The Wedding

Last night, Buffy became Mrs. Todd Reischling. Although the rain initially threatened the festivities, what a beautiful night it turned out to be! After spending a year planning this event, I'm glad to say I was wise enough to actually enjoy it and not spend the day with needless worry. This means, though, that I didn't worry about taking pictures either! I'm depending on the formal photographer for that as well as snapshots from family and friends. I'm looking forward to seeing them and plan to share some in a later post. For now, I'll share some of the DIY details.

My sister and brother-in-law made these rustic signs that set the tone for the country/downhome/barn theme. When you entered the Fillauer venue, you first noticed

and then around the bend. . .

I loved the play on words! There's a funny story behind these signs. When Steve and I first met the event coordinator a year ago, we were greeted with these same type of signs.

"Steve! Look! I am soooo impressed. What a welcome!"

I truly thought these signs were intended to convey how this venue offered customized and customer-focused touches. I later learned that coincidentally another Moore was getting married that upcoming weekend. I'm so gullible! :)

Another sign helped the guests know that the wedding ceremony would take place in the front lawn, yet the reception would be held in the barn.

Speaking of the barn, I think it is the best part of this venue. Oh, this place makes me long for one! I can easily envision holding so many of our weekend parties in a place like this. During the week, though, I would turn it into an indoor basketball court just for Steve. ;)

A few more DIY touches:

 

One of the most sentimental gifts Buffy and Todd received was an original painting by Mom. This is the stone bridge that Buffy walked across and then down the aisle to exchange vows. I was glad that I could use it as part of the reception decorations!

 

As I'm flipping through what few photos I actually took, I realize that I didn't take any of the tables! :( Here is one, though, from the rehearsal dinner. For the reception, we replaced the black checkerboard tablecloths with burlap. 

One of my favorite snapshots of the night is this sweet picture of my great niece Lydia, watching Buffy and Steve in the father-daughter dance.

I like to think that Buffy felt like a princess last night. Now I'm thinking that at least one other person thought so, too. Mission accomplished!

Cinco de Mayo Bridal Shower

The invitations promised "some chippin', dippin', and margarita sippin'." We certainly lived up to that promise! What a fun time we had hosting a bridal shower on Cinco de Mayo. Shown below is Cindy Pickett (Mother of the Bride), Kim Suiter, Lindsey Pickett (bride), Cindi Burtnett, and myself.

This was one fiesta that was hot, hot, hot! A huge thanks to my sister Jackie for providing almost all of the decorations and serving pieces.

The menu mostly consisted of a variety of appetizers. Watermelon salad bites became sandia salad bites. I gambled on this recipe. The internet assured me that this appetizer received 5 out of 5 stars even though I thought it sounded odd. It was simply chunks of watermelon coated with olive oil and lime juice, then topped with feta cheese, and a thinly sliced serrano chile. My grocery didn't have serrano chile (whatever that is), so I used a jalapeno instead. I just needed any kind of green pepper, right? Wrong! These were incredibly hot!!!

Perhaps the crowd favorite was the jalapeno poppers. Ironically, there are no jalapenos here. I used sweet peppers instead, stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and sausage.

 

A last minute decision for me was to serve cream cheese topped with pepper jelly, served with crackers. I just knew I had to use this great serving piece! The last minute decision resulted in this appetizer not having its own name card. Oh well. Cindi gave me a hard time about that, teasing me that I broke my own rule. :)

We also had homemade salsa and white cheese, or queso blanca dip:

 

I thought the Mexican flag veggies made for a cute presentation. I don't think it was touched, though!

Then came some heartier appetizers:  beefy taco dip, buffalo chicken dip, green chile dip (my personal favorite), chicken enchilada cups, and mini chicken tacos.

 

For drinks, we served frozen margaritas as well as a non-alcoholic limon drink (lemon-lime drink).  Some ladies figured out that mixing the two made for a great combination!

Tres leches cake was just the right touch to satisfy one's sweet tooth. It means "three milk cake." I'm not sure what the three milks were, but it was one of the most moist and amazing cakes I've ever tasted. Kudos to the local Mexican bakery for their hand in making and decorating this great cake!

As mentioned in my previous post, homemade Mexican pralines were the take-home favors.

I think the biggest hit of the day was the photo booth. We were able to capture everyone's picture before they left. I'm not sure if it was the sombreros, mustaches, margaritas, or a combination of all of those things, but we sure got to see some fun personalities!

The husbands were invited at the end for clean-up. Food, that is. 

What a blast! Congratulations, Ben and Lindsey! :{D

Mexican Pralines

I'm definitely in party-mode this weekend. Last night, we hosted a small 50th birthday celebration for Steve Burtnett. Grilled steaks, milk potatoes, corn, salad, homemade sourdough bread, Boston cream cake, and yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing. This is the year for many of these parties!

Today, Mom gets all of our attention. I'm so grateful that she and Dad are still both in good health. She is celebrating another milestone birthday - 75! She is now 3/4 of the way to achieving one of the things on her bucket list:  having her cute little picture in the middle of the Smuckers jelly jar on the Today Show with Willard Scott sending her well wishes. Come to think of it, that's on my bucket list, too! :D

One of Mom's favorite candies is Mexican pralines. I remember each time we visited San Antonio, she would always bring home several cases. This year, I tried making them myself for the first time. Not only would they be one of her birthday presents, but they would also serve as party favors for a Cinco de Mayo bridal shower I'm hosting tomorrow. (When you're celebrating three major events in three days, you have to be efficient!)

I was a little hesitant to make these at first. So many recipes I found on the internet warned of precise cooking times and temperatures. So for the first batch, I actually dug out my candy thermometer. I was ready! Then, I combined 3 cups sugar, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 stick butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a large pan on the stove top. (No wonder they're so good!)

Cooking on medium heat, I watched it closely until the thermometer read 235 degrees, the soft boil stage. Yeah right. So much for precise and accurate measurement systems. After adding 2 cups of pecan pieces and 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla, the candy hardened before I could even scoop it out onto the waxed paper! Hoping that I didn't have to completely waste this batch, I simply added more buttermilk to the concoction. Perfect!

For the second batch, I was thinking that a candy thermometer was unneeded. . . especially one that obviously wasn't effective anyway. This time, my test for the soft boil stage was to drop a small amount into cold water until it formed a small ball. You guess it. Too runny. Classic case of over-control.

The ones I scooped out at the very end hardened nicely; however, the first ones seemed too runny. I'm glad I didn't throw them out at that point. After getting distracted for a few hours, I returned to see that they all ended up at the perfect consistency after all. Wooo hooo! So lesson learned: these things are pretty forgiving. I will no longer be afraid to make them!

For tomorrow's party favors, I wrapped each praline in Saran Wrap. Then I placed each of them in a vellum envelope I made:

Gracias is about the only Spanish word I know. That's OK, though. I'm reminded of Meister Eckhar's words:  "If the only prayer you said was  thank you, that would be enough." So in the spirit of Mom's 75th birthday on this wonderful Cinco de Mayo weekend,

Gracias, Mom! 

Actually, muchas gracias for everything you have always done for us. You deserve the best on your special day! Feliz Cumpleanos!   (OK, I admit I had to look that one up on my iTranslate app!) :D

Mexican Pralines

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups broken pecan pieces
• 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

Directions:
Mix first five ingredients together in a large pan. Cook on medium heat to a soft boil stage, 235 degrees. Check by dropping a small amount of the praline mixture into cold water. It should form a small ball. 

Remove from heat and add pecans and vanilla. Beat with a wire whip until it loses its glaze.

Turn out onto wax paper and allow to cool.

Makes approximately 2 dozen.

Pink Party Punch

When my sister Jackie told me that the name for the punch that she served at Buffy's bridal shower was Pink Party Punch, I couldn't help but think:

Wouldn't it be perfect if Peter Piper partake in pink party punch as he eats his pickled peppers that he picked? :D

Seriously, I loved this drink. As I mentioned in my previous post, it wasn't too tart, nor too sweet. It is definitely something I plan to serve for future parties.

 

Pink Party Punch


Ingredients:
1 (64 oz) bottle of cranberry-raspberry juice
1-1/2 cups water
1 can pineapple juice
1/2 can frozen pink lemonade
1 liter ginger ale

Directions:
Mix together after chilling all ingredients.

Note: Makes approximately two gallons.

April Showers Bring May . . . Weddings!

Only four more weeks until Buffy's big day! Yesterday, we celebrated with a bridal shower. I'm so grateful for my sister Jackie and dear friend Damaris for hosting this event. The weather, decorations, and food were just perfect!

The main spread included a fruit salad, pickles, veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, chicken salad sandwiches, and caprese skewers.

 

For dessert, we had strawberry-cream cheese tartlets and cupcakes.

Or, you could even break open one of the party favors and enjoy these adorable sugar cookies:

They also served Pink Party Punch, which was a hit. Not too tart. Not too sweet. The original recipe was modified, so hopefully I will be able to share their version in an upcoming post.

Everyone was so generous with their gifts! Mine was definitely on the practical side: a basket of cleaning products. Buffy thought I was giving her a hint! :)

 I found this idea on Pinterest (of course), but I did modify the original paragraph and changed some of the products:

Thanks again to everyone who played a part in helping Buffy and Todd begin their new adventure. I know Buffy was thrilled, and I am truly grateful.

