Peace Out 2010

See ya in 2011! Wishing you all a fabulously pink new year :)

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Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups

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I'm telling you right now, if you are on a diet, stop reading now...This was a very tasty treat for us the other night.  I love mac and cheese, well probably cheese in general, and CK loves things that are HOT, like wings.  So why not put our two comfort foods together?! Plus, we were snowed in, so I was trying to use stuff we had around the house.  After CK agree that he thought this was a good idea, I then thought of how I could make this even better.  Then it hit me, why not make mini mac and cheeses so that he could take a couple here and there to work, easier. Just like the birds nests I made at this post. which CK took with him to work for a quick breakfast on the go.  Here's the final ta-da...

What you need:
-Noodles (I used a mixture of elbow macaroni and mini penne since I had a little of each)
-2 cups shread cheese ( I used 1 cup mexican mix, 1 cup Italian mix)
- 1 1/2 cup of flour
-Bread crumbs
- 3 cups milk
-3 tablespoons of sour cream
- 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing (or you could use crumbs)
-6 tablespoons of butter
-1 large onion finely chopped
-Buffalo sauce
-Buffalo Chicken (Deceiving trick: I used the pre-packaged buffalo chicken from the freezer but you could use your homemade buffalo fried chicken if you are feeling especially domestic)


How I did it:

Preheat oven at 350. Boil water and toss in pasta as you would typically make. While this is happening, you should begin making the cheese sauce.  Toss butter and chopped onion on medium heat to saute onions.  Toss with salt and pepper for taste.  You want to cook for about 5 minutes, just enough for the onions to become clear.

Next, you want to toss in the flour and stir constantly.  Proceed by tossing in slowly, while whisking, milk, sour cream, and blue cheese.  Stir for about 2 minutes ( it will be thicken by the flour).  Now toss in the cheese and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes, gently folding the cheeses together into the mixture.

Push back the hit to low and let sit.  Prepare your chicken next, basically cooked.  For me, I chopped up my frozen strips into small pieces, after I had already thrown them into the microwave for 90 seconds.  This made them easier to chop up.  Toss the pieces into the cheesy mixture as well the drained noodles because they should be done by now.

Gently mix together.  Next, I got out my muffin pans and lined them with some spray margarine.  I filled each cup to the top and it filled two pans exactly.  Then I sprinkled on some breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese just like the old fashion mac and cheese.  I gave each muffin two dashes of extra hot sauce and toss into the over for 25 minutes.  If you are in need of a comfort food, look no further :)



What is your favorite comfort food?

*(all personal photos)

Wedding Wednesday-Polish tradition

This year, not only did I get married, but a few other people I love as well.  The first photo is of W, my matron-of-honor, who decided to get married too when we were about 4 months away from my wedding.  It took a TON of last minute planning, but she wed her prince on Labor day weekend, almost exactly a month before me.  There was a lot of craziness to pull it off and you will definitely hear more about this on another Wednesday post or two, because I learned a lot through this past year.  Oh I forgot to mention, that though I was planning my own wedding, I returned the favor of being her Maid-of-Honor and helping her with a few things. And yes, of course, she is one of my best friends so she knew to dress me in PINK!

So, since I just shared about how I incorporated CK's family tradition into my wedding on this post about the crackers, I figured why not shared another family's tradition.  I think one of the best things about a wedding is the personalization, the feeling that this wedding is, in fact, a reflection of the couple.  This bride comes from a polish background and her family's weddings always include this tradition and I hope I explain it correctly and do it justice.  Much to my surprise, I was one of the key elements to this production, so it's a good thing I am type-A and on top of everything.

This is me.  A good little Maid-of-honor, and No, I'm not pregnant, the camera angle and poof in my dress just presents that way.  Annnyway, you may be wondering why I am sporting an extra something.  Well here's the deal...

The band plays a polka song (which is quite a catching tune) and guests line up to dance with the bride (W). The maid of honor (me) wears an apron and collects the money given by the guest for the dance. 

After all guests have danced with the bride, they form a tight circle around the bride. 

The groom tries to break through the circle while the guests try hard to keep him out. 

