Wedding Date - Six Months Out

 

Six months from today we will be celebrating the marriage of my daughter Melissa and her fiancé Kevin.  It has gone both fast and slow since their engagement, when a lot of planning happens and then slows down.  We have the venue, church and her dress.  She is an event planner, so all is on spreadsheets and on track.  The hardest part is going to be making things special for her and not a continuation of her job.

I am currently planning her bridal shower for the end of April.  We have the venue and a theme. In February, we will start working on details like the menu and table layout.  Think vintage garden party in blue and white. Again, we are trying to keep things a surprise from Melissa as much as we can. 

I am also in the process of ordering and trying on my mother of the bride dress.  It is a process, but I hope to have it by February, so the mother of the groom can know my color choice.  I have come full circle from what I thought I wanted, but it is important to feel like me. And not look matronly 😀

I can’t share too much, but here is sneak peek of the church - a historic polish Catholic church in downtown Detroit.  The aisle is a long one and her dress is perfect for the grandness of the space.

Sweetest Heart of Mary

Happy Friday!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

Calling all chocolate lovers - this recipe is delicious and would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner.  I have not made a flourless cake in a while and could not find the recipe I remember using, but this one I found on Pinterest is better and simpler to make.

I think my old recipe needed a springform pan, but this one just used a regular cake pan and parchment paper for ease of removal.  It came right out of the cake pan once cooled and the rich frosting/glaze covered any imperfections.  In fact, I put it on a pretty cake stand to take to a dinner party and it looked like a bakery dessert and tasted like one too.

The only changes I made were to use 1/2 milk chocolate chips and 1/2 dark chocolate chips for a less sweet cake.  Next time I make this, I may add some espresso too.

I served it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and fresh raspberries, but it would be delicious with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side.  It is very rich and chocolaty, so small pieces are more than enough for most people.  

Enjoy!

Life Lately

 

My Christmas decor and Christmas tree are put away and I just love the feeling of freshness and space that brings.  I always do a bit of a rearrange to the decor I put back and everything old is new again.  I miss all the lights, so a fun purchase from Amazon was these flameless candles for a pair of lanterns in my front hallway. Just the right amount of sparkle for the next month of early darkness.

I am back into more consistent yoga after getting a little too sporadic in the holiday season. 2024 was started on a beautiful note with yoga on Venice Beach at 8:00 am. New Year’s Day.  I won’t make that time often, because I am not a morning person, especially when it is chilly, but I plan to go at 9:00 am or for sunset yoga at 5:00, in addition to my usual practice at home.  2024 is going to be the year of consistent movement for me.

Finally, this is the time of year in Florida, after a quiet summer and fall, where the social season heats up.  My calendar is beginning to fill with dinners and other fun things as friends who are snowbirds start to return.  I love the quietness of summer, but this is a lot of fun too and I look forward to catching up at all our favorite spots.  There are many happy hour sunsets in my immediate future.  

Happy Thursday!

Top 3 Recipes 2023 - Cocktail Version

 

Looking for top views of recipe posts as I usually do to end a blogging year, I found something interesting.  I did not have very many actual recipe posts and in fact the top recipe was for How to Make Boxed Banana Bread Better.  This is indicative of my Florida life, compared to when I started this blog.  More dinner hours pool side and less cooking day to day.  It’s a lot more fun to grab a sub and watch a beach sunset at dinner time than to spend hours in the kitchen.

The top three views of fun cocktail posts are as follows.  Enjoy and Happy 2024!

Easter Cocktail - Drunk Bunny

Prosecco and Vodka Grapes

Simple Raspberry Margarita