All things tasty and pretty

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Party Ideas Sep 21, 2014 Isabel 20 Comments My Woodland-Inspired Baby Shower! Yes, you read the headline correctly. MY baby shower! I ve been a bad food blogger these past several (well, more than) months, but life has seriously changed for the better. I m actually 34-weeks pregnant expecting a baby boy in late October! My blog has been put in the back-burner mainly because pregnancy has been a little difficult. I was extremely exhausted in the first/second trimester. I ve been nauseous since the beginning and still taking medication for it every day. My career also has been super tiring/busy. Despite all of that though, how could I NOT post my own baby shower?Our nursery is woodland-inspired, so it made sense for my baby shower to follow suit. I could use some of the decor from the baby shower in my nursery and get a better idea of what it s going to look like. My husband, Jared, is an eagle-scout. He grew up camping, being outdoors. With my creative sisters, Sharon and Sheila, we took that inspiration and designed an outdoorsy, earthy, woodland baby shower. It was a beautiful and fun occasion spent with 25 special people in my life.As you walk into my house, you immediately see our mantel. Right above it, we placed my nephew s handmade wooden woodland toys. We also purchased pinecones online since they weren t in season yet. I ve purchased items before on Save-on-crafts for my wedding and other crafty things. Shipping is a little pricey, but if you buy in bulk, it s worth it. With the pinecones, we made a simple and delicate garland using twine.A party isn t complete with flowers of some sort. Since this was woodland-inspired event, we purchased these yellow-greenish flowers at Martin s and foliage from Kroger and placed them inside tin cans. For an inexpensive vase, we used tin cans and spray painted them a copper color. It was rustic and earthy, ideal for a woodland-themed baby shower. We placed these floral arrangements around the house at different stations and on the tablescape.To add to the arrangements, we purchased large and small wooden slabs at Michaels and added fresh green moss and rocks that I already had in hand.I re-purposed these wooden frames that I used at my wedding and made instructional signs for different stations. Instead of a traditional guestbook, my sister bought a cute fox watercolor print through Etsy and used it as a guestbook. It will definitely be hung in baby Canfield s nursery.One of the baby shower games included an easy guessing game with gummy bears. Winner closest to the number of gummy bears in the bottle would win a prize. It s as simple as that. Meghan was the winner at a close 89! The number of gummy bears was actually 91.Another game we played is a favorite of mine. We played this at my sister s baby shower. We passed a roll of twine to the guests and each would cut a piece off estimating how big I am! It s all in good fun. Some were way off. Cough, cough Bob Kelly. Some were less than 3 inches off. But the one who was just an inch off, was my mom! Mother knows best :)The next game was more artsy and creative. Guests had to create something baby-related with play-doh. I picked three of my favorites as winners. Congrats to Andrea with the best-looking carrot-shaped baby bottle, Sara for her building blocks and Kara for her baby in a carriage. For prizes, we gave winners a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks along with a wooden deer ornament.After all the games, it was time to open up gifts. It was by far one of my favorite parts. Not because of the presents, but I had each guests sit next to me, introduce themselves, say how they know me and give any baby advice they may have. It was filled with lots and lots of laughs and pretty good advice. Here s a photo of my sister, Sheila, surprising me with a fox bookbag.I didn t make my guests go through the games and opening up presents without eating and drinking first. What s a baby shower without mimosas and yummy brunch food? For drinks, we purchased mason jars with handles at the Dollar Tree. Pretty affordable at $1 each, and a nice favor for guests to take home as well. To spruce up the mason jars, we tied twine around the rim of the glass with a wooden name tag and inserted birch paper straws.The drink station, situated in my kitchen, was comprised of water, sweet tea, champagne and O.J. The champagne was kept chill in a silver bucket. Frozen strawberries and slices of lemon were also provided. We also served coffee and tea, of course.Oh, how I miss a good mimosa we will meet again soon.And now the for the tablescape! In my dining room shelf, we placed the paper plates, napkins which we stamped with a fox, and wooden disposable utensils. The wooden utensils were purchased through Amazon.And there she is! My beautiful woodland-inspired tablescape! I love it so much. Exactly what I had imagined, but more. We laid burlap over the table and found a checkered-print red and gray fabric as the runner from Jo-Ann Fabric. For the tablescape decor, we continued with the foliage and greenery in the copper tins, incorporated three large wooden slabs, scattered moss and rocks around the food, and used pinecones for the food descriptions. Sharon found fox-shaped salt and pepper shakers at Target, and I already had the vintage lantern from another event I had done.My sister, Sheila, wanted to do a DIY waffle bar. So, that s what we did in addition to providing other brunch items. For the waffle bar, we served Nutella, sliced bananas, powdered sugar, maple syrup, sliced almonds, chopped pecans and whipped cream. Guests could top their waffle with whatever they wanted!Other brunch items that we served were fresh mixed berries so guests could top their waffle or enjoy separately. Fruit was from Costco.I made two different kinds