Romancing the Stove Cookbook Giveaway

Hilarious women empowerment cookbook giveaway. To enter, leave a comment telling me what dish you made for your significant other (current or past) that made them beg you to make it again. If you are not registered as a google follower, leave your email address. Good Luck!

Here is the amazon.com link.  You can click on the image of the book on the web page linked below and see some of the inside pages.  http://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Stove-Celebrated-Recipes-Delicious/dp/1573248584/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323827854&sr=8-1

Creating Antique Style Wedding Ephemera

I have finally collected as many wedding photographs as I could and I will be publishing many wedding related posts in the next few weeks.  This one is dedicated to all the paper ephemera I used.  I tried to use many antique wedding traditions and ideas in all the stationary items.  The only thing I had professionally printed were the actual invitations and we had silhouettes cut.  I made the programs on my own, my mother drew a wonderful antique style map to be included in the invites, I drew the guest sign-in tree, and my mother hand wrote the geneology chart onto a blank fan geneology poster. The silhouettes were copied and transferred onto the backs of the programs, onto wine bottle labels, and I had the originals framed and displayed on a table. Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

I ordered and received a custom antique style thermography invitations from the White Aisle.  Rebecca worked diligently with me to get the right look and feel to it.  I just looked online to try to link back to her web page and discovered that Rebecca had been diagnosed and passed away from brain cancer in a very short period of time.  I am so devestated over this.  She was the owner of the most wonderful letterpress company. In her photos, she was absolutely gorgeous, the best way I can describe her is that she belongs in a Waterhouse painting. Here is her blog and some pictures of her. I cried as I read through her last several posts. The world has lost a very creative and a beautiful person inside and out. http://www.whiteaisleweddings.com/

We had our friend Tiffany ( http://serendipitybytiffany.com/) take some side-view photos of us that we sent to Tim Arnold, The Silhouette Man (http://www.silhouette-man.com/). They both did a wonderful job. 

Printed onto sticker paper on my computer and trimmed to size.

Not quite sure where we got it, but it is similar to this one with different shading. 

http://misbach.org/9-generation-fan-chart.html 

See previous blog post about this one.  Real 1880s wedding certificate that had never been filled out.  Photography done by Serendipity by Tiffany and Historic Walnut Ink Calligraphy done by Melinda Sapp (http://www.calligraphybymelinda.com/)

My mother drew the map, and I formatted the crest. We printed them on ivory colored post card cardstock that tore apart.  On the backs we printed accurate google maps directions in a calligraphy font.

So many etsy stores now sell hand drawn trees for use as a creative guest sign in.  "Leaf your fingerprint and name"  These are sooo expensive that I decided to buy a sheet of large sketch paper and do it myself.  I started off in pencil, then traced in fine point sharpie.  The bottom I used a stencil for.  

I made the two of us into little birds.

We had 5 colors of green inks for people to choose from.  One of the five pads was different and the ink pad smudged the ink pen marks.  The four pack of green that we bought from Joanne's was the best and we highly recommend it.  This turned out great because you never know what people will actually do with art projects.  We have a cute family of Beaver's at the bottom, their last name is Beaver how could they not be beavers, some wanted to be fallen leaves, one didn't understand and just signed, some thumbs have no names, and we have some spare birds. Currently hanging in our hallway, love it! I think I still have 10 people to track down, I have a few spare branches to fill in.

Scissor Art

weddingchicks.com has wonderful DIY free downloads

My Bridal Tea in April: Traditional English and Shabby Chic

   This is a very belated post.  I hate that word because I have been using it entirely too often lately.  Finally found all my completed wedding thank you's that had been misplaced in tornado/move and got them sent out today. " Belated Thank You!" Martha Stewart would be ashamed of me.  Happy Belated Birthday seems the most tame form of using it.   A few Christmas cards didn't get mailed, but a Merry Belated Christmas isn't effective.... must do better next year. Maybe my New Year's resolution should be not to create situations where I have to use the word "belated." 

This post is all about the classic English tea that was thrown for me the day before my wedding.

April 22, 2011 I was given a beautiful Bridal Tea hosted by my mother's best friend and my aunt. 

Knowing that someone loves you enough to break out their best china that will all have to be washed by hand I think is a great indicator of true love! Slaving away for hours to create perfectly matching tea party fare is also equally as proving of true love.  I am a very lucky girl to have such people in my life.

The table looked gorgeous! I loved her silver centerpiece.

Picture of me playing bride dress-up when I was 6. I was VERY into dress-up.

Part of the decoration on this table: Paperweight I got off Etsy.com

Inside the gold and glass rim there is a metal word art that says Fred & Anna

Back Side of Paperweight

Me and my Bic-Bic, Stephie and Merby

The stunning antique M monogram silver covered vegetable dish they gave me.

My Bridesmaids : Maiben, Anna, Stephanie, Me, Becca, Alex, and Mary Elizabeth

I love my girls!

Recipes will be and posted for the cookies, the apricot bites, and the espresso beef soon in a separate post.

Sugar Cookies with a Lavender and Lemon peel Glaze

Love the center tray! My old Madame Alexander Bride sitting on top of all the delicious petit fours.

Me and My Aunt Dana Bug

Southern Cheese Straws

White Chocolate Roses

Smoked Salmon Skewers with Red Onion Cream Cheese

Tomato Cups filled with Chicken Salad

This pictures is a bit fuzzy, but these were wonderful.  They are espresso encrusted fillet of beef bites with a horseradish thyme sauce on toasted rounds of bread.

