L-THEMED BRIDAL SHOWER

the main table with the all the L goodies

one of the reasons i find new recipes to try is that i need them for the parties i plan and/or host. so, i thought it'd be inspiring and fun to add posts about the parties i've put together, along with the food i contributed.

i've done a couple baby showers at work and birthdays, of course, but this one party was a little more special for me. it was a bridal shower for my boss, who i've also been hired as the day-of wedding coordinator. she got engaged in august, but i had been secretly brainstorming way before that. i wanted this to be perfect, as i knew it would be my pièce de résistance!

first things, first...how do we surprise her? people in the office are well aware that when i'm gone for a period of time, there is a party decorating session happening. so, i schemed with my other boss to fake a sickness. i was really worried that she would not be fooled since i never, never call in sick. but, this worked like a charm!

next, what was the theme? for this, i usually go to my favorite party planning blog, hostess with the mostess. but, i was inspired by a photographer's blog, d. park photography, and the utterly engaged design challenge he photographed. based from the photos, i got my color scheme and overall feel for the bridal shower. but, the theme came from a more personal point-of-view. my boss and her fiance both celebrated their 30th birthdays with initial-themed parties...an "r" party for her and an "a" party for him. guests were encouraged to dress as something beginning with that letter: at her's, people came as red riding hood, a ransom note, rockstar, etc. and his there were acrobats, acdc, alice in chains. so, i thought it only natural to celebrate her new last name with an "L" party.

the challenge was that this was an office party. i couldn't possibly ask co-workers to arrive in costume. so, i improvised with food & drinks beginning with an "L" (little cookies and lemon bars) and providing name tags with "L" adjectives (miss Ladylike and mr. Laidback). 

finally, i had to decide on what i was going to contribute. L, L, L...think, think, think? how about "libations" (aka red wine sangria), lettuce wraps, and lolli-cakepops. perfect! and, my co-workers helped with the rest of the tasty offerings: little cookies, lemon bars, lemon cookies, L-shaped rice krispy treats, loosely pulled pork sandwiches, low-fat deviled eggs, layered dip, le formage et le casseur (cheese & crackers), and libations (champagne).

so, congratulations to my boss who is going to be one of the most beautiful brides and her lucky husband to have such a catch!

the front table filled with little cookies, plates & napkins

L-shaped rice krispy treats & lemon bars

libations table

liquid love: red sangria

lolli-cakepops filled with red velvet cheesecake

low-fat deviled eggs, lettuce wraps, & loosely pulled
pork sandwiches

le formage et le casseur (the cheese & cracker plate)
& layered dip

SWEET & SPICY BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS

(photo coming soon)

the search for lettuce wraps began with the L-themed bridal shower i was throwing for my boss, but it was also for my personal needs. i may or may not have mentioned this before, but i have been trying to be more health-conscious and choosing to wrap meat in lettuce instead of tortillas is taking a step in the right directions. the "sweet & spicy" part of the recipe was what made me choose this one over others i was considering. and, it didn't hurt that this seemed really easy to make...which it is! the marinade was great and i'd use this for anything really, but this was simple and just what i was looking for.

SWEET & SPICY BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS

posted in le petit brioche by christa on july 20, 2011

• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 1/2 T sriracha chili sauce (optional or to taste)
• 1 c green onions, finely chopped, plus more for topping/garnish
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t ginger powder
• juice from 1 small lemon
• 2 lbs flank steak (cut across the grain into thin 1/8 inch thick strips) or substitute with chicken
• 2 T vegetable oil
• broccoli slaw
• lettuce leaves (romaine, bib, iceberg)

in a bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, sriracha, onions, garlic powder, ginger powder, and lemon juice. mix until sugar is dissolved. add in steak and toss to coat. marinade for 20 minutes at room temperature.

heat oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. add in steak strips in one layer and saute stirring occasionally until browned and cooked through. transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with more green onions.

fill a lettuce leaf with beef and broccoli slaw and roll.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

i love stuffed bell peppers! or, really anything you can stuff. my grandma makes this crab dish, where she reuses the top shell as the baking & serving tool. i made stuffed bell peppers this past halloween, but they were extremely spicy...which made them hard to eat, but they were fun because they looked like mini jack-o-lanterns (i'll save that for a future/follow-up post). when i was looking for something inspirational to make for dinner, i found this beautiful photo of stuffed bell peppers with melted cheese on top. i mean, it is really hard not to resist anything with melted cheese. what was fun about this recipe is that i've never cooked with ground chicken and i loved the idea of incorporating rice. there were a couple things i may try next time though: 1) add beans...i love beans & rice and 2) preheat peppers in the oven while making the stuffing to soften & roast the peppers...in this recipe, the peppers only go in the oven for 7 minutes, so when everything's said and done, the exterior was still harder and more raw than i'd prefer. either way, this was an awesome recipe that felt pretty healthy. enjoy!

