Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July - Flag Cake







My sister and I are headed to a  4th of July gathering today and are bringing this Flag Cake for our contribution to the party. My sister Megan made the cake last night and we decorated the flag cake this morning. It is a time consuming cake to decorate but well worth the time - it turned out amazing and is the perfect patriotic cake. 

Flag Cake

Ingredients 

  • 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

  • 2 half-pints blueberries
  • 3 half-pints raspberries

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

~recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, Family Style 


Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Varsity Grill is turning 3!


Tacoma, WA - Varsity Grill in downtown Tacoma welcomes the hugely popular Dueling Piano 

show to their Thursday, Friday and Saturday night lineup. The show, developed by two veteran 

piano duelers, promises to combine fun, humor and audience participation while delivering songs 

from past and present that everyone can enjoy. Audiences can expect to help belt out tunes from 

the likes of Billy Joel and Journey to Justin Timberlake and Toby Keith. 

 

Perhaps the biggest surprise in store for guests who attend the Dueling Piano show is the price 

tag. All shows are free to Varsity Grill guests. “We wanted to produce a quality show without a 

cover charge,” noted Jordan Snyder, Varsity Grill’s General Manager. “Times are tough…so our 

guests can enjoy some great entertainment without spending a lot of money.” 

 

The Dueling Pianos will debut on July 11th, 2009 at Varsity Grill’s Three Year Anniversary 

Celebration. The event begins at 6pm and the show starts at 8:00pm. Three dollar food and drink 

specials will be available all night with great prize giveaways including Taylormade golf bags, 

brewery dinner & tour packages, Spa packages and Mariners and Sounders tickets. The 

celebration will also host a Wii Bowling Tournament and a special Alaskan Brewery Beer 

Tasting. 

 

Varsity Grill is Tacoma’s premier destination for private parties and celebrations. Visit 

www.varsitygrill.com to view our exclusive private rooms, including the HD Theater. 

 

# # # 

 

If you’d like more information about this topic or anything contained in this release, or to 

schedule an interview, please contact Jon Tartaglia at 253.861.5638. 

Monday, June 1, 2009

Baby Shower for Rebecca - Oh Baby!

Shirley (grandma to be) and Rebecca 
 Jennifer Robbins ~ of J. Robbins Florist 

 Wheatgrass & Gerber Daisies 

Wonderful chicken curry salad prepared by Patty 


Baby Shower Pop quiz 


Rebecca's baby shower was thrown last Saturday at Tacoma Lawn & Tennis Club. The weather was absolutely perfect & the group of gals that gathered to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Rebecca and Steven's baby made it an afternoon to remember. The shower was hosted by a group of friends. It is a nice way to split up the responsibilities that come along with throwing a shower. I was in charge of the games and flowers. Jennifer, our friend who is a florist and I created the flowers for the day. I met Jennifer at her studio Saturday morning (I love to visit her and spend time in her studio it is so inspiring! ) and we created 10 clear glass cubes filled with wheatgrass and gerber daisies to fill the room with color.  The flowers were so simple to do and boasted a creative presentation for the gerber daises. We played 2 games, the Ribbon game and a Baby Pop Quiz. I found the Baby Pop Quiz by Twig & Thistle on Etsy. I purchased & downloaded the template and was able to personalize all the questions. I would highly recommend this for any shower - the presentation is so cute and it adds a personal touch to the shower. Congratulations to Rebecca and Steven! 


Thursday, May 28, 2009

Cupcake Wraparounds: Delightful Find



I opened an email from King Arthur Flour this afternoon and fell in love with these Cupcake Wraparounds. For the people that know me, know that I love cupcakes and this just makes me happy. This is the perfect way to present cupcakes at a shower, graduation party, wedding or even your next corporate event (I am thinking the Black Filagree for this). The best part is King Arthur is offering FREE shipping right now. The thing that I love about ordering from them is you always get a BONUS treat in your order. Right now they are offering FREE French Toast Scone Mix. If you need any baking items at this time I recommend a visit to them. 

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Eau De Vodka, a lovely find

I sampled the world's first sparkling liqueur, Nuvo, yesterday and thought this French spirit that is made and bottled in Paris was quite delicious! It is an ultra-premium vodka from France and sparkling French wine infused with natural fruit nectars. . I am crazy about packaging and love that it resembles a fragrance bottle and love the pink color. It is sparkling so only stays bubbly for 7 days - that is the only downside. This is going to make a great signature cocktail for a bridal shower! Below is a delicious recipe from Nuvo.

Nuvo Sparkling Cosmopolitan 
1/2 oz. Chilled Ciroc vodka 
2 oz Nuvo Sparkling Liquer (chilled)
Splash of lime 

Pour chilled Ciroc Vodka into glass. Pour Nuvo on top. Stir and add a splash of lime. 
 


Antique Find



Old Use: Milk Crate 
New Use: Wine Storage 

I went to the Langley Antique Show & Sale last weekend and found a great vintage milk crate that I am now using for wine storage. 

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Martini Club


Finlandia Mango & Grapefruit - the featured product

appetizers


The giveaways