{REAL PARTIES} -- Sushi Night!!

We love sushi at our house!  So, I absolutely loved this adorable Sushi Night party from Creative Party Ideas by Cheryl, when I first saw it.  This party would be great for entertaining, too.  Setting up sushi in this manner would be simple, yet impressive. 



Cheryl took store-bought sushi, paired with fruit and homemade "dessert sushi" to create a fun sushi table for her family.  Cheryl used mini donuts, Ho-Hos and Twinkies to make the dessert sushi.  You can check out her Dessert Sushi Tutorial for the how-to on making these desserts.  Those donuts topped with sweedish fish are too cute! 

For an activity, Cheryl and her family had a contest to see how many mini-marshmallows they could pick up using chopsticks.  They also folded origami cranes. 

What a great themed family night!  For more of Cheryl's ideas, check out her blog, Creative Party Ideas by Cheryl. 

{REAL PARTIES} -- Perfectly Peach Dessert Table

This sweet, vintage wedding dessert table was styled by Trish at Perfectly Posh {A Boutique of Sweets and Soirees}.  Not only did Trish style the table, she also baked all of the table sweets.  The bride had chosen a color palette of creamsicle, seafoam and cream.  Vintage button details were also used throughout the wedding decor.  Trish incorporated all of these elements beautifully into this lovely dessert table. 

 

 

The dessert table menu included that adorable, sparkly Lemon Blueberry cake with Lemon Mousse filling and cupcakes of the same flavor.  Vanilla Cupcakes were filled with Mint Chocolate Mousse.   Trish also made Mini Rustic Apricot Pies and Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes.  Key Lime Whoopie Pies and Creamsicle Whooopie Pies add a touch of color to the table. 

The candy table also utilized the bride's color palette.  Homemade Marshmallows, Rock Candy, Orange Slices and other candy were a colorful, sweet treat for the guests. 

The burlap banner, mirror, flowers and dessert serveware were seamlessly used by Trish to create a perfectly peach, vintage dessert table.  Thank you for sharing, Trish!  For more beautiful desserts and dessert tables, please visit Perfectly Posh's Website  or Facebook Page. 



{REAL PARITES} - Cheerful Rainbow Party

After a dreary weekend and lots of storms last night, the sun has finally peeked out here this morning.  If the sun still isn't shining where you are, this rainbow party should bring a little sunshine to your day.  This lovely party is from Rebecca at This Nest Is Best. 

I am currently planning a Rockstar baby shower at the end of Februrary, with a rainbow color scheme.  Rebecca's rainbow block party has some fabulous ideas for incorporating rainbow colors in a simple, beautiful way.  Be sure to check out that rainbow cake -- it's fabulous!  This party is also great inspiration for a St. Patrick's Day.  The cute pot of gold is a sweet little touch. And, the rainbow fruit skewers are a healthy, colorful addition to the table. 





Make sure you hop on over to This Nest is Best to check out the rest of the pictures from the party and all of Rebecca's other great parties!

Valentines Day Tablescape Ideas

My Valentines Day plans typically include dinner at home with my hubby and our two kids.  Even before we had kids, I always preferred a quiet Valentines dinner at home to one out and about.  I do, however, try to make Valentines dinner a little out of the ordinary and special.  If you are planning a Valentines dinner at-home, these great tablescapes will provide a little inspiration. 

Paper and Pigtails

Little Lovely

Sheek Shindigs

In the Now Weddings

Delish

Valentines Day Desserts

As I was cleaning out my kitchen cabinets this week (thanks to Clean Mama), I realized that I have several sizes of heart shaped baking pans.  There's just something irresistible about heart shaped desserts!

I wish I had time to make all of these lucisious looking heart shaped desserts.  It's going to be hard to pick one or two of my favorites to make.  But, I just may start with the brownie roll out cookies this week.  

 

Brownie Roll Out Cookies from Best Friends for Frosting

 
Iced Strawberry Hearts from NY Daily

Red Velvet Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Maraschino Frosting from Glorious Treats



Vanilla Cupcakes from Sweetopia



Chocolate and Raspberry Heart Napoleons Martha Stewart

The World in My Kitchen Guest Post

Hope all of you are having a lovely Sunday!  You can find me at The World in My Kitchen, today.  My fellow Kentucky Food Blogger, Mindy, is on an extended trip to Europe.  Lucky gal!  While she is away, a few of Kentucky Food Bloggers are posting for her.  Mindy loves to travel and has lived in Spain and France.  I love Mindy's cooking philosophy: "cooking with lots of fresh produce, shying away from pre-packaged foods, and using meats for which I know the origins". 