Goat cheese apricot bites with a rosemary walnuts

Pimento and Cheese

Cucumber sandwiches

So delicious and pretty!

Wine Cork Wreath

Just a post showing off my latest craft project.  I have been selling place card holders which are sets of wine corks glued together with ribbon in my etsy store.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69960796/wine-cork-place-card-name-table-number

I only use real corks for the holders.  From friend and family cork donations, I have gotten a lot of plastic corks that did not have a purpose.  Finally I saw a wine cork wreath that I thought I could do.  I added a top layer to the design to create more height and more fullness to it.  This is what I created.  I am giving this one to my husband's uncle.  You can easily add Christmas berries to it, more ribbon to punch it up, or add football related logos to it!

1 flat wreath board from Michaels ($3.99)

I used titebond wood glue, but you would probably be better off with a plastics glue

cork collection, I just used plastic but it would probably be much prettier with real ones

Glue the bottom layer in a herring bone type configuration, wait 24 hours for it to dry and glue the second layer on and wait another 24 hours for it to set. Hang with a wide band ribbon. 

Redneck Dirty Santa Gift Idea: Redneck Wine Glasses, Larry the Cable Guy's Chicken Mix, and Reindeer Poop (Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies)

Somehow it seems wrong to post this one on my food blog... being poop related and all. I decided poop is funny no matter what, so here it is.  We are invited to our friend's annual Christmas Party in Tuscaloosa for tomorrow where we always have a blast. They always do a dirty santa swap. Instructions specifically said no "dirty" dirty santa (there have been hilarious inappropriate gifts in the past).  Last time, I think I brought a cute martini shaker at Target and stuck a jar of olives it in for a "Dirty Martini" gift set.  I ended up going home with an awesome mixed pack of gourmet beer. I think it is funny to play off the word dirty, so this year I went in a totally different direction.  

The redneck wine glasses are very easy to make once you find the right parts. My mother taught me how to make these. People sell these things like crazy on Etsy.com but usually with bigger ball jars.  I find that many of these use ball jars that are too big and the glasses look awkward, tip over, or just look ugly.  I like the half-pint Ball brand jars that have the ball logo on one side, and a bunch of fruit on the other. The bottoms are glass candlesticks.  You can find these for anywhere from 50 cents to $4 a piece depending on what kind you get.  Glue them together with glass epoxy and let them sit for 24 to 72 hours to cure completely.  Theoretically they are dishwasher safe, though I recommend still hand washing them. 

Redneck Wine Glass Poem to add to:

This here's a wine glass that's made jest fer you

Ya'll can drink your vino or some homemade brew.

Attached is a tag to let ya know whoz is whoz

and it's a to-go apperattis with a lid and screw.

They are very easy to make.  I have been selling them for $5 a piece and was shocked when I went in to Harrison Brothers in Huntsville, AL the other day and they were selling them for $18 a piece!  Way too much!

I paired them with a box of Larry the Cable Guy Chicken Mix.  I saw it at Dollar Tree and busted out laughing.  He has a whole line of this type stuff. 

http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Cable-Muffin-Box-You-Git-R-Done/dp/B006BXB15S

Last but not least, I added a big batch of Reindeer Poop!  You probably grew up calling these no-bake cookies or  Preacher's Cookies.  I call them Cow Patties which is just as bad as Reindeer Poop!  These are so easy to make and are just a quick no worries comfort food. Kids love them!

Tie them all up together with a recipe card and VOILA!  

REINDEER POOP

1/2 cup butter

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp. salt

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (quick cooking oats)

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:  Mix butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder and salt together in a medium saucepan.  Bring this mixture to a boil.  Recipes differ for how long to boil, some want you to reach a specific temperature on a candy thermometer. I let it go 1-3  minutes until it looks well combined.  Move the mixture off the eye and stir in the vanilla and peanut butter until completely combined.  Then add the oats.  Drop by tablespoons onto wax paper and let cool completely.  You can make pretty perfect circles for Preacher's Cookies or you can make disgusting shapes.  

Gift Poem taken from another blog:

Reindeer Poop Poem

I woke up with such a scare when I heard Santa call...
"Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!"
I ran to the lawn, and in the snowy white drifts,
those nasty reindeer had left "little gifts".

I got an old shovel and started to scoop
Neat little piles of "reindeer poop."
but to throw them away seemed such a waste,
So I saved them, thinking you might like a taste!

As I finished my task, which took quite a while,
Old Santa passed by and he sheepishly smiled.
And I heard him exclaim as he rose to the sky~~~
"Well, they're not potty trained, but at least they can fly!"

Treasure Find of the Day: Antique Photo of Grandparents

Sometimes the best things happen when you are least expecting it.  Today I had trouble getting the drawer to close on a small antique side table that is in my dining room.  I took the drawer out and stuck my hand inside trying to find what was making the drawer catch.  The source was an unused tea light but also I found a photograph that had been shoved in there for who knows how many years.  I'm so glad I didn't rip it when I was shaking the drawer back and forth. The table used to belong to my paternal grandmother that passed away when I was 5.  The picture shows her and my grandfather, who passed away when my dad was 16, posing side by side in a field with slight smiles on their faces.  The photo is dated Sept 59.  This is a very happy find!