Oh Cake!

Hi all! I joined a long time ago and never filled one of these out (or posted at all...) so here we go:

Name and/or LJ userID: ordinaryfool, aka Tiffany
Wedding Date: June 19, 2010 (the day after I turn 25!)
Bride/Groom/Other (please specify): Bride
Age: 24
City/State/Country you live in: Horicon, Wisconsin
City/State/Country you're getting married in (if different): Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (my hometown)
Your song/First Dance song: Unsure. "Our song" is "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher, but we might go with a Carpenters song because I love them and their music seems a little more "wedding-y". My fiance doesn't care about music for the most part, so he hasn't really given much input, but he does like the Carpenters, so he'd be okay with one of their songs. Or Sonny and Cher. Or something else entirely, and I've thrown a lot of other ideas at him, so we'll see.
Wedding Colors: Blue and yellow
Formality: Mildly formal. If someone shows up in jeans I might be offended. But at the same time I want the wedding to be fun.
Theme (if you have one): In my wedding planner my MOH wrote "Traditional with a game theme" when we first started planning. My fiance proposed while we were playing Scrabble by putting the ring in the letter bag, and in general we love games. Practically our entire wedding party is obsessed with Nintendo Wii, so we've been toying with the idea of setting up a Wii at the reception, but I keep going back and forth as to whether that would be fun or tacky. Anyway, my future MIL has been collecting used boardgames from Goodwill, like Monopoly, Scrabble, Boggle, etc, and we're going to try to incorporate game pieces into our decorations.
Number of guests: Unsure. 200, maybe?
How'd you meet your fiance?: We did theatre together at the college he attended, which happens to be in my hometown. I wasn't in school at the time, just working full-time, but I had some friends at his school who convinced me to come to auditions, because it was a pretty casual theatre group. They did a collection of short plays that semester, so I didn't meet him right away because we weren't in the same plays, but we instantly hit it off once we met.
How long have you been together?: A little over 4 years
Do you have a personal wedding website?: No
Have you read the community rules before posting this survey? Absolutely
Anything else you'd like to tell us?: The reason I'm posting: I'm starting to freak out a little. Which is probably a good thing, because our wedding plans have severely stalled. This might get long so I'll put the rest under a cut:

( Both of us being procrastinators is not a good thing )

 All the recent talk about organ meats inspired me to whip up some liver pate!
Here it is:
This delicious spread keeps for up to two weeks under the butter seal, so it makes a great gift – if you like giving organ meats as gifts ;)


You will need:



Chicken livers - about 20 oz
1 stick of unsalted butter, divided into 1/3rds
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of dried thyme leaves
1 tsp coarse black pepper
A pinch of kosher salt
1 cup red wine (a nice cabernet or even port work great here - but remember, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it!)

Method:

1. Clean the livers from a small slivers of fat connected to them;
2. Heat 1/3 butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat;
3. Add shallots and garlic, let them simmer until shallots are almost translucent;
4. Add the livers and cook them, stirring often, on a medium heat, until they’re still pink inside;
5. Add ½ cup of wine, thyme and pepper and simmer for another 5-7 minutes;
6. Take the livers out of the pan, add 1/3 butter in the pan and deglaze the pan with the ½ of red wine;
7. Once the livers cool, blend them well in a food processer;
8. Add the butter and wine mixture to the livers, mix well
9. Clarify the last 1/3 of butter, letting the white milk solids settle on the bottom of the pan
10. Pack the pate into a ramekin or a glass, decorate with a some bay leaf or black peppercorns, pour the clarified butter on top of the pate and put it in the fridge.

You’re done! Your pate will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge under the butter seal, and one week once the seal is broken. Enjoy with thinly sliced baguette or dark rye slices!

For brides who live in or near the Triangle area of NC: http://www.gorgeousgownsanddresses.com/

I just heard about this wedding/formal gown consignment shop today. It's located in Cary, NC. I haven't been there myself, but I thought I'd pass it along as another option if you're in this area looking for a more budget-friendly dress source.

From a local news story about the store:

The selection includes gowns by popular designers and range in size from zero to 24. All are three years old or newer. Some of the dresses are as low as $99; the average cost is between $300 and $650. Owner Liz Pogue says, "All the dresses are priced half of original retail cost, so it's a really good way to stay within your budget."

The consignment boutique also carries veils, accessories, flower girl dresses, plus a large selection of mother of the bride dresses. Most of them are all under $100. The store even has all different choices of brides maid dresses in all different styles with the average price tag of $65 to $85.

Even though my FSIL is making my dress, I think I'll check them out for jewelry and accessories!

