Cheesecake Brownie Bites

In honor of National Cheesecake Day today, I thought I'd bring you guys this recipe from Just A Taste.

Kelly's recipe and instructions are listed below.  But if you're an impatient or novice baker like me, you can use a brownie box mix instead of making the batter from scratch.  I love mini desserts like this--they are great for parties and don't make you feel too guilty for indulging!  :)  Enjoy!

Cheesecake Brownie Bites

Yield: About 30 brownie bites

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:

For the brownie batter:
4 large eggs
1¼ cups baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder, mixed with 2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2¼ cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1½ cups all-purpose flour

For the cheesecake filling:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, baking cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso mixed with water, and vanilla until well combined.

Stir in the sugar and melted butter until well combined, then stir in the flour. (A firm rubber spatula works best.) Set brownie batter aside.

In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake filling by stirring together the cream cheese, sugar and egg yolk until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag or plastic bag.

Grease a non-stick mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or butter and then spoon a tablespoon of brownie batter into the greased cups. Pipe a generous amount of cheesecake filling atop the brownie batter, and then top off each cup with an additional teaspoon of brownie batter.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let the brownie bites cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling, or enjoy warm.

Fun Favors with Burlap Bags

I mentioned here that I received a box of burlap bags from burlapfabric.com a few weeks ago.  And ever since then, I've been dreaming up just what all I could do with them.

I received a bundle of 25 bags in sizes 4x6 and 5x7.  The site has a variety of sizes from which to choose-small, medium, large, wine bottle holders...you name it.  I thought the size I received would be ideal for favor bags...and not just a standard favor bag, but one for every occasion.  Here are a few ideas on how to adorn your own burlap bags.

Number it.  Instead of using a typical name card at your next dinner party, place a numbered gift bag at each dinner place setting.  I drew my number on with a Sharpie marker, but if you're a little weary, you could easily use paint and stencils as well.  Just make sure to place a thick piece of paper in the middle while you work so that the ink/paint doesn't seep through to the other side of the bag.

Clip it.  Add a monogram or message to your bag with a piece of cardstock and a clothespin.   This is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding or party favors.  I used a square piece of cardstock, a gold gel pen and a mini clothespin to create this look.

Season it.  Because fall is just around the corner, I chose to adorn my bag with the words Trick or Treat.  The 4x6 bags come with the black drawstring shown in the picture...perfect for Halloween!  But, you could fill these bags with the appropriate goodies for any party or occassion.  For instance, at Christmas you could stack the words "Ho Ho Ho" on the front and fill the inside with candy canes.

Embellish it.  If you want to forgo the bag's exising black string (4x6 size) or jute (5x7 size) you can simply cut off the top with a pair of scissors and tie the bag closed your own string or ribbon to embellish it.  Here are two or many different examples...

I love the juxtaposition of contrasting materials.  Glam meets rustic with this glitter ribbon bag.

Add a ribbon and personal message to fit your own color scheme...

I had a lot of fun adding my own touches to these bags, and I'm sure they'd be a hit at any party.  For only $14 per set of 25 for the 5x7 bags and $10 per set of 25 for the 4x6 size, you really can't lose!  Shop around, and you'll see what a great deal this is.

Burlapfabric.com also has various widths of rolled of burlap (I found this out after I had already made these).  If you want to make your own burlap runners, you could pick your desired width at burlapfabric.com and save yourself an extra step!

*Burlapfabric.com did send me these bags for free but did not pay me to write this post or what I love about them.

Olympic Party

Hi friends! Sorry for the lack of posts as of late.  I've had a lot of things on my plate and a lot of things I'm prepping for just around the corner.

Many of you may not know, but my husband Jon has been in Afghanistan for the past several months.  And I'm happy to announce that he will be finally arriving home a week from this Saturday!  And a week after that, we are going on a nice relaxing vacation to Napa Valley!  I'll give you more details on where we're staying in an upcoming post, but I can say it truly looks like it'll be heaven on earth...and that it was recently named "The Best Taste of Wine Country" in the summer travel issue of Martha Stewart Living.

As if that wasn't enough excitement, the Olympics are also right around the corner!  Will you be watching the opening ceremonies?  I know I will, and I can't to see the show.  According to the news, milllions of people will be tuning in as well.  Sounds like a great reason to throw a party to me.

Here are a few ideas that I think would be great for an Olympic soiree.

Beverages:   First up, are the drinks.  Serve your guests a themed beverage to get them in the spirit as soon as they walk in the door.  Look at this fun cocktail that has Life Savers floating in the bottom to resemble the Olympic rings.  I love it!  (You could easily use these in a non-alcoholic beverage as well).

Food:  Next up, is the cuisine.  Because the Olympics are all about the nations of the world coming together, why not have a menu to reflect that?  Serve appetizers reflecting countries from all parts of the world and make food labels with the corresponding country's flag.

Examples
Pizza (Italy)
Egg rolls (China)
Grilled bread with feta and tomatoes (Greece)
Chips and salsa (Mexico)
Pastries and cheese (France)
Hamburgers (USA)
and so on...you get the idea.
You can do the same with wines (one from each region of the world).

Also feature a few themed treats like these Olympic ring sugar cookies from The Decorated Cookie.  So fun and so festive!

Games:  For a little competition of your own, split up all of your guests into three teams and have everyone play a game of Olympic trivia during the commercials.  Here is a link to just one the many websites you can go to for questions.  For more hands on fun, create a few mini sporting events of your own and have guests compete--ring toss, potato sack race, relay race, etc.  When the ceremonies are over, you can tally up the team scores and have your own presentation of the metals, giving each team a homemade gold, silver and bronze metal (or any fun prize you like).

