Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Five Easy Recipes for a Decadent Post-Wedding Sunday Brunch

Thinking of hosting a Sunday Farewell Brunch for your wedding party and out of town wedding guests?

Here are the recipes of five decadent menu items that are sure to complete a perfect wedding weekend!

Eggs Hussarde or Eggs Sardou.  As a corporate planner, I planned more than my share of evening events in New Orleans.  And every morning after one of my events, I always found myself at Brennan's Restaurant for breakfast.  Brennan's is known for their Eggs Hussarde, but my heart belongs to Eggs Sardou. I could eat that dish every day if my heart and arteries would allow me.

Crème Brûlée Oatmeal.  Everyone knows that oatmeal is one of the best meals (health wise) that you can have for breakfast.  Since it is a “special” Sunday, you can make it a good breakfast item and a decadent dessert at the same time.

Belazu Lamb Meatballs.  This is a nice alternative; well actually it’s an incredible alternative to your typical bacon or ham.

Buttermilk Fantails.  These buttery rolls resemble a blooming flower, with each petal forming a perfect pull-apart bite.

Peach Bellini.  Living in this hot weather requires a refreshing drink.  You will definitely get that with this peach Bellini.  I tried this last summer and I am here to tell you that this is so good going down (almost too good if you know what I mean!).

 

Bonus Recipe!

 

Smoked Salmon.  I have a thing for smoked salmon.  Actually, I have it really bad for smoked salmon.  So it wouldn't be me if I didn't include a quick and easy recipe in this post.  Enjoy!

Okay, that’s it for today.  If you have a really easy but decadent recipe.  Please share it!  I am always on the hunt for good food -- especially brunch!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

 

(Photo: Eating Out Loud)

Friday Happy Hour: Perfect Lemon Drop Martini

Since I spent the better part of this week focusing on things that is all about you, I thought I would share my favorite cocktail for this week's Friday Happy Hour – The Perfect Lemon Drop Martini.

Ingredients

1½ ounces of Grey Goose® vodka

½ ounce of Triple Sec

1 teaspoon of Superfine Sugar

¾ ounce of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Instructions

Mix the Grey Goose Vodka, Triple Sec, Sugar and Lemon Juice in a cocktail shaker that is half-filled with ice cubes.

Shake well to make sure that the sugar is blended.

Pour strained liquor into a sugar-rimmed martini glass

Garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist.  Dip the edge of the glass into sugar.

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Friday Happy Hour: Hostess with the Mostess Gingersnap Cocktail

 

Last year, Hostess with the Mostess posted a Gingersnap Cocktail Recipe.  Being the adventurous girl that I am, I gave the recipe a try.  I must tell you that it was quite yummy.

It was so good that I served it at several holiday gatherings during the 2007 holiday season.  My little warning: This drink goes down quite easily!  Almost too easily.

If you make the recipe “as is,” you will not remain lucid for very long.  Therefore, I recommend that you make two revisions.

1. Double the amount of eggnog.

2. Add two (2) cups of ice before you blend.

If you give it a try, please let me know what you think.  This is a fun recipe when you have the girls over.  Use the gingersnaps for dunking.

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

(Photo: Hostess with Mostess)

Friday Happy Hour: Wild Hibiscus Fashionista

 

 

You gotta love any cocktail called a Fashionista!  This ultra-feminine cocktail is perfect for a bridal shower, girls’ night out or bridesmaid brunch.

 

The ingredient that gives this cocktail such a "girlish feel" is the Wild Hibiscus

Ingredients 

· One (1) ounce of Vodka

· ½ ounce of Triple Sec

· ½ ounce of Giffard Rose Syrup

· A dash of Peychaud Bitters

· Three (3) ounces of Sparkling Wine

· Hibiscus Petals

· Star shaped Lemon Zest (Don’t worry.  The cocktail will remain fabulous even if the zest is not star-shaped.)

 

Instructions

· Shake the Vodka, Triple Sec, Rose Syrup and Peychaud Bitters on ice

· Strain into a Champagne flute

· Add the lemon zests and top with sparkling wine.

· Lastly, drop in the Hibiscus Petals.

 

To prepare the Hibiscus Petals: Take one hibiscus flower and cut each petal at the base to separate. 

Slice off the crown at the end.

 

 

Please let me know if you like it because I am in love with these little flowers.

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

(Photo: Wild Hibiscus)

 

 

Friday Happy Hour: Vegan Hot Chocolate

Today is all about my little guy.

 

Today, Santa shows up at the mall, the Wooten family tree gets decorated, and the Advent wreath is taken to mass this weekend for its annual blessing.

 

So in the spirit of the little guy, today's signature drink is his favorite hot chocolate.  My little guy is allergic to dairy, so his favorite hot chocolate happens to be vegan (pretty darn good too!).  I found this recipe on Allrecipes last year, and and I must say that it was truly a find!

 

Ingredients

2½ cups soy milk

Three (3) tablespoons of white sugar

Three (3) tablespoons of cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

One (1) pinch of ground cinnamon

One (1) pinch of cayenne pepper

 

Directions

Bring the soy milk, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

 

Remove from the heat and whisk until frothy.

 

Serve immediately.   This recipe only makes two servings, so the little guy and I typically double it to accommodate our need for two cups a piece.

 

**As an added bonus, we are making homemade marshmallows today for our hot chocolate.  The recipe for the marshmallows is compliments of the Blue Orchid Blog

 

Enjoy!  Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

(Recipe:Allrecipes)

Friday Happy Hour: Milky Way Martini

With Halloween quickly approaching, my mind is constantly on candy, candy, candy!  Ooohh, I got to do something about this.

