Lilly & Louise: April 2010

Spring Dessert Table

I love Spring...and baking...and making things. For a recent Spring-y celebration I was responsible for dessert (so very appropriate). While taking on desserts, I also took it upon myself to make a dessert table... because two desserts are better than one, and a whole table is even better.

I chose tried and true recipes, all of which have been featured here on the blog in some form or another. Lemon Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, [Toasted] Coconut, Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies, and Avocado Pound Cake. In an attempt to use things I had on hand, I created "centerpieces" with lemons from our lemon tree, oranges from our orange tree, made cake stands and tiered stands from anything that resembled one, and placed everything on a simple green and white table runner.

My Spring dessert table was a hit! There were only two cookies left at the end of the evening. These recipes and centerpiece ideas would be great for a baby shower or bridal shower, feel free to make it your own...and I know a good place where you can find unique invitations for that shower! Ha!

Lilly & Louise on simple + pretty

Click yourself on over to simple + pretty and check out their post featuring the wedding rehearsal dinner invitation designed by (and for) yours truly.

Save-The-Date: Celebrating Fall...and a Wedding

Bride and groom to be, Sarah and Brian, wanted to invite guests to save the date for their wedding elegantly and with a touch of country that guests might experience at their celebration. With the first weekend of Fall as their wedding date, they chose to work with fresh colors that mark the transition from Summer to Fall.

With the help of John at Lumino Press, we letterpressed these double-sided Save-the-Dates with lime green ink, onto a beautiful, thick, textured cream paper. Then, to create even more tactility, we attached the couple's engagement photo with photo corners. To complete the experience, we designed a matching label for the envelope.

Favorite Things: Cookie Disher

Oh, cookie disher, where have you been all my life? I've seen this little gadget before, but never tried it until I bought one on a whim just the other day. It's genius! (I know, why didn't I think of this sooner?) I've already used it for cupcakes and cookies. With this nifty tool, there's no mess when scooping cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, or batter into the muffin pan...and I'm sure I'll come up with even more uses for it. I'm smitten.

In case you're wondering, in these photos I've made these cookies. Again.

A Pasadena Wedding Invitation, Simply and Sweetly

Below is the completed invitation that I shared a sneak peak of a few weeks ago.

The lovely bride and groom-to-be wanted to invite their friends and family to an intimate celebration of their marriage simply and sweetly. I loved the couple's ideas for color: sage green and cream, with maybe a splash of red. To complete the palette, we added a soft grey for the type. The sage folder holds the invitation, reply card, and map, while a silhouetted flower unifies all the material.

Because Baking is Creative: Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches

During my quest to make the perfect carrot cake concoction for Nathan's birthday, I stumbled upon this recipe and had to try it (for you, of course). Most of the time, despite the impression I may give that I'm obsessed with refined sugar, I'm a bit of a health nut (let's just say I have a place in my heart for beautiful desserts, most of which happen to have that sweet, white stuff). I enjoy learning about substitutions that can make a recipe healthier, so when I read this recipe, I was giddy about the prospect of tasting the completed dish.

These cookie sandwiches were so good I could eat them for breakfast, and so good for me that it would be acceptable in my house. The texture is soft with a little added crunch from the pecans, and the filling—greek yogurt, honey and cinnamon—is genius. I highly recommend giving this recipe a whirl.

Carrot Cake Cookie-wiches
adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

Makes 20 Minis or 10 Jumbos

1 Cup Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
½ Cup Wheat Bran
1 Cup Oatmeal
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh nutmeg
3/4 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrot
2 Eggs
½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce (I used my homemade version)
2 tbsp. Butter, room temperature
½ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Golden Raisins

Filling:
17.6 oz Container (about 2 Cups) 2% Greek Yogurt (such as Fage)
¼ Cup Local Honey
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325’

1. In a small bowl, pour about half cup of hot water over the raisins and let them soak. In a bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add applesauce, butter, brown sugar and stir. Drain the raisins and add them, and the carrots to the wet mixture. In another large bowl, mix all dry ingredients and the nuts.

2. Gently, in thirds add the dry ingredients to the wet. You should get a pretty thick dough at this point, firm enough keep form on a baking sheet, but still more moist than your typical cookie.

