Home Sweet Home

It's always nice to be home.  I LOVE my in-laws house & being up there.  But there is nothing like being in your own home.  For me, I greatly miss my computer.  My 3 year old couldn't wait to get home to play his Cars game.  Needless to say, we are both happy campers!

We had a nice break in the country.  My husband was working hard at landscaping the back yard for a surprise Anniversary party for his parents this September...shhhhh.
(Good thing I know they don't ever read my blog. Who am I kidding, they probably have no idea I even have it, lol.)

Here is a little preview of his work.

While my honey was showing that back yard who was boss, I relaxed.  I got to catch up on my recipe reading & did lots of cooking. My hubby's parents have the best kitchen!  I LOVE to cook when I am there. My MIL knows this. When ever I am coming up, she buys groceries for me to cook.

This weeks menu included the MIL's picks, lasagna, ribs & vegetable pizza.  I was thrilled to make lasagna.  We have been talking about me making it for months, since I was staying up there helping with my FIL.  I decided that some pasta salad was the perfect quick side for the ribs. I was floored when they had never had pasta salad the way I make it. I think they liked it though!

Cooking while I am there gives me something to do & it gives someone else a break. Plus it's fun for me! They have all the fun gadgets to make cooking & baking a little easier.

Like this little helper. An actual Lasagna Pan.

At first, I thought, I don't need one of these. 

After using it I am a believer....I NEED one!

I also made Mojitos.  

It's always a good thing when your mother in law suggests a great summer time drink! 

For the first time, I made simple syrup. 

Simple Syrup Recipe

Combine equal parts Sugar & Water (I did 1 cup of each)

Heat on Low 

Stirring often.   

Once it's all liquid, remove from heat & let it cool down.

It really is simple. I will NEVER buy it again. 

I will however, be purchasing some squeeze bottles to put it in though.  

For now I have mine in my old reliable, a Mason Jar. 

(I am obsessed with Mason Jars, BTW! 

We will save that confession for another day)

I came home from the In-Laws and made sure I bought a bottle of  Bacardi Rum for my summer time adult beverages. The big guy was on sale & I couldn't pass that up.  I love mojitos, they are so refreshing.  Looks like I need to experiment with different fruits & find a friend who is growing mint in their garden.  We can trade mint for simple syrup! 

Hope you find time this summer to enjoy a cool, refreshing Mojito!

The Calm After the Storm

To say the last few weeks has been crazy would be an understatement.  I have had 2 weddings, one of which I helped plan &  had my in-laws stay with us while my FIL went to the Dr. here.  Now I am looking forward to heading North to my in-laws for some R&R this week before my weeks get busy again.

My June calendar is booking up with Party Lite shows & I am NOT complaining.  Summer is always such a great time to get friends together & catch up.  It's also a great time to switch up the decor to make your home bright & cheerful.

Here are a few ideas to make your home look

 ready for the sunny weather!

Keeping it short & sweet today so I can finish packing for my weekday getaway!

Have a safe & Happy Memorial Day 

and don't forget why this day exists.

I love weddings

Party planning is my passion.  I always seem to be planning some kind of party or helping with one. My most recent project was helping my "sister from another mister" plan her wedding.

My 2 best friends are sisters.  Their youngest sister tied the knot in a "Destination Wedding" here it Pittsburgh. Having had my own wedding away, I tried to help her make the wedding as painless as possible.

The theme of the wedding was "Travel".

Each table had a theme of places 

they have been together & their home towns.

Los Angeles

Pittsburgh

Antigua

Las Vegas

San Diego

Wine Country

We did floral centerpieces & the tables had "hints" of each destination on the table. I used artificial flowers to do the centerpieces, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell.  Obviously the shredded paper was a dead giveaway, but there weren't any on the head table. She had no idea they were artificial until she picked it up.  

Operation "Fake Flowers" was a success!

I got the flowers from Garden Ridge.  Why I never stepped foot in that store until now is beyond me.  I always thought it was like Home Depot or Lowes.  Boy was I wrong!  I was pleasantly surprised at all of the beautiful things they had.  Their flower selection was great. They had flowers for any budget.

It's been fun & a bit challenging.  

The Bride gave suggestions & I went with it.
She was so excited when I told her I wasn't telling her anymore about the wedding. 

 It was great, I got to play "David Tuturo" for her.  

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas

Unfortunately, playing wedding planner did not give me time to go around & take pictures of each table theme.  The photographer gladly took pictures for me & is going to send them to me when she is done editing.  I will be sharing those & the rest of the Travel themed creations I made.

Technically I didn't drink beer....

I was raised Catholic, not so much a practicing Catholic these days.  But during Lent I don't eat meat on Fridays & this year I actually gave something up for lent...

This year I gave up beer.
Let me tell you, that was a long 40 days.

I am a huge fan of beer.  I like all different kinds of beers, except IPA's...I just can't do all the hops.  I felt like I was consuming a bit too much beer recently.  So when my best friend decided to give it up for Lent (by the way, she is NOT Catholic, lol)  I decided to join her.  I must say it is always easier to give things up with someone.  We have really helped each other.

Giving up things & sticking to it has never really worked out for me.  I am proud to say we didn't have a single beer.  I made it through my Girls Weekend with no beer, even though that strawberry ale was calling my name!

As I have mentioned before, I am an Independent Party Lite consultant along with being a stay-at-home momma.  The first of the year, they discontinued their Two Sisters Gourmet line.  So disappointing.

One of my favorite products was the beer bread.  I know those other companies have their own, but I've always leaned towards TSG.  It's not because it was a product I sold, I honestly liked it much better!  And then you serve it with the TSG Outrageously Garlic as a dip.....yummy stuff.  It was always my go to when people were over to watch some Steelers football or even for game night.

