Boutonnieres, Centerpieces & Swags… Oh, my!

My maid of honor went and grew up. I never really expected it to happen. It’s as if one day she was my adorable baby cousin and the next day she had grown into this extraordinarily strong, beautiful young woman. She caught the bouquet at our wedding more than a decade ago. Now I’m making her bridal bouquet.

The wedding is in a few months, but since we are using faux flowers I can get things done ahead of time. The stems are a diamond white with green blush. Along with the high end material and realistic design of the flowers, this makes for an incredibly life like floral arrangement.

First up is the prototype for the centerpieces. I’m not yet satisfied with the container as it is in this picture. However, I know what is needed to rectify the situation, so, no worries! The wedding color is either aqua or turquoise depending on what label you look at. The pot and stakes need to be a darker hue in order to match the actual color. The orchids are tied to the stems with iridescent turquoise ribbon. The arrangement is roughly 18” wide and 26” tall.  There are little turquoise glass drops scattered on top of the spring green moss. I’m totally in love with the orchid branches. They look divine in person!

Next are the boutonnieres. Photography is not in my skill set. Photographing boutonnieres is really beyond my skill set. Trust me that these are gorgeous! The groom’s is on the right and features a mini calla lily, 2 orchids, and buds. The bout on the left is the design for all the other gentlemen. Each design features a spray of clear crystals, a clear crystal pin and a hard knot turquoise ribbon with pinked ends. By the way, the bouts are sitting on a pile of the little turquoise glass drops used in the centerpieces.

This is the swag for the ceremony arch. It consists of a variety of greenery, calla lilies, mini calla lilies, hydrangea, spring green berries, diamond white berries, orchids, and 5 clear crystals dangling from ribbon. The placement of flowers is purposefully not symmetrical,which presents a special challenge to a perfectionist!  We are going for casual elegance befitting a garden wedding and to me that means a certain random, thrown together look. Of course, this random stuff takes longer to arrange than perfect symmetry. Go figure! I am reserving the right to wire some more clear crystals into the actual swag. Not sure as of yet…

What do y’all think? Feel free to leave a comment!

What do potatoes, garlic, bananas, and cranberries have in common?

Answer: Not much, unless you consider they were all in our supper last evening!

We had Corned Beef and Cabbage as the entrée, store bought rye bread, Potato Galette, and Banana Cranberry Sponge Cake. It is no surprise that we needed to be rolled the short distance from the dining table to the living room! Once we regained the ability to waddle walk, it was time to put up St. Patty’s decorations. We then returned to our food induced stupor.

Potato Galette

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5 medium potatoes, washed, 1/8” slices, cover with ice water

4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced, set aside

salt, fresh ground black pepper, Parmesan cheese: to taste

In a cast iron skillet or oven safe sauté pan, warm:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon milk

Pour butter mixture in a small bowl.

Use a pastry brush to spread remaining liquid around the sides and bottom of skillet/pan. Gently drain ice water from potatoes. You will now begin making even layers in the following order:

potatoes

butter mixture (apply with pastry brush)

garlic

salt & pepper

Parmesan cheese

Carefully cover skillet/pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. At that time, remove the foil and continue baking 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and with crispy edges on top. Traditionally, a galette may be flipped over in the pan at the point in the cooking process where the foil is removed. This is to ensure the bottom is crispy just like the top. The advantage with cast iron is the galette is crispy all around!

Banana Cranberry Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9” x 12” cake pan.

Whisk together the following and set aside:

3 eggs

2 large bananas, mashed

2 Tablespoons milled flax seed

7 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon  cinnamon

1 pinch ground all spice

1 tad poppy seed

1 tad ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon dry orange zest

1/2 cup dry cranberries

1 tad vanilla butternut Lorann oil

In a stand mixer, cream:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 oz. butter flavored Crisco

Add egg/spice/etc. mixture to the creamed mixture and combine.

