Steeler Fan recently celebrated his 40th birthday.  A couple weeks ago I offered to throw him a party but he declined. Five days before the big day he decided that he did, in fact, want to have a party.

With so little time to prepare, I decided to make it fun and playful. He agreed to having a Card Party themed celebration. Here are the few snapshots I managed to take before our guests arrived. 

The DECORATIONS were few but very effective.

I found the oversized playing cards and black balloons at Party City. They really seemed to set the tone for the evening.

Since ladies were going to be in attendance, I added a few floral touches.

GAMES were plentiful as were the guests.

Of course there was Poker which was very popular.  We also had a table set up for Spades players.

 For the non-card playing guests, we had Dominoes and…

my favorite, Scrabble!!

The FOOD was pretty good too…

 Deciding what to serve was a challenge for me.  I wanted to make it nice without forgetting that this was a masculine party.  These are the snacks we served.

Margarita Shot-Glass Shrimp and

Crispy Shrimp Tarts from the June 2007 issue of Pillsbury Summer Appetizers.

Subway sandwich slices.  Also on the menu were Tequila Lime Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Empanadas, Meatballs, Spinach and Artichoke Dip & Nacho Cheese Dip with Tortilla Chips.

There were Apple Slices with caramel dip,

Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 To wash it down….bottled water decorated with scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, fruit punch, sodas and

cocktails from our specialty beverage station.

Steeler Fan and his guests had a great time at the Card Party.  Thanks for stopping by!

These four bold push pins will add fun and flair to any bulletin board!  Each push pin has a different black and white design on it, making them all wonderfully unique.  These make the perfect gift for a co-worker, college student, high schooler or yourself!

The Bold Black and White Push Pins are $5.00 and are available in Emariecreations’ Etsy Shop

I’ve been trying to keep “sandwich stuff” in my pantry and fridge because it’s such a quick lunch or dinner solution.  Turkey Pastrami is one of my favorite sandwich meats and this is one of my assemblies…

 I start with a regular sandwich bun,

then toast it on a griddle.  While it’s browning I mix a little mayo and mustard together.

These are my standard toppings…lettuce, tomato and pepperjack cheese.

VOILA!  Time for lunch now.  See you tomorrow!

It’s time again for another Wednesday Etsy Confection.   It’s so crafty…I had to share it!

This brooch is a one of a kind design and is made from three different types of recycled fabrics including jeans, tricot, cotton and linen.  It’s approx. 9 inches in length (23 cm) and has 2 brooch pins attached to the back.

A versatile accessory, this brooch is full of character…. it’s modern and funky and at the same time romantic and stylish. It can be worn attached to your skirt, blouse, jacket, handbag, sweater or hat. It surely will make your outfit fabulously interesting!

The Something Old, Something New and Something Navy Blue Brooch is $15 and is available in Chomelchomel’s Etsy Shop.

Yesterday I posted some highlights of the Sunday Dinner I recently prepared for my family.  Here are the desserts I promised to share. 

I started by making a few pralines.

The ingredients.

A little bubbling action going on while the candy cooks.  After it reached soft ball stage I removed the pan from the heat and stirred in pecan halves.

The candy was spooned onto parchment paper, and then set aside to cool.  I wish you could have smelled them….so intoxicating.

After they cooled, I chopped up a few pralines to be used with my Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.  The rest were individually wrapped and saved for later.

These strawberries were dipped in white chocolate and then drizzled with bittersweet chocolate, rolled in toasted pecans, and rolled in my homemade pralines.  Don’t worry…we didn’t eat them all at once.

Finally there were Molten Lava Cakes.  I received this recipe via a promotional email from the Metropolitan Cooking Show.  It seemed fairly simple so I tried it.

See that stream of melted chocolate getting all mixed up into the batter.  Miss A thought it was kinda cool.  Me too.

They’re all ready for the oven.

Now it’s ready to be eaten.