Toffee

One of my favorite times of the year has always been March Madness. Good grief, I even use this in my seasonal decorations. Yep, I love being a coach's wife! This year, March Madness has taken on different meanings for me.

To begin, not only did UT not make it to the NCAA tournament, but they lost first round in the NIT! That's enough to make any orange-blooded fan mad, or at least sad. :(

Instead of dwelling on March Madness in the negative sense, I like to think of it in a more positive light: the excitement of facing new competition, pressure, sweat, exhilaration. I experienced my own kind of March Madness this year by taking a Project Management Bootcamp course. It's been years (who am I kidding. . . decades) since I've been a student. Gosh, how I miss it! Each day, I had the self-imposed pressure of having to pass timed quizzes. Each daily success felt like I was progressing tournament-style. Sweet Sixteen. Then, the Elite Eight. The week long course ended with my passing a 4-hour mock exam on the first try: my own equivalent of the Final Four! All of this work culminated in the "championship game" last night:  me vs. a 4-hour certification exam to become a Project Management Professional (PMP). I won! Wooooo hoooooo! New competition. Pressure. Sweat. Exhilaration. "It was all there for me, baby!" (spoken in your finest Dick Vitale voice)

To help ease some of the pressure of the week, one of the other students, Cyndi Rogers, made this amazing toffee for snacking. I knew immediately that we were kindred spirits. I'm so grateful that she was willing to share her recipe with me. I have always loved the flavor of toffee, but I usually avoid it because it is typically hard to bite. Not this. The texture is perfect. It went so fast that I was only able to take a picture of the crumbs!

I think it's the perfect game-day snack. I plan to make my own batch as I continue to cheer on my favorite teams this weekend.

As a new PMP, I'm already seeing things differently:

Initiating - Mom solicits participants for her tournament pool.
Planning - I plan my picks (which teams will win/lose each round) and plan for at least a few upsets.
Executing - Showtime! Cheer for your picks!
Monitoring & Controlling - Double check Mom's math to make sure that she has me in the lead, too.
Closing - Hopefully, I will be collecting some money in a couple of weeks.

Come to think of it, the instructor gave us a mnemonic device to remember the five Process Groups above:  I Prefer Extra Money in Cash. Boy, can I relate. So, at least for the next couple of weeks, GO KANSAS!!!

Toffee

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• chopped pecans
• 3-4 Hershey bars (The larger baking-size bars are better. Use 2 of these instead of 4.)

Directions:
Mix together melted butter and sugar. Cook until it is a medium to darker medium caramel color, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add slivered almonds and mix well.

Dump onto a cookie sheet and spread out to the desired thickness. Break apart the chocolate bars and quickly place on top. Spread melted chocolate evenly on top. Sprinkle with crushed pecans.

Break into pieces after it is hardened. To harden faster, you can place the toffee in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. If you do, make sure you let the toffee come to room temperature before breaking apart.

Happy Pi Day!

As silly as it sounds, yes, I'm one of the unusual ones that actually looks forward to this holiday! For the second year in a row, our department (full of engineers) celebrated in full force.

For lunch, we had a variety of pizza pies:  bbq chicken pizza (grilled chicken, bbq sauce, mozzarella, onions and cherry peppers); philly cheese steak pizza (philly cheese steak, onions, peppers, mozzarella, and alfredo sauce); monster pizza (mozzarella, tomato sauce, bacon, pepperoni, meatballs and ham); paesani pizza (Italian sausage, pepperoni, tomato sauce and mozzarella); margherita pizza (fresh hand sliced baby mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil); buffalo chicken pizza (grilled chicken, ranch, bacon, mozzarella, red onions and hot sauce); classic cheese pizza; and classic pepperoni pizza. Whew!

  

Then came the dessert pies: blackberry, chocolate cream, peanut butter, strawberry cream, lemon, coconut cream, key lime, and chocolate meringue (my contribution):

Come on now. Admit it. After seeing this parade of pies, don't you wish you celebrated, too?

Did you know . . .

• On WTVC-TV Channel 9 News this morning, meteorologist Bill Race said, "As of today, we are 3.14 inches of rain above normal!"  Coincidence? Hmmmmmm.
• Albert Einstein was born on 3.14! Isn't this just more proof that God has a sense of humor? Can't you picture the twinkle in his eye when he planned that? I just want to say, "I get it! That's a good one! Well done!" :)
• I woke my siblings with a Happy Pi Day text message at 5:13 this morning. Scott's reply: "I expected this to be sent at 3:14 a.m. You are slacking." Oh man, why didn't I think of that? :)

Now I can't wait for next year!