Wedding is coming along

I posted a few months back about my sister's wedding the end of this month. Things are coming along. I wanted to share a few little inspirations we are using in our decor. I can't wait until it all comes together.

The knot

Martha Stewart

Strawberry Frosting

 

My little girl turned 2 this last week so we made cupcakes. She loves pink of course so I wanted to try out this recipe. It turned out really good so I thought I would share!

 

Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup frozen whole strawberries , thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , firm and slightly cold
Pinch coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar , sifted
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix, or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

 recipe from: sprinkles cupcakes

Broccoli Soup

This is a simple soup that is really yummy. Takes about 25 min to make. The only thing is, I like it chunky like the picture but my kids won't go near it if there are big chunks of broccoli. So if you are making it for kids maybe you will want to puree it before serving it to them:)

Broccoli Soup


2 heads of broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon base
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1/2 small onion, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
1 cup cheese plus more for garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste before serving

Combine water, chicken base, potatoes and broccoli in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cover to steam veggies until tender. In med to large soup pot, saute the onions until almost tender on med-high heat. Add butter. When butter is melted, add flour. Mix constantly until a paste has formed and it HASN'T turned brown it should be light tan. Add milk and cream all at once stirring constantly. Bring to boil. It may take a little while so be patient. You don't want to burn the milk so keep stirring and don't put on high heat. Once it starts to boil, stir for about 3 min and then add everything that is in the broccoli pot to the soup pot. Add cheese and stir until heated through and cheese is melted.

Apple Pie

I really think that I could live off of apple pie. I don't make it very often and I am not sure why. It's SO good:) What better to make on 4th of July weekend.

You will need to use the Basic Pie Crust recipe from my blog. Chill in fridge while making filling.

Apple Pie filling


5 med to large sized granny smith apples
3/4 cup sugar plus about 2 tablespoons for apples
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon plus dash for apples
dash of nutmeg
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Peel, core and slice apples to about 1/4 inch. Put in large bowl. Add lemon juice, 2 tablespoons sugar and dash of cinnamon to apples. Toss so all apples are well coated. Add more sugar or cinnamon if needed. Set aside.

In med saucepan NOT ON HEAT, add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, water and apple juice. Stir well. Place on stove and heat on med-high heat until boils. Boil for about 2 min until it's really thick and bubbly. Pour over apples and mix.

Roll out half of dough for bottom crust. Pour apples over crust in pie dish. Then roll out top crust. Sprinkle a little sugar over top crust. Bake in oven set to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35-40 more minutes. Let pie rest before serving.