It's a baby.... It's a baby shower... It's a dual birthday party... It's a BBQ?! The dynamic duo residing in Chicagoland is preggers. This lively couple also just happens to have near identical birthdates (52 hour difference, which when you consider all the dames and blokes they could have vowed to love forever is pretty short). As everyone knows I LOVE a themed party. So when my friend asked me to help plan her combo dual birthdays and baby shower I did my best Ryan Lochte impression and responded, "Hells Jeah!"

LOGISTICS

 We used Paperless Post for the invites which turned out great! You get to customize your invitations and they have tons of cute letterpress looking virtual designs to choose from. Also it's environmentally friendly because no paper (duh!) and you can send out reminders and updates automatically.

My friends wanted to have a BBQ type party... outdoors, good food, grilled meats and cold drinks. So I went to my local party store (the best dollar store ever) and got some basic flair. A themed party HAS to have flair right? Flair can't always be bad... We took a bit of a retro stance. I bought paper products decorated with old school BBQ grills and red gingham table cloths. I also had some left over paper lanterns from a previous party along with some mini-bubble bottles and flag bunting. In the invite I used the pun "Let's get shaded," so I bought some of those tacky Kanye West vented sunglasses and a cookie cutter that looks like shades.

Although part of the reason for having this shin dig was to welcome the baby into their community of friends and family the parents-to-be weren't about lots of baby shower games. I was allowed to do one baby-centric activity. We set up a design your own onesie/bib station. I also had the grandpa-to-be hang some rope between the trees. The decorated onesies would be hung on the "laundry line" and become part of the decor.

FOOD

• cheese baked olives
• deviled eggs
• chicken salad crustini
• gazpacho shooters

Sides

• sweet potato potato salad (with aioli, cumin and green onions)
• vinegar based cole slaw

Main Course

• BBQ pulled pork
• grilled meats (burgers, brats, hot dogs, etc.)

Dessert

• summer fruit crumble
• coconut carrot cake
• sugar cookies

Drinks

• relatively well stocked bar
• orange dreamcicle fizzy water
• vanilla lemonade
• micro brews

 Favor

• BaByQ spice rub (brown sugar, cumin, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper & chili powder)

SUNDAY FUNDAY

The Sunday after the BaByQ got off to a slow start for me... The parents-to-be and their family invited me to brunch but I couldn't drag myself out of bed in time. They went to brunch and I met them out in the south loop. I stopped at the Logan Square farmer's market on the way there for an iced coffee and a chocolate croissant. Voila- walking breakfast! Afterwards we went to the Field Museum to check out the Lascaux Cave Paintings exhibit. It was great family fun. I am always amazed by what museum curators can do. I also saw some other things while there...





Of course since I was in Chicago I also got around to doing one of my favorite things... exploring the city through new food and drink locations. Another friend couple of mine are actually from Chicago so they are totally cool city kids and know all the insider places. They have a friend who is the brewer for a relatively new brewery in Lincoln Park called Atlas.



Loved it! This greedy girl ate and drank her fill. Some of the things I liked? Nerdy movie references used for naming beers!




Fun interpretations of hot food items presented as classic American fare.




I scored big time with a great food deal. A recommendation on Yelp was to try the mussels. You can get a half order of mussels for $8. The kicker? A half order is 1/2 a pound of mussels AND it comes with fries! I got the sausage mussels which were like a play on gumbo: spicy tomato sauce, rice, andouille sausage and mussels.



All and all the evening was a success and a great way to top off a fun weekend.  It was full of two of my favorite things:

...and I'll treat you better than you ever had before. I think that's the chorus of a Slackers song. It's Valentine's day mofos! I may be single but I still like to play cupid and spread a little love. It's my personal assault on the holiday industrial complex. In the name of Saint Valentine I'mma make a massackery (massacre+mockery) of V-day being all about couples.

As usual I began combing the interwebs for DIY crafty projects to make/bake and include in my Valentine packages early... Like the beginning of January. I needed things that were both foodie and kid friendly. I made 2 sets of V-day treats. One for my nieces/nephews and another for friends.I found quite a few kid Valentines I liked online.

• Lego jewelery valentines
• Animal valentines
• Mustache valentines
• Funny valentines

In the end I chose (surprise!) the punny (funny+pun) one. As my nieces and nephews get older I am finding it hard to transition the crafts I make them for them into more age appropriate things. Small tchotskes no longer really cut it, so the animal bracelet valentines were out. I wanted something a bit more gender neutral so the Lego jewelery valentines were nixed. That left the mustache and funny valentines... I chose the funny valentines because ALL kids love a good fart joke! I couldn't find mini-whoopie cushions at my local dollar store. So I bought regular sized ones and made do.

FLAVOR BUTTONS

I saw this instructable for not-Altoids online. The whole process was so easy! How could I not take half a day hunched over a counter top and making these little pieces of sweetness? I'm hesitant to call them mints since they don't really have mint flavors...except for one. I chose 2 foodie and 2 kid friendly flavors:

• red licorice
• cola
• mint chocolate chip
• mango

COFFEE LOLLIPOPS

Hard candy... I've been wanting to make gourmet lollies for a while. The first time I burnt the sugar and had to scratch the whole batch. I then took the time to test my candy thermometer and found out it was 50 degrees off! With this mental note in mind I gathered together some sugar and tried it all again.  Sprinkle Bakes has a lot of fun with sugar recipes and this is one of them.





