Party: Allie's DIY Dessert Table

It was my first attempt to create a dessert table. On Allie's 1st birthday, no less. I channelled my inner Amy Atlas / Martha Stewart. It was scary. But I think it turned out quite alright.

All photos were taken by Resonance Photography

The DIY dessert table

White-washed bird cage. Borrowed cake stand and easel. Custom table runner. DIY cupcake flags. DIY Lilly Pulitzer paper-covered name. Easy paper flowers. Paper tassels. It was a DIY extravaganza.

I had an all-natural lemon cake done by a professional pastry chef. I think she's the pastry chef of Brasserie CiÇou, a cool French cafe in Greenhills that I have yet to write about. Soon.

The pretty flower topping.

She created the cupcakes as well. The cake was like pound cake. Yummy. I made the cupcake flags, which I shared the how-to earlier.

I bought striped wafer straws from the grocery. They came in various colors and flavors.

-- and got some marshmallow twist pops and some marshmallow bites.

We also bought donut holes from the donut store.

My sister had these cake pops made by her friend.

I also had food-grade polybags with personalized stickers for the guests to put in their dessert loots. At the end of the party, the table was unrecognizable. It was empty.

The dessert table was a success. Thank you Amy Atlas for the inspiration.

Crafts/DIY: Repurposing Tea Tins

I fancy tea tin cans that are pretty. My very first tea tin was by Harney & Sons; I bought it at Williams-Sonoma.

It's their iced tea variety in black currant flavor. I highly recommend it for those who like their tea cold and fruity.

Instead of throwing away these pretty things (or if you're like me, just displaying them because they are so pretty to throw away), here are a few things you can do with them.

{1} DIY Tea Tin Herbs
via House and Home

Image via House and Home

I've always wanted to have an herb garden, so when I cook, I can just snip fresh herbs in the kitchen. Doesn't this look great?

What you will need:
* tea tins
* herbs/seeds
* plastic wrap
* paper towel
* small stones (for drainage)
* potting soil

How to do it:
{a} Collect your tea tins.
{b} Prepare your herbs or seeds. Choose those that grow well indoors. According to House and Home, herbs need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight.
{c} Line the bottom of the tin cans with plastic to prevent leaking. Then place small stones for drainage. Position your herbs, then finally top with extra potting soil.


{2} DIY Tea Tin Candles
via Country Living
Orginally from Country Living Homemade Candles book

Image via Country Living

What you'll need:
* Four 6-inch-length wire-core wicks, primed
* 4 wick holders
* 4 tin cans, approximately 4 inches deep and 2 inches wide
* 2.5 ounces stearin
* 1 disk wax dye, if desired
* 1.5 pounds paraffin wax

How to do it:
{a} Insert a length of primed wick into each wick holder and place a wick in the center of each tin.
{b} In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt the stearin and wax dye, if using.
{c} Add the wax. Melt and mix thoroughly. Heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
{d} Anchor the wicks in the tins by pouring enough wax into each tin to cover about 1/2 inch of each wick. Allow the wax to cool for about 30 minutes.
{e} Wrap the end of the wicks around tie rods and rest the rods on the tops of the containers. Take up any slack in the wicks and center them within the tins. Be careful not to dislodge the anchors.
{f} Reheat the wax to 190 degrees Fahrenheit and fill the tins to within 1/2 inch of the top. Allow to cool for one hour.
{g} If the wax settles, reheat the remaining wax to 190 degrees Fahrenheit and top off the candles as necessary.
{h} Cool for several hours or overnight. Remove the tie rods, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch, and the candles are ready to light.


{3} Magnetic Tea Tins
via Martha Stewart

Image via Martha Stewart

This one is so creative, and soooo simple to do! If your tea tin is magnetic, all you have to do is put a small, powerful magnet inside the tin to "stick" the tea tin on the fridge. If not, glue the magnet outside the container.

Party: DIY Grown-up Favors

It all started with this Anthropologie sewing kit in a mason jar inspiration.

So pretty, isn't it? They're $48 a piece. Enter surprise look here. Super expensive. But I can totally DIY these.

I thought these would make awesome favors / game prizes for adults in Allie's birthday party. I admit, I had no budget for any game prizes for adults. I blame it on my first attempt to style and DIY a kids' party with literally a handful of kids only. Haha. I got too excited with the decorations. With only a week to go before Allie's party, I realized I needed prizes for adults because most of my guests were adults.