On low speed, add:

2 cups all purpose flour

Mix until flour is just combined. Pour into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 30 minutes then begin checking for doneness every few minutes thereafter. When it passes the toothpick test, remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Turn out the cake on a rack, then place back in cake pan, bottom side up. Once completely cooled, it can be frosted with cream cheese icing if desired.

We so desired. I can also attest to the fact this cake is good with a cup of coffee the next morning!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like St. Patty’s Day!

Embracing the slight breeze and partly cloudy sky outside the EE, we have thrown open the windows and embraced the coming spring. Yes, I realize that particular season is still a ways off, but given the winter we have endured, I’m willing to imbibe in this little self-delusion! That said, St. Patrick’s Day is the next holiday to light up the calendar. At least, it is the next one we decorate for around here! That activity shall commence today. Woohoo!

While perusing the contents of the galley, the idea of corned beef and cabbage occurred to me. Rylee was up for it and Ryan wasn’t around to throw in his opinion.   On the last grocery trip, we bought a pair of large, Angus beef roasts from the local club store. These sat patiently in the refrigerator for the last few days waiting for me to cut them down to meal size portions. I cut a long strip from one and it has now begun brining for supper. YUM! The other inspiration for supper was the partial head of cabbage in the crisper, begging to be used. Waste not, want not!
I’m also considering a recipe for a Potato Galette from Joy of Cooking (which is not my favorite cookbook for flavor, but a good jumping off point for recipes to tweak). First, I plan to leave the skin on the potatoes (well washed of course). Second, garlic cloves and a touch of milk will be involved. A bit of influence from a Gratin Dauphinois. Personally, I’m also experiencing a hankering for Monkey Bread.
So, drop by tomorrow for a pictorial recap of our day’s adventures! If the food turns out tasty, I’ll post a few recipes as well.

Hedwig is growing up!

The process of growing out a Maltese puppy’s hair is fraught with peril. Upon hearing this some of you may think I am exaggerating. If only I were a number of things would be different around the EE. I would spend a lot less time wrangling an energetic critter with doggie brushes, combs and grooming products. Ryan would not have needed to work a new line item into the family budget: Hedwig’s Grooming Expenses.

The easy out would be to shave most of Hedwig’s hair in a modified puppy cut for the rest of his life. We did that a few months ago because his first coat, as is often the case, was an absolute nightmare of matted, kinky hair. It was the right thing to do as now he is growing in thick, long hair destined to be a beautiful floor length coat. Today’s grooming session marked a first that is a big deal  to approximately 3 people on this planet: enough hair to make 2 topknots! They aren’t long enough to fold over and paper, but he is getting there!

Those are the chocolate chip eyes that melt our souls!

Rylee & the Tale of Patient Remodeling

Eight year old boys are rarely known for their patience. Thirty-three year old mothers aren’t either. In the case of his bathroom here at the EE, Rylee has shown quite a bit of that much sought after character trait. I’ve learned a bit more about perseverance. Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team isn’t exactly a theme that lends itself to buying décor off the shelf. We still have details to attend to, however it’s actually becoming recognizable at this point!

To begin with, the walls are a matte navy blue and the trim is off white. The bathroom is roughly 5’ x 9’ and painting it such a dark color seemed to fly in the face of conventional wisdom. In fact, the space feels bigger and more, well, for lack of a better term, lush. The contrast between the navy and the off white trim/ceiling is high impact. Then we get to the floor, which seals the deal. Rylee picked out the gorgeous glass tiles which sparkle with tones ranging from pale gold to copper to bronze. The lighting stunk for a good picture and the above photo does not do it justice! Ryan did an awesome job laying the tiles. I painted and made a mess as usual. So, the stage is set. Now on to the décor!