Having a good  candy thermometer is the key! Also, I like to think making hard sugar candy is kind of like BBQing. Low and slow is the way to go. I started my mixture on medium heat and gradually cranked it up to a boil. I was wary of everything boiling over, making a mess, burning or melting my skin off. It takes a bit of time but keeping your eyes on the prize (and the thermometer) is worth it.

Friends' packages included these lollies, some flavor buttons and those crispy chocolate wafer cookies. My momma also didn't raise no fool so I included a hand written note too. Both the friend and kid packages got wrapped up assembly line style and shipped out.

A paper bag... simple and classic!

ME MUM

Who's my greatest love of all? My mother of course! She birthed me. What's a greater gift than that? I love my mom lots and sometimes I want to give her more than a hug. She's a busy lady and it can be hard for her to take the time to do something she wants to do. I spotted a great Valentines day deal on Travelzoo and conspired with my siblings to get it for our mother. The voucher was for a massage with wine and chocolate! The sad thing about online vouchers is there's really no tactile opening experience. So I got out my craft crate and made something for her to open. I've seen similar set ups used for save-the-date/wedding announcements. Kelly over at Studio DIY even took the idea and put it in a box (literally).



I cut out some ID card sized pieces of white card stock. The 1st included a "dear mom we love you lots" message. The 2nd were the details of her massage voucher. Finally the 3rd promised a ride to said spa and dinner after. I strung the cards/tags on the bakers twine and some craft punched holes to make a garland. I taped one end into the envelope and carefully layered it all in. I used some double sided tape to keep the pull-tab of the garland separate to make it easier to pull it out.




That's how I do Valentine's Day. What about you?

Sometimes I think I am a grandmother trapped in a not-quite middle aged woman's body. Why? Because I insist on expressing my affection and love for the young through copious amounts of sugary foods in pretty packaging. It's holiday time again and I love it! Squee!!!! Back when Kris Kross ruled the charts and the 1st generation of slap bracelets were popular (the kind of metal inside) I loved me some Halloween. I still do. But I never manage to get it together to make a great costume like I used to. It makes me sad just thinking about it. I still do love Halloween...although I'm not on the 'sexy/slutty' costume bandwagon. Go figure. I did it once... and that was enough. Even though I haven't dressed up the last few years I do love seeing my nieces/nephews costumes and helping them get into the spirit of the night. So this year I put together a small Halloween package for two groups: my nieces/nephews and my cousin who recently went off to college.

First up... festive cookies. I pulled out the best-cut-out-cookies recipe again and got to work. That was the easy part! What took patience was decorating. I mixed up some royal icing, gathered some squeeze bottles, some food coloring and sprinkles. Then I pulled a stool up to the counter and got to work.





Secondly, I wanted to make some flavored popcorn. As of late I've been all about the maple spice popcorn mix when at home. But I didn't think it would travel well so I used a recipe for popcorn balls I'd been waiting to make. Caramel with a touch of cocoa, cayenne and orange zest.



As always I had to get my packaging together. Thanks to the internet and the DIY craze this wasn't too hard. I came across a post about making a Halloween party in a box and used that for my inspiration for my cousin's college care package.

Halloween Dorm Room Party

• decorative calavera garland
• sweet treats in a box
• bewitchingly beautiful nail polish in orange and sparkly black
• cocoa-cayenne caramel popcorn
• hand-made card

I got the template for the card from Can't Stop Making Things. And the chevron box from Party Box Design. It's amazing what you can find online for free! A little patience, a nice playlist, and half a day can make a world of difference when packaging treats!

For the younger set I just kept it simple. Sugar in it's various forms plus a hand-made card. Inside their treat bags I put: gummie body parts and insects, calavera suckers, bloody vampire fang candy and a Halloween themed kaleidoscope. I also threw in a candy bar... full size. I got the treat bag toppers and candy bar wrappers from Creature Comforts.

Hey all! I know I mentioned creating my own summer bucket list a while back. Never fear! I did not forget. I just got sidetracked for a bit. I have completed my list and hope it helps me hold myself accountable to make dreams come true. Not all dreams have to be big. And not all pleasures extravagant. Often it's the simpler things that can bring a smile to the biggest curmudgeon's face. It is my hope that putting this wants out into the world I'll be more likely to do them...I also hope I can convince some friends and family to do them with me! What plans do you have for summer?

It's a celebration mofos! My cousin decided NOT to go to Roosevelt in Chicago but she has enrolled at Earlham College in Indiana. So as she begins this next stage of her life we're celebrating by throwing a party. In the Mitten we call them open houses... Others call them graduation parties... But whatever the name it's a chance for family and friend worlds to collide as teens begin to learn how to be young adults and manage more than homework and trips to the mall.

