Archive for the ‘Recipe’ Category

We know how busy you are. Whether this is your first holiday cooking or you are the seasoned hostess, we wanted to help in some way. Now as the countdown begins for Thanksgiving, we have the PERFECT recipe for you to prepare. Share it with family, friends or the office. They will LOVE IT! I got this recipe from Southern Living’s Cookbook and I must say it is incredible. It is easy and everyone will think you are better than Martha Stewart!
Pecan Pie Bars
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 C butter or margarine
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 C dark corn syrup
1/4 C butter or margarine melted
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 C chopped pecans
Combine flour 1/3 C brown sugar; cut in 3/4 C butter with fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Press mixture evenly into a greased 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.
Combine 1 C brown sugar and next 5 ingedients, stirring well. Stir in pecans. Pour filling over prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield 2 1/2 dozen. www.southernliving.com/food

Here’s a recipe to help you celebrate the season. I was thrilled to meet up with my friend, Jeanette, from Santorini Greek Restaurant at Fountain Square.
She loved my Facebook post of this martini so much that Santorini ordered the ingredients and will be featuring it all Halloween Weekend!
Just the excuse I need to visit one of my favorite restaurants and celebrate the season! I am thrilled that they will be using it.
Here’s the link and recipe for you!

http://www.hostesswiththemostess.com/recipe_box/pumpkin_martini

1/2 oz Sylk Cream Liqueur
2 oz vanilla vodka
1/2 oz pumpkin liqueur or pumpkin spice syrup
1 tsp whipped cream
cinnamon stick for garnish

We know it’s summer. You’re hot and thirsty. Time for some good stuff, right? Well here is some new guilt free drinking that should make your summer sizzle. These drinks are perfect after the gym, when relaxing or entertaining. Everyone likes something “new and different”. These recipes from Weight Watchers are definitely both. Check them out:

OK, we’re in a recession and the spa seems farther and farther away. Try this drink recipe and bring the spa to you!
A Day at the Spa
Makes 4 servings POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 6 hours to steep

1/2 medium English cucumber
1 small bunch fresh mint, about 1/2 cup
1 quart still water
Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Scrub the cucumber thoroughly and cut it into very thin slices.

Add the cucumber and all of the remaining ingredients to a large pitcher.

Place into the refrigerator and allow to steep for six to 12 hours.

Serve over ice and garnish with a couple of the cucumber slices and a fresh mint sprig.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

What’s summer without the cool, sweet taste of melon. Here’s a different spin!
About the Agua de Melon
Throughout Mexico many restaurants serve aquas frescas (literally fresh waters) of many varieties. Usually they’re made by flavoring water with fruits, herbs or even hibiscus flowers. While they taste great, aquas frescas traditionally contain quite a bit of sugar. I have found that a lighter version of the classic agua de melon, flavored only with a little fruit and a few other ingredients, can be just as satisfying.

Agua de Melon
Makes 4 servingsPOINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients
Prep Time: 10 minutes

2 cups diced cantaloupe
1/2 tsp whole coriander seed
20 fresh mint leaves
1 quart still water
Instructions
In a food processor, puree the cantaloupe, coriander and mint until smooth, about one minute.

Pour the mixture into a fine sieve.

With a ladle, kitchen spoon, or rubber spatula, press as much of the liquid as possible through the sieve and into a large pitcher.

Add the water, stir and serve over ice.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

One of my favorite fruits (besides blueberries). Kiwi is fresh, sweet and fun. Try this and see what you think.
About the Kiwi Fizz
The flavor of kiwi seems to make an appearance in numerous carbonated beverages. Here I rely on the natural sweetness of fresh kiwi and orange juice to achieve what is often done with man-made flavorings and sugar.

Kiwi Fizz
Makes 4 servings POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients
Prep Time: 10 minutes

2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup still water
1 quart sparkling water
Instructions
Puree the kiwi, orange juice and still water in a blender or food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add the puree to a large pitcher filled with ice, and pour in the sparkling water.

Stir lightly and serve.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Thanks to Weight Watchers for these drink recipes. I love unlimited guilt free drinking!

It’s that time of year again! The Fourth of July is almost here and time to get ready for some fun and entertaining. My intern, Susan, has been busy at work finding some fun food and drink to make your next evening “out”side explode with fun! Happy Fourth, Happy Summer!
photo courtesy of Cloth World

Things you’ll need for a successful & decorative July 4th celebration:
• Colorful side dishes
• Tables cloths in varying designs
• Cups and utensils in red, white and blue
• Patriotic napkins
• Red, white and blue potted plants
• Star confetti
(From Ehow.com)

Be festive with your Fourth of July essentials. Use red, white, and blue drinks to entertain your guests. For a snack, skip the flour tortilla chips and salsa for blue corn tortilla chips, salsa and sour cream. You can also make homemade potato salad. Simply, use red potatoes, white potatoes, and blue (purple) potatoes

Be creative with your tablecloth. You can use a red picnic table cloth. To make a more creative look, layer a red table cloth with a blue and a white table cloth.