3.Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop for large cookies, or a tablespoon for smaller ones and set them 2’’ apart. Bake for 12-16, depending on cookie size, until edges brown a little and the middle is just set. Timing will vary.

In the meantime, mix all filling ingredients with a whisk and put in fridge to firm up.

Allow cakey cookies to cool before assembling the sandwiches. Use desired amount of filling and eat immediately as the yogurt gets a bit messy once it starts to soften. You could also freeze them for about 30 minutes, which would make them much easier to eat.

How Our Garden Grows: First Harvest

Remember those seedlings? Well they've grown into handsome little adolescents! Some a little slower than others...This morning we harvested our first two heads of red leaf lettuce, which we plan to use in a salad tonight. I thought you'd enjoy an update.

...Something tells me we'll have a surplus of lettuce, so, all you SB readers, you know who to call if you need some homegrown red leaf lettuce!

From left to right: carrots, zucchini, red leaf lettuce.

Postcard Save-the-Date

Here's a peek at a recent Save-the-Date we just completed at the Lilly & Louise studio. The bride-to-be is smitten with the Aspen trees in the area, so we made sure to give guests a glimpse of what Mother Nature might have in store for them come Fall in Colorado. What radiant colors!

A postcard Save-the-Date is a great alternative to using a card + envelope (you can save on postage, too!)

Home, Texas

On a recent trip back to Texas to visit family, I made the obligatory pull-over-on-the-side-of-the-road-and-sit-in-the-Bluebonnets move. It was lovely. The last few times I've visited central Texas during the Spring the Bluebonnets have been few and far between because of a drought. This year they are back in full force, blanketing open fields along the highway, spotted with coral patches of Indian Paintbrushes. The never-ending blue skies and crisp air over these red, white, blue and green fields gave me a pleasant taste of Spring in Texas.

Because Baking is Creative: Avocado Pound Cake

Yes, you read correctly. There is avocado in this pound cake. And it's darn good. I couldn't resist, I just had to try this recipe. Who would have imagined that avocado and pound cake could make such a delightful match?

The avocado in this pound cake ensures that the cake is perfectly moist, curiously green, and strangely sweet, while the cornmeal adds a welcomed, slight crunch. But the best part of this invention is the browned crust, it completes the entire experience. Yes, this cake is an experience. Try it. And Happy Friday.

Avocado Pound Cake
from Joy the Baker

Makes 2 9×4x3-inch loaves, or 1 tube/bundt pan

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
flesh of 1 1/2 ripe avocados, just over a cup to a cup and a half of avocado, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two loaf pans and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. Set the four eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature while you beat the butter and sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until softened and pliable. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the avocado and beat another minute to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after the addition of each egg. Beat in vanilla extract.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, all of the buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour mixture. Beat just until combined.

Divide the dough between the two loaf pans and place in the oven. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Favorite Things: Market Bag, by Moop

I bought my Market Bag about a year and a half ago and I love it. It fits my laptop with room to spare, has three pockets and a zipper pocket inside for things like a cell phone, art supplies, keys, books...or snacks, of course. Mine has an adjustable strap so I can wear it messenger-style when my laptop starts to feel like 100 pounds or when I ride my bike.

Moop specializes in handmade bags for men, women and kids. They design and manufacture every bag, start to finish, in their Pittsburgh studio. It is evident in their craftsmanship that they are firm believers in concise, durable, well crafted design. Moop offers many different styles of bags, small, medium and large, in many different colors. For all you Moms out there, I hear Moop bags make great, low-profile, diaper bags. Check out all their Moop goodness on their website here.

Photos by Moop.

Party Favors: Handmade and Homemade

The words "party favor" make me think of fond memories of decorated paper bags from elementary birthday parties, filled with plastic trinkets, cough-syrup-flavored hard candy, and Tootsie Rolls. I remember being excited that I got to go to the party and get a gift! My idea of a "party favor" has since changed. Now I enjoy being on the giving end of party favors because I get to unleash my creativity (and my inner Martha) and figure out how to leave a lingering impression of the event with my guests. For our wedding, we put together a CD we called "Music for the Ride Home" full of our favorite songs for guests to listen to as they made their way back to their homes over the following days. Favors are a great way to "complete" the look and feel and experience of your event. (Admittedly, I get a little giddy at the sight of well-packaged, personal favors at various events!)

