"Bon Voyage" Party Ideas and Menu

So, I know it's been a little while.....I thought you might enjoy seeing some photos from a recent "Bon Voyage" party I hosted for our 2 oldest daughters. The eldest is moving to Shanghai China and the middle daughter is moving to St Augustine Florida. I gathered some fun ideas from Pinterest and created a few of our own. I went with a "vintage world map" décor theme of pale blues, yellows and accents of green.

THE DECOR

I kept with the theme and cut and hand lettered a banner to hand across our dining room.



I simply cut the map into several equal triangle, wrote a letter on each and left 1 plain and punched 2 holes into the top of each. I then threaded jute through the hole and hung. I hung another full map above the dessert table and filled a huge blue glass vase with fresh sunflowers.



We placed small velum paper flags with "Bon Voyage" written in white ink and glued onto a wooden skewer. I used an assortment of tiny dishes and paper cups to be lively and fun as well as make sure I had enough small plates for everyone!

I also picked up some adorable "Airmail" style note cards and tied them in pairs of 2 with jute. (The idea WAS that each card would each have the girls new addresses on them and be ready mail, but hey...who knows their new addresses? Not my girls. So guests were able to take a packet home and I agreed to forward said addresses asap.)





THE DRINKS

Since this was mainly an outdoor party, I used my potting bench for outside drinks in buckets and set up a classic cocktail bar inside the dining room. A copper preserving pot and galvanized tub surrounded by wicker did the trick for the assorted craft beers and sodas and I included fun blue swirled straws!



We also had a cocktail bar set up for 2 drinks. The "Saint Augustine" and "Shanghai Tea". I found some super cute 6X8 inch chalkboards and wrote a recipe on each. I then included an ice bucket, lemon wedges, and assorted components for each drink. LOTS of fun!! Everyone got into the spirit and tried something new! I save several types of jars and wine bottles I like so I had fun putting the components into different bottles instead of just the same old thing! We didn't get straight on photos, but here I am making a (well deserved I might add) Saint Augustine!







THE TABLE

We had 28 guests, all family to wish the girls well. It's a bit of a challenge finding room for that many to sit together, so we set up 3 8 foot buffet tables in the yard. I covered the tables in 2 pale yellow curtain panels and 1 pale blue, flat, bed sheet instead of purchasing anything.



I used paper plates in a square style and wrapped the silverware in napkins and a piece of jute. We found some lovely bottles of Italian Barbera (Fuso is the brand) wine that paired well with our food and décor with a map label.



I tucked a few sprigs of statice flowers into Fentiman's Tonic Water bottles to brighten up the table and placed large world maps to cap off each end. The food was the main attraction however!


THE MENU

Appetizers;
Cheese Board
Baguette slices with pesto, tomatoes and feta
Fresh Radish Spread

Lemon Herbed Chicken
Seasoned Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce (on the side)
Wild Rice with Grilled Vegetables
Redskin Potatoes with fresh herbs and butter
Baguettes & butter
Fresh Cantaloupe
Sliced Sweet & Sour Cucumbers
Asian Coleslaw
Kale Salad with Peaches and Parmigiano Reggiano
Traditional Caprese Salad

Desserts;
Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
Pots de crème; Chocolate or Vanilla Bean
Victoria Sponge Cakes with Jumbleberry Jam
Old Fashioned "Dirt" Cakes

I am happy to post the recipes late this week, or feel free to message me for something in particular! Michigan is so full of fresh fruits and vegetables that this menu was easy to prepare and delightful to eat even for a large group! Most of the recipes were prepared in advance to keep me sane :) We did all of the grilling while guests arrived and had pleny of time to visit and have a drink before the meal.








And to finish up the great party, we did family photos. It will be the last time we are all together for at least 11 months.....so we seized the day. And the little dogs.

Mothers Day Brunch Menu

Spring is such a great time to entertain and Mother's Day Brunch is one of my personal favorites. It's a time to honor (or be honored) the woman who not only gave you life, but puts up with your nonsense and still loves you! ;)

I put together this lovely little table arrangement of dishes/linens I already own;



Plaid tablecloth and Napkins- Vintage; My Mom actually bought these for me at an estate sale. We share an unreasonable love of dishes and lovely fabric.

Plates-William-Sonoma; Last year's design of yellow crackle melamine plates (I know, plastic right?! they are beautiful) as the charger and the smaller plates are their Mushroom collection.

Glasses-Duralex from France

I purchased the outdoor statue in green somewhere or another for very little and picked fresh white lilacs and put them in Weck brand canning jars.


I shared this menu with my cooking class last month and it's easy, unique and satisfying without being too sweet as many brunch menus tend to be! Here is a small collection of recipes that I will be making for Mother's Day his year!


LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add lemon zest and ricotta then the remainder of wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (except almonds) and add to wet, stirring until just combined.
Fill paper muffin cups and top each with a few almonds and a sprinkle of sugar. Bake 20 until barely golden brown.

GRUYERE OVEN BAKE

8 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips
2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
½ cup baguette bread, cut into ½ inch chunks
2 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow baking dish 9-10 inch.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended, stir in milk, nutmeg, salt, prosciutto and cheese. Pour into prepared dish.

In a small bowl combine bread cubes and olive oil and stir to coat evenly.
Spread bread evenly over egg mixture.
Bake 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown and slightly risen.




ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON SAUCE

1 ½ lbs asparagus
1 lemon, cut into quarters
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix lemon juice, oil and lemon quarters in 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add asparagus; turn to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus until crisp-tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SMASHED POTATOES WITH MUSTARD

10 small potatoes
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
3-4 Tablespoon olive oil

Boil potatoes whole until cooked through, about 15 minutes for small potatoes. Drain and allow to cool a few minutes. Using a large fork or potato masher, gently smash each potato down by about ½.
In a small bowl, combine remainder of ingredients until well blended.
In a large skillet over high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add potatoes. When bottom has turned golden, flip and drizzle with a spoonful of vinaigrette. Remove when bottom has turned golden brown, serve immediately. Drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette while hot.

FENNEL ORANGE ONION SALAD

1 orange, skin and pith removed, slice
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and bottom sliced thinly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Layer vegetables in a shallow dish and gently arrange until beautiful! Drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and allow to rest about 10 minutes for flavors to mingle.

Appreciating.....

It's been a bit of a week or 3. Here are just a few things I am appreciating today.

Experienced well drillers (yes, water from the ground) that can get lovely flowing water at 63 feet.




Gin....made in Deee-troit that helps immensely when you have no water.




Lipstick and pearls, helping women accept birthdays that feel somewhat less than celebratory. That Coco was brilliant.




Bugs and flower bulbs, maybe spring is really here after an extremely challenging winter.






Little dogs....Making life better everyday.

posted from Bloggeroid

Zucchini Fritters

Usually we have a few sprigs of fresh greens showing up at our farmers market by now, but the worst winter in a hundred plus years is keeping most everything still brown this year. I was so desperate I purchased some little zucchini. I wasn't really sure what I would make but had a day to decide.

I ran across a zucchini fritter recipe that was bland and green as most of them are that I've tried in the past. I came upon a recipe in a newish cookbook called "The Cheesemongers Kitchen" for zucchini fritters that contained goat gouda and WOW are they ever fantastic!!

I changed a few elements from the original recipe to suit my tastes and desires for texture and flavors. My family and cooking class has all agreed we think this is a great recipe! I am enjoying now, but I am imagining how utterly amazing they will be in August.....when it's finally warm.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

2 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
3 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
4 ounces goat gouda, grated
Salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sirarcha
1/4cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
Heat a few tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, drop a couple tablespoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into a patty and cook until golden brown. You can do a few at a time, but don't crowd the pan. Turn carefully and brown on other side. Drain briefly on paper towel and serve immediately.

These are wonderful served up imstead of potatoes. Enjoy!




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posted from Bloggeroid

Victoria Sponge Cakes

My oldest daughter, Gina, has always been a bit England obsessed. Gina brought over a few of these magnificent Victoria Sponge Cakes recently and I'm slightly ashamed to say I didn't even think about sharing them. I also (with her generous permission) shared them at my cooking class and now we're all in love with chintz, Vitoria Sponge and a cuppa....

I made tiny ones for my future sister in law's bridal shower this weekend and can't help but sharing Gina's recipe via her blog. Enjoy!




Please visit Gina's blog for this recipe by following the link;
Www.thissideoftheatlantic.blogspot

posted from Bloggeroid

Spring Cocktails!

A few months ago, a friend asked me to host a Film Photography Festival of sorts at our market. It was an evening of art, photography and discussions about photography. I decided to create some fun vintage style cocktails that are wine based to get everyone in the spirit!

All of the wines I used are available through most independent retailers and are affordable to use as a mixer.

SPRING SANGRIA

1 quart fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
2 bottles New Age White wine
16 ounces Club Soda or more to taste
1 batch Basil Peppercorn simple syrup(recipe below)

Have all ingredients very cold. Add together and stir slightly. Taste and adjust sweetness with Club Soda. Serve immediately as wine will lose it's fizz within a few hours.

BASIL PEPPERCORN SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10 large fresh Basil leaves
20 Whole Peppercorns, any color

Place all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.



KIR ROYALE

1/4 ounce Crème de Cassis (Black Currant liqueur)
2 1/4 ounces Champagne

Pour Crème de Cassis into a Champagne flute or wine glass and top off with Champagne. Now for real....even the cheapest Champagne will be in the $40/bottle range. I used Cremant from Bourgogne which is about $15 and fabulous. You could also use any BRUT sparkling wine. The liqueur is quite sweet, so you ant the dryness of the sparkling to add depth and layers of flavor. If you're looking for just a "Kir", you could use any non-oaked dry white wine.



L'AUNISIEN (MY WAY)

1/4 ounces Campari
1 1/4 ounces Pineau des Charantes white wine
2 ounces Champagne (see above notes on other sparkling options)

Pour Campari and Pineau des Charantes into a Champagne flute and top with Champagne. This has a beautiful salmon color to it and a refreshing hit of bitter orange. I love the layers of flavors as Pineau des Charantes is made with Cognac.

Weekly Inspiration

Just a few of the most charming things I've seen, tasted, been inspired by....

Lemon Lavender French Meringue Cookies with Pinneau des Charantes wine after supper.

A macaron packaging gift set; make you own tiny macarons and package it with pink sketched parchment paper, striped boxes, clear lids, tags and bright pink ribbon. Cutest damn thing ever....I purchased it at World Market and am going to get busy on the macarons. Cross your fingers for me, those suckers are elusive for me.

My newest obsession of blush patent leather and matte black leather handles. This handbag has a tablet pouch, zippers all the way to the bottom for easy access and a great embossed logo. I love it because I'm forever carting around wine catalogs, big cameras, all sorts of electronic devices and little dog leashes! Along with a great handbag comes a great quote I ran across years ago "Handbags; less calories than chocolate, cheaper than therapy!"

And this beauty that realized no one in this house can stand one more minute of winter and decided to blossom after being relegated to the orchid "graveyard"....thank you.