For my weekend away with the girls, I wanted to make beer bread.  Aldi's has their own, but I heard it just wasn't the same.  So while away at the in-laws, I decided to find a recipe!  Little did I know how easy it was.  And with a little Shock Top Belgian beer added, it was perfect! Sure you can use a good ol domestic, but there is something about a craft beer that makes the bread that much better.

Beer Bread

3 C Self Rising Flour

1/3 C Sugar

12 oz Beer
1 Tbsp Butter melted

Preheat oven at 375 degrees
Spray a bread pan with cooking spray
Mix flour, sugar & beer
Pour batter into pan
Top with melted butter...this will prevent the top from burning
Bake for about 35 minutes or until slightly browned on top

This is the perfect "dish" to take to a party or picnic.
Just pair it up with a dip and you are sure to have a crowd pleaser.

Spiked Poke Cake

Happy Friday!
I have been wanting to share this recipe & why not celebrate the weekend with cake...

I have realized in the last year or so that I LOVE to bake! I've been trying new things.  Scratch cake...have not tried to tackle that quite yet. But experimenting with box cake has been fun!  Then I went & discovered Knox gelatin....mind blown! I figured this has to be the perfect addition to the Poke Cake!  My first attempt at poke cake was good.  I had just wished the cupcake hadn't gotten so soggy.  I had used my usual 1 C. hot water & 1 C. chilled vodka with my jello.  It was good, but I knew I could do better. Then Thanksgiving at my in-laws, we had Knox Blocks.  YES!  That is what a Jell-O jiggler was supposed to look like! I have had sorry attempts for the jigglers in my childhood.  We just didn't know about adding the gelatin.


I made it this last weekend for my Girls Weekend with my friends.  After the last few months we had, I needed this get away.  As our weekend approached, all the girls needed it.  I find it very necessary to go away with my friends at least once a year.  Everyone's lives are so busy now, we need a weekend to just unwind & as my friend Erin's mom says     "Let your hair down".   Erin's mom has the right philosophy there! LOVE that woman

Back to the cake....

Berry Lemonade Poke Cake

Bake the cake as directed.

I made the cake in round pans to layer.  I really wanted to have icing in the middle of the cake.  So I made 2 of the  7X7 round pans. I made them the night before we left & finished when we got down there.

Now for the jello mixture-

-1 box of jello

- 1 envelope of gelatin

- 1 C. boiling water

- 1 C. chilled vodka 

(Note-This recipe can be non-alcoholic.
Just add cold water instead of vodka)

Be sure to poke both cake(s) before you make the jello mixture.  By adding the gelatin really speeds up the gelling time & you don't want it to be too thick to put into the cake.  I use a straw to "inject" the cake.  I suppose one of these days a syringe would be a good investment. The straw works fine though.

One word for my Berry Lemonade Poke Cake.....AMAZING!

I highly recommend making this for an adult function or just a weekend (adult) dessert.

So busy for someone without a job!

I swear one of these days 

I will be less busy to focus on my blog!

Went to spend Easter weekend with my In-Laws in the country.  It was a beautiful weekend.  I even scored myself some sunburn!  But now I am back home with lots to do!

Right now, along with having 2 Party Lite shows this week,  I am focusing my time on helping with a wedding. My "lil sister from another mister" is getting married in less than an month.  She lives in Los Angeles. Her mother, sisters (my best friends) & I have been trying to put all the pieces of her wedding together.

They are having a Travel theme for her destination wedding. Very appropriate since the couple lives in LA, she is from Pittsburgh & her future husband is from Antigua. Pinterest has become my guide, my inspiration & most importantly, my savior! Planning events is my favorite thing to do.  Unfortunately for me, being the bride & doing certain things didn't work in my favor.  BUT helping other people with their weddings is something I tend to be good at!  My dream job is being an event planner. In the mean time, I will be here helping.

Today I had a few things to get together.  Usually my toddler tends to interrupt my progress, but lucky for me, my husband was off today.  Not only did he occupy our little dude, he made some of my favorites,  He decided we would have Mexican Day today. Naturally that means homemade Pico de Gallo, which lead to guacamole!  I've realized that I actually like pico better than salsa.

With Cinco de Mayo coming up soon, 

here is the recipe for both!

PICO DE GALLO

6 roma tomatoes 

1 medium sweet onion 

3 jalapenos (seeded)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Then we just added 6 avocados 

& Taaaaa Daaaaa!

Holy Guacamole!

What a year so far!

A month into my "New Years Resolution"  I failed, but with good reason.  When family calls, you drop everything!

At the end of January, we found out that my Father in Law was having surgery....a big one at that.  My FIL is an Veteran & started coming to the VA hospital here in Pittsburgh.  (Not sure I ever actually said where I live.  Yep, I'm a "Yinzer")

My in-laws live about 2 hours away in the country, so us living here in the city has definitely worked out for everyone.  I have spent the last 2 months going back & forth, spending a week at a time in no man's land.  I will say that you learn a lot about yourself being away from home for so long. My most important lesson, I am NOT as big of a fan of the city as I thought I was. As I get older, I realize I enjoy the quiet much more!  It helps me think & be creative, being in the country.

Unfortunately, I was not able to blog while I was away.  My wonderful niece & nephews had given my in-laws computer a virus or two. Just more time to read & learn a few things.  In the weeks to follow, I will be sharing my newly learned recipes from my MIL and even one from my extremely picky SIL.  I also have been mastering the art of cup-less jello shots! Which were a big hit this last weekend, by the way.

I am very happy to be home & 

look forward to sharing with all of you soon!