Love and Splendor – Official Blog

Happy Friday, everyone!!  Today I have a fun treat: a little update blog from our Love & Splendor coordinator, Michelle!  xo, Angel

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The past month has been busy, busy, busy!  We are gearing up for a fantastic season at some of our favorite venues and looking forward to discovering some new ones along the way!  Here’s just a glimpse of some of the things I’ve been up to lately…  Enjoy!

Well first of all, I must admit I’ve become addicted to Pinterest (you can find Michelle HERE and Angel HERE).  It’s not only a great source for wedding inspiration, but I’ve found it extremely helpful for finding amazing DIY crafts and delicious recipes.  It’s also been a great way of communicating with clients about various ideas or inspiration for their weddings.

One of our clients getting married next month saw this bocce ball pin on my wedding board and decided it’d be a fantastic addition to her cocktail hour at Saddlerock Ranch.  For those of you who’ve been there, you’d certainly agree!

originally pinned from 100 layer cake; photo by James Moes 

Here I am at Town and Country showcasing a table for the same client’s pre-ceremony cocktail hour.  The gorgeous table is part of T&C’s vineyard collection.

And for those of you just wanting some more eye candy of the gorgeous Saddlerock, here is a breathtaking picture of just a snapshot of the property.  Do you spy the giraffes — one of my favorite animals?  Unlike the other wildlife on the property, these guys are made of metal and so sweet in this setting.

I had the pleasure of meeting with another client and her mother at their venue earlier this month.  She’ll be saying, “I do!” at the beautiful and serene Rancho del Cielo.  Check out this stunning view!!  It was a crystal clear day when we were up there and you could literally see for miles in every direction.

I was able to attend a preview of the renovations at Marvimon and let me just say, wow!!  They did a fantastic job transforming the space.  I must say I’m in love with their awnings, red and green brick tiles, and the outside permanent bar updates the most.  You read that correctly: outside permanent bar!  It’s fantastic for celebrating!

Aside from working with fabulous clients, I’ve been redecorating my place from top to bottom and have found Pinterest to be an amazing resorce for all things pretty.  I have been able to view so many different sites and have pulled from so many places to make my place truly “me.”  I love coming home!

In love with this Moroccan stencil pattern from Royal Design Studio that I did across my dining room wall.  The starburst mirror is an added pop!

Sweet-smelling gold chevron drawer liners from Hammocks and High Tea in my new office desk…

great DIY project!  I found the perfect pair of antlers at the Melrose Trading Post, spray painted them glossy white and had them mounted.  They look unreal!

finally got around to creating a front door yarn wreath.  I love ranunculus and these faux babies make me smile every time I get to my door!

And last but not least, I wanted to share two tasty recipes I found on Pinterest which I was able to make for Easter dinner.  I’m typically in charge of desserts for all our family dinners because I have found my love for baking and have gottne more creative since the birth of my nephew three years ago.

these guys celebrated Christmas with us…

But this holiday I wanted to do something a bit different a found a meyer lemon bar recipe and a truly unique apple pie in an apple recipe.  I’m lucky enough to have a sister with a bountiful lemon tree (meyer lemons, to be exact!) so the lemon bars were a must.  Both were extremely simple (minus the time it took me to carve out 15 — yes, 15!! — apples) and highly recommended!

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading what we’ve been up to!  Have a truly amazing weekend!

xoxoxo, Michelle

Christmas-time always puts me in the mood to bake.  I know I’m not alone on this one.  :)  While Thanksgiving conjures visions of a dinner table overflowing with savory treats, Christmas celebrations frequently star sweets.  I have participated in a number of Christmas cookie exchanges over the years, and this year is no exception.  I’m excited to see what the ladies at my church have created this year!  For my contribution, I almost always lean on this recipe for my VERY favorite cookie — a cranberry orange cookie dotted with chopped walnuts, drizzled with a tart citrus glaze.  I first “discovered” this cookie in college, when a friend made a variation of them.  I’ve since found many similar recipes online.  So, I can’t take credit for the recipe… only for introducing you to it!!

