JAMSquared

The Sunday before last, I hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law, Julia. Julia and I have a really good relationship and I’m looking forward to her joining the family in 11 days. The shower had a small turnout as most of Julia’s friends have moved away from Austin since graduating from college, but we had a really great time.

Below are two versions of invitations I made. I decided to go with the option without spokes to the umbrella. The umbrella I made by drawing onto pasteboard and cutting out. I then traced it on the designer paper and free-handed the handle with a white gel pen.

Shower Invitation Option 1

Shower Invitation Option 2

Stamps: Stampin’ Up Big on Spring; Stampabilities Sophie Alpha Lower
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Summer Sun, Wild Wasabi
Designer Paper: Certainly Celery Prints
Ink: Stampin’ Up Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Stickles yellow, purple turquoise and Xmas red; white gel pen

Julia Modeling Her New Apron

The shower was a Pampered Chef shower. My consultant Virginia Bettis did an awesome job. She had Julia try out and demonstrate a number of the products Julia had registered for, which was really cool as we got to see how they worked. The picture to the left is Julia modeling her new Pampered Chef apron that I decorated with her new name and kitchen checklist using colored Sharpies Virginia brought and we all signed and wrote a little best wishes note.

I had planned to make a cake for the shower, but I didn’t want to go overboard since the number of people expected to be somewhat low. My hubby tells me I have a tendency to do that. He’s probably right, but you didn’t hear me say that. The Melon Fruit Slush was delicious. My Mom liked it so much she plans to make it for the “sip and see” she wants to host to show off her first grandbaby, my nephew. The recipe makes a lot, so I actually have half of it in my freezer for a later date. The Ham Florentine Wreath got rave reviews. I have made it once before and it was just as tasty as the first time I made it a few years ago. The Salmon Tartlets was a new recipe I tried. They were delicious the day of the shower, but as leftovers the next day they were kind of dry. The Blond Toffee Brownies is a recipe my Dad often requests from my Mom.

Melon Fruit Slush

Melon Fruit Slush

Source: Reiman Publication insert

Ingredients:

• 1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple
• 1 10-oz. package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
• 4 medium ripe bananas, cut into chunks
• 1 cup cubed cantaloupe
• 1 cup cubed honeydew
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup orange juice concentrate
• 3/4 cup lemonade concentrate
• 6 liters lemon-lime soda, chilled

Directions:

In a blender, process the fruit in batches until smooth. Pour into a 3-quart bowl, preferably one with a spout. Stir in the water and concentrates. Divide into two freezer containers. Cover and freeze until icy. To serve, spoon 1/2 cup into a glass; add about 1 cup soda.

Yield: 20-25 servings

Ham Florentine Wreath

Ham Florentine Wreath

Source: Pampered Chef Season’s Best Spring/Summer 2001

Ingredients:

• 2 8-oz. packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 ounces thickly sliced deli ham, diced (to save time, I used cubed ham)
• 1/4 cup green onions with tops, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces Swiss cheese, grated (I used a 2 cup bag of already shredded cheese)
• 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced (I used grape tomatoes, halved)
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup almonds, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on a large round stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond edge of baking stone. Arrange 8 remaining triangles in center, matching wide ends. Seal seams. (Points will overlap in center; do not seal.)

In a mixing bowl, combine ham, green onions, 1 cup of the cheese, spinach, mayonnaise and black pepper. Scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle. Arrange tomatoes in an overlapping circular pattern over filling; top with remaining cheese. Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangles slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first.

In a small bowl, beat egg white lightly; brush over dough using pastry brush. Sprinkle chopped almonds over wreath. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 10 servings

Salmon Tartlets

Salmon Tartlets

Source: Reiman Publication insert

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 3-oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used less)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 14.75-oz. can salmon, drained and bones removed (I just realized I only used half the salmon called for. Maybe that was why it was a little dry.)
• 1 green onion, sliced

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and flour until smooth. Shape tablespoons of dough into bowls; press onto bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, butter and lemon juice. Stir in crumbs, parsley, sage, salt and pepper. Fold in salmon and onion. Spoon into shells. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until browned.

Yield: 2 dozen

Blonde Toffee Brownies

Blonde Toffee Brownies

Source: my mother

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in toffee bits. Spread evenely into a greased 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen

A few weeks ago, I made a Strawberry Yogurt Loaf. While it turned out very good, I thought it would be better as a cake. So I tweaked it and the following is what I came up with. However, I wish I had used more than 2 tablespoons of melted butter for the topping, maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons. I think this would have prevented the topping from getting a little over-done. Of course, the extra browning (think blackness) of the topping could have occurred because I decided to not heat up my kitchen and just used my toaster/convection oven. My in-laws enjoyed it the day I made it and my co-workers enjoyed the next day when I took it to work. Keep in mind, baked goods with strawberries (or at least this treat) tend to grow mold quickly. I had kept a piece for later and later turned out to be too late. This concoction just happens to meet the requirements of Root Source Challenge #17: Strawberries.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 5 extra-large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

Topping Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 2/3 cup oats
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (I should have used 3 or 4)
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 2-quart glass baking pan (approximately 8×8-inches square or 8×10-inches).

Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and oil. Slowly, whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In medium bowl, mix the strawberries with remaining flour and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of batter. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings