Lemon Bread

With my boys heading back to school, I thought it would be a nice treat (and of course incentive to get them out of bed) to bake this Lemon Bread.  I ran across this recipe in my “A Decade of Cooking – The Costco Way” cookbook – do you have any of these?  Costco typically hands out a new cookbook the day after Thanksgiving each year and they are great! 

My boys are huge fans of lemon cakes and breads – I couldn’t resist – and they LOVED it. 

Lemon Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Recipe courtesy of "A Decade of Cooking - The Costco Way"

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (recipe suggests this or poppy seeds, I chose walnuts)

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until light and fluffy, Add milk alternating with the flour mixture in 2 parts; mix well.  Stir in grated lemon peel and walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Mix together lemon juice and confectioners' sugar to make a glaze.  Remove the bread from the pan.  Pour the glaze over the warm bread (poking holes in the bread first will make it absorb more of the glaze). 

2014 Easter Family Brunch and Egg Hunt

We once again hosted our annual Family Brunch and Egg Hunt over the weekend and once again, it was a lot of fun!  Starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending with the last guests leaving at 10:00 p.m. - it was a full day!

I have always used Evite to send out the invitations and to track the RSVPs.  When we first hosted this event in 2009, I was pregnant with our 2nd son and figured I would be making everything myself.  Wrong!  All of our friends who attended offered to bring a dish to share and it has become a tradition to make it a pot luck event. 

The hubby and I provide all of the drinks and all of the filled eggs.  Like, a lot of them.  Like, in the 1200-ish range!  I usually make a couple of dishes as well. 

We hired "Tim The Balloon Guy" as we have done for past parties. Wet met him several years ago at one of the Chick-fil-a Family Fun Nights - he is a super talented balloon artist and the kids all love him!  My friend Mindy also came over to do some face (and arm!) painting for the kids.  She was kind enough to take some photos of the party guests as well!

Typically, we have a bounce house - but this year we had a technical difficulty with said bounce house the morning of the party.  So we scrapped it (well, we didn't really have a choice!) and the kids had a great time with everything else going on! 

Here are a few pictures from this year's event.  I'll share the recipe for the morning casserole in a future blog post!

 

 

 

 

What are your Easter traditions?

Cherry Almond Breakfast Bread

As I was looking through my Williams Sonoma catalog that recently arrived, my eyes quickly spotted a recipe for Cherry Almond Quick Bread.  I removed the "quick" from my post title, because I didn't use one of their quick bread mixes featured on the same page!

This bread is delicious!  I am a huge fan of cherries, paired with an almond flavor, it's awesome.  I have another recipe for Cherry Almond Frozen Yogurt on my site, you'll want to be sure to check that out too.

Cherry Almond Breakfast Bread

Makes 1 loaf
Recipe courtesy of Williams Sonoma

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 8" x 4" loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add cherries; toss to distribute evenly.  In another bowl, whisk milk, eggs, butter, and almond extract.  Add to flour mixture; stir until combined.  Do not overmix. 

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes.  Transfer pan to wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.  Turn loaf out onto rack; let cool completely.

La Marca Prosecco

I featured this Prosecco in a recent fact filled column for the Southeast Valley Ledger, it's such a great bottle of bubbly, I wanted to include on my blog as well!

The two facts I knew about Prosecco prior to doing further research were that they are produced in Italy and I like the taste of them.  I have enjoyed La Marca on a number of occasions; however, I wanted to share a little background on this yummy bubbly so you too can add it to your rotation of refreshing bottles of wine from which to choose. 

As I mentioned, Proseccos are made in Italy and the white grapes used are called Glera, these were known before 2009 as Prosecco grapes.  The name change was to avoid the confusion between the region and the variety of grape when the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region was promoted to DOCG (the highest classification for Italian wines) status. 

To produce the wines, the Italians use the Charmat method which basically means the wine goes through a secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks.  Using this process is less expensive than Champagne where the secondary fermentation happens in the bottle. 

As I prefer my bubblies, Proseccos are made on the dry or extra dry side.  For those of you newer to learning about different types of sparklings, this means that they are not sweet. 

One of my favorite Proseccos is La Marca, named for the region where it is made, La Marca Trevigiana.  Although dry, it has nice fruity flavors and is very light and refreshing.  At $12.99 a bottle at my favorite store Total Wine, you just can’t go wrong. 

Last year I posted a bubbly cocktail using La Marca, the Garden of Eden Cocktail - it's delicious, make sure you add this to your list of drinks to try as well!

I hope you’ll get a bottle of La Marca Prosecco and give it a try at your next brunch or afternoon cocktail party.   This is one you and your guests will enjoy. 

Visit to Pier 54

 For Easter Brunch, my family decided to check out Pier 54 in Tempe.  This lakefront restaurant is owned by my friends over at Special Moments Catering & Events so I definitely wanted to make a point to visit.