Food for thought
I find it funny that of the LJ communities I belong to, they consist of healthy living, exercise and weight loss groups, as well as food groups such as food_porn. The latter is a group of people who love to cook and love to salivate over photos of cooked food by other group members. It might seem counterproductive to be a member of both when it's early morning, I'm staring at a picture of a chunk of fudge made by a foodie while trying to remember exactly why I'm also looking at listings of how much other people have exercised today. But, I think they go hand-in-hand.
To be healthy one cannot just treat food as fuel.

Food and the consumption of it is one of the last sort of rituals that our society still partakes in. In an age when we have very few cultural roots and most people face a loss of identity, there is still something about eating, cooking, and sharing food that brings people together.

I know the whole notion of meals being celebratory has been overlooked in the age of eating on the go, and this is truly tragic. But when I am with friends or family, going out or staying in, the one mainstay of this tradition is the consumption of food. It's rare that I will meet with people and not have a chance to offer or partake in eating.

Maybe that sounds like we are gluttonous. But if it does, that would just be a testimony to how obsessive people are about weight loss; so much so that to talk about food with enjoyment is embarrassing.

I love food. I love cooking, sharing, learning new recipes, having people over for meals, bringing people meals on their bad days, and feeling connected with the world through the consumption of food. Regardless of where my food came from, I can still see the dirt the vegetables grew in when I prepare them. I can still smell the farm when I cook beef from the farmer's market. I feel my body filling with energy when I eat a homemade stir fry or a chicken caesar salad. I adore the sight of tomato plants growing in their big pots on people's decks. And nothing feels like home more than the smell of a pasta sauce bubbling on the stove all day.

Cheers to eating, because we couldn't live without it.

x-posted to my journal & food_porn

Why, yes, I did say Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding. Rethinking some resolutions?

If it's cold where you live, you neeeeed to make this delicious, simple bread pudding. It's a humble, gorgeous, comforting, easy dessert you'll love. My boyfriend is already asking when I'm going to make it again -- good sign!

This pudding isn't the only thing that's amazing; the cookbook it comes from is phenomenal as well. Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters is a collection of heirloom recipes from the Brass family, as well as from yard sales, used bookstores, antique cookbooks, and various family collections.




Normally I post the full recipe in my post here, but in order to only reprint the Brass Sisters' recipe once (with permission), I've only recorded it on my personal baking blog, linked below. You can also read a full review of their cookbook there.

( another photo )


To get the full recipe, see the full cookbook review, or to test your New Year's resolve with more delicious photos, please head over to my baking blog, Willow Bird Baking!

x posted to bakebakebake, food_porn, and picturing_food

I received a hand blender (this one) for Christmas and of course had to try it out on some soup! I love it and will never go back to blending the 'old fashioned way'!!

I got this recipe from The Ultimate Soup Bible and made a few revisions of my own. It was a big hit with everyone for dinner last week!

Tomato and Gruyere Soup

-3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, peeled (optional - I didn't) and quartered
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 T olive oil
-1 leek, chopped
-1 medium carrot, chopped
-5 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
-4 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded or crumbled
-3 T whipping cream
-4-5 large fresh basil leaves, torn
-salt and pepper to taste

( instructions + photos under the cut )

Hello!

I looked over the tags, but didn't find anything. I love pound cake, and have never made a really good one. When i was a kid, we'd always have pound cake for dessert on Sundays and i really miss that wonderful, dense cake that's not uber-sweet.

So i would love your 'best' pound cake recipe. One thing, though - i don't own any shortening (like crisco), don't like it, and won't buy it, so if your recipe calls for shortening, either don't post it or tell me what i can substitute.

Thank you!

This entry is a long time coming. Lol.

We got married June 20th, 2009, in Milwaukee, WI, and I've been lazy so I've waited until now to do a post-post. We'll start with the wordy part, which I will try to be brief about:

The Good
-We got married!
-It didn't rain! (it POURED the day before)
-People loved the glow bracelet favors.
-My husband's friend who had recently been diagnosed with several forms of cancer was able to come, despite having started radiation that day.
-We finished under budget.
-I got laid!

The Not-so-Good
-The boys' car locked them out so we missed out on one of my “must have” pictures
-My sister showed up in a slutty dress to my conservative church wedding
-My longline bra kept poking me in the side.
-It was so hot and humid! (which is why people may look sweaty)
-I got bitten up by mosquitos while we were taking pictures, and they swelled pretty tremendously.

