Wedding Wednesday: Jorie & William

Jorie and William are one of the most beautiful couples I've ever met! On this special day last Fall they were all smiles, even as storm clouds (after a year-long drought) threatened to rain on their parade.  The clouds never produced and the evening was absolutely lovely.





Details like flickering flames in mason jars and wildflowers in Fall hues complemented the rustic reception venue--Jorie's parent's amazing home. These rich, warm colors carried through into other wedding details like the bridesmaids dresses, groomsmen's ties, and the invitations.






This cactus cake was TO DIE FOR! Almost too beautiful to eat. But eat it we did, and it was just as delicious as it looked!




The bride is a former Texas Longhorn Cheerleader, so it was only appropriate that she give it a go in her wedding dress!




Ceremony Venue: St. Peter's Church, Kerrville, Texas
Photography: Anne Marie Photography
Invitations: Lilly & Louise
Cakes: Sophie's Choice

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How Our Garden Grows: Tomatoes, finally!

We've had a little trouble with our tomato plants this season. Santa Barbara has been unusually foggy this Summer. June Gloom (when the marine layer lingers all day in the form of a foggy day) has lasted much longer than June and thus affected backyard tomato attempts. But, at last, our cherry tomatoes are in full swing! We have a mix of yellow and red (more yellow than red). They are sweet, juicy and quite delicious!

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An Invitation to Celebrate the Season

Here's the latest from the L&L studio!



 

Bride and groom-to-be, Sarah and Brian, wanted to invite their guests to celebrate their marriage on the first weekend of Fall in South Texas. Similar to their Save-the-Date, the couple wanted their invitation to highlight the Texas setting that was elegant with a few rustic details. We kept the invitation formal with a bold and inviting green letterpressed onto a light cream paper.



To complete the package, local Santa Barbara calligrapher Janice Blair worked her magic on the guests' addresses. (I don't know about you, but to me, receiving a calligraphed letter in the mail is like receiving a gift!)

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When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Shortbread

My mom and grandmother recently made a trip out here to visit me. We had a lovely time moseying around town, exploring the flora and fauna, and relaxing. One day we tore out a few pages from Sunset Magazine and Cooking Light and headed for the Saturday morning farmers' market. Farmers' Market Potato Salad, Romano Bean Salad, and Pancetta Salmon Kebabs were on the menu for the evening. We also picked up some Meyer Lemon Quark (a German soft cheese) from the cheese stand at the market--it pairs perfectly with strawberries! And, of course, the meal wouldn't be complete with out dessert (or two, since I guess strawberries count as dessert, too...), so I made Lemon Shortbread with lemons from our lemon tree.



This recipe is quick and easy and totally satisfying (also good with Meyer Lemon Quark!). Try it with your coffee or tea as a breakfast treat, too!

Buttery Lemon Shortbread
from Luscious Lemon Desserts

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temp.)
1 tsp. pure lemon oil

1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter 2 large nonstick baking sheets.

2. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl.

3. Process the sugar and zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground (optional, but nice touch).

4. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar mixture and the lemon oil and beat until combined well. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat just until blended; the dough will be crumbly.

5. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes, or until it begins to come together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Place 2 of them on each baking sheet and pat each piece into a 5-inch round disk about 1/2 inch thick. Score the surface of each disk into 8 wedges, using the tines of a fork. Press around the outer edge of each disk with the tines.

6. Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the baking sheets between the upper and lower oven racks, and back for 12 to 13 minutes longer until the shortbreads are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cut through the scored lines. Remove the shortbreads from the baking sheet and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers.

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Because Baking is Creative: Fruit Pizza

Every Summer when peaches and strawberries begin to ripen and appear in the Farmers' Markets I get excited about making this summery dessert. It's a Summer staple in my family, I can remember my mom making it for many a fourth of July get-together. I can also remember requesting it in December or January and being very disappointed when my mom explained to me how fruit has a season in which it is best to eat and available, and that our Fruit Pizza was better in the summertime...and then it all made sense...