For Easter they offered a brunch buffet complete with mimosas and made to order omelets.  When we arrived what we found was a quaint, unique restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking a lake.  It was perfect.   We chose a table on the main level – there is a lower level too with additional seating. 

After being greeted by one of the servers and offered mimosas that came with our brunch, she gave us each an “omelet form” to complete so the chefs could begin working on them.  This was perfect!  We didn’t have to stand and wait for our omelets to be made.  The omelet station is the first place I head at a brunch buffet and now I could have it being made for me while we started through the buffet of goodies. 

Pier 54 offered waffles, bacon, sausage, potatoes, salads, pastries, muffins, cakes, cookies, juices, coffee – wow, there was a lot!   The entire family dug in and enjoyed tasting a little of everything on the buffet.  Our custom made omelets were delivered directly to our table and they were made to perfection.  At $19.95 for adults and $12.95 for 10 and under kids, this was a great find for Easter brunch.

This is one place where I’d like to go back and try their lunch or dinner menu.  They offer salads, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers – lots to meet everyone’s needs.  On Friday and Saturday nights you can enjoy live music while you dine and enjoy the ambiance of sitting lakeside.

You can find out more about Pier 54 by visiting their website at www.pier54az.com.  I hope you’ll head to Tempe to check it out and when you do – tell them The Bubbly Hostess sent you!                

Citrus Sangria

This is a total copy\paste post, but I couldn't resist.   This sangria was sucked down so fast at our Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt this year I had to share the recipe.  A good friend offered the beautiful drink dispenser for the party then sweetened the deal by suggesting she fill it with sangria!

This is very easy and made for a refreshing addition to our beverage options.  Thanks to Your Southern Peach for the recipe!

Citrus Sangria
Recipe Courtesy Of  Your Southern Peach

2 cups Riesling wine
2 cups grapefruit juice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups champagne

Fresh citrus slices such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit, clementine

Fresh mint for garnish

Mix Riesling wine, grapefruit juice, orange liquor and citrus slices.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, add champagne and stir.  Pour into a glass and garnish with citrus slices and a sprig of mint.

2013 Family Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt

Once again this year we hosted our annual Family Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt.  We have held this party for a few years now, this is the 2nd year it has been on the "kinda big" side.  When we hosted the first one, all of our guests offered to bring something for the buffet - I took them up on it then and have ever since! 

The invitations are all sent via Evite, this is a casual event so in my opinion, Evite is a perfect solution.  If you are using Evite and are looking for guests to bring something, you can create a list and have them "sign up" as they respond.  I didn't want to be too restrictive around what my guests brought so just asked that they add in the comments their dish of choice.  Once I started to get a few responses, I compiled a list in the details section so others could see what was still needed.  Evite also lets you see how many kids vs. adults are attending your event.  That's certainly helpful when planning food, drinks, etc.  This year we had 70 guests planning to attend...half kids, half adults. 

We kept our decorations simple.  Setting up tables and chairs outside, covering with colorful (easy to clean) vinyl tablecloths, lots of fresh flowers around, and cute masks and bunny ears to get into the fun of Easter.

We kept the food inside the house but the party outside.  This year it was a great day - warm weather with an overcast, perfect to keep the sun out of everyone's eyes. The kids were entertained with crafts at the "kid tables", our play area, an awesome face painter (contact me if you are in need of a talented face painter and I can get you her info), a corn hole and ring toss game, and a bounce house courtesy of some friends who own one (how cool is THAT?)

Photos Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Photos Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Photo Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Once again, our buffet was full of yummy food - and this year I made none of it!  I knew there would be plenty, so decided to have one less thing to do.  We had everything from potato dishes to quiches to fruit/veggies to salads, including a Chicken Salad with Mango, to muffins - so much to mention.  And of course the desserts!  Lemon bars, cake pops, so good! 

Photo Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

For drinks we had coolers filled with water, sodas, juice bags, and beer.  We also had a citrus sangria, champagne, vodka, orange juice, and pineapple/orange/banana juice.  At some point during the party, an Orange Julius Cocktail was introduced....you'll have to read more about that in my blog post here.

Photos Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Last year we really raised the bar on the amount of eggs we filled for the hunt....1200...for about 30 kids!  We had about the same number of hunters this year - so went with the same number of eggs.  One tip from someone who lives in a warm climate, if you are filling any of the eggs with chocolate, freeze or refrigerate those eggs until the party - that will help prevent a big melty mess when the little ones open their treasures!   This year we filled the eggs with some candy but also goodies from Oriental Trading Company such as sticky hands, erasers, and bouncy balls. 