The clear shower curtain liner was a fortunate find at Old Time Pottery. The gold  circles being reminiscent of Quidditch hoops. The bronze panels and navy valance were sewn from heavy satin and are stationary. Lanterns are a must to get from the Quidditch Pitch to your common room after a long evening of practice, so the first of 2 is pictured here. It is actually hiding the bathroom spray. One of the players has left behind a jar of sweets from Honeydukes (gummy vitamins in a decorated Ball jar). Madam Pomfrey has sent along a tray of Pepperup Potion complete with doily and glass (mouthwash). The broom floating near the towel rack is soon to be christened with a name brand via Ryan's elegant script and a paint pen. The painting visible in the mirror is a close up of  a Quaffle set to score on goal. Perhaps the painting moves?


To the left of the sink features a reproduction clock I’ve had  for ages. Someone has flung their Hogwarts crest hat onto the top of the second lantern.  A golden snitch that failed to be put away is resting behind the soap dispenser. The glass cylinder holds jewels designating Rylee's house points ($1 Store vase, clear and sapphire floral arranging stones). Another as yet unnamed broom is flying overhead. The painting visible in the mirror is of the famous Golden Snitch.
Still to come are a jersey, a shadowbox filled with memorabilia from the Quidditch World Cup, and assorted whimsies!

P.S. Does anyone know where I can find a frugal eagle door knocker?

I love a theme…

even when it is just cleaning products!
Lavender is the flavor of the moment. I particularly like the lavender vanilla blend which mellows it out a bit. You see, this type of cleaning binge happens when your house has been undergoing a major purge for the last few weeks. It is amazing to be able to close closet doors without resorting to prayers of protection. Come on, be honest, you know the ones I’m talking about. Those moments where your shoulder is against the door and your are praying nothing heavy falls off a shelf and onto your head. It can’t be just us. Right?
*chirp*chirp*chirp*
I really despise those crickets sometimes.
Any-who, wish us fair fortune as we find the fun in passing on goodies with some life left in them and tossing the rest!
P.S. Yes, I did in fact coordinate my purchase of $1 microfiber cleaning cloths to the scent/color of the cleaning products. Told you I like themes! Poor Ryan lives with this every day, y’all.

What’s Cookin’ in 2011?

New Year’s Resolutions. Do the mere words make you cringe? This New Year’s Eve, those three words are making my mouth water!
For some time now conversations about our eating habits have floated around the EE. Ryan and Rylee are blessedly flexible when it comes to food. I cook fearlessly for the most part, so they never know what will be on the table! Now is as good a time as any to make some changes for the better. Shamelessly using this blog to hold ourselves accountable also seems like a good idea!
I thought to begin this journey by noting a few items we really need to work on and adding to it as we go along:
Less Reliance on Salt – I need to revamp recipes to utilize flavor rich base ingredients and condiments. Fresh herbs at the end of cooking time give a strong burst of flavor. A great example is cilantro, which I dearly love! Spice mixtures are invaluable and underused in my opinion. Curry powder & Creole seasoning are your friend so long as you watch for sodium content.
Raw & Fresh – We need a lot more raw foods in our diet. Rylee is famous for turning down cookies for either carrot sticks or grapes! That is the example we need to follow. Fresh fruits & veggies may mean going to the store once every week, but that seems a small price to pay. Everyone at the EE enjoys a good salad, perhaps starting out with a goal of having Salad Night once a week is reasonable.
Moderately Meatless – As proud supporters of People for the Eating of Tasty Animals, it is unlikely that the day will come when the EE kitchen is entirely meat free. At least, not by choice; sometimes it happens just because a few too many days have elapsed between shopping trips! However, our diets have become overwhelmed with too much animal protein and cutting back on portions is a widely held advisement. Ideally, my goal would be to have 2 vegetarian or vegan meals per week for each mealtime (i.e., 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, 2 suppers).
So, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? More selfishly, do you have suggestions for the denizens of the EE as we embark on a healthier lifestyle? Leave a comment so we can all grow together!
Happy New Year 2011!