Category Archives: entertaining

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma Video Contest

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Remember the Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma party I hosted earlier this year? There’s more…

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma are proud to present the Easy & Elegant Brunch Video Contest!

There are 4 days left of this contest!

Submit a video answering these three questions:

1.  Why do you need Calphalon Unison cookware for the Holidays?

2.  Why are you excited to meet and cook brunch with Chef Michael Symon?

3.  What will you buy on your Williams-Sonoma shopping spree?

You could win a trip to meet, dine, and cook with Chef Michael Symon!

PLUS!  The first 150 approved videos will all win a FREE 8” Calphalon Unison Omelette Pan! (a $100 value!)

Important Dates:

November 14th:                                             Entry Period Closed

November 18th:                                             3 Finalists Announced

November 19th – 28th:                                  Public Vote

November 30th:                                             Winner Announced

For more information, or to enter, please visit http://www.facebook.com/Calphalon.

All official rules and requirements are available at the contest entry page.

One Grand Prize will be awarded:

  • Round-Trip Airfare for 2 to Cleveland, OH
  • Hotel Room for 2 Nights in Cleveland, OH
  • All Transportation Fees
  • Meet Celebrity Chef Michael Symon
  • Brunch Cooking Demonstration by Michael Symon
  • Dinner for 2 at Michael Symon’s Acclaimed Lola Restaurant
  • 1 10-piece Calphalon Unison Nonstick cookware set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Kabob Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Frittata Pan Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Double-Burner Griddle Set
  • $500 Williams-Sonoma Shopping Spree

Celebrating a Friend’s Engagement

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How could you not have fun with a bunch of girlfriends at a cooking class and then karaoke in a private room belting out hits from the 1980’s? There were plenty of treats for us at dinner, and unfortunately, I didn’t make time to bake up a batch of cookies to share. (I really wanted to.)

I did make this card for my friend.

Borrowing a line from a Las Vegas commercial, I wrote this in the card, “What happens at the bachelorette party, stays with the bachelorette party.” So with that, I won’t go much into the weekend details (no big debauchery, really), but I’ll say it was so much fun spending time with the ladies. I will share how to make the card!

What you need:

  • The Bad Girl’s stamp kit by Chronicle Books
  • 6″ x 6″ card – white cardstock
  • Two or three coordinating colors in acrylic paint – I used Lumiere paint to coordinate with the bride’s invitation. Feel free to experiment with other colors!
  • Black embossing powder
  • Miscellaneous supplies: paint brush, ink pad, and heat gun
  • I’m assuming there is general knowledge about embossing and rubber stamping… basic techniques can be found by searching for “rubber stamping basic embossing technique“.
  1. If you need guidelines, then use your ruler and lightly pencil out a grid, evenly dividing the card into 16 spaces. I did not do this… just eyeballed the spacing to give it a handcrafted feel.
  2. I then took drops of each color and placed on a foam plate (palette) to mix the colors a bit. This is all very free-range art; mix as much or as little as you want. I like it lightly mixed so you can still see different colors.
  3. Paint 16 squares on your card front, preferably free hand. The squares don’t have to be perfect. Let dry.
  4. When paint is dry, stamp your images within the square. Again, I went for a freehand look and did not align the images in a certain orientation. Off-center is fun and quirky!
  5. NOTE: I stamped four images and then dusted with embossing powder.
  6. Once your card is all dusted with embossing powder and you’ve tapped off the excess, turn up your heat gun and make some embossing magic!

Voila! It’s done and ready for your personal note for your bride-to-be pal.

Communion Reception: Menu and Black Bean Salsa Recipe

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What time do most people eat dinner? Do most people call it “dinner” or “supper”? I suppose there’s a difference, and maybe a subtle one. I never bothered to look up a definition until now. So, what would you do for a reception if a religious service was at 1:30 pm and lasted for 1-1/2 hours? It’s not really a late lunch, but it’s not totally time for dinner either. Essentially, it was supper and it was good.

