March 6th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with peter callahan: bacon cocktails, bacon appetizers, bacon garnishes- they’re all having their day and they are packing a smokey punch of flavor!

As I’m seeing a trend of bacon becoming more popular at events I turned to our March Weddings Contributor, Peter Callahan (bestselling cookbook author & founder of the culinary design studio, Peter Callahan Catering),  to see what he’s been serving. As we talked about the increase in requests for bacon from his clientele, it turns out Peter has a sentimental spot for bacon. “I grew up with bacon. Bacon was put in my peanut butter sandwiches that we ate for lunch while skiing at Mad River. Slab bacon from the local butcher in Londonderry, Vermont was what we served at … Read more

March 5th, 2013 No Comments

bacon bourbon? yes, old major bacon bourbon is coming… & bacon cocktails are even being garnished with a bacon strip!

BACON! BACON! BACON! Bacon has become so popular over the past several years that it’s appearing in everything from bourbon to chocolate. Bacon cocktails and even bacon stations with several different types of smoked bacons at events are becoming very popular. Most restaurants across the country are infusing their own home-made bacon infused bourbons & bacon cocktail concoctions but a new bacon bourbon is on the horizon for release, called Old Major. It’s been making quite a splash and people are anxiously awaiting the much buzzed about bacon bourbon. Visit their site for many fun cocktail recipes (like … Read more

March 4th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette inspired by a bacon & zucchini tart

I am loving this site that I found called Daisy’s World (.net). Bacon has become so popular in foods over the past couple years and this is a traditional pairing of flavors. Daisy’s site is clean and clear in design and the photographs are really beautiful that accompany the recipes. She has several bacon recipes… her bacon macaroni looks delicious too!  Visit Daisy’s site for all original recipes and content, but I’ve shared the bacon and zucchini tart recipe here to save you time.  Let me know if you try it! -Lynn (Note: as usual I’ve selected the names of Read more

March 2nd, 2013 No Comments

banana bread! we found a great recipe to try

My baking sleuth Rachael has done it again.. she found a wonderful banana bread recipe to try. We tested it out yesterday and we loved it! So I thought I’d share it with you this weekend. Happy Baking! – Lynn Here’s the recipe or go directly to Rachael’s recipe source: simplyrecipes.com (Please Note: if you want to sign up for a recipe box you will have to go directly to the simple recipes site, this and the print button you see are only linked through their site)  

March 1st, 2013 No Comments

peter callahan shares how he includes monograms at his celebrated events

Peter Callahan, Creative Director of Peter Callahan Catering, shared with us some unique ways to incorporate your monogram into your next celebration. Above, mini reuben sandwiches are topped off with monogrammed pendants. Below, Peter  puts monograms in the bottom of drink trays with a sheet of acrylic over the top to personalize cocktail serving. He also adds monograms on mini take out food boxes that he puts spicy chicken fortune cookies in. You can personalize most anything from mini pizza boxes to cones for frites! As you can see, there are several ways you can display your monogram- with a single … Read more

February 28th, 2013 No Comments

5 easy ways to personalize your home with monograms

The monogram shop Mark & Graham, the newest launch of the Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma family offers an array of wonderful products to monogram. They offer free monogramming and free gift boxes for all their products. This is really great to have another online option for personalizing gifts. Small monogrammed details around your home are an inexpensive way to personalize a space. Leather options are nice for a more masculine touch, like the candle and trays, while a tissue box cover can elevate a powder room or den from those paper tissue boxes and fit in with the rooms color … Read more

February 27th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with gail brill: MONOGRAMS! – see gail’s inspiration, the behind the scenes process, to designing exquisite wedding details with martha stewart and much more!

  This monogram (below) of the alphabet was drawn by JM Berling around 1908. He was a great monogram designer and lettering artist. I love monograms. To me they are the lyrical coupling of beautiful letter shapes. They can be style specific, like Art Deco or Romantic, they can be simple and stark or elaborate with iconography and symbols. Unlike a family crest they are totally accessible and available to anyone. Everybody that has a name has one. Monograms are evocative of a time when manners mattered and social stationery was essential. Now don’t get me wrong. There are a lot … Read more

February 26th, 2013 No Comments

personalize your table setting with monogram chair covers & matchbooks

To continue with our monogram theme this week I wanted to share with you a table I styled for InStyle magazine. First I had Gail Brill (our weddings contributor this month on the blog!) design a personal monogram for the couple. We then gave the monogram design to Penn & Fletcher in Long Island City to embroider chair covers in a blue that was in our color palette. Now I did these here for a wedding reception, just for the bride and groom, but you can do this idea for your own chairs at home too. We simply … Read more

February 25th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: neutrals & blues/ personalizing with monograms, today a monogrammed mortgage button

This week we’ll explore the ways to personalize your home & celebrations with monograms. Today I thought I’d share with you something I did in my own home when we renovated. We needed to add a new staircase (since years ago the interior staircase had been removed to make two separate apartments) and while on a frequent trip to Nantucket I came upon these “mortgage buttons” made of ivory in the Nina Hellman antiques store. I had just read about these and was ecstatic to have found them! The legend is when a mortgage was paid off there was … Read more

February 23rd, 2013 No Comments

oscar party: how about a stiff bourbon mississippi punch? add these ingredients to your shopping list!

A bit bored with just a glass of champagne to watch the Oscars?  I don’t want to talk bad about my favorite go to drink, but this Mississippi Punch could be just the ticket to watch the Oscars with friends. Self serve… with a combination of black tea, bourbon, cognac, sugar, lemon and nutmeg… sounds like the perfect mix! Here is the recipe: Mississippi Punch Ingredients 1½  cups raw sugar 1  quart black tea 1 quart bourbon 2  cups dark rum 2  cups cognac 1½  cups fresh lemon juice 1½  quarts water Nutmeg Preparation Dissolve the sugar in the tea, then … Read more