These cookies are my idea of baked good perfection.  :)  They have a lovely balance of tart & sweet, and an ideal texture balance as well (softer cookie, chewy cranberries, crunchy walnuts).  I can eat them by the dozen!!  My best friend, Kristin, came to visit this past weekend.  She tried a few of these cookies and agreed… they are highly addictive!!  I hope some of you whip up a batch of your own to see for yourself how wonderful these cookies truly are…

Cranberry Orange Cookies with Walnuts ~ Yield: 4 dozen

{Ingredients}

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup of white sugar (I prefer turbinado sugar when available)
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp grated orange zest (or more, if you’re wild for oranges like I am)
• 2 TBS of orange juice (I use fresh juice from the oranges I’m zesting, rather than a store bought juice) — I used Cara Cara oranges, an incredible variety with a blush-tinged flesh and incredibly juicy sweet flavor with hints of cherry, blackberry and rose.  YUM!)

the cara cara orange

• 2.5 cups of AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt (I use pink HimalaSalt)
• 2 cups of chopped dried cranberries (dried currants would be a perfect alternative)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I typically add 3/4 cup instead… LOVE walnuts!)

{Instructions}

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, cream your butter and white + brown sugars until smooth.
3. Beat in the egg until thoroughly integrated.
4. Add your orange zest and orange juice and continue to mix.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flower, baking soda and salt.  Add this mixture to your wet batter.
6. Mix in cranberries + walnuts, until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets (I swear by Silpat liners).  **Make sure to give the cookies some room… at least 2″ apart on all sides.  They spread a bit.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are just golden brown.
9. Remove cookies from the sheets and cool on wire racks.
10. For the glaze: mix all three ingredients together until smooth.
11. Spread or drizzle glaze on the tops of the cooled cookies, and wait until glaze is set before storing cookies.

egg + orange juice + zest integrated

the finished dough is fragrant and beautiful, dotted with the ruby jewels of cranberry and specks of pretty orange zest

ready to devour!!  xo

Enjoy!!  xoxo, Angel

I love to cook but I am not that big on baking.  At least, I thought I wasn’t.  It seems like anytime I embark on something new and exciting in the kitchen these days, it’s to bake something.  This has turned out to be simultaneously good and bad — I am grateful for the baking success, but not so fond of having delectable baked goods constantly within arm’s grasp!  ;-)

I can’t take the credit for this latest creation, which I discovered while reading Smitten Kitchen (one of my very favorite non-wedding blogs — check it out!).  **Note: SK adapted the recipe from the one in Super Natural Everyday – just another affirmation that it’s near-impossible to trace the origins of a recipe!!

My love for blackberries is akin to my love for bananas — I go crazy for anything with them.  So, once I saw this recipe pop up in my Google reader, I knew I had to make it.  Our family Easter supper afforded me the perfect excuse to whip this up.  Although I typically do not advise one to try out new recipes for things you’re taking to feed others, I was lucky this time.  As always, I made a few adjustments so I will share “my take” on her recipe below.

Blackberry Coconut Tart with Toasted Pistachios – Yield: 8-12 servings, depending on the size of the slices!

{Ingredients}

for the crust…

• 1 cup and 2 TBS of unbleached white flour (or whole wheat flour) — I prefer Bob’s Red Mill flours
• 1/2 cup plus 1 TBS of unsweetened finely shredded coconut (I used coconut flakes (Bob’s Red Mill again) because I had it on-hand.  I pulsed most of it in the food processor but I didn’t mind the extra texture.)  :)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 TBS natural cane sugar (I used Wholesome Sweeteners‘ organic sugar)
• Generous 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt (I used HimalaSalt pink sea salt)
• 6 TBS unsalted butter, melted

• 1.5 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut (again, used my coconut flakes)
• 6 TBS natural cane sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 6 oz. fresh blackberries, halved (I halved some, and left the smaller ones whole)
• 1/4 cup pistachios, unsalted & toasted — crushed (I kept most in-tact, and probably used closer to 1/3 cup since I love pistachios!)