This is actually a no-bake recipe--only the glaze (to keep the fruit from browning) needs a few minutes on the stove--so it's quite easy. You can make the entire recipe in a 12-inch pan or half of it in a 9-inch pan. This doesn't have to be in a circular pan, by the way, it can be rectangle or square, on metal or glass or a pretty platter. I tried it this time in a tart pan with a removable bottom and in worked perfectly.


Fruit Pizza
Lewis Family Recipe

Pizza:
10 oz. ground shortbread cookies
8 tbsp. soft butter
12 oz. cream chese
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups of seasonal fruit of your choice

1. Mix ground shortbread cookies with butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers and press into platter.

2. Beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth and spread over shortbread mixture

3. Arrange 4 cups of fruit of your choice on top. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar.

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1 /2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water

1. Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch and stir into orange juice, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until in boils. Stir for 1 minute. Remove and cool slightly.

2. When glaze is cool enough to touch drizzle over fruit pizza. (Be careful not to let it cool too much because it will become clumpy and not cooperate for the drizzle.)

3. Chill.

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Stuffing and Stamping Therapy

It's been a heck of a week already here in the studio, but I have found solace in stuffing and stamping envelopes for a wedding invitation job I'm working on. There's just something about a simple assembly line activity that is meditative to me... and when I've completed the 317th envelope, I feel so accomplished! It's okay, you can call me crazy.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek of this invitation next week.

Happy Summer! (By the way, it [Summer] has finally arrived in Santa Barbara, hooray!)

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Some Type Trivia for your Thursday

During a recent visit to Lumino Press, a local letterpress studio, I learned a few things about the origins of a few sayings you might recognize. Here is a little trivia you might enjoy...



Mind your P's and Q's
With moveable type, printers placed individual letters on a typeset to print a page of text. The letters were reversed, making it easy to mistake lowercase p's and q's in setting the type. This was a reminder to stay watchful of which letter form you chose from the drawer, and to put it back in the correct place.

Out of Sorts
Since at least the 17th century 'sorts' has been the name of the individual metal characters used by typographers. (A is a Sort, B is a Sort...) For sets of type blocks to be 'out of sorts' would clearly be unwelcome to a typesetter.

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Because You Need More Fuschia on Your Plate

Perhaps this recipe doesn't quite jive with the sweet recipes that I like to share here, but you should know that I cook and eat vegetables, too. (Okay, good, now you know.) This recipe can stop a crowd in its tracks. Partly because it's bright fuschia and people may be a little hesitant to ingest such a thing, and partly because, after they taste it, it's so darn good. This recipe comes from my friend Michael who teaches people how to be creative about the foods we know and love, and how to look at new foods that can add pleasure to a healthy regimen. I've taken a few of his classes and they are incredible (the food and the content!)

Anyway, this recipe has become a favorite in our house. When I'm feeling a brave I'll take it to a potluck or party. Otherwise I make a batch and keep it for myself to enjoy with fresh vegetables! It's also great with pita chips or crackers. Enjoy!


Roasted Beet-Garlic-Walnut Pate
from Michaels Table

2 large beets, washed
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 boiled potato, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t sea salt

Preheat oven to 350

To cook beets and garlic: in covered pot, preferably a cast iron Dutch oven, lightly oil the beets, and
place in oven with 1/4 c filtered water. Set timer for 45 minutes. When timer goes off, take off the lid
and drop in the garlic cloves, re-cover, and set timer for 15 minutes.

At 60 minutes the beets and garlic should be perfectly done. Allow them to cool, slip off the bitter beet skins, and extricate the garlic from their skins too.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth.

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How Our Garden Grows: Carrots

Ever since we planted our carrot seedlings, I've looked forward to the day that I could pull a fresh carrot out of the ground and bite into it (after a good washing, of course.) The day has come, my friends...but it seems our carrots aren't the prettiest of carrots (yes, what you see above is a carrot!). Since planting them, I've learned a thing or two about thinning and watering, but nonetheless these carrots taste amazing. When my mom saw that I had planted carrots, she warned me that I would never be able to go back to store-bought carrots again. It's true. Right out of the garden they are so fresh and so sweet...delicious.

I'm going to work on making my carrots look more like, well, carrots. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and happy July!

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