of quiche. Actually, they were the same, but one didn t have bacon. I prepped all the ingredients the night before and with my sister s help the morning of, we assembled them and baked them in the oven just before guests arrived. The quiche were a hit, I ll definitely be providing the recipe in another post.A simple, light and refreshing mixed salad was served. It included mixed greens, sliced pears, gorgonzola cheese (my fav), crutons and chopped pecans. It was served with an oil and vinegar dressing.Last, but not least, the best pre-made chicken salad from Costco! I love this stuff. There s nothing wrong with purchasing pre-made food. It helps with time and lessens the stress of cooking the night or day before. For dessert, which I neglected to take a photo of, I made s mores brownies.At the end of the baby shower, we gave our guests cookie cutters shaped like grizzle bears to continue the bear theme. We purchased these at Sur-la-Table. And lastly, here s a photo of my sisters and I. For a month, we planned every last detail. I couldn t have done it without them. Thank you, Sharon and Sheila! And another big thanks to all my friends and family who traveled near and far to attend my baby shower. I will never forget it. I love you all!If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave some love below or subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your feed reader. Side Dishes Mar 11, 2014 Isabel 2 Comments First and last attempt at sweet potato tots Not every recipe I try is a success and I rarely post my failed recipes on Pretty Tasty Things, but this time I felt inclined to showcase my effort in my first and last attempt at sweet potato tots.  I love, love tots in general, and I think sweet potato tots are harder to come by so I followed this particular recipe because I was craving some. But sadly, it was a big disappointment. The steps seemed simple enough, but trust me, it wasn t simple to make them. The tots turned out incredibly oily and undercooked, mainly because they were falling apart while frying. Maybe someone out there has a better recipe to try or tips to help, but honestly, I don t even want to attempt to make them again. Some things are best store-bought and sweet potato tots are definitely one of them.So I started off with peeling my sweet potato. Easiest step done!I diced them into relatively small chunks to help them along in the food processor.Next, in several batches, I processed the sweet potato into fine bits and pieces. Small enough to hold together, but not enough to make it into mush.I added the processed sweet potato into a medium-size bowl. I added 1/4 cup of flour with some salt and pepper and mixed with a fork to combine.Now, forming these little suckers. The recipe failed to mention that forming these dainty little tots are seriously not fun. There was no easy way to make these tots so perfectly uniform. I used my hands, I used a mini-scooper, but they felt too loose when I tried to form them. I ve never felt so frustrated while cooking before. They seemed as if they were going to fall apart on me every time. But I forged ahead and made the rest—ugly and all.I placed several tots in a hot pan of oil. I didn t move them around, I left them alone for a minute or so to crisp up. But slowly, you can see them just fall apart. I DON T KNOW WHAT I DID WRONG?! Little bits of the sweet potato started floating to the top. Even the touch of a tong, crumbled them. I just gave up after that first round of frying. I turned off the stove, threw everything away and thought to myself what a freakin waste of time.In the end, it s not worth it for me. Maybe I tried the wrong recipe. But either way, this just took too long for something so deliciously simple. I even made Jared taste the first and only batch, and he who rarely finds fault with my food, couldn t stomach it. Trust me when I say, I will enjoy you, sweet potato tot, in a store-bought form or at a favorite restaurant around town called Toast. But this will be my last attempt at making them at home.If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave some love below or subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your feed reader. Desserts, Party Ideas Feb 13, 2014 Isabel 6 Comments Kiernan s 2nd Birthday with Funfetti Cupcakes From the kitchen of: Sally s Baking Addiction  Makes: 12 cupcakesTotal time: 15 min to prep, 20-22 min to bakeMy nephew turned 2 this past weekend. Yes, TWO. Man, how time flies. I ve showcased every special event of Kiernan s life. First, before he was even born, my sister and I threw a beautiful nautical baby shower for my sister. Months later, he was born in February. Here, he had his baptism at 6 months old. For his first birthday my sister continued the nautical theme. This time though, my sister decided to keep the celebration amongst the family. A low-key event, something more intimate. So, the immediate family on both sides celebrated this adorable kid with Lee s Famous Recipe Chicken and homemade funfetti cupcakes. He wore his dad s childhood sailor outfit, which was just adorable. Kiernan is a happy kid. He loved when we sang the happy birthday song to him, and he loved it even more when he blew out his candles. So much cuteness!I made funfetti cupcakes for him and he loved it! Last year, I made him vanilla bean cupcakes. Maybe next year, I ll try a chocolate recipe.Before Kiernan blew out his candles, we ate lunch first. If you re in Richmond or happen to be driving through, we ve got the best fried chicken in the state of Virginia. Lee s Famous Recipe Chicken is a staple in RVA. The chicken is super moist and tender and the chicken skin is deliciously crispy. I will say their Sweet Tea is by far the sweetest thing you will ever taste. I cut it with unsweetened tea because it is cloyingly sweet.After fried chicken and cupcakes, it was time to open up gifts. What