We have a nice common area across the street from our house, so about 20-30 minutes before the hunt, the hubby collects a few other dads to head over and spread out the eggs.  Once they are ready, I head over - parade style - with everyone else.   I let the littlest ones go first, usually 2 and unders, then 3s and 4s, then everyone else.  The most fun?  Making those older kids WAIT!  While I give the little ones time to get out there, I ask questions of the older kids....and get "NO!" after each question....."Should we sing a song?  Should we tell a story?  Should we sit and rest?"  Once I know the small ones are out of the way I ask "Should we hunt for eggs???"  Then I get a big "YES" and they are off!

Once all of the eggs are gathered, we collect back the empty eggs.  It's very green of us, I know.    Everyone sits down around a laundry basket to separate their eggs from their prizes.  Prizes back in their Easter baskets, eggs back in my laundry basket. 

Photos Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Many of our guests left shortly after the egg hunt, a few of our closer friends hung out for the day. The dads took the kids swimming and we found a few frozen pizzas to heat up for dinner. Yes, dinner. This all day tradition will likely continue in the years to come - I have already decided to plan some sort of a "second course" for next year!

Photos Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography
 

The Bubbly Hostess Taking A Break....Photo Courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman Photography

Thanks to my friend Gretchen for taking a bunch of photos.....I have failed at this job two years in a row now, it's hard to host a party and take pictures at the same time!

Mango Chicken Salad

This is another dish that was brought to our 2013 Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt.  The hubby liked it so much I got a "can you get the recipe for that one?" and then got the "all clear" to share on the blog from our friend who made it and brought to the party.

At our party, this was served with fresh croissants to make yummy sandwiches.  This is quite good and on the healthy side too!

Mango Chicken Salad
Serves 4

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups chopped ripe mango
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium sized bell pepper, chopped (any color!)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Croissants, for serving

Combine the chicken, mango, tomato, green pepper, and green onion in a large bowl.

Mix vinegar, lemon juice and sugar into yogurt; fold into fruit/chicken mixture. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Eggnog Pancakes

The hubby typically makes pancakes, it's not my strong suit.  I know that sounds ridiculous...but I think what often happens is that while I am making pancakes, I get distracted by one of my children needing something and then I end up burning them!

Recently, the hubby has been adding extra ingredients to our whole wheat pancake mix to spruce them up - they are quite tasty!  This morning, on the last day of winter break, I decided to make pancakes for breakfast.

Searching through the pantry and refrigerator to make my own signature flavor, I saw the 1/2 gallon of eggnog my boys are close to finishing - the last one before the next holiday season.   It certainly didn't ruin the flavor of the pancakes!  Once I told the boys what all I added to the mix, they decided that these should be called "Eggnog Pancakes" - so they are!

Not a super exciting picture - everyone was hungry and I was in a hurry.    And I only burned one batch of the pancakes this time....

Eggnog Pancakes
Makes 12-16 small, kid-sized pancakes

2 cups whole wheat pancake mix
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup eggnog


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  You may need to add more milk or pancake mix to get the consistency you desire.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop, pour onto hot griddle.  Cook until bubbles start to form on top, flip, cook until done.   Keep warm in oven set to a low heat until ready to serve.

Garden of Eden Cocktail

I wanted to create a cocktail recipe for my friend Elizabeth Dehn over at Beauty Bets.  If you haven't already, you need to check out her site.   I love it - she's got great ideas about style, beauty, wellness and overall happiness.  Not to mention that she has almost 3 million....yes, MILLION (and counting!) followers on Pinterest. 

Knowing how much she loves Prosecco, I decided to work on something that added a few more ingredients to the glass - giving the drink a little something extra special.....just like Elizabeth Dehn.

This cocktail would be delicious at brunch - or on a Sunday afternoon when I chose to drink it during our standing weekend "let's try new cocktails" date with friends.  I'm obviously a huge fan of sparkling wines, I personally can't think of a time when I wouldn't want to enjoy this refreshing cocktail! 

We decided to call it the Garden of Eden (fully recognizing that this isn't a 100% original cocktail name!) but there were two traits of this drink that led us here.  For starters, once we started to feel the effects of it, it made us very happy - never wanting to leave it's warm embrace.  Secondly, we were tempted to have more than what was probably necessary.....and gave into the temptation. Either way - it's a tasty one.  Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Beauty Bets, cheers to you - I hope you love this!

 

 

 

Garden of Eden

Makes 2 cocktails

 

Bottle of Prosecco (we used Lamarca) 

2 parts Absolut Mandrin

1 part Cointreau

1 part peach puree (Note: you can either make your own, just add water to the puree to thin it or buy some like Finest Call's Peach Puree)

 

Garnish:

Raspberries

Peach slices

Orange slices

 

Chill the champagne glasses in the freezer.  To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the Absolut Mandrin, the Cointreau, and the peach puree.  Shake.  Pour strained mixture through shaker into the champagne glasses - fill between 1/3 to 1/2 full, depending how much "kick" you want.  Top with Prosecco.  Garnish by floating a raspberry in the drink and adding the peach and orange slices to the rim of the glass.  Cheers!