{Instructions…}

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9.5″ round tart pan (I got mine for $11 at Williams-Sonoma — a steal!)
3. Combine flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir in melted butter to incorporate with the dry ingredients.
4. Press mixture firmly into the bottom (and slightly up the sides) of the tart pan to create a solid, flat “crust” shape.
5. Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Take out to cool while you prep the filling.
6. Stir together coconut, sugar and egg whites for the filling.
7. Evenly place blackberries across the crust — I started from the outside in a circle and moved toward the center in concentric rings.  I placed leftover blackberries at random once I had the majority evenly distributed.
8. Using your fingertips, spread the filling around the blackberries and throughout the tart, leaving the tops of the blackberries uncovered.  (It would save a ton of time to put the filling in first and press in the blackberries, but I’m not sure if they’d be as securely anchored in the filling…)
9. Bake 20-25 mins until the peaks of the filling are golden brown.
10. Let tart cool for 15-20 minutes, and then press in your pistachios.
11. I then sprinkled about 1 TBS of HimalaSalt over the top of the tart and baked for another 5 minutes to set with the pistachios.
12. Slice into wedges and serve!  Would be phenomenal alongside vanilla bean ice cream, but perfectly scrumptious on its own.

crust, pre-baking

juicy blackberries

ready to go in the oven!

the gorgeous result

check out all that yummy texture!!!

I am always so honored and thrilled when I hear that my clients and readers have tried out recipes from my blog!  Let me know if any of you attempt this tart while the berries are in season.  ;-)

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Enjoy the rest of your week~  xoxo, Angel

Hello everyone!  I hope your week is off to a most wonderful start.  :)  Last night, after I had finished my daily emails, I felt the sudden urge to bake.  Who am I to question these sugar-craving whims, right?  I had a few overripe bananas on the counter and knew I wanted to make something with them.  A peek into my pantry and a quick Google search led me to an inspired idea: banana + Nutella muffins!  (It is a well-known fact that I am both a banana and Nutella fiend.)  I like my baked goods to have some texture (e.g. I can’t stomach a brownie that isn’t chock full of walnuts), so of course I had to add a healthy dose of walnuts. The result was incredible: sweet but not cloying, and perfectly comforting.  I enjoyed one right out of the oven with an icy glass of milk — a perfect midnight snack.  I also had one for breakfast this morning. Apparently there isn’t a wrong time to eat one of these!

It wouldn’t be nice of me to tease you with photos and not offer up the recipe, so here it is!  (It is a combination of recipes I found elsewhere.)

Banana Walnut Muffins with Nutella Swirl – Yield: 1 dozen + a little ramekin :)

{You’ll Need…}

• 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill unbleached flour)
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 3/4 cup of sugar (I use 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of light brown sugar — I’m partial to Hain Foods sugars)
• 1/2 cup of butter (unsalted) – softened
• 2 large eggs
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp of vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• Nutella (how much you use is up to you; see directions below)

{Directions}

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar) in a large bowl.
3. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix 2 large eggs, butter, and mashed bananas.  Add 1 tsp vanilla if desired.
4. In four or five small batches, slowly add some of your banana mix to the dry ingredients.  Stir only until incorporated and the dry ingredients are moistened — do not over-mix!
5. Add in your walnuts and stir again just to distribute them in the batter.
6. Prepare your muffin tin with cooking spray or cupcake liners.
7. Fill tins or liners halfway with batter.
8. Using a tablespoon, drop a dollop of Nutella on top of each half-full tin/liner.  It does not need to be perfect… you just want Nutella goodness swirling throughout the entire muffin!
9. Go back and fill up the liners (almost to the top — unlike other cupcakes, these muffins will not rise too much.  They have denser texture so it’s safe to go 90% full on them.) with the remaining batter.
10. Using your tablespoon again, add another dollop of Nutella on top of each portion of batter.
11. Take a chopstick and gently swirl the Nutella into the muffin, so you don’t just have a glob of it on the top.  One or two gentle swirls is enough — you don’t want to blend it too much.
12. Pop into the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.  (Mine were perfect in 16 minutes!)
13. Test for doneness with your finger — when the muffins are ready, a little “dent” pressed into the top of it will spring back into position… the dent won’t remain.  The fork/toothpick trick won’t really work here since the moist batter and Nutella make it hard to pull out a clean fork!
14. Enjoy any time of day!

Let me know if you end up making these muffins; I’d love to hear what you think! Also, let me know if you have a favorite way you like to cook with Nutella and/or bananas.  I love reading recipes and experimenting in the kitchen!

