Summer lovin', having a blast

This weekend we hosted our first summer party of the year! Memorial day + Jason's birthday = a great excuse to have a BBQ. It was a bit of a last minute decision, so because of that I didn't obsess for too long, which left me wracked with anxiety on Sunday for not obsessing earlier! The other thing is that I was doing this party more pot-luck style, which always stresses the planner in me out. Usually I tell people just to bring wine/beer because I can't handle the uncertainty of not knowing what and where the food will go. 

Our home is an outdoor event house. I rely very heavily on our patio and backyard for entertaining... if it's chilly out, people just end up standing around my pink kitchen and peak my self conciousness over my 1958 Kitchen of the Year. Over the past few months I've accumulated some bright colored party decor, so instead of going traditional red, white and blue, I went with a palette of bright colors - very summery and very outdoorsy.

Since Jason is more of a pie guy than a cake guy, I thought that a variety of pies would be a fun table of desserts. Of course, everyone commented on the lack of cake balls... so, note to self, I now can not have a party without my "balls". 

While wine is usually the drink of choice, I also like to have that special cocktail for people to remember the party by. At my birthday party it was the "lemontini" and for this party it was a "Drunken Arnold Palmer". Add some sweet Tea flavored vodka to some lemonade and voila! It's like you are drinking punch. Which is why I labeled it with a warning that this was a special "Adult Only" drink. I could totally see someone giving their kid a cup not realizing the potency of that baby.

Another one of my favorite new touches are the funny cocktail napkins. These purples ones were a gift, but you can find them at Z Gallerie or Sur la Table. They are good for a giggle - especially if you pair them with a novelty wine. Bitch wine is hilarious.. and it's not bad tasting. 

Even tho I ran out plates and didn't make my cake balls, the party was still a wonderful celebration of Jason's birthday and the onset of summer!

 

Even tho I ran out plates and didn't make my cake balls, the party was still a wonderful celebration of Jason's birthday and the onset of summer!

Why I love SATC

"You do realize, it got absolutely horrible reviews..." said Jason as I walked out the door to see Sex and the City 2 on opening day. Blah. I didn't care. I was going with one of my best friends and we were going to sit and fantasize over going to NYC and have a closet the size of one of our kids’ rooms.

Just like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, SATC is pure fantasy - just trade in lightsabers for Louboutin's. Of course it's not real, but there is such a part of you that wants it to be. And the silliness and surrealness of it is what makes it so likeable and fun. 

When the show was on TV it seemed that women were trying to liken themselves to one of the characters.. "I'm such a Carrie" or "Charlotte is my girl..." but this latest installment I felt a little like all of them. As women, on any given day we are all these ladies. There is the part of us that is scared to death of aging (Samantha), the never-ending mommy guilt of the working mother and the stay at home mom (Miranda and Charlotte) and the feeling that we still want to be fun and glitzy and fabulous even after we have "settled down" (Carrie). 

These are all issues and feelings that real women have daily... the main difference being that we are having these feelings while wearing Lululemons and flip-flops instead of vintage Chanel and 6 inch stilettos.

Watching the movie I can understand why some of the reviews were not favorable. It was over the top and some parts were cheesy. But its "flaws" is also what made it so Sex and the City. And, it’s nice to think that even the rich and beautiful have the same issues as us down here in the real world. 

Celebrating the Love

This past weekend I was part of a trio that hosted an engagement party for our friend's Carrie and RJ. It was a wonderful night where friends and family of the happy couple got to come together to formally congratulate the two on their upcoming nuptials.. while eating delicious food and drinking wine, of course!

I loved this party because it was a great combination of what a few people can do together, and how just adding a few special details can really make the event even more special.

Pink and Orange are always such bright, fun colors to use for happy celebrations. The paper circles and circle labels used on the banner both came from Paper Source, as did the butterflies. The sticks in the vase in the middle of the table were on clearance at Michael's and with the bright butterflies, made the perfect center piece for the large table in the high-ceiling dining room. The popcorn cones are made from twisted scrapbooking paper, and all the flowers are just from Trader Joe's. 

While we were tempted to fill the large table with a gazillion desserts, we really didn't need to. I made Bakerella's cake balls again (once again, a HUGE HIT) and those a few bright cupcakes made the table. (side note - Bakerella has a whole book coming out this fall on Cake pops!)

Of course, the most important detail of the night was that Carrie and RJ were happy... which I think they were!

Stamp (and eat) it up!

For those of you that may not be as obsessed with Paper Source as I am (4Square mayor of the Carlsbad store -HOLLA!) I wanted to share a really cool idea that they posted on their blog today - using a rubber stamp to create a design on plate.. that's edible!

Picture from Paper Source blogApparently you mix powdered sugar, a little food coloring, and a little water to make a sugar based "paste". Then using a paper towel, you apply the mix to a clean, new rubber stamp, stamp the plate and let it dry and harden. 

How cool and easy is that?!

I'm going to experiment with this later and see what else you can decorate with this interesting, edible idea. 

Delicious Dish - Pasta Heaven

I think we can all say that we are looking a little closer at the things we eat these days. Not just from a dieting calorie counting stand-point, but from a healthy lifestyle view. Movies like Food, Inc and shows like Jaime Oliver's food revolution have really brought to the forefront the idea behind trying to eat simpler, healthier and not so processed food. 

I struggle with this daily. I love food and love to eat good food. I'm not happy replacing items that I love with things that are just over-processed and lower in fat/calories. Earlier this year, I started seeing a naturopathic doctor regarding some recurring issues. Since I've been seeing her, I've learned a lot about treating the underlying issue, and not just treating the symptom. An idea so simple that I'm working on approaching my diet the same way.

Over the past week I was introduced to two similar fresh and easy pasta recipes from two very cool bloggers - ModChick's Lindsey and PureMama's Juli. Both were simple, fresh, easy and OH SO DELISH. 

Over at ModChick, Lindsay made her family a summer pappardelle with tomatoes and arugula. Go check out her pictures and tell me your mouth is not watering. I dare you! While I'm not not a fan of tomatoes (that's actually putting it nicely), I know that Jason loves them and that he would so dig this dish. And arugula ON your pasta?! I had never thought of that, but lemme tell you.. I may never eat pasta without it again. 

Then last Saturday night my friend Juli from Pure Mama's had us over for dinner. She told me she was just whipping up some simple pasta, but I will say that nothing about this pasta was simple tasting. Juli sautéed some green beans, asparagus and garlic and in a separate pan mushrooms. She made some Angel Hair noodles, tossed in some olive oil - then served the pasta, the veggies with fresh parsley, toasted pine nuts, some parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon. Simple, easy, fresh and heavenly!

With these thoughts in mind as I ran to Trader Joe's at 5:00 yesterday (obviously, I'm insane), I did a bit of a mash-up between the two pastas. Jason's had the tomatoes, while the rest of us had the peas and asparagus mix. 

The arugula, cheese and lemon made the dish for me, with the added hint of bacon crumbs rounding out the flavor with that touch of salt. 

The kids liked it, Jason liked it - and I actually COOKED something which made everyone happy...  we were in Pasta Heaven.