Grow

Never underestimate the power of growth,

Strength comes from the depths.

Easter Centerpiece

Last minute Easter hosted in my humble abode called for a quick and easy centerpiece, with minimal time required!  Picked up some yellow daisy's, one small bunch of baby's breath and 2 chocolate bunnies - Voila!

I used white beans that I happened to have in the cupboard for filler, and a large mason jar (previously pasta sauce jar) as the vase.  Cylinder Vases also look sleek & spring-y!

 

NOTE: Do not make this the night before if you are using beans (as I learned with this centerpiece).  The beans will expand overnight and appear mushy in the morning!

• 2 Chocolate Bunnies (Wrapped)
• 1 Vase/Large Mason Jar
• 1 Bunch of Spring Flowers
• 1 Bunch of Baby's Breath
• 1/2 Cups Filler (Beans, Jelly Beans, Rocks, Anything will work!)

Instructions:
Place filler in the bottom of jar.
Follow with water to, about an 2-3 inches from the brim.
Arrange flowers the way you'd like.
Place a Bunny on each side of vase on table

 

Adding tea light or votive candles can add a bit of light if you are having an evening soiree!

Lemon Blue Cheese Asparagus

Lemon Blue Cheese Asparagus
Prep: 5 Minutes - Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Asparagus Bunch
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 Fresh Cut Lemon
• Crumbled Blue Cheese
• Salt & Pepper
• Garlic Salt (Optional)

1.) Prep Asparagus, cut off hard or discolored ends.

2.) Heat a Large Shallow Pan on the stove top with oil on Medium 
Heat.  Drop a small drop of water to test the pans heat, if   it sizzles right away, that is the heat you want.

3.) Put Asparagus in pan in a thin layer, then sprinkle salt,     pepper, & garlic salt (if desired).  You can also drizzle   with additional oil if you wish.

4.) Cook Asparagus until desired tenderness, should still have a slight crunch.  Approx 5-6 minutes on each side.  Move around in pan every few minutes to cook evenly.

5.) Once Asparagus is done, remove and put on a plate.  Squeeze   lemon juice on top, sprinkle with Blue Cheese, and add salt & pepper to taste. Serve!

Easy Peasy Pasta Salad

The other night I had a hankering for a bit of carbs, a bit of veggies, but I really didn't want the heaviness of making pasta.  The cure? Pasta salad of course.  Something about a light vinaigrette and veggies tossed among-st the noodles that makes it feel 'lighter' for me.  Is it really lighter? Probably not, but the right portion and with the ability to customize your own mix-in's, I'll let you be the judge.

Step 1:

• Cook Pasta according to package instructions.
• Rinse with cold water when straining.  (Helps is cool quicker!)
• Set Aside

Any kind of pasta will work, my favorites are Penne, Fusilli, Cavateppi and Farfalle.  The tri-color Rotini makes a for added color!  Anything spiral or with grooves is great for pasta salad as it will turns every little nook and cranny into a flavor filled bite!  Filled Tortellini make for a heavier but very tasty dish as well.

Step 2:

• Add in ANYTHING you want. Literally.  Sometimes I buy exactly what I feel like eating, other times I clean out my fridge and make a 'leftovers' pasta salad.

For this recipe I added:

-Green Onion (chopped)

-Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

-Black Olives (halved)

Mix-in Ideas:

-Olives

-Tomatoes (all varieties)

-Bell Pepper

-Cheese cubes (soft jack or mozzarella are extra tasty!)

-Feta or Blue cheese crumbles

-Shredded or Shaved Parmesan

-Onion  (Red onion makes for a crisp addition)

-Chunks of Meat  (Ham & Salami pair well with the cheese!)

-Prosciutto

-Lettuce - really give it the 'salad' feel

-Broccoli or Cauliflower florets - raw is best

-Bacon 

-Asparagus (cooked & cooled)

-Kale

-Avocado - best if used as a topper since it can get mushy

-Shrimp, Tuna, or Crab ,eat 

-Spinach

-Shredded Chicken, Beef, or Pork

-Green Chile's - makes for a great 'fiesta style' salad

-Peperoncini

-Jalapeno - for a kick!

-Garbanzo beans

-Pinto Beans 

-Kidney Beans

-Canned Artichoke Hearts

-Mushroom

-Bean Sprouts

-Zucchini or Carrots - shredded or julienne cuts are best for salads

-Peas - use defrosted frozen peas, not canned!

-Sunflower Seeds

-Sun-dried Tomatoes

-Fresh herbs: Rosemary, Basil, Tarragon, Mint, Cilantro, Parsley

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Garlic clove minced - store bought minced garlic works too!
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Italian Seasoning - to taste
• 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
• Onion or Garlic Powder - to taste

Feel free to add in additional seasonings to customize your taste! 

Sometimes I add paprika or extra lemon also.

Mix it all up with a whisk in a Mason jar or glass container - avoid using plastic if possible.

If you double or triple the recipe you can keep the dressing on hand in the fridge, make for a tasty topping for other salads or a quite drizzle on a sandwich.