For plastic essentials use the patriotic colors. You can purchase plates and cups with star designs. To save money, use variations of red, white, and blue for plastic utensils, plates, and cups.

For centerpieces, use flowers that are festive for the event. Potted plants that are red, white, and blue will help celebrate the patriotic occasion. For an extra touch, you can add matching pinwheels or sparklers.

Fun Fourth of July Drink Ideas:

Watermelon-Lemonade Cooler (From SouthernLiving.com)
Ingredients
15 cups seeded and cubed watermelon
2 (12-ounce) cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 mint sprigs
Ice
Garnishes: watermelon wedges, mint springs
Preparation
Process watermelon, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Combine concentrate and 2 mint sprigs, and cook in a saucepan over medium-high heat 10 minutes. Stir together watermelon puree and lemonade mixture; cover and chill 8 hours. Remove and discard mint. Stir and serve over ice. Garnish, if desired.
Makes about 14 cups

Directions
Blend watermelon, lime juice, sugar, ice and water in a blender until smooth.

Blackberry Iced Tea (From SouthernLiving.com)
Ingredients
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Pinch of baking soda
4 cups boiling water
2 family-size tea bags
2 1/2 cups cold water
Garnishes: fresh blackberries, fresh mint sprigs
Preparation
Combine blackberries and sugar in large container. Crush blackberries with wooden spoon. Add mint and baking soda. Set aside.
Pour 4 cups boiling water over tea bags; cover and let stand 3 minutes. Discard tea bags.
Pour tea over blackberry mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Pour tea through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding solids. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.
Makes about 7 ½ cups

For a colorful dessert try a homemade ice cream cake seen on the Today Show and can be found at www.today.msnbc.msn.com:

INGREDIENTS
• One recipe Simply Strawberry Sorbet
• 4 cups of cookie crumbs (process 7 Newman’s Own Organic O’s — creamy fillings and all — in the food processor until finely ground) or finely chopped candied ginger
• One recipe Lemon Ice Cream with Candied Lemon Peel
• One recipe Simply Blueberry Sorbet
• Freshly whipped cream, fresh berries, and sprigs of mint, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Place a 9-inch springform pan in the freezer until very cold, at least 1 hour.
Make the strawberry sorbet (or beat premade, frozen sorbet until smooth in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Remove the springform pan from the freezer and immediately scoop in the sorbet. Working quickly, use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth the sorbet into an even layer, approximately 1-inch high. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup cookie crumbs or candied ginger, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
Repeat the process with the lemon ice cream and another 1/4 cup of crumbs or candied ginger, freezing 1 hour. Finish with the blueberry sorbet, topping with the last 1/4 cup of crumbs or candied ginger. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until set, at least two hours or overnight.
Chill a serving plate or cake stand in the freezer.
Just before serving, unmold the cake: Warm the blade of an offset spatula or knife in hot tap water, then wipe it dry. Run the blade around the inside edge of the pan, then unlock and remove the sides. Place the chilled plate or cake stand upside-down on top of the cake pan and flip everything over so the cake is resting on the plate. Rewarm the knife and gently edge it between the bottom of the pan and the cake to remove the bottom of the pan. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
If the entire cake is not eaten in one sitting, immediately after slicing, wrap it well with plastic wrap and put it back in the freezer. This will help prevent melting and refreezing, which can ruin the texture.
Makes a 9 inch cake.

Ok, here’s something fun I am going to try tomorrow. Try it and let me know if you kept from “mixing it up”. Kids will love this. Wait till you see what happens….red, white and blue all in one glass! Amazing!

Patriotic Drink
from Family Fun Magazine

With a steady hand and some colorful drinks, you can create a tasty, multilayered concoction. The secret is in selecting liquids with varying amounts of sugar, since those that contain more (such as soda) are denser than those with less (such as diet drinks). And that makes it possible to actually stack one on top of another (for a little while, anyway — then they’ll start to blend).

Here’s how to serve up a thirst quencher with two, three, or even more layers. Our recipe is for a red, white, and blue version for your Fourth of July celebrations. See how your favorite beverages literally stack up!

More: 4th of July Party Food RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Ice cubes
Cranberry juice
Wild Berry flavor Gatorade Fierce
Diet 7-Up
1. Fill a clear glass with ice cubes. Pour the drink with the most sugar (check the nutrition label) into the glass. For our red, white, and blue recipe, start with the cranberry juice.

2. Very slowly add a beverage that contains less sugar — in this case, Wild Berry flavor Gatorade Fierce. Be careful to pour it onto an ice cube — not directly into the other drink — to keep them from mixing.

3. Use the same technique to add a layer of Diet 7-Up.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BRIDAL CONSULTANTS CONVENTION
I just returned from the National Association of Bridal Consultants convention and have so much to share with you. I attended the Sandals Resort seminar and discovered how truly amazing the resorts can be for your honeymoon or next getaway. They have so many options to choose, and all are inclusive. Check out my Sandals link for more info.