s a birthday party without presents!? It was really cute to see how excited Kiernan was about each and every one of them. I remember last year, he could not care less about the gifts and played with a plastic hanger instead! He s growing up so fast!Without further adieu, here s how to make the homemade (easy) funfetti cupcakes. The beauty about this recipe I found on Sally s Baking Addiction is the need of a hand whisk to make these cupcakes. No need for an electric mixer!Ingredients:CUPCAKES1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted1 cup granulated sugar1 large egg1/4 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla; or greek yogurt; or sour cream)3/4 cup milk (cow s milk; or soy milk; or almond milk)2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/2 cup sprinklesVANILLA BUTTERCREAM2 sticks of butter (room temperature)3 cups of powdered sugar1/4 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon vanilla extractsalt, to tasteDirections:1. Prepare dry mixture. First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.2. Prepare wet mixture. In a large microwavable bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute or so. Once melted, remove from microwave and whisk in the sugar. The texture will be grainy. Place in the fridge to cool off for a minute or two. Once cooled, add egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.3. Combine mixtures and add sprinkles. Slowly whisk in the dry mixture to the wet mixture until no lumps remain. Do not overmix. Batter will be thick. When adding sprinkles, use the edge of a spatula to quickly cut into the batter. Swirl the spatula several times to mix in the sprinkles. Do not overmix or else sprinkles will bleed.4. Bake cupcakes. With an ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly in the muffin cups filling close to the top. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After baking, immediately remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and allow to cool on a baking rack.5. Prepare frosting. Last, but not least, the frosting! In a medium-sized bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixture for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time mixing after each round. Add the cream and vanilla extract. Continue to mix on high until you ve reached a desired lightness to the frosting. To cut the sweetness, add a pitch or two of salt. If it s a little thick, add slightly more cream. For a rustic finish, use a knife to spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Add more sprinkles for decoration. Best enjoyed right away!If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave some love below or subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your feed reader. Tasty Travels Jan 20, 2014 Isabel 3 Comments Drinking our way through Boston Not gonna lie, if the winters in Boston weren t so brutal, I would pack our bags and head up north! Last September, Jared and I celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary in Boston. We ve never been that far up north before, and have always wanted travel there. Trust me when I say, this will not be our last trip to Boston.Boston is beautiful, historic, fun, entertaining and quaint. A place where big feels small with all the surrounding neighborhoods. We did everything and anything during our 4-night stay in Boston. We were the typical tourists. We walked the Freedom trail, took a tour of Fenway Park (a must!), ate a cannoli at Mike s Pastry, drank our way through all the brewery tours, and so much more.This post isn t really about every single detail about our trip, but a fun part of our trip entailed drinking our way through Boston. If you find yourself in Boston, do what we did and check out both Sam Adams Brewery, Harpoon Brewery and grab yourself a local beer at a neighborhood bar. Here s what to expect along the way.Our first stop on our first full day in Boston was the infamous Sam Adams Brewery. We re huge Sam Adams fan so this was a must. Sam Adams Brewery is off the beaten path. We took the T to the stop and walked a few blocks through a neighborhood. Use your tour book to get you there because it s easy to get turned around if unfamiliar with the location.We arrived in the tail end of the hour, and was able to get on to the next tour group surprisingly because apparently it gets crowded. Just arrive early if I were you. We donated some money and got a golden ticket. I felt like Charlie from Willy Wonka the Chocolate Factory.The tour started in a separate part of the brewery. The guy in the photo below was our tour guide. He was a little dry during the lecture portion of how beer is made and how they brew their beer. He passed around some hops and barley that they use to make their beer and encouraged us to try some. No thanks. Haha. After the 20-minute lecture, we moved to the room where the beer is actually made. It wasn t as grand as I imagined, probably because I learned they only do test batches at this brewery. The bigger manufacturing/distribution center is located in Ohio and Tampa (i think).Now, on to the reason why we came. Tasting time! They moved us once again into the tasting room that had several long tables. They gave each of us a souvenir tasting glass to keep and drink out of during the tasting. We tasted about 3 or 4 different beers in a 20-minute time frame. With a few sips in, our tour guide was much more funnier and comfortable at this point :)Lets just say, by the end of the tasting, Sam and I were BFFs :)After the brewery tour was over, we didn t get on the party bus that you will be asked to at the end of the tour. If you decide to go on the party bus, it ll take you to the first bar that served Sam Adams (allegedly). We decided to skip it and go back into the city to continue our quest for more beer. This time we found ourselves in the North end of Boston, and