Once he breaks through, he picks up his bride and carries her away to their honeymoon.

The fabric from the apron that I wore (which had secret pockets to stash the money that people gave me) was made from the bride's grandmother's (or great-grandmother's, not sure) bridal gown.  How awesome right?  And the bride wore a "babushka" on her head to symbolize her womanhood.  They got a lot of money! The part where everyone surrounds the bride and then the groom has to break through to get to her, was...a little intense!  He was lucky enough to get her though :)



Want to share a tradition that you did or are going to do at your wedding?

 Email me at bridalshrink@gmail.com

Wedding Wednesday-Broken Engagement

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Yesterday, while not being able to sleep, I skimmed through facebook statuses to see what's going on with everyone. (don't act like you don't do this every once an awhile)  An old friend, put this in her status..."what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".  Hmm, whenever I see that, I feel like something is up.  So, that intriged me to read some posts on her wall. (Lame, I know) and then I saw this...

when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales, that fantasy of what your life would be, white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. Eventually you grow up, one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Its hard to let go of that fairy tale cause everyone has that smallest bit of hope, of faith, that one day they will open their eyes and it will come true.

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Not so good, right?  But it's true, we always have that fantasy.  However, being engaged is hard work.  It's not all smiles and rainbows everyday.  You have all these people barking questions at you and criticizing your decisions that they just pushed you to make.  It's rough but also a lot of fun at times too, people just only talk about the fun stuff.  Let's say, god forbid, the engagment is broken off.  Ugh, all the family and friends you have to tell.  Once, again, rough.  However, this leads us to the bridal shrink question of the post...

Bridal shrink-

Long story short,  Do you give back the ring?

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It's a tough call.  I asked CK, to hear from a boy's perspective, and he said

"uh, you have to, it's the law.  That's why they tell you not to do it on Christmas or a birthday because it could be perceived as a real gift, which it is not."

He answered it so, like matter-of-a-fact.  I was almost annoyed, though I do think it's probably better to give it back I guess, I was surprised at his intense response.  So, I did some research.  This site said the following...

Engagement Ring Etiquette and Legality

Before you consider the right choice when it comes to etiquette, it’s important to know the laws in your state. The woman may not have any option but to return the ring by law. Several states have laws that consider engagement rings to be “conditional gifts,” which means the woman can only keep the ring if the marriage takes place. However, some state courts have rejected this idea. Sometimes, state courts award the ring to the person who wasn’t to be blamed for the break-up. This means that if your fiance is the one to call of the engagement, you may be legally entitled to the ring. Since these laws vary from state to state and are changing with each new court case, you’ll need to do a little research to find out what is legally required in your state. It’s never a bad idea to check with an attorney to be sure.

Heirloom Ring Etiquette and Legality

In some situations, the engagement ring is an heirloom in the man’s family. If your ring belonged to your ex-fiance’s mother or grandmother, returning the ring is probably a necessity for both legal compliance and proper etiquette. Whether or not the man accepts, you should always offer to return an heirloom engagement ring.

Should You Always Return a Ring?

So what if your ring isn’t an heirloom and your state doesn’t legally require you to return it? In that case, it comes down to broken engagement ring etiquette. Most etiquette experts believe the woman should always offer to return the ring, regardless of fault or value. As with all etiquette rules, this one has an exception. If you bought the ring with your own money, or if you and your fiance both financially contributed to buying the ring, you may be entitled to keep it. Otherwise, it is proper etiquette to at least offer to return your engagement ring.

The man may not accept the ring’s return, in which case, you have fulfilled your social responsibility and can do as you wish with the ring. If you choose to sell your engagement ring or give it away, it is more polite to keep this information private.

Hmm, I never thought of the legal components of this issue, did you? Apparently it seems CK might have been right with his response.  The site continues by giving tips on how to return the ring...

  

Tips for Returning a Ring

Weddings and engagements are full of etiquette rules, but it can be difficult to figure out exactly how to return a ring after a broken engagement. Ring etiquette rules only go so far, and then you’re on your own. These tips may help:

• Act as quickly as you can. Offer to return the ring as soon as the wedding cancellation is official. That way, no one is left wondering about loose ends.