Vendor Reviews
-David's Bridal: B. I had no problem whatsoever in customer service, but my bustle was different from the way they had it when it was pinned...so it dragged a little.
-Tuxedo Alley: A. They had lots of options and discounts, and were really easy to work with.
-Elizabeth's Cakes: A+. This cake was so deliciously awesome and affordable (3 tiers and a half sheet cake for under $400), and Elizabeth was super nice and easy to work with.
-Best Western: B+. Everything with the Best Western was perfect and the sales and catering rep Jean was easy to work with; she even cut me a deal when more people than expected RSVP'd no and we were coming in under the minimum amount required. Except that it took them forever to clear the buffet off the dance floor. So instead of having the wedding events start at 8, they started at 9.
-Bob and Kathy Kapsy(photographers): A. This married couple was so nice and professional and had a great sense of humor. I know my pictures aren't OMG-AMAZING but, in all honestly, I couldn't afford photographers that were. I am extremely pleased with what we received for what we paid, especially after I forgot to make sure discs of the pictures were included in the contract, and they gave them to me anyway.
-DJ: B-. Dan was great leading up to the wedding with keeping in touch and feeding into my neuroses, but he didn't play all the songs on my “must play” list. He kind of had really bad breath too, lol.

( and of course....PICTURES! )
And then we galloped away into the night.

Advice?
Don't take anyone's bullshit...Just do things the way you want them (within reason).
Give yourself plenty of time for everything.
Make your slutty sister show you her dress ahead of time.

( EDITED TO ADD SLUTTY DRESS!!! )

Hello my fellow wedding planners!

My husband just informed me that Modern Bride or Brides and The Knot had requested permission for our wedding website www.wedohearts.com to be in their magazine a few months ago. It may have been as far back as June 2009.

He couldn't remember when they were going to publish the article. He thought it was going to be in an August or a fall magazine. The magazine was writing an article on top personal wedding websites. He thinks The Knot just has something on their page.

I've tried searching online at Modern Bride/Brides and The Knot but I can't find reference to it. Since I stopped receiving the magazine back in June 09, I was wondering if any of you came across the article!

I would love to know when it came out and if anyone would be willing to sell me their magazine I'd appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

Found on Not Always Right:

Me: “Thank you for calling [bridal store], how can I help you?”

Customer: “Yes, I bought a bridesmaid’s dress from you a few days ago and I need to return it.”

Me: “Okay. Well, our dresses are non-returnable, but we could do an exchange or I could give you store credit. May I ask why you need to return the dress?”

Customer: “The wedding was canceled.”

Me: “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Can I have the bride’s name, please?”

(She gives me the bride’s name and I find that the bride hasn’t called to tell us the wedding is canceled.)

Me: “I’m looking at the information now, but it looks like the bride hasn’t told us the wedding is canceled.”

Customer: “Yeah…that’s because she doesn’t know yet.”

REMEMBER Ladies and germs: It could always be worse: You could be on fire.

I'm signing contracts for my wedding, and I'm realizing: I have no clue what time I want everything to start and end!

My ceremony site will be used for less than 1 hour (ceremony and photos).

My reception site is open for decoration all day, but once the party begins (time I declare), I have 4 hours of time on site. Of those four hours, two hours have buffet style food served. Regardless of the time of day, the food will be the same.

The wedding is on Saturday, 12 June. There will be plenty of daylight (sunset is approximately 8pm in June). I have a lot of guests with an hour drive to the site and another hour back home. Some of the more elderly guests won't drive after dark. I also don't expect too many people to stay the full four hours. I'll have music and dancing, but no alcoholic beverages.

I originally had said the wedding would be around 3PM, but now I'm thinking of putting it later.

I'm starting to feel the wedding should begin at 4PM, reception starting at 4:30 (we'll arrive at 5:00 or later) and ending at 8:30PM. Dinner buffet would be open 5:30 to 7:30.

What time is your wedding starting? Is there a lag between your ceremony and reception? Are you serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, or hors d'ouvres?

I hope I'm not the only one worrying about timing!

**Edited to Add**
Thinking about too much wedding stuff right now!

When are you doing your big "send off" with rice, bubbles, birdseed?

I'm considering doing a receiving line with our parents at the ceremony site. While doing the line, I'd ask my bridesmaids and groomsmen to "wrangle" the guests as they leave the doors and pass out bubbles (I'm doing bubbles...). After everyone has passed through the line, Hubby and I can run out the ceremony site (there's a straight sidewalk), through the bubbles, around the back, and get back in the church for final pictures.

Or should I just wait for the bubbles for the end of the reception with not all the guests there?

White Bean Dip:

- 1 can drained cannellini/butter beans
- the cloves from 1 head roasted garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp of both lemon juice and olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin + salt and pepper

Whizz everything up in a food processor. Serve with toasted cibatta/focaccia bread, in sandwiches or with roast vegetables.

From Donna Hay's flavours book.

It feels sort of surreal being 3 days away from your wedding, on saturday 9th january, it will be our turn!