Here’s what we figured for 25 adults and 11 children (some of whom are light eaters – count 2 kids as 1 adult)

  • To munch on: Banana-chocolate chip bread, Cran-apple-orange bread, Orange-rosemary mini cornbread muffins (breads baked at home), salami and cheese, smoked salmon and crackers, roasted garlic hummus and olive crostinis (store bought).
  • 48 piece tray – Italian subs and Club subs  (approx. 4″, bought at local Italian deli) One tray had 24 pieces, and that wouldn’t have been enough.
  • Tortilla chips and roasted corn-black bean salsa (brought over by family)
  • Shrimp salad (store bought)
  • Cake – split yellow and chocolate cake with custard and strawberries
  • Coffee, tea, assorted soda, and juice boxes for the kids

Notes:

  1. Quick breads can easily be done a few days before and frozen if you want.
  2. The cornbread muffin recipe is from Martha Stewart which was recently reprinted in the Living magazine with the addition of orange peel. True to the recipe, it keeps for 2 days in an airtight container. TWO days. I made it one day too soon. They dried out.
  3. It’s nice to have a good bakery so close to home!

Here’s a favorite recipe for black bean salsa that I’ve made over the years adapted from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen. I visited her restaurant before she was a Food Network celebrity and bought my cookbook there. This salsa is similar to the one we had last Saturday; the difference being roasted corn. It does add a lovely smokiness. Just by frozen roasted corn for ease! Enjoy!

Julie’s Black Bean Salsa

  • 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (17 oz.) pkg. frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
  • 2 lg. tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 4 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1 lg. avocado, peeled and chopped (optional)
  • 1/8 tsp. cumin (optional)
  • 1/8 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

In large bowl, mix all ingredients well. Cover and chill overnight. Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Great with tortilla chips or just as a side to your meal.

Celebrating Earth Day

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Happy Earth Day! We try to do our part in our home to be kind to Mother Earth, but I know we can do more. It’s not like we’re the Begley family, hehe, but we’re learning. Conserving water and recycling are considered typical now. Last year, I brought the little ones to our local Earth Day celebration, but this year we missed it since we were celebrating First Communion.

So to combine efforts, I transplanted spider plants for last Saturday’s favors. Spider plants are so easy to take care of and have been known to actually help purify the air! I’ve started plantlets by rooting them in water and had good luck with planting them direct into soil which it what I did this time around. To dress it up for centerpieces, I used squares of plastic wrap (to keep water from spilling out, not-so-earth-friendly, sorry) and gift wrapping paper to cover up the plastic pots I saved from last year’s gardening. Reusing is good, no? They look like little Chinese take-out boxes, and looked cute on the tables. Even Martha’s doing it – check here.

Other earth-friendly projects to try out can be found below! Check them out! Let me know which ones you’re trying. You know me, I’ll try everything I can.

Earth Day Carnival at Craft Critique (my latest review is also here)

Gift Bow from a magazine at How About Orange

T-shirt necklace from chictopia.com (saw something similar on Martha Stewart recently)

Birthday Favor Ideas

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Birthday parties have always been a fun and memorable event growing up. When we were really young, opening presents and goody/loot bags were the best things ever… I remember getting dot candy on paper strips, the fortune fish you’d hold in your hand that curls up, stickers, tattoos and the plastic trinkets and jewelry that my parents hated so. What a treasure it was to us but was so easily forgotten.

After last year’s Webkinz party at home, we went the other way and hosted a few friends outside and went simple on a take-home gift: One of Abby’s favorite things to eat, dark chocolate. She prefers Scharffen Berger (she’s such a foodie already), but also loves Trader Joe’s dark chocolate. So, we bought a few bars and to dress it up, I took some scrapbook paper and die-cut shapes that coordinated with her favor colors and wrapped the bars. Very simple and cute, just like my kid.

Other thoughtful ideas:

  • Giant, decorated sugar cookie that ties into the party theme (i.e. Butterfly cookies from a local bakery for an outdoor or spring themed party or these cookies)
  • Small cellophane bag of a favorite candy (M&M’s), tied with curling ribbon
  • Thank you cards with a picture of the guest of honor along with friends.
  • Picture CD’s of the party
  • Small bud vases with seasonal flowers
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