stopped for some wings and Harpoon s Oktoberfest with a cinnamon sugar rim at a bar called Vito s Tavern. The bartender introduced us to the cinnamon sugar rim, and we were hooked. And just so you know, there are no happy hour specials in the state of Massachusetts. We sadly found out that day.The next day, we didn t tour any breweries. We walked all the live long day and did the Freedom trail walking tour on our own. With no tour guide, we were able to go on our own pace and even speed past through some sites. This Freedom trail is no joke. You will be walking for several hours throughout Boston. So wear some comfy shoes. After the trail, we wanted to check out Harvard in Cambridge. I found the school itself not so impressive, but Cambridge was very impressive. Tons of neighborhood restaurants, shops and people! We randomly found an affordable restaurant to grab some dinner and beers called Grendel s Den. They had a wide selection of beer, which made us happy. Come to find out later that night, a scene from The Town was filmed right on the patio!Our last full day in Boston, we woke up bright and early to travel far and away to Harpoon Brewery. Not the most convenient place to get to, we took the T to our stop and continued to walk for what felt like to 2 miles or so to the brewery. It was a hike, but totally worth the long trip. We learned after our tour there was a bus to take us back to the T, and so that was helpful for the way back. Just a head s up, Harpoon s tours get booked up fast, so arrive early! They usually sell out by early afternoon. When we arrived for the first tour at 11am,  there was already a line forming.Harpoon Brewery is definitely not the prettiest on the outside. It s a warehouse since they brew and distribute their beer here. However, they also have this beer hall inside that overlooked the water. It s a great space to hang out with some friends and enjoy some quality beer and homemade pretzels.We had two tour guides that described the process of how their beer is brewed. They took us through certain areas of the the brewery. It was vast and enormous. Now this is a brewery! Both tour guides were super outgoing and informative. This part of the tour took roughly 30 minutes.Now onto the fun part. Literally all you can drink in the time left over. Each tour was an hour long, about 30-35 for the lecture and the rest for the tasting. They take you into a separate room with all their taps. They give you a tasting glass and you can literally have a healthy sample of every single beer if your stomach allows. It was unlimited tasting in that time frame. Totally worth the $5. This was by far the best tasting of any brewery tour.Look! Jared made a friend! Jared s wardrobe in Boston consisted of Manchester United jerseys so it was definitely a conversational starter with other tourists. He made a lot of friends that week. Haha.After the tour, we went to the brew hall and helped ourselves to more beer and pretzels. Mind you, we started before noon. Needless to say after the brew hall, we were pretty toasted. One of the most fun and best experiences ever.After a morning of beer and pretzels, we took the T back to Chinatown. If you can imagine, we were starving so we tried dim sum for the first time and loved it. Since our bellies were full of beer, pretzels and dim sum, we took a much needed nap in Boston Common. Overall, a great finale to an amazing trip to Boston. Thank you Boston for being so awesome and tasty.If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave some love below or subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your feed reader. Side Dishes Jan 12, 2014 Isabel 5 Comments Creamiest Mashed Potatoes From the kitchen of: Bob!  Makes: 4 servingsTotal time: 5 min to prep, 25-30 min to cookMaybe I m new or something, but I ve never heard of adding cream cheese to mashed potatoes. Have you? My first and most unforgettable experience was over the Thanksgiving holiday. Jared and I were invited to a dear friend s house for his annual bangers and mash dinner party. Boy, were we in for a treat. Bob s mashed potatoes were undeniably something special. They were just the creamiest mashed potatoes I have ever had in my life. I think I ate my weight in mashed potatoes that evening. So of course I asked him for the recipe and learning that the secret to these creamy mashed potatoes was cream cheese, I was floored. Other than the cream cheese, it s a pretty basic and simple recipe, which is even better. I am forever a fan and I hope you will be one as well! Thank you, Bob!Ingredients:5-6 medium potatoes (preferably yukon gold or red skin, but I used russet)4 oz. of cream cheese (half stick)2 tablespoons butter1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon saltwater for boilingDirections:1. Boil water and prep potatoes. First, bring a large pot of water to a boil on high temperature. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and rinse them under cold water. Pat dry. Dice the potatoes in generally the same size, roughly 1-2 inches wide.2. Boil potatoes. Add the potatoes to the boiling water. Lower the temperature slightly to medium high. Cook potatoes for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Once tender, drain the potatoes in a large colander and then add potatoes back into the pot setting the temperature to low. Allow all the steam to escape, a minute or 2, before adding the remaining ingredients.3. Add flavorings. Into the cooked potatoes, mash in the cream cheese until smooth. Lastly, add the butter, salt and milk and continue to mash well until you ve reach your desired creamy consistency. If you like it more thin, add a touch more milk. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave some love below or subscribe to the feed to get future articles delivered to your feed reader.

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