idaho sunrise (baked eggs and bacon in potato bowls) I probably should have poured a nice stiff drink recipe for you all on this loveliest of lovely tax days. Especially for my fellow small business owners who just gave half of their revenue back to the government. Good grief, I won’t even go there. Instead though, I thought I’d offer my idea of a more comforting alternative. Pasta. When life is good, and when life gets crazy, I turn to pasta. And just as it has for years, this one hit the spot. Read more This past Friday night was meant for celebrating. The weather was sit-out-on-the-deck-in-the-cool-evening-breeze perfection. And a very special birthday girl turned the big 3-0. Friends, meet Stacey. Read more TGIF, friends. Hope that you all have had a lovely week, and that a relaxing weekend lies ahead. Read more Ever since my friends and I met for a tapas happy hour at our neighborhood Spanish restaurant a few weeks ago, I’ve had sangria on my mind. Read more Read more I’ve always said that I like a good balance of cooking and baking in my life.
EAT DRINK PRETTY If you have the day off today you may want to take an extra few minutes (well, more like 45 minutes) to bake these perfect banana-chocolate chip muffins. They are indulgent but not too sweet. If you are anything like me you took this long, holiday weekend to eat pretty much everything in sight. Why not continue that for just one more day with a delicious, chocolately homemade muffin? Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins (adapted from Epicurious) Ingredients •1 1/2 cups all purpose flour •2/3 cup sugar •1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder •1/4 teaspoon salt •1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large) •1 large egg •1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted •1/4 cup milk •3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Enjoy the last day of the long weekend!
Blossom table decoration Each year, we look forward to kicking off the spring gala season with New Yorkers For Children’s A Fool’s Fête, definitely one of New York City’s most glamorous evenings! So often, we wrack our brains to come up with a conceptual decor idea that relates to a foundation’s mission, but sometimes the goal is to just be . . . BEAUTIFUL. An Indian inspired fantasy of blazing color and hypnotic pattern filled the ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last year, and since surprise is the name of our game, we swung the pendulum to the other extreme this year by creating a palette cleanse of pure whites, a sea of glimmering candlelight and a vast canopy of delicate but arresting cherry blossoms. Photography by Susan Montagna Happy Spring, Gang!
Orange Chicken Recipe Today I’m back with yet another Chinese-American dish – Orange Chicken. It seems as though you can find orange chicken almost anywhere you want to eat these days. It is most commonly found at fast food restaurants, but don’t worry, this is so much better than anything you will find there. What really makes this recipe stand out is the combination of both orange and lemon juice. Once again we are also using the deep dryer for cooking the battered chicken. Now I get a lot of questions from people wondering if they can use a wok instead. Cooking Instructions: Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Afternoon in Paris Party Natalie recently celebrated her 9th birthday with a little Parisian flair. It was a sweet and simple party, filled with all kinds of crafty projects at the birthday girl’s request. Natalie’s Paris party vision included delicious treats, famous French art, a café setting, and lavender. We turned our easel into a café menu. The kids had a great time matching the French words to the snacks! Menu: sliced baguettesstrawberry jamnutellamini croissantscheese & crackerschocolate-dipped strawberriesgrapessparkling French lemonadeapple juice We decorated the food area with the super-cute Paper City Paris printable from Made by Joel and French flag toothpicks. Natalie wanted a fancy layer cake with pink frosting. Natalie had a long list of craft projects she wanted to do at her party. Activity #1: Coloring Stained Glass “Windows” – I purchased some Dover mini stained glass coloring books (Fun to Color, Little Geometric, Little Mandalas, and Starbursts). The party favor was a bar of lavender soap.
Eternity Ring Delivery information Delivery options At Ernest Jones we offer a range of delivery options to suit your lifestyle. Please note: The delivery date is unique to the items in your shopping basket. Standard delivery – £3 Standard delivery costs £3 for orders under £100 and is free on orders of over £100. Orders placed on Friday or at the weekend should arrive within 2 - 5 days (excluding Sundays). Please note: delivery lead times are extended over public holidays. Next Day delivery - £5 You can have your order delivered by Next Day delivery to any address in the UK. Next Day delivery costs £5 for any order. Orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday will arrive the next day. Free Click and Collect - Free delivery to store Purchase online and have your order delivered to store for free. You can have your order sent to any Ernest Jones store in the UK. Delivery times vary depending on the store you select. Delivery charges Our delivery charges are based on the total value of your order. Engraved items
Sichuan Wontons, plus 20 Recipe Ideas for Chinese New Year If you've never had Sichuan wontons before, and you're a big fan of spicy food, this is one dish that will surely go on regular rotation after you try it once. This is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes of all time, with a deliciously savory, tangy, and spicy sauce that is positively addictive. Unlike with Cantonese wontons, which usually goes into a soup with or without noodles, you just boil the wontons and drizzle a chili oil mixture over them. I adore this sauce: chili oil (store-bought or homemade), dark or balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, Sichuan pepper, and garlic, just mixed together. And the folding is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. In Sichuan, I've seen the wontons folded two ways. Tissue poms! (Poofs?) Hello there! I’m back today with a project that I’m guessing many of your already know how to make – but because I’m always years behind everyone else, I never knew how to make them till a few weeks ago. I figured I’d share how easy they are just in case some of you are years behind the trends like me. I feel you sister. Double thump to the chest. I decided to make some of these for my sis’s wedding shower after my friend Chris shared some pics of her daughter’s birthday party with me. Anyhoo, here’s the quick how-to… Start with 8-10 tissue sheets, stacked up (I like ten cause it makes them extra poofy), then start folding it accordion style: Fold it all the way and when you’re done, find the middle and tie it up. Next it’s time to make them look like a “flower” – take scissors and cut down each end. I wanted to add some color to the white ones and first I thought about dipping them in some paint or food coloring water. Instead I took markers and colored the edges: Aren’t they crazy fun??
Unfettered F-U-N . . . Rainbow Jelly Shooter! Rainbow Jelly Shooter Its been a whirlwind at the test kitchen. The book is progressing (crossing fingers that it is going to press in early December!), we have been working on a little something (three little somethings, actually) for Saveur.com, and about a million more actions items cropping up here and there, many of which have not received appropriate attention and are currently housed in a bin marked "anxiety provoking". So, when the weekend rolled around, rather than trolling cocktail books for jelly shot inspiration, we decided it was high time for a bit of unfettered f-u-n . . . I love the "rainbow" gelatin technique - borrowed from the popular recipe for kids' finger gelatin. Cheers, Michelle Rainbow Jelly Shooter Suggested pan: 9" x 13" cake pan, or molds Yield: about 45 jelly shots Garnish: Maraschino cherries, if desired If flexible silicon molds are used, prepare the molds with a quick spray or wipe of vegetable oil, then wipe the molds clean with a clean paper towel. Red Layer