• If possible, return the ring in its original box, and include any documentation you have. You may have a statement about your ring’s value, and this should go with the ring.

• If you have concerns about future legal issues, consider documenting the return of the ring or bringing an impartial witness along for the interaction. Try to do this as unobtrusively as possible, but as with all things related to returning a ring, legal considerations should come first.

• Be polite and businesslike in the return of the ring. Don’t exchange insults or get drawn into a conflict, especially if other people are present.

• If your ex-fiance insists you keep the ring, thank him politely.

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In the end however, if I was talking to my old friend and not to a client, I'd say, F-him!  If he can't hang during the beginning of an engagement, It's a good thing he left now, and not a week before the wedding, when you couldn't get your money back.  There's a reason why this happen and I am sure there is someone out there 10 times better. Right?

Would you give back the ring?

Gotta Question?? Email me at Bridalshrink@gmail.com

Spotted: Casanova on Rotti blog!

If you are bored, check out Casanova, he has landed himself on a Rotti blog!  My little super star made the cut! You can leave a comment on his page too, if you want :)

(go to see his post here)

And then we had dessert...christmas dinner continued...

Once our hats were on, we were finally allowed to eat our homemade canolis.  We also have pizzelles because they are a staple around the holidays.

P.S.- of course they were homemade!

What does your family have for dessert as a tradition?

Being Snowed in....

Yesterday, we were snowed in and what better day to have a good breakfast after shoveling then this day.  Last year, we had some pretty big snow storms and Ck had broken his arm, so it was on me to do all the shoveling.  I'm not going to lie, it was a little rough, when at one point the snow was up to my waist!  So, Ck did all the shoveling this time while I cooked up something to eat.  French toast hit the spot.  With a splash of vanilla, cinnamon, and the juice of a clementine, they turned out great. This is a good time to point out how cool my silverware from my shower is, the knife sits up all on its own!

Being snowed in gave us time for CK to complain about my growing shoe and magazine collection but also to finish up our dreaded thank you notes from the wedding.  I know, I know, I'm super late and that's tacky.  Technically, we just got someone's gift two days ago, sooo...yea, we have a lot going on too though, but they will be sent tomorrow, no thanks to CK, since I had to write them all.  This is what happens when you have 200+ guests, yikes!


What would you do if you were snowed in?

The Poppers or Crackers...Our contribution To dinner

In between dinner and dessert, the popper production happens.  This was our contribution to Christmas dinner.  It includes crossing your arms and pulling the popper of the person next to you.  Out comes confetti, a hat, a joke, a prize, and sometimes a candy.  This year, there was a lot of confetti, sorry Aunt N!

and here's an action picture of the hats, because CK says, "you can't eat your canoli until you have your hat on"

The reason why we were in charge of this, is because I decided I loved this tradition so much that I would included it as one of the DIY projects for our wedding.  My mom and I created this vision and it was a lot of work, so I actually bought them for Christmas dinner, maybe next year, I will make them again...

What you need:

-Toilet paper roll
-paper hat
-prize
-joke
-confetti
-popper part
-tissue paper or wrapping paper
-ribbon for ties



How we did it:

First, I had everyone in the world saving toilet paper rolls for me.  Since we had so many guests, we needed a lot of rolls.  Sometimes, I would come into work, check my mailbox, and have treats in there.  I think some people thought I was strange, but it's always fun to find new uses for things you would normally throw out, right?

Next, we had to collect all the ingredients. The paper hats and the popper part were the most important part because I knew the hats would make cute photos and CK finds them important.  Now, if I was Martha, I would have made the paper hats myself, but I was starting to run out of time.  I found the hats and the poppers at this site in the section titled "Fill your own" and they shipped them so fast!  I used the handmade confetti of pink and silver leaves from an earlier project for the confetti and googled wedding jokes to toss them into the poppers.  I added a wedding packaged mint and a fake silver ring for the prizes.  They turned out great!

