So I thought I’d blog about my latest experience “cake tasting” since it has some useful tips and lessons. My fiancé left all vendor selection up to me since he knew I was going to stay within our budget. I went with Sweet and Saucy Shop! their goodies are seriously to die for and the presentation is practically perfection.
Anyway, we had our tasting and made our decision(s)! I walked rolled away joking that my biggest planning dilemma is having a tough time trying to decide on my ABSOLUTE favorite! Here’s my advice:
Bring your fiancé.. This will be the one time he will want to participate in the planning process. Regardless of your taste in sweets, he won’t want to miss this. I promise!
Be willing to compromise. If you like the chocolate and he likes the red velvet, be willing to compromise and get both! With cakes being anything but “conventional” these days, you can have whatever flavor you want. That also relates to your budget. If you can’t afford the cake you’ve envisioned, be willing to compromise by getting a smaller version and serving a sheet cake or cupcakes instead.
Go with an open mind. I had my mind made up on the exact flavors I wanted to serve… Carrot cake, red velvet, you know the good stuff. Well, we started the tasting and tried strawberry first… YUM! Chocolate Espresso next… YUMMM! Their cookie dough and new “candy bar” flavor… seriously to die for!
Be prepared and take notes! I’m lucky to have a fiance who knows that he needs milk, so we called beforehand to make sure they had it on-hand. We got so caught up in all the deliciousness that we didn’t take notes, and we just started naming all of the ones that were good. We practically ordered a little bit of everything!
Have fun with it! You only get married once (hopefully), and if you are lucky, you nail down your cake vendor after your first tasting. Have fun & bring your appetites!
With all of California getting this nasty heat wave, I thought I would cool everybody off {or make them extremely jealous & drooling with desire} by sharing some refreshing ice cream treats featured on Martha Stewart’s Food Everyday. There were 60 different recipes to choose from, and as someone visual with a love for pink & strawberries, I chose the ones that were quick to catch my eye. I am positive these recipes will satisfy your tastebuds as well as cool you down, so don’t sweat it (figuratively or literally) right now as you’re checking them out…
{row 1: PB & J Pops, Watermelon Bombe, Strawberry-Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches; row 2: Rainbow Sorbet Cake, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches, Tropical Sorbet Terrine; row 3: Vanilla-Raspberry Sundaes with spoon cookies, Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake, Strawberry Shellies; row 4: Ice Cream Cupcakes, Brownie-and-Peanut-Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches, Ice Cream Mixed-Berry Pops; row 5: Strawberry-Pink Split, Tie Dye Pops, Ginger Cookie-Sorbet Sandwiches}
Plus, wouldn’t you agree that these make awesome food choices for a summer soiree?
Who doesn’t love macarons? I love cheesecake, brownies, ice cream, cookies & candy, but I wouldn’t consider myself a HUGE dessert person (roll your eyes, it’s true!). I never eat wedding cake or birthday cake, unless it is actually cheesecake or has ice cream. Macarons, on the other hand, are so light, I can’t help but not consider them dessert. They’re also often times colorful & too cute to eat, I end up trying to resist. Anyway, here’s a new one of my favorite things: yummy macarons!
{Hibiscus Macarons from Desert Candy, Snicker Macarons from Tartelette, Almond Macarons from My Food Geek}
I know it's not a Thirsty Thursday, but I do have something I think will be inspiring when it comes to selecting your signature drink. Check out Gourmet's drinks for the decades. Since I'm an 80's baby, I thought I would share their favorite 80's cocktails. They've also got recipes from the 1940's, 50's, 60's, & 70's! Below are some tempting drink shots of the 80's cocktails! Enjoy!
{click on the names below, to get the recipe from Gourmet}
{left to right – row 1: Royal Rickey, Pineapple Grapefruit Swirls, Dry Mermaid; row 2: Pink Panther, Manhattan Windows on the World, Horse's Neck; row 3: Margarita, My Fair Lady the Empress, Caruso}
{left to right – row 1: Frozen Eggnog, Tequila Sunrise, Orange Fizz; row 2: Root Beer Floats C.J.'s Restaurant, Bourbon Sloe Gin Cocktail; Mint Julep; row 3: Cranberry Liquer, Apricot Toddy, Frozen Strawberry Daquiris}
{left to right: Spring Feeling Savoy, Golden Cadillac, Pedro Ligeros White Sangria Azulete}
Cupcakes are a huge trend in the wedding industry these days. In fact, more and more couples are turning to cupcakes than the traditional wedding cake. Here are the reasons why I love the idea of cupcakes for your big day or any special event:
they can make a huge statement at your wedding (or any other event),
there's no fuss over a "cake-cutting" service fee (meaning, they're so easy to distribute), and
they're so much easier to make yourself, because decorating a cake takes major skills & lots of practice.
Check out this new wonderful resource from Martha Stewart!
And these are some SWEEEEEET eye candy… just be cautious. You might get hungry!
{row 1 – Jam Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting, Yellow Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes; row 2- Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes, Carrot Cupcakes, Frosted Chocolate-Buttermilk Cupcakes}
{row 3 – Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting, Blondie Cupcakes, Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes; row 4 – Peanut-Butter and Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes, Glazed Lemon Cakes, Cupcakes Three Ways; row 5 – Coconut-Topped Cupcakes, Choclate Cupcakes with Vanilla French Buttercream}