I hope the rest of your week is very, very sweet.  <3

xoxo, Angel

Happy Friday, loves!  I’m so happy to *finally* share this post on how to plan a successful shower (baby, bridal or otherwise!).  You may remember that this post was inspired by the baby shower I threw for Kristin earlier this month.  It was a true joy to plan a special celebration honoring my best friend, and it reminded me that there are many peripheral events that come with planning a wedding.  Although that shower was for a mother-to-be (rather than a bride-to-be), the basic elements of shower planning are the same.  So, today I’ll be sharing a little insight into how I (along with Kristin’s sister, Jennylyn, and neighbor, Chie) put together a beautiful, well-organized bash.  I hope this is helpful for some of you out there, as I imagine most of my readers will eventually help plan or throw a shower at some point.

1. Consult the guest of honor and set the date & time of the shower.  (For mommies-to-be, 1-2 months prior to the EDD is great.  For brides-to-be, I suggest 2+ months prior to the wedding day, as the final month before the wedding can be very hectic with seating charts, escort cards, etc.)
2. Discuss any preferences for the celebration with the guest of honor.  Do they have an opinion on the scale, style, or size of the shower?
3. Obtain a guest list from the guest of honor.
4. Determine a budget for the party.  In this case, we had 3 contributors (me, Jennylyn, Chie).  We chatted about what each of us would be able to contribute and set a rough budget.
5. Conceive a look/feel/style for the shower.  To start, you will need to select your location.  (In our case, we were throwing the shindig at Kristin’s home!)  After the setting is determined, you can flesh out the design from there.  For Krissy, I wanted to capture her personality in every aspect of the planning.  You can read this post for a rundown on my “earth mama” inspiration for the shower.  Although Kris is having a girl, she didn’t want to go over-the-top girly with designing her daughter’s nursery.  So I took the same approach with the shower, and went with a subtlely feminine twist on the mostly woodsy, natural & neutral décor.
6. Book major vendors (or make arrangements for the following): catering, desserts + cake, rentals (tables and chairs at least).  Your needs in this area will also be dictated by the location you selected.  If you chose a tea house or restaurant, for example, your food + rentals might already be covered.
7. Delegate responsibilities amongst hosts/hostesses.  Tasks may include: making or ordering invitations, stuffing + mailing out invitations, creating signage for the shower, organizing a guestbook of some sort, acting as point-person with the caterer and/or baker, ordering the rentals, tracking RSVPs, sourcing and preparing decorations, planning games or activities (in our case, a craft), etc.
8. Send out invitations to guests, ideally 6+ weeks in advance (I like 8 as a general rule).  Make your RSVP date at least 2 weeks in advance.
9. Make a loose schedule of what will happen at the shower.  It doesn’t need to be a minute-by-minute timeline, but it should list what needs to happen and in what order.  In our case: guest arrival, guestbook signing + noshing on appetizers, opening gifts, making crafts and indulging in dessert!
10. Make or purchase decorations for the shower.  If budget allows, you may opt to hire someone to oversee this task (such as a florist).  For Krissy’s shower, I played florist and used various vessels I have in my personal collection, along with some tchotchkes I picked up at my favorite antique stores.  Some specific décor items you might consider: a welcome sign, a banner of some sort (i love “welcome baby _____” banners for a baby shower), small floral arrangements, candles, etc.
11. Buy any “partyware” you need (if it is not being rented): cups, plates for food and dessert, cutlery, napkins, etc.  For Krissy’s shower, we used sustainable bamboo cutlery and recycled paper products.
12. Plan out any shower activities and/or games.  We skipped the games for Krissy’s shower and instead planned a craft activity (a huge hit!).  Purchase any necessary supplies and print out simple instructions to display.  If you’re doing games, make sure you have plenty of pens and/or sharpened pencils to pass out with any handouts.
13. Receive all of your RSVPs (at LEAST 2 weeks prior to the event date) and follow-up with any stragglers.
14. Now that you have your final count, update your orders for food, dessert, and rentals with the pertinent vendors.
15. Make a playlist for the event (some fun background music while guests are arriving and/or eating) and load it onto your iPod; figure out how you will play it at the event (whether plugged into a system at your venue, or simply from an iPod dock for a smaller at-home event).
16. Make any signage for your food, beverages and desserts (people like to know what they’re about to enjoy!).
17. Place an order for ice (if needed) or arrange for someone to purchase and deliver it on the day of the event.
18. Get your gift for the guest of honor and wrap it up!  (I always leave this until the end because I’m so busy with party prep — try to get this done the week before the big day).
19. Review your shower schedule (timeline) and ensure that you have all of the materials/supplies you need for each part of the celebration.  Pick up any final items and pack up your car. (I like to make a list of everything I am bringing in terms of décor; this way I remember how I’m using it and can keep track of it while packing up!)
20. The shower is here!!  Set up with your fellow hostesses and aim to have everything set by 45 minutes before guest arrival.  At 15 minutes before invite time, set out your snacks for guests to nosh on as they arrive.  Once the party is underway, try to enjoy as much as possible.  :)  I made sure to try to sit and be a guest as much as possible.  Plenty of pre-planning will allow you to really soak up the shower, instead of run around like a crazy person on the big day.  ;-)

