Summer Bridal Shower

One of my best friends recently got married (pictures to come in a future post), and I hosted a bridal shower for her earlier this summer. I wanted to host a luncheon that had a casual, light summer feel. 

Pink, yellow and gray were the chosen colors for the shower. Fresh flowers and light foods (sandwiches and salads) were the accent for the party. I also had a carrying chalkboard theme as chalk always reminds me of summer!

Below are a few pics of the day (not nearly enough as I wanted to show each detail). My next event will be prepared early enough that I can take pictures of each detail before the party starts!!


The beautiful Bride-to-Be!

Accent flowers on the food table, alongside some of the food.

Decorated tables. Each place setting has a votive candle/holder with chalkboard space and chalk for each guest to write their name.

Beverage Station (later included the strawberry cheesecake dessert).

Mother of the Groom (left) & Mother of the Bride (right).

Gift opening (myself-left, Katy-right).

Bridesmaids with the Bride-to-Be (minus one bridesmaid)!
Left to right: Myself, Cori, Sara, Katy, Rachel



 

Zesty Tortellini

Dan (my husband) travels a lot for work and this week he was able to make it home on Tuesday, just in time for dinner. I wanted to make something simple (as I had to work all day), yet filling.  I decided to throw a pasta together and call it Zesty Tortellini. I came up with the super creative name by combining the type of noodle and sauce I used. ;) The pasta turned out just as I had hoped. I'd definitely make it again (but not too soon as it isn't the most healthy dish).

As you can see above, the dish consisted of caramelized onion, goat cheese, tortellini and basil.  Find the recipe below.

Zesty Tortellini
1 pkg. tortellini noodles
1 jar of Green Mill Zesty Arrabbiata pasta sauce
1pkg. Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage
1 clove of garlic
goat cheese
freshly grated parmesan
Italian seasoning
freshly chopped basil
1/2 sweet onion
2T. butter
2-3tsp. brown sugar

First,  you'll need to chop the onion (I sliced and quartered mine). Next, you'll need to caramelize the onion as this is the longest of the steps (find instructions below). Cook the meat thoroughly and strain once fully cooked. Place meat back in the pan, add the pasta sauce, caramelized onion, crushed and chopped garlic clove, Italian seasoning and parmesan. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the pasta sauce is warmed up, add the fully cooked tortellini to it and stir (I cooked the noodles while I was cooking the meat). Last, plate the mixed pasta, crumble goat cheese over the top and also sprinkle the chopped basil over the top.

Caramelized Onion
Place butter in the pan, add the onion and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the onion (I put a little bit of salt and pepper too). Cook on med. low - low for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and leave pan covered when not stirring.

Garden Party Wedding

One of my favorite things to see at a wedding is the couple's style incorporated into the day's decor. It's fun to see creativity at work and gain a better understanding of the couple through the look and feel of their wedding.

One of my favorite blogs, Green Wedding Shoes, shares various examples of weddings. Today's post highlights a Garden Party Wedding and is fantastic. Every detail is absolutely beautiful!
Click the picture below to view the full blog post about the Garden Party Wedding.