I already had a supplier for the mason jars, and I could have gotten them for about 25 cents each. Can you believe how cheap things are here in the Philippines? Anyway, I decided not to pursue the mason jar bit, as I found a cuter container for my sewing kit favors.

I remembered I had these water lily favor boxes by Martha Stewart saved. I bought them while I was pregnant, and finding them accidentally in my craft cabinet was like finding a hidden Christmas present. Haha!

So I just bought sewing kit necessities (in bulk) sans the scissors -- I couldn't find scissors that were small enough to fit in my boxes. I printed patterns on card stock and used that as the needle and thread organizers. I added a pink tissue paper to make it look nicer.

For about 20 boxes, I only spent about P150 ~ less than $4 (Remember, I already owned the boxes). That's about 20 cents each. Creepily amazing huh?

Crafts/DIY: Martha Stewart's Paper Flowers

I am doing paper flowers for dear little Allie's birthday party. I think it's fun, and fits right into the Lilly Pulitzer theme.

I have done some research on how to do them, and I am getting all my materials ready for the DIY stage. I find that the Martha Stewart website has a really comprehensive how-tos. Here are the goodies --

Single-petal method
via Martha Stewart

Continuous-petal method
via Martha Stewart

Paper stamens
via Martha Stewart

Paper leaves
via Martha Stewart

Paper flower garland
via Martha Stewart

Paper flowers
via Martha Stewart

Paper flowers
via Martha Stewart

Food: Martha Stewart Cookbooks

 
I love cookbooks. I am a sucker for recipes, especially those with yummy pictures... and Martha Stewart's Everyday Food series do not disappoint. The recipes she puts in her books are almost always very delicious and most importantly, super easy.

This third installment (I have both the first two... teehee!) will be released today. I am uber excited! So hurry up and grab your copies now!

Crafts/DIY: Holiday Wrap No. 2

I had extra kraft cartolina, so I decided to do another wrapping style. (Pardon the photo, I took it at night.) This time, I used Martha Stewart's edge puncher to create that cute doily edge, some ribbon, small hole puncher for the ribbon holes, and a correspondence card that goes with it.

Crafts/DIY: Pom Love Candles

I recently posted about a Martha Stewart craft involving pom flowers here, which I used for gift wrap decorations.

Now, here's another way to use pom flowers as decorations... for candles!

I used dripless candles (they're amazing!), Japanese paper for the pom flowers and some ribbons.

These candles were for Alyssa's baptism ceremony.

Crafts/DIY: Pom Gift Wrapping

Poms from Martha Stewart

It's awful that I only got to share this now.

I've been making poms since I discovered this tutorial from Martha Stewart.

DIY from Martha Stewart

You can hang these pretty things or if you're like me, use them as gift embellishments.

Food: Asian Beef Skewers

  
Just a trip down to memory lane...

I think this was one of the first recipes I tried from Martha Stewart. Spring was almost over back then, and grilling was in the air. But because we were too lazy to get out and grill, I looked for some type of recipe that only required broiling, and you still get that "grilled" food.

Here is an adaptation from Martha Stewart's recipe, which I think is the best beef skewer recipe I've ever made.
  

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (you can buy them from any Asian supermarket)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red onion, quartered, layers separated
• 1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple in juice, drained, slices cut into quarters

Directions:

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat; line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Soak eight 6-inch wooden skewere in a pan of warm water; set aside. You can also use metal skewers.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Whisk together honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, curry paste and oil in a small bowl. Reserve half the sauce for serving.
3. Thread beef, onion and pineapple onto skewers. Place on prepared baking pan, and brush with sauce. Broil, brushing occasionally with sauce, until beef is medium-rare and onion begins to char, around 10 minutes.
4. Serve with steamed white rice.

Notes: The sauce can also be used for marinating. It's that good!


  

Food: Lemon Custard Cakes

This lemon dessert is another must-try from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, room temperature, for custard cups
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
• Lemon juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil a kettle of water. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan. The towel will prevent the cups from slipping around.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until light; whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then add the milk and zest.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add the mixture to the lemon batter and fold in gently with a whisk. The batter will be quite liquid.
4. Divide the batter among the buttered custard cups. Fill the baking dish with boiling water until halfway, then place in the oven. Bake until puffed and lightly browned on top. The pudding should still be visible in bottom, around 20-25 minutes. 
5. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

   

    

Food: Carrot Ginger Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

So far, Martha hasn't let me down with her recipes yet. Here is another one of hers that I tried. I was hesitant at first to put ginger in the cake because who puts ginger in their cake? Okay, maybe a lot of people, but I have not tried it then. But it made all the difference. I tried it with ginger and I tried it without. 

