Dinner for Two

Cookbook Recommendation.

When your are cooking for just two people, it is really easy to get stuck in a rut. I love to try out new recipes but so many interesting recipes yield a lot servings and can take quite a while to cook. And while those are perfectly fine for the weekend or when you have guests, most of us want to be able to prepare something in 30 minutes or less during the week.

I received the Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook as a wedding gift last year and it is the perfect remedy for this problem. In the last week, I've tried several new recipes and loved them all. I've included one of these below. And make sure to grab a copy of the book for yourself so you can spice up your weekly dinner options!

Pasta with Pesto, Shrimp, and Sweet 100s

Serves 2

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

8 oz Angel Hair Pasta

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

8 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup pesto

1 cup halved sweet 100s or other cherry tomatoes

grated Parmesan

lemon wedges for garnish

Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full of water. Bring to boil over high heat and add kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente (about 4 minutes). Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and add the garlic. Continue cooking for about another minute until the shrimp is opaque in the center. Add the reserved cooking water and pesto and stir until incorporated. Add the pasta and tomatoes an toss to combine. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with sprinkling of grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.

Link Love

Rachel Ray Magazine
What a great way to make back to school fun.


Bakerella
Pie Pops...what will she think of next.


Arm Chair Trader
So simple, yet so elegant.

Under a Paper Moon

Let this be your inspiration to get out there and soak up the sun.

Little Birdie Secrets
Who doesn't love party poppers? Check out the tutorial here...

To do or not to do

Task organizing ideas.

This time of year has a tendency to get a little hectic. Summer is drawing to an end and everyone is trying to fit every summer activity they haven’t accomplished yet into 3 weeks. The kids are headed back to school which means many supplies and clothes to purchase. Here at Hip Hostess things have become really busy in the last week and not that we are complaining but it means we need to be more organized than ever.

Hip Hostess has a daily morning meeting where we go over our to-do lists and organize our tasks for the day. This is pretty easy when you have a computer in front of you with a nice, neat excel spreadsheet. But it seems that if I am out and about and an idea or task strikes I end up with tiny scraps of paper throughout my purse. And trying to translate my scribbles can be a task in itself. Sure I could enter the info in my BlackBerry, but sometimes it is just quicker and easier the old fashioned way.

So I decided to go in search of some fun downloadable lists that I could use both in the office as well as on the fly.

How About Orange
Created by Erin Vale
This is a great find. Not only does Erin offer a Freakin to-do list which makes me laugh a little every time but also a Dreamy blog topic list and a pain in the groceries to buy list.


The Project Girl
This is great if you want everything on one page for easy purse snatch ability.



Blah, Blah, Blahg
Created by Baca Creative
This list is great because it helps keep the focus on what is really important.

Vanilla ice cream sans ice cream maker

Recipe.

I love the idea of having homemade ice cream. As a matter of fact I have had an actual ice cream maker in my basket at Macy’s more than once. But before I make it to check out, the machine always goes back to the shelf. The problem is two-fold, not only is it not a good idea for me to have gallons of ice cream around the house at all times but I really don’t have a good place to store the equipment not to mention rock salt.

Due to my icy obsession I decided to do a little research on how I could achieve a preservative free ice cream in small quantities without much fuss. The ingredients are basic and the process pretty easy but you should plan this culinary adventure when you are going to be around the house since the steps are spread out over a few hours. If you want to get crazy you could add some chocolate chips, fresh berry puree, cookie dough or anything on hand that you love. Add these treats after you have whipped the ice cream. I think a little healthy ice cream is a great refreshing treat and after all, a girl’s gotta get her calcium.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 eggs
¾ Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Cup milk
1 Pint heavy whipping cream
Pinch of Salt
2 Teaspoons vanilla

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for several minutes until thick and lemon colored. Add 1 cup of milk and blend into the eggs. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Add egg/milk mixture to the sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thick (about 5 minutes) stirring constantly. Allow the custard mixture to cool to room temperature.

When the custard is cool, put into a freezer-safe bowl. Blend in cream and salt. Freeze for 2 hours or until slushy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Return to freezer and finish freezing (several hours or overnight).

Sponsor: Moments of Elegance

Favors.

We are always excited to get a new sponsor. We especially love it when the sponsor offers so many creative products to enhance any event. Moments of Elegance was created to provide a one stop shop for your wedding, shower and special event needs.

Moments of Elegance is a huge fan of “practical favors,” favors you can eat or use. They have recently added plantable seed favors to the list. There is something special about a favor that is eco friendly and a continual reminder of the event.

Many times favors are one of the last things to be purchased for an event. At Hip Hostess we often like to work backwards. If you can find a great favor or source of inspiration it is easier to get the ball rolling on the overall event. You can create a theme, color scheme, invitation, etc using the favor as a guideline. It really helps in creating one-of-a-kind unique events.

Be sure to check out the vast array that Moments of Elegance has to offer and let the creative juices flow.

Personalized glass favor jars (set of 12)
With a large variety of labels to choose from this is an excellent way to gain inspiration. The jars hold 3.78 oz which will still provide a nice favor but allow you to stretch your dollar farther.


Palm Tree Favor with Multi dimensional Feature
These favor boxes would be great at a luau or shower for a destination wedding. They could also double as place cards at each setting.


