage with:
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp basil
1 can tomatoes
2 Tbsp parsley flakes
2 tsp salt
2 12oz cans tomato paste

You probably already know this but...be sure to brown the sausage and dip off any grease prior to adding in the tomato paste. I always let the sauce simmer for about 20-30 minutes. If you're in a hurry, you could just use store-bought sauce. Sometimes I use that and "doctor" it up a bit with my own spices of choice.

Then, mix together:
3 cups (2 lb carton) cream style cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
2 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp pepper


You'll also need:
8 Lasagne noodles
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, grated (I just buy one of the 4 cup packages and use what it seems to need)

Place 1/2 or 4 noodles in 13 x 9 inch baking dish. (I think it's fine to spread a little sauce in first if you like, but the recipe says to place the noodles in first...and that's the way I usually do it.) Spread 1/2 cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle grated cheese over this. Add 1/2 of meat sauce. Repeat this layer again. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Good comfort food for a cold, rainy fall day!




I guess you can tell I baked this around Halloween. :)





Mangia, Mangia!