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    Happy Fridays: Blogs We Love – The Pioneer Woman!

    March 4, 2011 | Posted by Kristen the designer

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    So if you haven’t stumbled across this blog yet, you definitely need to now! The Pioneer Woman is a wonderful little blog that covers just about everything you could hope for. Featuring topics in cooking, photography, confessions, home and garden, as well as many others. Ree Drummond, the creator of this wonderful blog, is so creative with her posts and I find myself with a huge smile while reading each one. Her Confessions section is definitely my favorite. The stories of her adorable Bassett hound Charlie are the best :)

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    The photography section is a great place for inspiration and gorgeous photos. Threads are started with certain themes and then readers submit photos that Ree sorts through and posts from. I love the range of images…some old, some new, color, black and white…and you definitely don’t have to be a professional to submit. Ree also has a section called “High Res Downloads” where she contributes images of her own for download. To top it off, there is a “Photoshop” and  “Photoshop Actions” category perfect for new ideas and techniques.

    Head on over to the cooking section for delicious recipes and yummy treats. One of her most recent recipes was for a dessert snack called a “Devil Dog.” I had never heard of them before, but after examining the mouthwatering photos I knew I would make some soon :) You can not go wrong with chocolate cake and whip cream…yum yum!

    So go ahead and check it out for yourself…I promise you won’t be disappointed! Happy Fridays!

    Kristen the designerKristen the designer

    Happy Fridays: Super Bowl Countdown!

    January 28, 2011 | Posted by Kristen the designer

    Superbowl Sunday is right around the corner which means you better be ready to serve some impressive dishes to eager and hungry friends and family. Well this year maybe you want to mix it up a little? Say goodbye to bland chips and salsa and hello to some new tasty treats! I picked a couple delicious spreads to share below :)

    Dips and Spreads:

    Clockwise from top left: Sweet Onion Dip, Feta Raddish Spread, Artichoke Dip, White Bean Dip.

    Recipe: Feta Raddish Spread

    Prep Time: 10 min, Total Time: 30 min

    Ingredients:

    - 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    - 2 pocket pitas, split open

    - 1 package sheep’s-milk feta cheese (8 ounces), coarsely chopped

    - 1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek

    - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    - 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    - 4 radishes, quartered and thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

    Instructions:

    1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using 2 tablespoons oil, brush insides of pita rounds. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Arrange wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet, oiled sides up; toast until golden brown and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

    2) Meanwhile, pulse feta, yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a food processor just until mixture is thick and spreadable, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in parsley and radishes. Serve with pita crisps.

    Tasty Wings:

    Clockwise from top left: Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken, Thai Fried Chicken Wings, Chicken Fingers with Orange Dipping Sauce.

    Recipe: Buffalo Chicken

    Prep time: 35min, Total Time: 35min

    Ingredients:

    - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

    - 2 teaspoons paprika

    - coarse salt

    - 8 skinless chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds total)

    - 1/4 cup vegetable oil

    - 1/4 cup ketchup

    - 1 tablespoon butter, melted

    - 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco

    - celery sticks, for serving

    - Better Blue-Cheese Dip (above), for serving

      Instructions:

      1) On a rimmed baking sheet, combine flour, paprika, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Add chicken, toss to coat, and shake off excess.

      2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook, turning to brown on all sides, until cooked throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.

      3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ketchup, butter, and hot sauce; season with salt. Add hot chicken, and toss gently to coat. Serve with celery sticks and dip.

      4) In a small bowl, combine 1 ounce blue cheese (crumbled), cup plain low-fat yogurt, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Mix well with a fork, mashing cheese to combine.

      Find these and several other delicious recipes from the Martha Stewart site. Happy Fridays everyone!

      Kristen the designerKristen the designer

      Happy Fridays: New Years Eve Parties!

      December 31, 2010 | Posted by Kristen the designer

      It’s the last big celebration of the year, and at the same time, a welcoming of the new year. There are so many ways to plan a great New Year’s eve celebration. It’s certainly not a very traditional holiday, so anything goes! You can keep it casual with simple food and drinks, or go big with hats, champagne, noise makers…the whole nine yards! I have assembled some of my favorite New Years themed images to create a couple of inspiration boards below. If you were running out of ideas for food to serve or drinks to make hopefully you can find a few new ones here!

      One of my favorite ideas (pictured top left) is to save wrapping paper scraps from Christmas that can then be used to make New Year’s decorations. These adorable streamers are made by adhering the wrapping paper scraps to cardboard with spray adhesive and then streaming them together with twine or wire. Simple, easy and fast! Full instructions here.

      I was also excited to learn about a popular New Year’s eve tradition practiced in Spain (pictured bottom right). At midnight you eat 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock. This is a great idea for children. While the adults toast with champagne, the kids can have their own special treat as well! Before eating keep the champagne flutes and grapes out as a pretty centerpiece.