( Read more... )

I received the Taste of Mexico spice set from Penzeys for Christmas:
http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/giftboxes/new/tasteOfMexico.html

If the link doesn't work, it contains:
Epazote
Ground Ancho Chili Pepper
Ground Cumin
Mexican Oregano
Broken Leaf Cilantro
Chipotle Pepper Powder
Adobo Seasoning
Powdered Ceylon Cinnamon

I've got a few ideas on what to do with it - tacos, and such... But some of it, like the Epazote, I've never used, and don't really have any ideas for.

So, lovely cooking community, what are some awesome recipes that I could use these spices in? I'm open to dinner recipes, sides, lunch, whatever. Though please, no fish/seafood of any type, or mushrooms :)

Does anyone have any easy (and of course tasty) spaghetti recipes they'd like to share with me?

I love a good traditional spaghetti bolognese but mine takes quite a long time and requires ingredients I generally don't have on hand all the time (e.g chicken livers). Do you have a favourite spaghetti/pasta recipe? I LOVE, LOVE tomato based pastas and am always on the lookout for more!

I am planning on making a cake for my boyfriend's birthday and decorating it with fondant. It'll be my first time using fondant so I'm looking for some tips.

Should I make it myself or buy it from a store? What tools are really necessary? Stories? Advice?

Thank you. :)

A friend of mine just got engaged, and she and her FH really want a small wedding...but they're afraid that FH's family will feel it necessary to invite an additional 50 - 100 people over their desired guest list. I proposed that they have a small ceremony followed by an intimate reception for about 30 people only, and then do a second, more casual (and cheaper) reception the following day (or post-honeymoon) for the extended family. She really likes the idea and plans on talking to her FH about it tonight.

The idea, of course, came from some of you guys! So I'm wondering if, for those of that have done (or are planning on doing), could you please post a bit about your plans and maybe pictures of the invites to the second reception? I'd love to be able to provide her with some ideas to jump-start her planning.

I looked through the tags and didn't see anything, but perhaps I missed it...so if I did, please point me in the right direction.

Name and/or LJ userID: Jamie poooooot

Wedding Date: June 19, 2010

Bride/Groom/Other (please specify): Bride! :)

Age: 28

City/State/Country you live in: Niles, Ohio

City/State/Country you're getting married in (if different): Youngstown/Austintown, Ohio

Your song/First Dance song: Dunno yet. Nothing cliched though, so DEF no Beatles, Mariah, or anything like that. I'm a huge Journey fan so I'd like to go in that direction, but we'll see.

Wedding Colors: Green and white. (White? - Are you a virgin? Hale no! We have two kids! I'm wearing white and idgaf! lol)

Formality: Wedding party is formal attaire, but we're having the ceremony and reception outdoors in this really beautiful pavilion at Mill Creek Park, so it's not a "casual" affair, but definitely not formal. I guess you could say "laid-back."

Theme (if you have one): No theme. Just what we like and looks good with the surroundings.

Number of guests: Guest list is at 250 :O - I'm hoping only about 150 show up though. I get nervous sweats thinking about that many people looking at me.

How'd you meet your fiance?: We've known eachother since 3rd grade. We dated in high school, but reconnected in Spring 2006.

How long have you been together?: This time around, 3 1/2 years. Will be 4 years 2 weeks before the wedding. :D

Do you have a personal wedding website?: No, but I've been ljing about the stress of planning, if that counts.

Have you read the community rules before posting this survey? Yeppers

Anything else you'd like to tell us?: Not really. I'm sorta overwhelmed trying to plan and pay for this whole thing by myself (I'd say ourselves but when I ask my fiance for his input, he says "which one is cheaper? I like that one." So he's no help. lol), so I'm gonna need a lot of advise and I'll probably sound like a mad woman in the weeks before the wedding. :)

Okay, so slight change of plans so far as the whole marriage thing is concerned.... we're going to get married in Vegas on Valentine's day :)  We're still going to have the big October wedding for the family Hopefully we can reserve the ala cart chapel time at the TI, but if not we're just going to do the courthouse thing and party on accordingly.  Honestly, I'm relieved.  This is way more my kind of jig, just the two of us somewhere fantastic followed by food and fun.  I mean, I'm looking forward to the big wedding too (in a way), but this is pretty much what we wanted to begin with.  Hehe, Vegas elopement... so that being said, I am trying to decide what to wear.  I don't want to be so casual that it's jeans and t-shirts or whatever, Imean, it is our wedding and all, but I also don't want to be so dressy that the FH feels the need to show up in more than a nice shirt and slacks.
( So here's a few ideas I've had :) )

Married already or not - I'm looking for information on all locations except for Wynn and Maggiano's (I've taken care of that!) in Vegas. Chapels, hotels, anywhere you were married or are getting married - and where you had/are having your reception. We need info - pricing, any details you can give us. :)

blueirisheyez  might be getting married in Vegas, so lets give her lots of info!!!