Mmmmm.  My family loves me now.  Let’s see what they think of me next week when I serve them salads, raw veggies and fresh fruit.  {laughing on the inside}.

Did you miss the dinner details?  Read about it here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Over the weekend I made a special Sunday Dinner for the family.  My daughter, Ms. A, was so very helpful and made the entire experience so much fun.  I experimented with new recipes and luckily, everything turned out well. 

We started with a salad of mixed baby greens, carrot shreds and tomato wedges.

Next there was Coconut Soup.  I found the recipe in a 2005 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Appetizers magazine.

The ingredients.

The crab legs were cooked in a tablespoon of oil.  This was probably the strangest part of the process for me.  I usually steam them. 

Then, the fresh vegetables were added and everything cooked a few minutes longer.  Next, I added the coconut milk and clam juice and let it simmer for 20 minutes.  Afterwards the crab legs were removed from the pan and the soup was strained through a fine sieve into another bowl.

This is the pile of cooked crab legs my daughter and I had to crack and pull the meat from.

And here are the individual containers of soup with the crab meat inside.  A little cilantro is sprinkled on top.  My husband (Steeler Fan), my son (Mr. B), and daughter, Ms. A cleaned their bowls.  Mr. B even wants to learn how to make it. 

Next we had BBQ Shrimp.  This recipe was found in the April 2000 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

The dry ingredients.

Inside the pan is a mixture of worcestershire sauce, fat-free caesar dressing, hot sauce, margarine, the dry ingredients pictured above and of course, shrimp…the peels were kept on for flavor.

The shrimp was saucy, spicy and really good.  The french bread was put to good use with the sauce.   

Want to know what was on the dessert menu?  Read about it here!

I’m participating in the Foodie Friday potluck party hosted weekly at Designs by Gollum.  Click the button and join the fun!

I have to admit that I have a little sweet tooth and I’ve been craving a taste of Tiramisu for quite some time.  I finally broke down and went to work on this…

I used two packages of ladyfingers…toasted one package and left the other plain.  They smell soooo good when they’re toasted.

Then I combined granulated sugar and egg yolks in a double boiler and placed it over simmering water for about 10 minutes.

Afterwards, I folded whipped heavy cream into the egg yolk/sugar mixture.

The plain ladyfingers were brushed gently with a mixture of strong coffee and amaretto and placed around the sides of a glass dish.  The toasted ladyfingers were quickly dipped into the same coffee mixture and layered in the dish with the cream.  Then I impatiently waited about four hours for it to set.

Before diving into it, I grated some bittersweet chocolate and sprinkled it generously over the top.

It was so totally worth the effort.  Mmmmm.

It’s another beautiful Wednesday and we’re seeing RED! This adorable plush is our favorite Etsy Confection this week. 

This Love Bunny is made with 50% upcycled materials and comes with her own sweet heart balloon that can be removed from her hand. Her face is hand embroidered and she has a super soft, fluffy tail.  She was made with no pattern… so she is wonderfully unique!

Love Bunny is $30 and is available in Design Lab 443’s Etsy Shop. 

On the first Saturday of each month, some of the ladies in my family gather together to share brunch and some great conversations.  At each gathering we typically decide who will host the next event and the hostess chooses a theme around which to plan the meal.

This year we skipped our brunch in January and had almost bypassed February until I received a call from one of my aunts Friday night.  She had been contacted by one of her nieces.  They wanted to know where we were meeting this month.  I wasn’t sure what to do.

Since no brunch menu had been prepared and no location had been previously chosen, we decided to “brown bag” it and my little sister agreed to host.  It turned out perfectly.  We packed our own lunches and, instinctively, we each packed a little more to share. 

The brown bag offerings were as diverse as the topics that hovered over the table. 

After it was all said and done, we worked out the calendar for the rest of the year and now have something fabulous to look forward to every 1^st Saturday.   This is one of the best times I experience each month.  As I share the details of future events, I hope it will inspire other women to carve out similar moments in their lives to do the same. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

My niece and her tiny little backyard find.