lust

I have got to try some of these mouth watering caramels from Parisian Pastry Lab, Galipette. Ginger lemongrass? fleur de sel? Good-bye wedding diet.


Found via littlebrownpen.

Speaking of Cupcakes

Saint Cupcake here in Portland is now shipping yummy cupcake kits nationwide. You pick the flavors, frosting, and sprinkles, then days later you get a delicious box of caloric goodness delivered to your doorstep. I'm salivating just looking at that cup-o-frosting.


found via makool

Voodoo

Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of my "support local business", "Go Portland", "I ♥ Oregon" hoopla, I go and throw Voodoo Doughnut into the mix.

I'm happy to announce the addition of some yummy custom pink "Portland Creme" doughnuts to our wedding dessert table. (I think they'll look lovely next to our cakes(s)).I'm going to stack them all pretty on some of our vintage cake stands like Martha does here, except these won't be quarantined to the "kids' table" like she suggests. These are intended to make even the oldest of grandpas melt into a frosting-coated puddle of childhood glee (I'm actually counting on a few candid wedding photos of this exact thing happening. Please).

Because who doesn't love pastry filled with custard?


P.S. that lovely was for you Emilia Jane. ;)


Images from here and here

DIY Treats

After an exchange of emails regarding wedding favors, Anne from The City Sage has me feeling a bit more creative than usual. I recently saw an article on NPR's Kitchen Window by one of my favorite contributors Nicole Spiridakis called 'Holiday Gifts Good Enough To Eat' and instantly thought "DIY wedding favors". In the article she includes recipes for some yummy treats such as preserved lemons, mouth watering truffles, and my favorite, a savory lemon-rosemary sea salt. She suggests these be used as budget friendly Christmas gifts, but I can easily see any of them packaged up and presented to guests as unique and tasty favors as well. But alas, I am not nearly crafty enough and my kitchen is much too tiny to pull off tasks like these. That doesn't mean I can't drool!

If any of you other brides-to-be decide to give it a try, please do share pictures!

Photos from NPR


P.S. to Anne- A 30's inspired sheath gown paired with a Twigs & Honey bolero and followed with a funky lace mini-dress for dancing. Don't worry, there will be more details to come! ;)

Champagne Cosmo Cocktail

Meesha's bachelorette party is this Saturday and we're having a little pregame at my apartment before hittin' the town with class (Really. I'm going to be good this time).

I found a recipe online for some yummy looking Champagne Cosmos that I'm going to whip up for us to enjoy while getting ready. Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 1/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
4 cups chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine

For directions and the recipe go here.

To find out how good they actually taste, check back in a week or two for some bachelorette photos. If there's one of me lying in a pile of leaves on the sidewalk you'll know they were great.

Photo from Epicurious

Cake(s)

Yesterday when I called my mom and told her we needed to return my second dress to purchase this Holly Stalder number instead, she accused me of being a habitual mind-changer. What? She proceeded to point out all the things I've flip-flopped on over the past few months: venue, hairstyle, invitations (originally we were going the ultra-cheap, ultra-eco route and doing simple seal-n-sends. well, when you see the ones I decided on you will understand. still eco-friendly, much, much prettier). Then of course yesterday the dress... and now, the cake.

Original cake idea:

Photo from flickr

Fairly traditional, a little gaudy, and in my opinion- extremely shabby chic. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but when I saw this cake idea over at Earth Friendly Weddings I could never look at another cake the same:
Photo borrowed from here, which was borrowed from here...

I need those cakes at my wedding.

Three uniquely decorated, uniquely flavored, little white cakes at my wedding. Three uniquely vintage, uniquely fun, used cake stands found at antique shops. One very happy bride. (and I'm putting fresh peonies on top, even if it poisons my guests!)

Thank you Jennifer- yet again.


Update: apparently I will poison my guests if I put fresh peonies on my cakes. I guess this means going the freeze-dried route, or ordering some beautiful clay ones from her. What would I do without Jennifer?

Peonies & Wine Part Three

The other evening the FH and I sampled another eco-friendly wine for our upcoming reception. I found a bottle of Parducci Petite Sirah in the Pacific NW wine aisle at the grocery store and had to bring it home (Petite Sirah is one of Nick's favorites). Parducci winery in California prides itself in being the first carbon neutral winery in the US. They also use biodiesel, solar electricity, and ensure that their packaging is earth-friendly. I'm sold!

We were both very pleased with the result. Eco-friendly, locally grown, and de-lish. Plus, at under $15 a bottle it's well in our wine budget!

Peonies & Wine Part Two

I want to thank Jennifer of earth friendly weddings (yet again) for helping us out with some more great eco-friendly menu advice! She just posted a blog sharing the links to a few organic wines that also happen to be very budget friendly. This is a lifesaver for me because in my own hunt for organic wines I was finding it nearly impossible to locate selections that weren't going to break the bank. If you get a chance you should definitely check it out: Eco Wine!

Above picture: my lovely little sister Amber hiding under some wine grapes at my grandma's house the other summer.

Eco-Friendly Fish

On my quest to have the most eco-friendly wedding possible (It's been hard, I know. First I have to sample delicious wines and now I'm forced to do research via blogs!) I have quickly become enamored with the blog earth friendly weddings. One of their recent posts about eco-friendly seafood helped Nick and I out a ton when it came time to decide what type of fish we would be serving at our reception. If you get a chance, you should definitely check out Please don't eat me! for lots of good info on eating responsibly. picture courtesy of davesalbacore.com

Seafood Selector

Peonies & Wine

Living in the green city of Portland, Nick and I agreed that it is important to have our wedding as eco-friendly as possible. For us this includes forgoing paper save-the-dates and the plastic water bottles printed with our names and wedding date I so dearly wanted. This also means sticking to local and organic wines for the reception (though we will have to cheat when it comes to the champagne).

The other day while I was perusing the Oregon Wines section at the grocery store I came across a gem in the form of a bright, sophisticated bottle- Cooper Hill Pinot Noir. This organic wine comes from Cooper Mountain Vineyards here in Portland, OR.

Now I have to admit, though I was drawn to it merely on appearance, after I took a bottle of it home and sampled some with Nick I found it was much more than just a pretty label. It was delicious! Tasty and aesthetically pleasing- what more could you ask for? Now we just need to get some of their organic Pinot Gris and we'll be set. Well, almost.

Photos courtesy of kybecca.blogspot.com

I think I'm in love!

(Update: we taste tested the Pinot Gris the other day. Not nearly as enjoyable as the Pinot Noir, but I'm not much of a white wine fan so I'm biased. I'm sure the Pinot Gris fans at our wedding will be rather pleased.)