My post, How to Host a Soup Tasting Party, is filled with tips and even includes some FREE printables. 





Click HERE to download the free printables.

A soup tasting party would be a great idea for the Super Bowl or a winter dinner party.  So, pop on over there for some soup tasting  party ideas.  While you there, spend some time perusing Mindy's site, especially her fabulous recipes.  You won't be disappointed!

{Recipes} -- Coconut Banana Muffins with Lime Glaze

Snow Day -- two of my kids' most favorite words!  Since we didn't have to rush off to school this morning, it gave me the opportunity to bake for breakfast.  All this cold weather is making me dream of some place warm and tropical.  So, when I noticed we had three overripe bananas in the fruit bowl, I immediately thought these tropical little muffins would be the perfect choice to warm up our morning 

I love how the addition of coconut in the batter and the lime glaze on top makes an ordinary banana muffin feel special.  These muffins would be a great choice for any brunch party you might be planning.  They can also be made into a loaf of bread, if you'd prefer. 


Coconut Banana Muffins with Lime Glaze (adapted from Cooking Light magazine)
Muffins:
2 cups of white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
3 tablespoons apple juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Glaze:
1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon sweetened coconut flakes. 

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. 

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and butter with a mixer.  Add eggs, beating after the addition of each egg.  Mix in banana, sour cream, apple juice and vanilla extract.  Stir in sweetened coconut flakes.  Slowly add in flour mixture, beating on low until combined. 

Using an ice cream scoop for consistency, add one scoop of batter to each muffin tin. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from tin. 

Whisk together lime juice and powdered sugar for glaze.  Stir in coconut flakes.  Pour glaze over muffins while still warm.

It's Cleaning & Organizing Time!

After the holidays, it seems like my house is always a wreck!  The month of Christmas is so busy and so much fun that it seems like all cleaning and organizing chores go to the wayside.  After the holiday decorations are put away, though, the mess becomes more visible.  Now that it is January, it's time to get down to serious work.  Lucky for me, I just found Clean Mama!



Clean Mama  started a new cleaning program that is easy to follow and has really helped me keep up with the daily cleaning tasks and even tackle the big projects, like deep cleaning the kitchen.  And, after all the holiday cooking and baking, my kitchen needs a serious deep cleaning! 



If you are interested in starting a very easy, manageable way to clean your house, check out Clean Mama's Clean and Organized 2012 Plan.  She even provides a cute printable subway art sign that you can print for some inspiration.  

My organzing task for this week is my son's Legos.  If any of you have any ideas for how to organize Legos, I'd love to hear it!

{FREE PRINTABLES} -- "Owl Always Love You" Valentines Collection

Valentines Day is a little over a month, away.  But, I'm starting to see lots of great Valentines Day ideas, already!  I recently designed this adorable "Owl Always Love You"  Printable Party Collection.  This sweet little owl Collection is perfect for a Valentines Party.

If you are not planning on hosting a party, this year, you may still be able to use them!  Last year, while the kids were at school, I decorated our dining room for a special Valentines Day dinner with our kids.  This little Collection would add a sweet touch for a Valentines dinner at home!  You can download the entire collection, for FREE, at Catch My Party.

The Collection includes the following:

1.  5" Square "Love" Banner

2. "Owl Always Love You" 4x6 Sign

3. Blank 4x6 Invitation

4. 2" Party Circles

5. Drink Flags

6. Candy Bar Wrappers

7. Fancy Labels

8. Valentines Cards

You can download the entire FREE Collection, HERE.

If you use these printables, please send me a picture.  I love seeing all of your creative, beautiful parties!   Also, please visit Mirabelle Creations on Facebook! 

Winter Warmth

We have been enjoying some unseasonably warm days, this week.  Yesterday, we took the opportunity to spend most of the afternoon outside.  The kids realize that a warm day in January is something to be treasured.  It seems like even the dog understands that warm weather this time of year is fleeting, so it needs to be enjoyed.  We capped the night off by roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.  A small fire was all we made since we didn't need much extra warmth.  Hope that you've been blessed with some good weather to start off 2012, too!   

Football Parties - National Championship Game & An Etsy Discount

The South is gearing up for the all-SEC National Championship football game, next Monday.  The University of Alabama has another chance to knock off number one ranked Louisiana State University.  If you are planning on hosting a National Championship Game party or any other bowl game party, Mirabelle Creations' Football Party will provide some inspiration for your party.

For the entire party, click HERE.  The Printable Football Party Collection is available in my Etsy Shop, and can be customized for any team.  Also, you can get a 25% DISCOUNT on any Party Collection will the following code: SECFAN