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
posted on heat to 350° by nicole on april 20, 2011

• 3-4 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 1 medium onion
• 1lb ground chicken or turkey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T chili powder (reduce to 1/2 if you don't like spicy food)
• 1 T ground cumin
• 16oz jar of salsa (choose your favorite - i chose a mild roasted pepper)
• 1 c cooked rice
• 1-2 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 c baby spinach
• 2 avocados
• sour cream

preheat oven to 350°F.

in a large skillet over medium heat, brown turkey/chicken with onions. stir in minced garlic, chili powder, and cumin and cook for 1 minute. stir in salsa and rice.

place cut peppers on a cookie sheet and divide stuffing mixture between them. top with cheddar cheese and bake for 7 minutes.

serve with sour cream, avocado, and spinach on top.

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE LOLLI-CAKEPOPS

i used to think french macarons were the next cupcake, but i have found something else sprouting up left and right...cakepops! if you thought cupcakes were easy handheld cakes, cakepops are even more portable and not as fragile (except when you're preparing them-see yummy tip below), so you don't have to worry about messing up the frosting. of course, we need to give serious thanks to bakerella for the introduction of this awesome, edible work of art.

when i was on the search, i found a great idea for the red velvet cheesecake pops, but the recipe was using a box mix for the red velvet...i really wanted to make my own. so, i found a super tasty, easy recipe for the cake portion. but, i did have to cheat and buy a pre-made cheesecake...sometimes you have to choose your battles.

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE LOLLI CAKEPOPS
red velvet cake - posted on kathleen's gonna want seconds on january 28, 2011
cheesecake pop - posted on steamy kitchen on february 17, 2011

red velvet cake

• vegetable oil for pans
• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1 c buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 T red food coloring
• 1 t white vinegar
• 1 t vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350° F. lightly grease and flour two 9 x 1 1/2 inch cake pans.

in a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. in another bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

using a mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

divide cake batter evenly between prepared cake pans. place the pans in the oven and bake until the sides pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on a cooling rack. in the meantime, make cream cheese frosting.

cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 c confectioner's sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 t vanilla extract

with a mixer, mix together cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low until incorporated. increase speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 mins.

add vanilla and mix until fluffy.

red velvet cheesecake pops

• two 7 inch cheesecakes
• 2 c graham crackers, crumbled
• 3-4 10-12oz bags of candy melts
• 3/4 - 1 c vegetable oil
• 70 4 inch lollipop sticks
• rectangular foam block or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

once cakes are cooled, crumble into large bowl.

add frosting and mix with a mixer until well incorporated.

scoop out about 1/2 T of mix and roll into quarter-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. place in the fridge for 30 mins.

scoop out 1/2 T of cheesecake and flatten and wrap around red velvet ball. roll out an additional 1/2 T of cheesecake and cover the rest of the ball. place back onto the cookie sheet and place back into the fridge for 30 mins.

roll red velvet cheesecake balls in graham cracker until covered. place back in fridge while you prepare candy melts.

melt candy melts in microwave per the directions on the bag (1 bag at a time). whisk in 1/4 c oil so that the consistency will evenly coat the cakepops.

dip lollipop sticks about 1/2 inch in the candy coating and stick into the cakepops. refrigerate for an additional 30 mins or overnight.

remelt the candy coating, dip completely until fully coated and remove quickly. either place onto a lined cookie sheet or stick upright into the foam block. place back into the fridge for 15-20 mins.

my yummy tips: when rolling the initial cake balls, make sure they're tightly rolled and mostly hardened from refrigeration. otherwise, you may be faced with the bowl of shame, although delicious failures, it was sad to see them slide down and fall off the sticks...