Attire:  Since the games are taking place in London, tells guests to come dressed in their best facinator or hat--the crazier the better.

Lastly, have fun!  As you know, the summer Olympic games only happen every four years, so enjoy!

Santa Rosa Wedding

I first showed you guys a peak into my May Santa Rosa wedding here.  While I had a few photos from my own camera, I've been waiting to incorporate some of the photographer's shots as well.  Now that they are available, I can show you all of the gorgeous details!

Let's start with Brynnan's bouquet.  It consisted of white jumbo hydrangeas, white ranunculus and light pink roses wrapped up with jute twine.  The end result was a ball of soft, sweet and romantic blooms fit for a bride.

Terri Smith Photo

Terri Smith Photo

Her bridesmaids carried a mix of white and green hydrangeas also wrapped in jute.

Right photo by Terri Smith Photo

The boutonnieres were made of hydrangea leaves and white ranunculus.

Terri Smith Photo

Terri Smith Photo

We kept the ceremony decor classic and understated so as not to compete with the beautiful architecture at St. Rita Catholic Church.  I created moss covered M's to hang from the rails outside the church and simple arrangements of hydrangeas, roses and greenery were tied to the pews with a linen ribbon.

Terri Smith Photo

The majority of the floral work went into the reception site at Cabana Blue.  Multiple arrangements were placed on each table consisting of antique hydrangeas, green and white hydrangeas, tulips, roses and greenery.   Mason jars were used in lieu of vases and several were even hung from the trees surrounding the back porch area.  Twine wrapped jars holding floating candles were placed around the center arrangements, and the burlap table runners that I mentioned making here were the anchor for each table.

Terri Smith Photo 

Terri Smith Photo

Although the flowers were a huge part of the wedding, I can't write this post without showing you some of the other great details Brynnan incorporated into she and Michael's special day.  The couple opted for a dessert bar instead of the traditional groom cake, and I have to say, it was a huge hit!  The color coordinated cake pops, mini cheesecakes and pies were the talk of the night.  Pops of muted chartreuse were seen throughout the decor, from the custom napkins to the monogrammed sugar cookies.

Their custom monogram was also carried over onto their cake design.  Isn't it beautiful?  The ruffle details and monocromatic scheme made it so uniquely elegant.

As favors, Brynnan and Michael gave out koozies to be used by guests throughout the evenign.  One side featured the same logo that appeared on their napkins and the other side had the date and location of their wedding.  I've seen many koozies wedding designs in my time, and I thought this one was so chic.  The logo was designed by Lily Pad Boutique Designs in Birmingham, AL.

I'll finish this post off with a few shots of the back porch of Cabana Blue at night.  To say it is something less than magical would be an absolute lie.

Terri Smith Photo

Congrats again to the happy couple!  Thank you for letting me be a part of such a memorable day!

Ready

I'm typically not one of those people who is always looking to what's ahead and not really enjoying the moment they're in.  However, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't already dreaming of fall.

I'm ready for a crisp breeze in the air, college football (Roll tide!), trees of red and yellow, pumpkins, cinnamon and all of the other goodness that comes with autumn.  It has always been my favorite season.

I just recently received a box of burlap bags from burlapfabric.com that I can already envision as great halloween favors bags, amongst other things.  More on those ideas in a post to come!

But for now, I'll just keep on dreaming, crank down the AC and light a cinnamon and clove candle.  :)
 

A Little Paint Does A Bathroom Good...

Especially if said paint is covering up a crimson color that you once thought was a good idea but could now potentially drive you to insanity!  ...Such was the case with the upstairs guest bath at my mom's house.

Here are some before shots...

It was great while it lasted, but it was definitely time for a change.  So the last time I was home, we headed off to Lowe's to pick out a new paint color--this time looking for something much more light and soothing.

 The winner was Ante Meridian by Valspar.

The Ante Meridian is a great compliment to my mom's existing white tile and plantation shutters. and it is the complete antithesis of the bold crimson color that was.  We also took off the 1970's ceramic towel rack and soap and toothbrush holders under the mirror.  It.  Was.  Time.

Unfortunately for us, the fixtures that we thought were PLASTERED TO the wall, were actually CUT INTO the wall...leaving us with a few gaping holes.  Oh the surprises of DIY.

We were able to fill two of the holes with dry wall and left the rest for someone more qualified. :)

Because I had to come back to Florida before everything was completely finished, I don't have any true "after" shots to show you guys, but I do have some that will give you an idea of how much change a little paint brought to the space.

Ahhh.  Much better, don't you agree?

What I'm Wearing

I don't typically do a lot of fashion posts on here.  In fact, I think I've only shared personal outfits on here once.  But when I did, it seemed to get a good response so I thought I'd start start posting some of my daily outfits on here from time to time.  After all, everyone needs a little fashion in their life right? :)



Here's what I wore to go run some errands the other day.  {Excuse the cheesy grin.  I hate taking pictures of myself}
One of the things on my "to do" for the day was going to the grocery store.  I hate going to the grocery store for many reasons, but one of them is that it's always so cold in there...hence the rolled up skinny  jeans in lieu of shorts.


Top-TJMaxx/ Skinny jeans-Banana Republic (old)/ Sandals-Dolce Vita via Piperlime/ Earrings-Stella & Dot (from last year)/ Watch-Michael Kors, Ring-David Yurman, Toes-OPI "Red Lights Ahead...Where?"