My cousin has asked me to put together her open house and I've gladly taken it on. There's nothing I like more than party planning. It allows me to revile in all the things I like best: baking, craftiness, OCD tendencies, shopping at Home Goods/TJ Maxx, and so much more! So after looking through some theme ideas online I settled on "Take Flight." Think planes, airports, clouds, sky, trips, and soaring to new heights! It's gonna  be  pun-a-licious and craftastic! I remembered seeing destination wedding invites that looked like boarding passes previously somewhere. A quick internet search led me to Aylee Bit's website and I was able to use her nifty template to get started. I also found an awesome free cloud font to use to help bring the theme to life.

I want to buy those blue & red striped boarder envelopes to mail them in to continue with our theme. If not I'll fold some color card stock to look like a boarding pass envelope and use rubber cement to glue down the flap prior to mailing. Rubber cement... it sticks when you need it to while being an easy seal to break!

As for decor... We'll have a "route map," posted on foam core. Guest will be able to use push pins to mark their intended college and/or alma maters. I had a hard time deciding on colors so in the end I picked them all!



I'll get the wee ones (remember- Griot loves the kids) to make paper airplanes for a nice garland to string up around the room. I plan on making bunting that says "Take Flight" to use on the gift table using these awesome print outs from Allsorts. I'm also trying my darndest to organize a sweet surprise that would be so much fun and a dream come true for moi. But it's supposed to be a surprise and my cuz reads my blog so shhhh... until later.

Of course we can't forget the menu! My cousin requested the dessert be those cookie butter cupcakes I made before. I'm also gonna try my hand at decorative/royal icing again on some airplane shaped sugar cookies. For the savory side of things the "in flight menu" includes:

THINGS TO PUT ON GUEST TABLES

• mini pretzels (like on the plane)
• spice nuts (fancier than on the plane)
• chips & a trio of salsas  

BUFFET TABLE

• flank steak w/ cilantro mojo
• BBQ pulled chicken sliders
• salad kabobs
• orzo tuna pasta salad

For favors... I spotted these awesome not-quite-cake pops at Bakerella and thought they'd be fitting (get it? it's a pun).

                                        


And I think that's about it for now. As I move forward in the process I'll keep you posted.  As you can see I'm taking this very seriously. Not only because I lurve my fam but also I'm trying to make myself a professional. I'm working towards a small business and this is me beginning my brand/portfolio. Check out my new bizness cards!

I send holiday cards... and edible gifts. It's something I've done for a few years now and it's a practice that makes me feel distinctly "adult." Each year I like to send my friends a small token of appreciation to show that I care. Also, I can make stuff. I tend to be known in my social circle as someone relatively crafty. So I do what I can to say, "hey, you're cool and I appreciate that you think I'm kinda cool too." Aside from the postage it is also relatively cheap. My mom likes to tell me, "You can pay with time. Or you can pay with money..." I choose to pay with time.

This year I made tea and cookie packets. I found a nice, stable (i.e. dried spices that keep and not rot) masala chai recipe in a book at the library. First I worked on making teabags.

MASALA CHAI SPICE MIX
2 Tbs cardamon
2 Tbs ground clove
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs ginger
1 Tbs pepper

CHAI TEABAG
2 tsp quality loose leaf black tea
1/8 tsp Masala chai spice mix







What kind of cookie goes well with tea? ANY KIND OF COOKIE! (That was a trick question.) I made brown sugar pecan shortbread cookies to go with my masala chai. I thought the warmth of the spices would go well with the carmel-esque undertones of the brown sugar. Also, who doesn't like pecans? It was pretty basic. Brown sugar, butter, pecans, and flour. Add cookie cutters and I had myself a decorative cookie!





Lastly, I crafted my own holiday cards. I made them using a 3-D effect (b/c 3-D is the new thing) and some twine for texture.

'Tis the new school season and I hope all you with wee ones have gotten everyone one back on the school year schedule. Here at my homestead my nephews began 2nd grade and my niece started middle school. Or at least I think it's middle school. Maybe it's junior high. I still don't fully understand the difference.

I came across a nifty thrifty craft online and decided to use it to show some love to my big sis's kids. I have all the supplies to make a few more for some other children call me Tia Gia but I've yet to complete them. Does anyone else suffer from such inertia? You spend all this time prepping and once you're all set things just slow down... I've got so many hours in a day and not enough time to do everything and keep my Hulu queue in order!

My momma taught me well so I also included a little note and personalized the wrappings. The great thing about craft projects is you often end up with remnants and can re-purpose stuff. These are the left over mini clips and treat bags from my grad party take-aways.

Also, I recently watched Duff Goldman's new show Sugar Rush on Food TV. Although I really wish his friend and cake constructor Geoff got a spin off I was still inspired by a segment of the 1st episode. I wanted to try and make a flat chocolate chip cookie. After some searching I came across Alexis Stewart's (Martha's daughter) recipe and it seemed simple enough. I looked around a couple days for those flat chocolate disks but couldn't find them even though I swear they used to sell them at Whole Foods. In the end I just used some Ghiradelli chocolate chips since they tend to be a bit bigger than Toll House's.








As one of my official taste testers said... they ain't too pretty but they sure do taste good!