The verdict? Add ginger for the win!

Carrot Ginger Cake

(makes 1 four-layer cake, serves 10 to 12)

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, for greasing the pans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 cup pecan halves (or pieces. You'll crush them later so it's okay to use pieces)
• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (originally 1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Orange cream cheese frosting (see following recipe)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees F. Butter two 8"x2" round cake pans. Dust with flour and tap excess. Toast the pecans in a single layer in the oven until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees. Finely chop pecans.
2. Grate the carrots using a food processor or a grater to yield 2-1/2 cups. Whisk carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, oil and ginger in a large bowl until well-combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold in the toasted pecans.
4. Divide the batter between the two cake pans, and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the middles comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack; let stand until completely cool.
5. Now here's the fun part - layering the cake:
• Level the tops of the cake by trimming it using a serrated knife.
• Slice each layer in half horizontally.
• Assemble the cake on a cake stand or a big plate (3/4 cups frosting in between the layers, and then the rest of the frosting on top and the sides)
• Chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

(makes about 5 cups - enough for the carrot cake recipe above)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 (8-ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (originally 3 cups, but I find it too sweet)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Beat the butter in an electric mixer on medium-high using the paddle attachment, about 2 minutes, until fluffy.
2. Add cream cheese, and beat until well-combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat 5 minutes more.
4. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

  

Food: Lemon Pound Cake

   

I tried this recipe from Martha Stewart, and it's wonderfully delicious. I skipped the glaze though, and sifted powdered sugar instead. Serve with raspberry jam.


Lemon Pound Cake
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• Zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups sugar (originally 2 cups, but I find it too sweet)
• 5 large eggs
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with rack in lowest position. Butter and flour two 4-1/2 x 8-inch loaf pans.
2. In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup), combine buttermilk with lemon zest and juice. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the sides after each addition.
4. With mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Beat just until smooth, but do not overmix.
5. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Smooth the tops. Bake about 50-60 minutes (tent with foil if browning too quickly), or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Turn out the cakes onto a rack. Cool completely.
6. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve with raspberry jam.

  

Love: Family Trees

 

Birds of a Feather (via My Tree and Me)

Family. They are the most important people in our lives. We celebrate birthdays and holidays with them. Sunday brunches, too. They always call to say 'Hello, how have you been?'; they just call whenever they feel like it. They show up during graduations and piano recitals. Mostly they are there when we need them most. They are the people who you can count on to love and protect you no matter what. 

So, it's just fitting that somewhere around your home, there's a place or a nook where you can remember family and where you came from. Here are some inspirations on how to display family trees.

Precious Diamonds family tree (via Martha Stewart)

Slice of Life (via My Tree and Me)

Family Tree (via Amazon)

  

Food: Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes

The holidays are over, but that did not stop me from making this again. It is a recipe for an appetizer from Martha Stewart that I tweaked a little. The original recipe called for cayenne pepper, which gave it a bit of a kick. But I did not add the cayenne pepper this time.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (2-1/2 pounds)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 c pecan pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel sweet potatoes and halve lengthwise, then slice crosswise around 1/2 inch thick. Toss with olive oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt.
2. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, around 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with butter, sugar and pecans, and toss. Bake until sugar caramelizes, around 10 minutes. Gently toss and serve immediately.

Food: Best Buttermilk Pancakes... ever.

I found the best buttermilk pancakes recipe and I just wanted to share it with you.

I tried microwavable frozen pancakes (uhmm... they're lousy), and I had some diner pancakes (some are great!). But they were not even close to the recipe that I found at Martha Stewart.

Here it goes...

Ingredients:

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 c buttermilk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus more for cooking if you're not using a non-stick pan)

Directions:

1. Heat your pan until water sizzles (the original recipe called for a griddle, but I didn't have one, so I just used a non-stick pan). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. 
2. Add eggs, buttermilk and 4 Tbsp melted butter. Whisk to combine until medium lumps form. The key to fluffy pancakes is to not overmix the batter.
3. Test the pan if it is hot enough by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If the water bounces and spatters, the pan is ready to go. Pour 1/2 cup (around 6 inches in diameter) of the pancake batter in pools 2 inches away from one another, if they fit. 
4. When pancakes have bubbles on top, and the edges are slightly dry, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
5. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

For pancake topping, we always use honey (acacia or black sage are best). They are so much better than pancake or maple syrup.