Recipe by Request

For the last 4 years, I've maintained a vegetarian-friendly diet, but recently made the switch back and I have no clue what chicken quarters are {still don't}. I do know that none of the supermarket labels said anything about quarters or other pocket change and I was forced to buy a whole chicken instead. I have NEVER cut up a whole chicken before and found myself with no one to call for help, so I turned to YouTube. It was a very Julie & Julia moment. If you have a weak stomach, please find the chicken quarters. I also used baby red potatoes and forgot to add the scallions, but dinner, nonetheless was AWESOME. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did...

Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables
Total Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4

photo courtesy of my celly telly
3 1/2 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken quarters
Salt & pepper
1 lemon, halved
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound fingerling or other small potatoes
2 bunches radishes
1 bunch scallions {aka green onions}
1 bunch baby carrots {or 3/4 of a bag}
1/4 c chopped fresh dill

1. Preheat oven to 500. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper then place skin-side up on a large baking sheet. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the chicken and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, halve the potatoes and radishes and cut the scallions into thirds. Toss the potatoes, radishes, carrots, and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a bowl; season with salt & pepper.

3. Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the veggies around it. Continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is golden and cooked through, about 20 more minutes. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Top with dill and season with salt.

You CAN prep the chicken for this recipe ahead of time, I did. Everyone lived. I just took the chill off while pre-heating the oven. I prepared the veggies as directed, while roasting the first 20 min. Enjoy!

Invite!

Long before guests enter your wedding wonderland, a glimpse of your special day has already been revealed behind a tiny postage stamp. Invitations set the mood, and often, the guest attire for every event. Whether you intend to host a formal affair, destination, or chic casual wedding, remember that invitations should tie into all your other plans. Here are a few of my favorite invitations ~ click the photo for link!

All invitations shown here are courtesy of Etsy.

Refreshing Recipe

Ah, spring has sprung and what better way to welcome sunshiny weather than with a refreshing beverage, a bridal magazine, and a porch swing?

During an impromptu trip to World Market last week, VIP and I picked up three bottles of Torani flavored syrup and I dusted off my stellar barista skills {yup, I was a barista for 2 years back in the day, appropriate isn't it?}. Because VIP and the kids had never had Italian sodas before, I was excited to shake and serve and they were excited to sip. It's been an ongoing {and super easy} 5 star trend after dinner all week and it comes highly recommended.

In a large cup {by large, I mean the refillable Harkin's cup kind of large}, fill 3/4 with ice. Add any flavor Torani syrup or combination of syrup flavors {we bought the pump for the bottles too.} Fill cup with club soda, add a dash of cream/milk/half & half/etc {optional} and stir. 1 pump is equal to 1 tbsp syrup and the original recipe calls for 2 tbsps per 1 cup of club soda.

A few of our favorite combinations are...

Suicide Soda {kids favorite}
6 total tbsp of whatever flavors you have

Strawberry Lemonade
2 tbsp Lemon
3 tbsp Strawberry

Tropical Sunset
3 tbsp Coconut
3 tbsp Mango

Chocolate Cream Soda
2 tbsp Vanilla
3 tbsp Chocolate
cream

Applegranate
3 tbsp Pomegranate
2 tbsp Apple

Apple Razz
2 tbsp Pineapple
3 tbsp Raspberry

VIP
2 tbsp Pomegranate
2 tbsp Vanilla

These would be fun drinks to serve at any wedding reception, just add silver rum or vodka to get the party started! Cost Plus World Market, Smart & Final, and BevMo carry large selections of flavored syrups for just under $7/bottle. BevMo offers online ordering with in-store pick up in 60 minutes.

Bridal Reminder

The clock is ticking on the March Special!

Love & Glitter
20% off any style package
Expires March 17, 2011
Use secret code: GLITTER when booking

The DIY Bride

What can I say? If I were getting married, I'd probably be a DIY Bride. I'd make my own save the dates, invitations, veil, bouquets, boutineers, centerpieces, decorations, and who knows what else. But when you're planning a real wedding there's so much to do and so little time. So, for all the DIY Brides out there, here are my three biggest sanity saving
tips ~

*COMPILE a list of all the DIY projects you'll create. Be realistic. Ask yourself when planning your crafting if it's really a project you can do yourself. In some cases, like that 8-tiered wedding cake you're eyeballing, it's smarter to hire help. For each craft project, compile a list of all the supplies you'll need too.

*COMPLETE a detailed schedule of tasks to save your sanity {and possibly your relationship with your MOH}. Be sure to include when each project needs to be finished and schedule larger, non-perishable projects first. The sooner you get things done, the more relaxed you'll be closer to your big day.

*CREATE. Helping hands will get the larger projects done quickly, get a wedding crew together and host a few crafting parties.

For those of you who want assistance or need ideas for creating custom details for your big day, please contact me and inquire about my DIY package: A La Mode. Custom details for every bride and groom with custom pricing to match!

The Ring

No not this kind...

This kind.... !

An engagement ring should be as unique as the woman who wears it. Keeping in mind that it's also the most important piece of jewelry that a woman will ever wear and she will wear it every. single. day. It should be a reflection of who she is.

I have often wondered the origin of traditions and since my birthstone is the diamond, I have often wondered why we often associate diamonds with engagement {and not my birthday}. So, I did some research. If you Google the history of the diamond engagement ring, you'll read that the first recorded case was when Archduke Maximillan of Hamburg gave Mary of Burgandy a diamond engagement ring in 1477, but they were hardly the trend setters.

Max and Mary aside, before the 20th century women were offered other gifts of betrothal, like sewing thimbles. Nothing says I love you like, "I want you to be the only woman who darns my socks. Will you marry me?" Totally romantic, right? It's no wonder the diamond engagement ring didn't catch on until the 1930's!

Now, the way my creative brain works this discovery lead to one thing, which lead to another and another, and it finally brought me here... What do diamonds mean? *insert double rainbow sobs here*

We all know that yellow roses mean friendship and red roses mean true love, but have you ever given thought to the symbolic meaning of gemstones? Surely they mean something, otherwise, the most popular engagement stone would be rubies, which are red ~ the color of true love. Eh? So, I did some more research and discovered the following...

Amethyst :: deep love and sincerity.
Aquamarine :: continual happiness and consistency in love.
Emerald :: hope, peace, and tranquility.
Ruby :: beauty and passion.
Diamond :: wisdom and clarity.
White Sapphire :: loyalty and fidelity.
White Topaz :: love and success.

And after all that darn research, I have concluded that there is no really good reason why diamonds are the most popular, except they fit into every wardrobe.

Like I always say, "break the rules and eff tradition!" Bravo to the following girls who are {or, in J-Lo's case have} sported out of the ordinary rings ~

Unique Wedding Favors

So, I was browsing online for offbeat wedding favors and came across these awesome and awesomely priced ideas. A few of my favorites, click on the photo for link ~

Hugs & Kisses from the Mr & Mrs!

X & O Soap

The Perfect Blend

Gourmet Coffee + Heart Shaped Scoop

The Perfect PairSalt & Pepper Shakers


Olive You!Olive Dish & Spreader Set


Spread the LovePersonalized Jars of Jam