Step 3:

• Mix the pasta, mix-in's, and dressing together, toss to coat as much as possible.
• Refrigerate for extra cooling - usually 20-30 minutes is long enough (depending on how cold your fridge is)
• When cold enough for your liking - Serve! 

Patience

Think

Ahoy, It's a boy!

AHOY, IT'S A BOY!

Banner Made by Jessica S. owner & creator of 'Shop Millie Monster'
Visit her Etsy Store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopMillieMonster

"Sushi & Sake tonight?" I said, Diana looked out the passenger car window and replied slowly, "Well. I actually can't have either of those things for awhile"  I looked at her in confusion, then with big smirk, it was as if the light bulb lit up, I'm sure it was reflecting through my eyes. "ARE YOU PREGNANT?!", I yelped.  Tears welt up in her eyes as I stopped at the next red light shocked, surprised, and so happy that my beautiful long time friend was starting a family of her own.

We opted for Lazy Dog Café for dinner, and then it came up "Will you help with the baby shower?", I'm sure my face turned pink with excitement, "Can I PLEASE?!"

I've always loved parties, all aspects really.  The planning, the details, the celebration, the food, the booze, and more importantly being in an environment celebrating with family, friends, and good people....that's what a party's all about right? Well actually its mainly about the booze, but the other things are good additions I suppose.

When she found out she was having a boy, the ideas swirled.  Pinterest also become a very prevalent thing in both of our lives.  Pinterest = Crack   Anyone who says otherwise has yet to experience the endless ideas and creativity that Pinterest provides...no matter what you're into, there's a board and pins galore.  (If you haven't experienced it yet, do yourself a favor, feed the addiction, you're welcome & in advance, I'm sorry, www.Pinterest.com)
We finally decided upon a theme: PIRATE
Not only do I have an entire room in my house dedicated to Pirate décor, but I have always been fascinated with pirate history, culture, and of course, loot.  I hit the ground running.

Last year, I had looked into Event Planning school.  The funding wasn't available for me at the time, but I kept learning different ways I could by trolling the internet, using professional event planners websites and guides to gain any knowledge I could.  I was hungry for it. I became a weird soiree sponge.  Luckily for her I had saved much of this information, including spreadsheets with guest list templates, budget guidelines, and more.  My momentary obsession was being put to good use.

Let the planning begin...........

After 'Pinning' our lives away for a week or two, we met up to have lunch and lay out the final decisions.  I'll let the pictures below show you what we decided on. Etsy/Shopping links are included where possible so we can give credit where credit is due.

    If you have any questions, or want more info, email me: Le.Esquelet@gmail.com

Dessert & Candy Bar Table

Main Dessert & Candy Bar Table.  Candy bar on the left.  Glass jars with Whoppers (Cannon Balls), Blue Hershey Kisses with the little tags that say 'Its a boy', Silver Hershey kisses, and Licorice (Rope!).  Clear Cellophane bags and small plastic scoops for guests to use.

Black Table Cloth, draped with fishnet (cheap, easy and can be used for SO many things!)
Both Chocolate & Plastic coins spread out on all the tables, much better (and cleaner) than confetti!   Plus the chocolate coins are edible...just be sure your guests don't try to bite into a plastic coin. Or at least invite those with slightly more common sense, they'll probably bring a better gift anyway.
Ikea lanterns with battery operated tea lights (candles are better but also burn faster and give off smoke.  You will be relighting all night, and no one wants smoke flavored cupcakes.  Battery operated is a good alternative)   Mimosa Punch...I'll get to that wonderfulness shortly.

Cupcakes: Plain & Simple, Vanilla or Chocolate with red buttercream frosting (so it doesn't have to be refrigerated) We ordered our own little black pirate skull flags to top them.  Lots of party websites sell similar.  We used www.Shindigz.com
Customized Baby Photo and name announcement.

Alternate View with Candy Bar.  Food Table in the background.

Black Silhouette Pirate Ship Centerpieces ordered from 'Cutting Paper' Etsy shop.  Check out her goodies here http://www.etsy.com/shop/cutnpaper?ref=pr_shop_more
It was really windy on the day of the shower so the ships were taped to cardboard panels which were then covered in tissue paper.  The net was actually draped over the ship to help them stay up in the wind, and turned out looking like we planned it that way...

Alternate view of centerpieces.

Goody Bags were displayed in a gold treasure chest (the kind you buy & paint from Joann's or any other craft store).
Chocolate gold coins and miniature bottles of rum.(Half Sailor Jerry Half Captain Morgan. 

The tags were custom made by Jessica S. at Millie Monsterhttp://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopMillieMonster?ref=seller_info  'Ahoy it's a boy'

And at the bottom, the baby's name 'Jae Darwin Ko'

The pirate ship silhouette tags were made by 'Your Little Cupcake', check out her Etsy store here http://www.etsy.com/shop/YourlittleCupcake?ref=seller_info

Rum Bottles & Chocolate Coins made for perfect Pirate themed goody bags.
This also doubled as how they announced the Baby's Name.