finally- a birthday party theme!

My birthday isn't until mid April, but I've already been agonizing over a theme for this year's party. I love parties (obviously), so I tend to go totally over the top when throwing one for myself. I was determined to decide on a theme by March so I would have time to prepare the decorations, invitations, and pastry menu. After looking through all the party inspiration files on my computer, I immediately realized what kind of party it would be...

That's right. I am having a completely chaotic and decadent Marie Antoinette-style bacchanal for my birthday. Champagne will spill, plates will break, and cake will get everywhere, as usual. Except this time it will add to the decor.  I need to start stocking up on pastel tulle, silk, and lace immediately. 

lemon meringue tarts

This is a pretty busy time of year for me at work, so I haven't been doing much in my free time other than baking to unwind when I get home. Even though winter was pretty mild this year, I'm ready to transition into motorcycling, biking, and general outdoor playing season. There aren't even any holidays coming up, so I have no parties to plan! 

 These lemon meringue tarts were my Wednesday night post-work baking project. A slightly sweet and tangy lemon cream is probably my favorite filling of all time, and when its combined with a sugar cookie crust and a stiff meringue, I can't get enough. I brought these into work so I didn't have to personally eat them all, which I certainly would have.

cake on the move

Baking for work often presents several traveling and serving dilemmas. When I find myself transporting a dozen or more cupcakes, I buy empty Crave Case boxes from White Castle for $5. They are the perfect size to hold fifteen cupcakes, the top is high enough to protect the frosting, and the boxes are durable enough to last many trips. I did not have time to buy any boxes today, so I decided to make cake jars using some small canning jars I had lying around.

I had strawberries left over from a weekend breakfast, so I sliced and layered them between two layers of semi-sweet chocolate frosting.

To turn a cupcake recipe into a simple cake jar, bake two 9" layers using your favorite cake recipe and slice off the tops to even the layers. Cut rounds of cake, the exact size of the jars, using a round cookie cutter or the rim of the jar.

Ease the cake into the bottom of the jar, spread a thin layer of chocolate frosting, and add a layer of strawberries.

Pipe a layer of chocolate frosting over the strawberries, screw on the top of the jar, and transport with ease!

Valentine's Day Brunch

Valentine's day brunch was a blast this weekend, but in all the madness, I didn't get a chance to take many photos. 

I made cinnamon buttermilk donuts- half with glaze, and half with chocolate. I didn't realize I was out of heart sprinkles until the last second, so my donuts were unfortunately lacking in heart decor.

Everyone got into the spirit- there were pink, red, and heart-covered outfits galore! We enjoyed Adam's fantastic bloody marys, and champagne with strawberries.

We made french toast topped with a raspberry sauce and walnuts, corned beef hash over skillet-style hash browns, and of course, pancakes. 

After brunch, we cleared the table, changed into some tougher gear, and spent the rest of the day playing Nerf capture the flag. Since my friends occupy all three floors of our house, we have a lot of room to play! This started as a spontaneous plan to kick our cabin fever last winter, and we've been hosting huge battles ever since.

Is there a better way to show your friends you love them than chasing them around and shooting darts at them?

heart party!

I've spent the last couple night preparing the decorations for our Valentine's Day brunch. Last night I was sitting at the table surrounded by scraps of paper and a hundred glittery hearts when Adam finally declared I had made too many decorations. I pointed out that they were mostly just paper hearts, and one can never have too many of those. Argument over: Angela = 1, Adam = 0. 

This streamer curtain is made from materials recycled from all my parties over the past year. I made the tissue garland and the floral fabric streamers for my birthday party, the hot pink ribbon and lace was from Serra's engagement brunch, the neon yarn was for Christmas wrapping, and the metallic tinsel is cut from a curtain I used for the New Year's party. 

My breakfast / pastry table will be on the credenza, but I still had to decorate it for the time being!

Heart balloons! I looked ridiculous driving my pickup truck while the back was completely jammed with these fantastic shiny hearts.

The food is practically part of the decorations, so I kept the table simple with a lace runner and... (of course) paper hearts.

I recently commissioned this new dining room table from Brett, a very talented friend of mine. There were only a few specific things I was looking for- I wanted the top to have smaller pieces to it, I wanted it to extend to accommodate our large dinner parties, and I wanted some industrial metal element included in the legs. He built the entire table without revealing any details to me, and dropped it off last night. Not only is it gorgeous, but it can seat a million people!

Brett used angle irons wrapped around stripped down 2x4s for the legs, and they appear to be solid metal until inspected from under the table.

I can't wait to host a dinner party on this new, huge extension table! It comfortably seats fourteen people when extended.

riding above the clouds

 We started our morning with a muddy ride through a tea tree farm, and after a few minutes, we noticed a heroin needle on the ground. The more we looked around, the more we noticed- there were piles upon piles of needles stuck into the mud. The guide explained there was a huge heroin problem in this area, and the hilly trails provided heroin users with a secluded area to shoot up. 

 For the rest of the day, we rode up a series of mountains, never taking a single downhill path. For most of the time, we found ourselves riding through clouds.

 As we rounded a bend in the road, we broke above the clouds and felt the warmth of the sun for the first time in Vietnam. We then watched as the clouds rose further and enveloped the road we had just traveled.

 Even with limited visibility, the view was breathtaking.

 We soon reached Sa Pa, a large town nestled in the mountain and our stopping place for the evening. The clouds drifting through the town created an eerie atmosphere.

 The next morning, we went for a hike to the highest point of the mountain. The sun came out, the clouds settled below the town, and for the first time, we could see the entire landscape.

 Sunburned and relaxed, we drove down the mountain from Sa Pa to Lao Cai, where we boarded an overnight train back to Hanoi. We arrived in Hanoi at 5 am to find the station soaked from the evening's rain.