For a recent Texas-themed get-together, I made homemade granola to give to guests for their "trail ride home." I found small canning jars and printed labels from my inkjet printer onto adhesive paper, and appropriately named it "Tex Mix."

I found the granola recipe in Texas Monthly (even more appropriate). It was my first time to make homemade granola, and it blows the boxed stuff out of the water...er, uh, milk. The recipe is below, of course.

Tex Mix Granola
adapted from Texas Monthly

1 cup pure maple syrup (not maple-flavored)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
4 ounces (about 1 cup) pecan halves
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) raw unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
4 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) chopped dried peaches or nectarines
4 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) dried cherries or golden raisins

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown sugar is dissolved, and stir in vanilla. In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flour, milk powder, and flaxseed meal. Pour warm syrup mixture over dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the moistened oats evenly between the sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir with a metal spatula and switch sheets to opposite racks to ensure even cooking. Bake another 20 minutes, then stir and switch pans again. Continue baking until mixture has a fragrant, toasty aroma, about another 10 to 15 minutes.

Cool the granola in the pans, breaking up any unwieldy clumps with a spatula. When completely cool, mix in dried peaches and cherries. May be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Makes 11 to 12 cups.

Bridemaids Gifts: Custom Dress Cards

I just shipped off an order of lime green custom designed bridesmaids cards based on dresses by Coren Moore. These dress silhouettes are some of the most unique I've seen lately, and it was fun to figure out how to replicate them with paper. Altogether, I think they make a lovely set.

Click here and here to see some other examples of similar custom designed cards. If you're interested in purchasing some for your bridesmaids, visit our shop or send me an email to inquire about a custom order.

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Chess Pie

As the days become longer I'm starting to notice the familiar smell of BBQ making its way through the neighborhood. We kicked off the season with neighbors recently and made sure to follow the meal with a true, Southern dish. Lemon Chess Pie. The tangy lemon custard and slight crunch from the cornmeal make this pie one for the books.

I've often read of "chess pie" in my cookbooks and wondered why it's called "chess pie." As a visual thinker, I always imagined the pie with a checkerboard appearance...Thanks to Wikipedia, I can enlighten you with a bit of trivia. The pie seems to have no relation to the game of chess, which has led to much speculation as to the origin of this term. Some theorize that the name of the pie traces back to its ancestral England, where the dessert perhaps evolved from a similar cheese tart, in which the archaic "cheese" was used to describe pies of the same consistency even without that particular ingredient present in the recipe. One folk etymology suggests that it was referred to as "just pie", which soon shortened to "jus' pie" or "jess' pie," and then corrupted to "chess pie". There is also a theory that the word "chess" pie comes from the piece of furniture that was common in the early South called a pie chest or pie safe. Chess pie may have been called chest pie at first because it held up well in the pie chest.

Now that you're enlightened, here's the recipe (which comes to us via L&L friend, Janice--thanks Janice!).

Lemon Chess Pie
from the March 2010 issue of Cook's Country Magazine

Use your favorite single crust pie dough. Regular yellow cornmeal (not stone ground) works best here. Make the filling before baking the shell so the cornmeal has time to soften. Adding the filling when the pie shell is still warm reduces the pie's cooking time slightly.

5 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest and 3 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 (9-inch) pie shell, chilled

1. Make filling. Whisk eggs in large bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1 3/4 cups sugar, lemon zest and juice, cornmeal, and salt until combined. Whisk in butter.

2.Bake crust. Poke pie shell all over with fork. Refrigerate 40 minutes, then freeze 20 minutes. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake shell until small bubbles appear and surface begins to look dry, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325.

3. Bake pie. Whisk filling briefly to recombine. Scrape filling into prepared pie shell and bake until surface is light brown and center jiggles slightly when shaken, 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar. Cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours. Serve.

Pie can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days.

Have a lemon recipe we should try? Send it to us here.

Santa Barbara Wedding Guide & Blog and a Sneak Peek

I’m excited to announce that Lilly & Louise is now part of the Santa Barbara Wedding Guide! The Santa Barbara Wedding Guide also has a lovely blog that I’ll be contributing to periodically as a guest blogger. Click yourself over to the blog to check out Santa Barbara real wedding features, vendor spotlights, inspiration and gorgeous eye candy.

And below, just a little sneak peek of a project I just completed.