Message in a cookie cutters

I have been resisting the temptation to peruse the catalogs that come weekly.  Today, I could not help but look through the Williams-Sonoma one.   I am so very glad that I did!  I stumbled upon the cutest cookie cutters I have ever seen! Message-in-a-cookie Cutters!

{Williams-Sonoma}

{Williams-Sonoma}

{Williams-Sonoma}

{Williams-Sonoma}

Apparently there was also a holiday version, that is of course sold out.

 

{Williams-Sonoma}

I really love the current set, my favorite is the scalloped edge cutter.  Too cute!  I still have some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket...I just may have to get these! 

truffles and tortes

I am trying out two recently acquired recipes on Chris' family tomorrow for their annual holiday get together the Sunday before Christmas.  I love making new and fun appetizers and dips to bring to a party.  I will be honest that I have been craving the cranberry walnut torte concoction from Trader Joes. So when posed with the task to bring something different...I decided to see if I could make one myself.

{via Season to Taste}

I altered the recipe as the container I was using to make my torte was a 1 qt. souffle dish.

Here is my version:

8oz. package low fat cream cheese {softened}

5oz. crumbled Gorgonzola {room temperature}

Dried Cranberries

Walnut chips

I also used cling wrap in my dish instead of waxed paper. Check out the original recipe and directions here.

My next new treat are Oreo Truffles. The Beginning of Forever recently blogged about cake balls and how she calls them truffles.  Which is so perfect...really, I wish I would have thought of it. lol. This rather settled my issue with "cake balls" so I am proud to say they have a new name now....cake truffles!  I am so excited I found this Bakerella recipe.  

So back to the Oreo truffles.  After reading about the existence of these delectable delights I decided it was a perfect time to make them...

{via Flickr}

The recipe is super simple

1 package Oreo's divided

8 oz. cream cheese {softened}

White Chocolate Bark coating

Visit Bakerella for all the details.

6 months!

Today marks 6 months since we got married in June.  I was looking forward to this day because we were going to the Fabulous Fox Theatre to see "A Christmas Carol".

{The Fabulous Fox}

The show was very good.  Sometimes I get disappointed if I have a preconceived notion about what the performance/story line will be like...I was definitely not disappointed!

Then we were off to Our Lady of the Snows Shrine to see the "Way of Lights".  We were too early so we went to have dinner.  Nothing worth talking about here...we went to a place in Belleville, IL and I would not go back again.  So we finally left dinner and it was dark so we went to see the lights.  It was pretty, but so chaotic with all of the vehicles that I was so caught up in vehicles not observing the 2 lane rule that I really did not enjoy the lights.  Again it was pretty but way crowded, and not organized well for the amount of traffic coming through.

So in the end, I convince my wonderful husband to treat me to something delicious!

We went to Ted Drews and checked out some holiday lights in South City.  I was hoping the ice cream would cure the headache that was caused by the "way of lights" fiasco, but no such luck! 

All in all it was a wonderful day, and I am counting down the days until winter break! {7}!

Groom's Cake

I had decided on doing a groom's cake for our rehearsal dinner rather early in the planning stages. I decided to use Hock Cakes after reviews from Stlwed.

I did not know what I wanted the theme of the cake to be and believe me, it came down to the wire for me to decide. I have a serious problem with giving gifts that I am not sure if the receiver will like and this felt very close to something like that.

In the end, we love our cats Scout and Frankie. At the time, being summer and all, Scout would love to spend time in Chris' flip flops, with both from feet through one of the flip flops.

I know this post is rather out of order in the grand scheme of wedding recap, but I came across this recently on the Hock Cakes blog.

{via me}

The cake was such a hit at the part, some of our guests said it was the coolest cake they had seen! It looked really good, and tasted even better. Frankie, our siamese, looked pretty much like him, minus the occasionally crossed eyes. Scout was not as big or fluffy as he is in real like, but I am sure it is difficult to create fluffy hair with fondant. Other than the Scout critique, it was perfect. Most importantly, Chris love it!

cake balls?