DAVID TUTERA Celebrity Event Planner and Wedding Designer
SPEAKING OF AMAZING… the bridal convention’s featured speaker was the one and only, DAVID TUTERA. David had so many fabulous ideas and is blessed with endless creativity. No wonder he is the host of “get married” and “The Party Planner” along with featured guest on so many television shows. He now does Disney couture weddings and took attendees on a private tour of the Disney wedding venue. His entertaining and design skills are phenomenal! Make sure to check out his website at http://www.davidtutera.com/. What an honor to be able to meet with him…he shared so many wonderful ways to make your next event better than you ever dreamed!

LINENS
NEW COLORS FOR SPRING… Raspberry, eggplant and rose will be hot colors this spring and summer. Toss in a little coral and you have colors that will pop! Check out BBJ Linens Azra Sheer and Carlisle Lamour.
Chocolate is here to stay with BBJ Linens Brown Niko, Cocoa Blue Rhapsody, Abstract Lamour and Brown Crocodile. Add a splash of Burnt Orange Bengaline and wow! Look at Black Orleans Damask too. It is reversible!

NEW COCKTAIL RECIPE… Recently I returned from the National Association of Bridal Consultants convention. I returned with sooo many new trends and ideas to make your wedding amazing! At the farewell gala we had a great signature drink. It was called,
“Girl’s Night Out”. I renamed it “Pomegranate Punch” for a recent event I did for an energy company’s holiday party. They loved it! Try the recipe, and see what you think:
1 part pomegrantae schnapps
1 part orange juice
2 parts Sprite
Garnish with orange

NEED A GIFT?…for yourself or a friend?? Checkout the new Mac Cosmetics ROYAL ASSETS ( Remember,I just love “Royal” products!) line. The cases are truly gorgeous and the colors will make you look like a queen…..

INDY STAR ARTICLE
Kim King Smith Events, LLC was so proud to be featured in the December 29th Indianapolis Star, Home and Garden section. We made the front page with holiday tablescapes that you can use in January and February too! Julie Saetre, from the Star, was kind enough to ask me to coordinate some tablescapes for her that would be able to go from the holidays to early spring. No need to put up your beautiful pieces after the holidays, transform them into a stunning tablescape for the entire winter. Thanks to my friends from CRATE AND BARREL, TWIGS in Fishers, CHARLES MAYER and CO. at 56th and Illinois and RITA’S BACKYARD floral design. Special thanks to my friends at THE MANSION AT OAK HILL, the Zehrs, for providing the facility for the photo shoot and for displaying their wonderful tablescape too.

More….Erin Barriento, THE MANSION’S coordinator, and floral designer, Julie Acheson, ROYAL CREATIONS designed a phenomenally gorgeous table that will be featured too. Their table will promote the Association of Bridal Consultants, “ART OF THE TABLE”, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24th from 12:00-4:00 P.M. at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This event is a must! Tickets are only $10 each and may be purchased at the door or from any Association of Bridal Consultants member. All proceeds will benefit scholarship and the American Cancer Society. Bring your friends,have brunch at the museum and then view the beautiful tablescapes designed by the best floral and bridal professionals in central Indiana!
It will be a feast for your eyes. Never will you see so many gorgeous tables and creative ideas! Make sure to look me up. I will be the day of event coordinator and would love to meet you.

SPEAKING OF TABLESCAPES…my friends and I will have two tables at the Art of the Table. The first one will be themed “WEDDING IN PARIS” Ooh la la!! It will be wonderful. CardInk, Flowers by Tiffany, Morgan Matters Photography, Anna Godar’s Special Occasions by Anna, Charles Mayer and Company and Kim King Smith Events, LLC will design a table that will be all the inspiration you need to escape to Paris for a romantic wedding or let us recreate it for you here in central Indiana. Our second table will be a BIRTHDAY PARTY theme. Who doesn’t love a birthday party, anyway?? It will be fun, colorful and delicious……??? Lots of surprises and fun!!

NO TIME TO ENTERTAIN during the holidays? Consider having a party in January or February. This is a perfect time to gather with friends and entertain. Create a theme and add color that pops. Call me for ideas…317-512-0172.

I HAD THE VERY BEST TIME…at the December ISES (International Special Event Society) meeting, a professional organization for event specialists. It was held at The Mansion at Oak Hill on 116th and Hazel Dell. Guest speaker was OPRAH’S EVENT PLANNER, DEBI LILY who has worked extensively with Colin Cowie and Preston Bailey on events. Debi gave us education and insight into the very latest trends in event and wedding design. She told us all about how she planned Oprah’s 50th birthday bash and other fab events for the star.

DISCOVER… befizzy.com and inkbox.com for bride and bridesmaid’s fun attire. Nothing with rhinestones, just fun, fab apparel for the bride and her attendants!