      One new delicious snack I found was the Caesar salad bites (pictured middle left). Such a great idea…I wish I had thought of it sooner! You take individual leafs of romaine lettuce and top them with croutons, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Cute, adorable, bite sized Caesar salads!

      Two of my favorite new festive drinks are champagne and cranberries (pictured bottom right) and pomegranate mimosas (pictured top right). A very easy way to make any champagne a little fancier, and fruitier, simply add a handful of cranberries to each glass. Pomegranate mimosas are also fairly easy to make. You can basically add pomegranate juice to a traditional mimosa recipe, and then top off with champagne or sprite to taste. More ideas and recipes can be found here!

      Hope these gave you some fun, new ideas for making your New Years eve celebration a memorable one. If you need a little more inspiration you can visit Martha Stewart, or Southern Living for some great finds! Happy New Years everyone!

      Kristen the designerKristen the designer

      Happy Fridays: Christmas Treats!

      December 17, 2010 | Posted by Kristen the designer

      Christmas is almost here! Now that you have done all your shopping, decorating, and wrapping, it’s time to relax. Or is it? Are you having a last minute holiday party that you’re not prepared for? No worries…we’ve got you covered :) If you are in need of some delicious dishes to serve at your next get together look no further! I have rounded up some tasty appetizers and desserts that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. Enjoy!

      Appetizers -

      Mini Bagel Wreaths (bottom right) –

      Ingredients: mini bagels, cream cheese, peppers

      To make these delectable treats, spread mini bagel halves with cream cheese (plain or tinted green with herbs or food coloring), then sprinkle on red, yellow, and green bell-pepper confetti. So easy! Similar recipes can be found here.

      Desserts –

      Tortilla Snowflakes (bottom left) –

      Ingredients – flour tortillas, canola or vegetable oil, confectioner’s sugar, edible glitter (optional)

      1) Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm the tortillas (about 15 seconds) in the microwave.

      2) Individually fold the tortillas in half once and then in half again, so that you end up with a shape that resembles a wedge of pie (it will be thick). Using clean scissors, cut triangle, circles, or squares out of the edges, as if you were making paper snowflakes. Unfold the tortillas.

      3) Lightly brush the tops of the snowflakes with canola or vegetable oil and place them on a cookie sheet slightly apart.

      4) Bake them until lightly browned and crisp (about 4 minutes). Sift confectioners’ sugar on the snowflakes while warm. For an extrasparkly effect, you can sprinkle on a bit of edible glitter.

      You can find similar recipes here. For a variety of other scrumptious holiday goodies visit the Family Fun site.

      Happy Friday everyone!

      Jeanine LinderJeanine Linder

      Ryan is Two

      November 24, 2010 | Posted by Jeanine Linder

      Ryan just turned two on September 29, 2010 and we invited friends and family to celebrate his special day!

      I chose a white, pink and orange color scheme to reflect Ryan’s funny, bright & cheery personality. I also wanted to try something new and not the usual boy colors like blue and green. My goal was to use the orange and pink in most parts of the setup, however I also tried to incorporate the colors into the foods, which worked out quite well.

      Because our family and friends love some fabulous food, we served quite a broad palette.  There were mini white chocolate cupcakes, white chocolate ganache cornets, white chocolate créme brûlée, fresh raspberries, maple syrup cookies, some marshmallows, and a few other sweets served. For dip-lovers we offered beetroot pesto, sweet chili mousse and vegetable-dip. We had mozzarella-tomato sticks, cesar salad, homemade sweet potato chips, fresh Focaccia bread, cookies called air kiss (and they truly are a kiss from heaven), caramel popcorn, red pesto prussiens, homemade bacon buns, original tarte flambee from the Alsace, cream puffs filled with smoked trout, small chick pies filled with egg and decorated with beet sprouts, as well as fresh pumpkin soup. We also offered fresh baby-sized tomatoes and baby carrots to add a healthy touch. As the highlight we served Ryan a white chocolate truffle gateau decorated with a self-made birthday garland and a hand-painted figurine. So yes, we spent quite a while in the kitchen to prepare this Fiesta!

      To drink we served a non-alcoholic punch suitable for kids. It was made out of sparkling water and apple juice and garnished with fresh autumn berries. Of course for adults we served some sparkling wine to add a little extra bubble if desired. We also had pink and orange syrups and soft drinks to match the theme.

      We decorated the party area with small ghosts made of napkins and hung up a self-made pennant garland around the room. For each child in attendance we handcrafted an adorable party hat. I asked all guests to write Ryan a wish on a small note which we then hung on the wish-tree sitting on the buffet.


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