{via flickr}

I was first introduced to these sweet cake treats a few years back. Unlike the above image, they were red velvet goodness covered in white chocolate. I first gave them a try for our housewarming party in 2006, and took them to work once too. They are so good, but the name "cake balls" does not seem to adequately describe their sweet, delicious gooey on the inside, crunchy chocolate shell outside! I am making triple chocolate cake enveloped in white chocolate for Halloween tomorrow to contribute to the family potluck feast...you can only eat so much candy!

Slice of Lime Feature

{via Slice of Lime}

Emily of Slice of Lime created the invites, programs, photobooth sign, candy box labels, candy jar labels, sign board, rehearsal dinner invites, bridesmaid luncheon invites, thank you notes...and provided countless hours of therapy!

Just a side note...the busty pic of me is NOT my fav.

banana bread

yum. My grandma has the.best.ever. banana bread recipe. It just wrong how good it is.

I cannot eat a banana if it has even one dark spot on it...in fact I like them when they were green 10 minutes ago and now yellow. Anybody else?

I have been planning on making banana bread with my rejected banana's for about 2 weeks now. Chris asked me last night if I was going to let them turn completely black. um, yes actually. ;)

Now I was not really waiting for that, but today was the day I decided to finally do it. With the kitchen full of dirty dishes, china, pots, pans...etc...it was the perfect day! Prep batter...bake for 50 min and clean the kitchen in the meantime.

It smells. to. die. for. (will update with pic)

Did anyone ever get the banana bread toast from Cyrano's? Wow. that is some good toast.

Ok..I am rambling. must need more coffee.

One last note. I am in love with this batter bowl from Crate and Barrel (Thanks Jami!)
was not on the registry, but boy and I glad she veered. I use it for practically everything! love.

{Crate and Barrel}

no that is NOT my kitchen. heh. pancakes look good ;)

1 month ago

It was our wedding day. At this time we were downtown taking pictures. Time was flying by, as it normally does on wedding day.

I love my china. Even though I did not get all of it, I plan to collect it over the years.

In honor of that fabulous day, today {and every 13th} we will eat off of our china...whether the meal be filet mignon or chinese takeout. Tonight we will be having filet.

{Dinner Plate, Vera Wang Lace}

Why the china? Well...Chris claims that we will never use it. So I simply have to prove him wrong. He does not think I can keep it up more than 2 months. We shall see.

{salad plate, detail}

An no celebration would be complete without dessert...I made one. giant. cupcake.

I am not pleased with the final result. My mom is super talented when it comes to baking and decorating cakes. She is simply phenomenal. She has her own buttercream recipe that is so
heavenly.

I have learned some of her tricks over the years...but today nothing was working. I tried to fashion an icing bag from some parchment paper...ugh. It was just a disaster. I really wanted it to look pretty. oh well.

Chris will honestly be happy with the trimmings and some ice cream. As long as it tastes good, he does not care much about how a cake looks.

{giant cupcake pan}

{assembled cupcake and trimmings}

The Girls

April 18th my bridesmaids threw me the most fabulous shower! What made it so fabulous? The perfect Tiffany Cake! AND all the other special touches and details. I have wanted one FOREVER! I had gotten so wrapped up with everything wedding that I had actually forgotten about the cake...I am so glad that the girls did not! In fact, the night before the shower MOH Jill called to tell me not to be disappointed that Cardwell's were not going to allow desert from some other place since they served desert. I had no reason to believe anything different. So you can imagine my surprise when there was actually one there!



Cardwell's added a little chocolate and some raspberry sauce. Quite tasty!

Let me say that I HATE pictures of myself...especially all the ones of me opening gifts. Always making a goofy face. So let's say this is the best of the worst....I did get some fabulous gifts! TONS of Crate and Barrel boxes!


The girls had Cardwell's print a limited menu of shimmery blue paper. I had the Caribbean Shrimp Salad....so incredibly delish!! For favors, they donated to the Saint Louis Art Museum in my honor! What a cool idea. They know me so well. :). They also had light blue Jelly Belly beans in martini glasses for snacking. If you girls are reading this...thanks for making me feel so special!!! Love ya!!