Instead of adding to my Dentist's 401K, I have decided to get my candy fix in a creamy cocktail.  I found this one on the Fine Living web site. 

Ingredients --

1 1/2 ounces of Starbucks Cream Liqueur
1 ounce of Three Olives Chocolate Vodka
1/2 ounce of Cream

The recipe is quite simple: Shake all of the ingredients together while chilling and pour.

Fun Facts About Milky Way Bars: While you are enjoying your martini, enjoy some of the little fun facts about Milky Ways that I found on the Milky Way web site.

** The MILKY WAY® Bar was first created in 1923, with the idea of putting "A chocolate malted milk in a candy bar".

** The Vanilla MILKY WAY® Bar was introduced in 1926. The name changed in 1936 to FOREVER YOURS® Bar. The MILKY WAY® Bar is called MARS® Bar outside the U.S.

** The center of the bar is called nougat, which is made by whipping egg whites with other ingredients until light and frothy to make a frappe. Flavorings, such as cocoa and malt, are added to the frappe to create the signature flavor nougat.

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: MilkyWayBar.com)

Friday Happy Hour: Steve's Cider House Special

The best part about October to me is the change in the weather.  I am a sweater girl (big time), and I love hanging out with my guys, watching a little football, and enjoying a warm drink.

And one of my favorite warm drinks is definitely cider.  I hope that you will enjoy this great cider drink.  The smell of this drink is heavenly and the flavor makes it go down so easily.

BTW: We set a few cups aside for the little guy, then I add rum for the big guy and me to enjoy.

Ingredients:

· Eight to ten ounces of spiced rum

· Eight (8) cups of apple cider

· The juice of one large orange

· The juice of one large lemon

· Three (3) tablespoons of brown sugar

· Four (4) whole cloves

· Four (4) whole allspice berries

· Three (3) cinnamon sticks

· Three (3) star anise pods

Preparation:

Step #1: In a large pot add all the ingredients except for the spiced rum.

Step #2: Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or so.

Step #3: Add rum and keep warm over a low heat or pour into an insulated container to keep warm.

Step #4: To keep your cider potable to nondrinkers, do not add the spiced rum to the pot of cider. Add 2 oz. of rum per cup afterward.

I found this recipe on the Fine Living Network web site.  You should check it out because they have a ton of tailgating cocktails that will keep you warm in the crisp weather.

Enjoy!  Love & Soul Always, Kay

Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail for a Bridesmaid Brunch

One of my favorite brunch beverages is the Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail. I think it is the perfect beverage choice (not too tart and not too sweet) for a bridal brunch.

 

This recipe is definitely one of my favorite versions.  And, as life would have it, it comes from one of my favorite food sites, epicurious.com,

 

You may have to do a little searching for the oranges since blood oranges cultivated in the United States are typicially in season from December to March (Texas), and from November to May (California).  But, they are well worth the hunt.

 

 

Ingredients –

 

¼  cup crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)

1½ cups strained fresh blood orange juice (from about 6 oranges)

One (1) 750-ml bottle chilled brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine

 

Eight (8) blood orange slices (optional)

 

 

Recipe –

 

Step #1: Spoon 1½ teaspoons of the crème de cassis into each of eight Champagne flutes or other glasses.

 

Step #2: Add three (3) tablespoons juice to each glass.

 

Step #3: Fill each glass with Champagne, and then stir gently.

 

Step #4: Garnish cocktails with slices of blood orange, if desired.

 

Cheers!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Photo: Epicurious.com)

 

 

 

 

Friday Happy Hour: Jasmine Spritzers

This has been an incredibly stressful week for me.  It doesn't help that mercury is still hovering around the 80 degrees.  **When is fall going to get here?**

 

So, I went on the hunt for a light and refreshing cocktail to help the day end on a high note.    I think I am going to find it in a jasmine infused cocktail.  According to the Food and Wine web site, this vodka cocktail was created by Chef Rachel Klein's friend Julie Weinberg.  Jasmine has such a beautiful aroma, so I am sure that the floral flavor is quite calming.

 

ingredients

1½ cups warm water

½ cup sugar

Two (2) drops of jasmine essential oil (Please note that essential oils are concentrated, so even one drop can be powerful.)

½ cup fresh lime juice

1½ cups orange vodka

1½ cups Grand Marnier

Ice

Three (3) cups of Chilled Club Soda

Twelve (12) lime twists (optional)

directions

 

Step #1: In a small pitcher, combine the water and sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar.  Gently stir in the jasmine essential oil and lime juice.

 

Step #2: In a pitcher, combine the vodka with the Grand Marnier and jasmine syrup.  Add the ice and stir briskly until the glass begins to frost, then strain into chilled martini glasses.  Top each drink with 1/4 cup of the club soda and garnish with a lime twist.

 

(Photo: Food and Wine and © Keller & Keller)

Fresh and Easy Peach Bellini for a Late Summer Brunch

Now that summer’s end is quickly approaching, I was on the hunt for an easy recipe for all of my juicy, ripe peaches.  I found a recipe for a Fresh Peach Bellini on the Summeripe® Fruit web site, so I am going to serve this refreshing, little beverage on Sunday.  Sweet!!  I will keep you posted.  (Oh by the way, this recipe makes six servings)

 

Ingredients

Two (2) ripe peaches

Two (2) cups chilled sparkling wine

Directions

Step #1: Puree peaches in your blender; chill.

 

Step #2: For each drink: combine 2 ounces peach puree with 4 ounces sparkling wine.  Alcohol free sparkling wine can be substituted for your designated driver.

 

Step #3: Pour into chilled champagne flutes.

 

Enjoy!  Love & Soul Always, Kay