Powers/ Renno Reception

 The begining stages of set up for the Hors D' Oeuvres station

 The setting- the grooms backyard.

 Cascading fruit & Pineapple palms.

 Another waterfall shot.

 They did a very nice job making it look very tropical for Georgia!

 The Salmon Pate, Crab cakes and Quesadillas! Yummy!

 Guacamole- ole!

 Shrimp, Chicken & Beef Kabobs- not one left!

 Black beans & Rice too.

We had such fun catering this event for Pam & Gary. They were such an awesome couple and knew exactly how they wanted their wedding reception to look. Tropical with a Mexican twist! I think they pulled it off. Thank you to such a sweet and loving couple!

BAKING BREAD

I baked my first successful loaf of bread from scratch not long ago. It was so much fun to do and I will be doing it again. I got the recipe from a book that I've had for years. I've just never had the guts to bake bread. Well I did it once before from scratch, but it was a big failure. I wanted to add a lot of seeds and things to it, so I did! I also added raisins and Cranberry raisins too. It was so good. The house smelled fantastic as it baked and I could hardly let it cool before I cut into it and slathered it with butter. Enjoy the pictures

The sticky mess. Really can relieve stress while kneeding it!

Look at all those seeds and yummy stuff!

The finished loaf. Ahhh, I can smell it now. Yum, Yum!

A beautiful garden wedding in my neighbor's

back yard. It was a sweet renewal of vows. Enjoy!

The sweet bridge and groom:

 William & Tanja Kimberly

A rather fancy BBQ! We enjoyed serving pulled pork sliders,

slaw, potato salad and baked beans. FUN!

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere!

WEDDING AT DUNAWAY GARDENS IN NEWNAN, GA

                                                                      Fresh fruit displays

 Wonderful cheeses with gourmet crackers

 Fabulous candy station by the groom's aunt.

 The lovely couple

ITALIAN SHELLFISH & PASTA

Having recently eaten at a local independent Italian restaurant this past week I was upset at how expensive the meal I really wanted was and then very disappointed with the meal I ended up getting (my husband got sick from it) and I left frustrated. You know, sometimes you just want someone else to cook! And for the prices paid, you want a good meal! So later in the week while at my local supermarket, I spied fresh clams and mussels and so I knew what would be for dinner! The meal I had REALLY wanted at that local restaurant!

So I purchased everything for the meal, including the bread and salad and a bottle of white wine to cook with, all for under $18.00. I was so happy. I rushed home and threw together the best meal in under 30 minutes (Rachel Ray could use this recipe). It made enough for 2 nights and a lunch! So, sometimes you just have to cook for yourself to get it right. We had a great evening together, could hear ourselves talk and neither of us got sick!

RECIPE for 2:

Cooked Pasta (enough for 2 servings) I used spagetti for the DH, but I prefer fettucini noodles

Olive oil
1 minced garlic clove

10 mussels, washed and beards removed

10 small clams

10 shrimp (or more)

1 can of good chicken broth

1 cup of dry white wine (cheap is fine)

6 plum tomatoes, skins removed and chopped (placed in boiling water for 5 minutes to remove skin)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste

In a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil with garlic. Add half of the chicken broth, saute the mussels and clams over medium high heat until they open. The clams will take longer. Remove any that don't open after about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink- don't over cook, remove and place in bowl with other. Add the white wine and the remaining broth with the seasonings. Cook until the alcohol is evaporated (about 5 minutes) Return the seafood back to the pan and add the tomatoes and basil- heat through and serve with the cooked pasta- Fantastico!

Raspberry Lemonade Iced Fruit Tea

The name is a mouthful, but it's oh so simple to make.
Brew 2 family sized tea bags with 1 quart of water and 3/4 cup of sugar.

Let cool slightly and pour into a 2 quart tea pitcher and add 1/2 bottle of Simply Raspberry Lemonade (found in the produce section of (Publix). Slice and add one lemon & one lime then add one diced fresh peach. Stir and enjoy over a tall glass of ice. It is so refereshing!

Enjoy!

CUPCAKES

Do you like making cupcakes? I use to hate it. I could never get the batter in the papers without getting it all over the place. But recently I've discovered easy ways to do it (using an ice cream scoop or using a piping bag). I also had only one way to frost which was using the spatula or knife. But now I use the piping bag with different tips and LOVE making them. I also use the piping bag to pipe yummy fillings into them before I frost.

Aren't they cute? And so easy!

Getting ready to be delivered to Charter Bank. (I love my bank!!!)

These yellow daisies & pink swirls were for the Newnan- Coweta Chamber Golf Event.

The daisies were filled with chocolate and the pink swirl with strawberry jam.

These green cupcakes are lime- with a lime curd filling. YUM!

I like doing pretty packaging as well- I think it makes it even more special!

Well, hope you enjoyed- now go bake some delicious cupcakes for yourself!