*soon after this event, my camera went kaput. so it took me a while to get the pictures downloaded. Yeah for new camera's!

cake bling

I have been searching for the perfect combination of stylish cake bling and affordability. I have searched ebay, numerous websites and finally etsy.

Several weeks ago or maybe even longer I convo'd an etsy seller MetalCreations.

After we chatted back and forth, I sent a pdf of my beloved "B"

{design by Slice of Lime Design}

The result....

I am beyond excited about it! I cannot wait to see it on top of our cake...

dear carbs...

oh how I love thee....
C is for candy, cookies, and cake
A is for all the unmentioned carbs...yeah I know original
R is for...what is R for? hmm.
B is for bread, oh how i love bread
S is for sugar. nuf said.

As much as I want you to be a part of my life everyday, I think it is time we take a break and spend some time apart. I promise it will not be forever...it may just be for the next 4 months. I promise to visit when I can. Please do not be mad, my new BFF Maeve (aka wedding gown) is behind this whole shenanigan.

I hope you understand.
love, a

So many things to post about?

Hmmm....what shall I write about today? My gown (which arrived today), my quest to find Valentines candy on sale? What about my favorite hair styling tool, or my favorite Tuesday night meal?

Candy? Is that what you want? Well, ok, since I cannot eat it then I think I will write about it!

I have been planning on stocking up on Valentines candy...sale candy....yummy candy. Well. Wouldn't you know that you cannot procrastinate and 3...count them 1, 2, THREE days after V-day, the shelves are practically wiped clean.

My first stop was a Walgreen's in Brentwood. Score. I managed to get some Dove milk chocolate. They are wrapped in pink and silver and are shaped as hearts. so cute.



Well, that is really all that I have to report. I ended up with nothing else. notta-thing. Another Walgreens? nope. Schnucks? uh-uh. Dierbergs? conversation hearts anyone? not me!

So online I go....I definitely will not make this mistake again. I MUST get Cadbury mini eggs or I will be so p-o'd. nuff said.

candy!!!

{Candy Buffet}

Now that Valentine's day has come and gone, it is time to start shopping for CANDY!

I have been patiently waiting to begin buying candy for our candy bar. I am hopping to score some fabulous pink, red, and white candies from Valentines day. Hmmmm....I am thinking M&M's...cherry sours....dove chocolates!

As far as candy that is not Valentines themed...here is my current list:
1. Swedish Fish
2. Rock Candy
3. Oreo Cookies (Black and white)
4. Samoa Cookies
5. Thin Mint Cookies
6. Wafer Cookies
7. Burnt Peanuts
8. Charleston Chews
9. Gummy Bears (Multi)
10. Sour worms (Multi)
11. Cadbury Mini Eggs (Pastel)
12. M&M’s
13. Dove Chocolates
14. Peanut M&M’s
15. Starbursts (Red, Orange, Yellow, Pink)
16. Whoppers (Brown)
17. Fiddle Faddle? Cashew carmel corn
18. Chocolate covered pretzels

What do you think? Am I missing anything? We've tossed around the idea of fortune cookies....we are doing more of a cookie/candy bar. What are your favs?

Now if only I could have all my readers come over and help me with my jars! I am going crazy over deciding which ones to use and how to arrange!!!

sugar bar, sweets buffet, sweet shop, sugar shack...

Whatever you want to call it, it will be so delish! January 17th was a great day! Why you ask? Well it is the start of ye olde tradition of sweet treats peddled by the Girl Scouts. Oh yes, it is cookie time!