Throughout the past year, I have become a lot closer with Ck's cousins J and J as we all attempted to plan our weddings.  Because of this, I asked them if they could give the toast and explain the "how-to" for the poppers.  Though most people didn't get it or were talking throughout the speech, it meant a lot to us to have this tradition included and for the two of them to be part of our special day :)

Does your family have any fun traditions for the holidays?  (maybe you could include them in your wedding too!)

 

Christmas dinner Part 1...

Ck says this is his best meal of the year...First up was "holiday soup" which is technically Italian Wedding Soup and it was awesome.  When we found out that it was made by Grandmom this year, we weren't surprised that it was that good.

And the salad made by his cousin JF was amazing with it Pomegranate seeds and grated parmesan. Loved it!

and then the homemade ravioli...melts in your mouth.

Dessert will be in posts to come because at this point, we had to "take a lap around" because we were so full and needed room for the dessert.


Are you hungry yet?

Some gifts this year...

Remember in my last post, I shared about re-using your Trader Joe's bags for gift wrap? Well I took that idea and used it from one of our gifts.  My aunt E and cousin M always making wrapping gifts and art form and I hope to get my into this from now on.  It's so cool when they almost don't even want to unwrap the gift because it's so fabulous.  I just used yarn I had left over from the Christmas tree in white and then we did a red card to bring out the little red details in the bag. Inside you would find our present for the grandparents this year.  Their "Brag Book" which I created on Mixbook.com.  They turned out great!

and most other gifts we gave were gift cards or money, but we gave his nephew this fabulous cop costume that has it's own name tag with photo. so cute!

Do you get joy from the gifts you give or is more of just a task you have to do?

What was in our cookie bag : Penguin Oreos :)

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 I saw this photo of penguin oreos from Gourmet Mom On-the-go and I just knew that I had to figure out some way to concoct it with the supplies I already had from the snowman project.  I have to admit though, it was a tough project and I would have done some things differently. But here's how I did it...

What you need:
-a case of Oreos
-1 bag of dark chocolate melts
-1 bag of white chocolate melts
-1/6 bag of milk chocolate chips
-2 gel icing pens (orange and black)

How I did it:

I used Dark Chocolate mint candy to melt because one of CK's favorite cookies is a Thin Mint from the Girl's Scouts and I thought the oreo plus mint chocolate would replicate that as a special surprise.  I used my microwaveable measuring cup to slowly melt them in the microwave.  About 1 minute, stir, than another 35 seconds.  Dipping each oreo in, making sure to cover the entire cookie.  (my hands were a little messy, hence no photos of the dipping process).  They were placed on a cookie sheet that I lined with aluminum foil.  I would most likely recommend using parchment paper, but I was out, so I used the something else around the house, foil, and to be honest it worked just as well.

I placed the cookies in the fridge to help the chocolate set and then rinsed out my measuring cup so I could add the white chocolate.  After melting the white chocolate the same way as the last, the dark chocolate had harden.  I used a spoon to help spoon out the white bellies of my penguin and placed them back in the fridge to set.  I could have tried to make them more like white hearts, but I was running out of time, and CK was telling me how this was all unnecessary and people would have been just as happy with plan oreos. (so ridiculous, can you see it now? here's a bag of oreos, Merry Christmas, uhh no!) Once again, about 5 minutes later after clean-up, they were ready for the next step, the eyes.

You have to look close at this photo and you will see two chocolate chips for the eyes of the penguin.  I only had gel icing so I knew it wouldn't look as nice as a royal icing that would not be see-through.  However, it could be used as a glue to keep the chips on and then I added an extra dot for the pupils.  They went back in the fridge to set again, for about 5 minutes.

The Final product.  I took my orange gel icing from the snowman project and used it to add a beak and feet.  I'm not a fan of this gel icing because it is see-through.  The original posted oreo looked much better, but like I said, I was trying to use up the stuff I had, not go out and buy more.  In her post above, I think she used orange chocolate melts, however, I think that could be hard to do precise things like feet and beaks.....And then, as I read my blogs, you are not going to believe it but I saw these....how awesome and talk about a kick in the stomach, there's always next year, right?

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However, they aren't oreos, they are just sugar cookies, and CK said oreos are better anyday.  What a good husband :)




What did you dip in chocolate this season??