I hope this little list was helpful to you!  It may not be exhaustive, but I think it covers the major bases.  Best of luck to all of you planning showers for your loved ones in coming months.  With “engagement season” in full swing, I’m sure there are many showers on the horizon!  At the end of the day, so long as your well-mapped plans are covered in love, everything will turn out beautifully.

xoxo, Angel

P.S. Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!!  I will be back very soon with my 2010 wrap-up and some goals & decisions for 2011.  Reflecting on the last 12 months and looking ahead to the new year fills me with SO much joy.  Thank you so much for another amazing year and here’s to many more~  xoxo

Hello dearest readers!!  Most of you know I looove to cook.  It is a tremendous passion of mine!  I enjoy cooking dinners nearly every night of the week and for me the entire process, from building a recipe to shopping for ingredients to stirring in that last sprinkle of kosher salt, is simultaneously inspiring and relaxing.  I derive so much pleasure from preparing a delicious meal and savoring it! I’ve shared recipes here and there on this blog, but I wanted to start a new cooking feature.  It will be a fun way to share scrumptious, seasonal recipes with all of you… things that I’m actually cooking and enjoying!  :)  Although this blog was created to primarily showcase my work as a wedding planner and designer, I love connecting with my readers over things I love.  I hope some of you will try out this recipe and let me know what you think!

The cooler temps always make me crave soup, and soup is always a satisfying one-pot meal.  I brought out my Le Creuset dutch oven (mine is in “ocean,” a moody gray blue that is exclusive to Williams Sonoma) and get to chopping veggies.  This soup is simple to prepare and is hearty, comforting, and of course… utterly delicious!  This isn’t an original recipe, but one based on a potato-bacon-gruyère soup from Epicurious.  I added the kale and made a few other changes to the ingredients + quantities, so what you read below is how I actually prepared the soup (not how it is written by Epicurious).

{ingredients}

• 2 TBS of butter for sautéeing your onions + another 2 TBS for your roux
• 4 pieces of bacon (or pancetta, prosciutto) –
• 1-2 medium yellow onions (I used a Maui sweet onion), finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 32 oz. of chicken broth (I used organic, low-sodium broth from a carton, but homemade would be better!)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (I use unbleached AP flour)
• 1.5 lb of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into approx. 1″ cubes
• 1/2 lb of shredded Gruyère (yum!!!) — you’ll end up with a bit over 2 cups of grated cheese
• 6 cups of fresh chopped kale (I cut away and discarded the stems)
• Kosher or sea salt + Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Dash of worcestershire sauce
• Dried or fresh herbs to taste (sage, thyme, basil — I played around for the right balance)

{preparation}

1. In your large saucepan/dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat, turning halfway, to a crisp.  Remove from saucepan, drain on paper towels, and crumble.  Set aside.
2. Add butter to the bacon grease and over medium heat and add the chopped onion.  Cook for approx. 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Return crumbled bacon to the pot.
3. Add minced garlic and continue to stir (you don’t want burned garlic — it is utter nastiness) for about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the broth and water.  Bring to a boil.
5. Add chopped potatoes and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
6. In a small saucepan melt 2 TBS of butter, and slowly add flour little by little, whisking it together to create a pastey roux (thickener for your soup).  Add to the soup slowly, stirring gently to fully integrate.
7. Simmer soup, covered, for 10 minutes.
8. Pull out your blender and ladle 3 cups of hot soup out of your pot, into the blender.  Add the gruyère and purée with the hot soup.  Return it all to your pot. Now you have the smooth, blended potatoes, as well as some still solid potato “chunks.”  :)
9. Add chopped kale and stir.  Let simmer 5 additional minutes.
10. Add a dash of worcestershire sauce, herbs + salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve and enjoy!  :)

yum!

Hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend!  See you again soon!! :)  xoxo, Angel