One of THE BEST wedding favors I have ever gotten came in the form of a box of Girl Scout cookies. I did say a BOX. E & J decided to have these fabulous confections as wedding reception favors. I thought and still think the idea is ingenious! Guests are able to indulge in childhood memories and get a fabulous treat. I threw this idea around before I ended going with the candy buffet. If I would have had enough sense to think of a cookie buffet, I bet we would be doing one! My love for Swedish Fish will not allow me to change paths. So I decided to merge the two and instead of just cookies or just candy, we will have a sweets/sugar/treats bar. Samoa's and Swedish Fish can live harmoniously right? I ordered both Samoa's (my fav) and Thin Mints (C's fav).



The name of this buffet is still up for debate...but the sign will be along the lines of this:

love letters

I love the font we chose for our "B". This letter is going to be our theme along with the black and white everything else! I have some ideas I am working on that will use the "B" and will post when I get the ideas set more in stone. So the "B". I just love it! Any bride out there that is using a monogram for their paper goods knows just how frustrating it can be to find the perfect letter. I looked at so many fonts before ultimately choosing this one.

I have always envisioned that our wedding cake would have a "B" on top. You know what I am talking about...those ever popular metal letters...sometimes encrusted in swarovski crystals....sometimes plain. Is it played out? Is it better to do the letter on the cake? What do you think? How did you top or decorate your wedding cake?


Ok...so you may notice the "bow" in many pictures. love.the.bow. A definite must!

I cannot help myself...

I am obsessed with candy...anyone know a good shrink for that?

parisian love...

Boy oh boy, I love damask! These parisian wallpaper inspired cake design is so fabulous. What would you think if you went to a wedding with a cake like that? hmmm....me likey.

{Photography by Anastassios Mentis via The Knot}

holiday epidural?

So, I have been having back/sciatic issues for about 2 1/2 year now. With the wedding less than 7 months away and my desire to have a pain free honeymoon, I decided to do something about this annoyance. So lets cut to the chase. My general doctor said that my MRI results were THE worst she has ever seen, and we really have to do something about this VERY large herniated disc. Now fast forward to today. I visit a pain management doctor and after the initial consultation received my first course of treatment. Oh yes. An epidural. Now most people that receive one eventually leave with a baby. I left with instructions NOT to work out...no power walking even, for 2 weeks. AND the potential to have another epidural in 2 weeks. hmmmm.....I did not fare that well. I am told that just the anxiety of the unknown can have cause nausea.....well I was nauseas for sure. After the fact and now three hours after the event, I am feeling ok...but I have also been told that things will get worse before they get better. yuck.

So in addition to some advil, I picked up some Ben and Jerry's. I know, not the best choice since I cannot work off the calories, but is a new flavor....cake batter. oh.my.goodness. yellow cake batter ice cream swirled with chocolate frosting...seriously. If you know me at all, you know that this is MY birthday cake every year since for ever! Love the yellow cake with chocolate icing... yum. The best pick-me-up after a little holiday epidural.

candy land...

Candy, Cookies and Treats! Oh my! I have been obsessed with the idea of a candy buffet. I know they are ridiculously popular with weddings, but most of my guests will have not seen one. I know that I have never been to a wedding with one before so I am sure it will be new for many of my guests.

{courtesy of Bridal Wave}

I have been collecting pictures of candy buffets for inspiration for a while and finally decided to post about it. If I have not credited you for your image, please email me and let me know!

{courtesy of Farfalla Wedding}

I love how this buffet is so full! It looks so yummy!

{Mix Mingle Glow}

Love the tiffany colored ribbons around the jars with the circle label...so perfect.

{Clary Pfeiffer Photography}

The simplicity of the white candies and sweets is so striking!

{courtesy of Melissa's Smitten}

All the glass pedestal dishes are so elegant looking.

{courtesy of Ellen}

I love the black and white accents with the blue, green, and white candies. I could not find this exact picture on Ellen's blog. But I know this is her candy buffet. It is so gorgeous!

{courtesy of Michaels Arts & Crafts}

Love the jars, ribbons on jars, etc...

Finally....
visit Aylee :: bits of who i am for all of these fabulous inspiration pictures and their sources.


Ahhh...candy. I need more inspiration pictures. If you are planning one or had a candy/sweets buffet, send me pictures and I will update this post. yum.