Nothing is sweeter than love personalized lemonade
If you are having a wedding where many people are staying at the same B&B or hotel this is a great way to encourage an afternoon get together while sipping lemonade on the porch.

Schlee-voh-what?

Cocktail Recipe.

At my friend's recent wedding, I was introduced to Serbian Plum Brandy...also known as Slivovitz. Now I had heard horror stories from those before me in line about how it might taste similar to rocket fuel, but I didn't let that deter me. If the bride says let's do a shot of Slivovitz, who am I to deny the bride?

So I raised my shot glass and said a little toast, and boom! Rocket fuel. But what is surprising about Slivo is that while you feel like you could propel to the space station, there is also a nice aftertaste that comes on after a few seconds. And so after all of our grimacing, we all kept going back for more.

So this got me thinking, there has to be a cocktail recipe in the world that can temper the initial harshness of this liquor and take advantage of the sweet plum notes. After a little research I found the following tasty cocktail that I will quickly add to my repertoire. And it will give me a chance to say cheers in another language. Ziveli!

Slivovitz Fizz
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz Slivovitz
1 tsp. simple syrup
Club Soda
Plum Slice

Mix brandy, lime juice, and sugar with cracked ice in a shaker or blender and pour into a chilled highball glass. Add more ice if necessary and fill with cold club soda. Garnish with plum slice.

Bar Basics

Entertaining at Home.

Many of our readers are newly engaged or are newlyweds entering their first apartment or home with their significant other. Of course this means you will be doing more at home entertaining. Today Hip Hostess is going to give you a few tips for setting up a small bar. This will give you the basic necessities to make sure you are always a prepared hostess.

Vodka: 1-3 bottles, including flavored. Vodka is always a must have because you can serve it on the rocks and it mixes well with any juice. It is also a basic ingredient when throwing together many signature cocktails.

Gin: 1 bottle for old-school martini lovers and tonic drinkers.

Tequila: 1 bottle will do the trick. It is the main ingredient in margaritas and not to mention a great shot.

Rum: 1 bottle to make delicious mojitos or mix up some fruity poolside umbrella drinks.

Whiskey: This is an expensive optional category depending on who you think you would be inviting. If you are planning on hosting a lot of corporate dinner parties then having a smooth bourbon or scotch on hand would be wise.

Beer: A 12 pack of your signature brand or a couple of fun Belgium Beers to taste is always a fun twist.

Red and white wine: I would recommend picking up wines on special and then writing a small cheat sheet to remind yourself of the attributes when serving (ie: hint of cherry, best if opened 1 hour prior to serving). That is the beauty of picking up wines on special, not only are they discounted but they also usually have all the information attached.

Prosecco or Cava: You can find a decent bottle of either for between $6-$12 dollars. They are great to have on hand in case you need to toast to something and they make elegant signature cocktails.

Mixers: Tonic, Coke, Pepsi, Club Soda, variety of juices, lemon and lime juice and a couple fruit purees.

Cocktail Recipes: This site http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/foodscpe/resources/cocktails/ offers many basic cocktail recipes. It is a great idea to print out some basics on recipe cards and stash them near the bar in case someone asks for something shaken not stirred.

Anyone else getting thirsty?

Link Love

Tuesday Inspiration.

Dwell Home
These simple painted frames make an amazing piece of artwork.

Melanger
Oh, how I love chocolate…and oh, how I want to eat one of these marshmallow chocolate cookies.

Design Vagabond
These adorable mobiles would be an amazing addition to any nursery.

Alkemie
Black walls in this boudoir are oh so glam.

Lighten the Mood

Fun Find for a Wine Party.

A great standby theme for a party is a Wine and Cheese tasting...as well it should be. Wine = delicious. Cheese = delicious. Wine & Cheese = Happy Dance.

The one drawback of a wine & cheese party is that it's been done a million times and imparts the idea of being stuffy, so it's always a good idea to mix things up a bit. Which is where Bob's Your Uncle comes in. I've long been a fan of their cheeky humor in greeting cards, but their wine paraphernalia is equally amazing. Here are some of my faves:


Wine Tasting Coaster Pad
Each pack of 48 tear-off paper coasters is printed with fake wine descriptions...all of which are funny with a hint of risque.

Letterpress Coaster Set

Or if you'd like to have a more permanent set of coasters with the same kind of humorous wine descriptions, you can also choose this letterpress version (printed on pulp board).

Gift Bags
And just because you are a guest doesn't mean that you can't bring the fun. These wine gift bags will make your host very happy that they invited you.

Contest Winners

Can you believe it's the beginning of August?!? Oh how time flies. So it is time to announce our contest winners for the month of July!

First up is the winner of the Briguygirls Lotus necklace:

farrah who said...
the quiet om necklace you are giving away is by far one of my favorite pieces..my younger sister and i have always seen the lotus as an agent of change and regeneration..we plan to get the lotus tattoo together upon my graduation from grad school..as well, our younger brother has recently joined the army and the stress of that lends itself to having the lotus close to my heart..

And then our Nimli Pashmina winner is:

Amanda Benton who said...
I really like the silver fern pendant - its so simple and beautiful. I hope I win the giveaway - my colors are lime green and white!!! Now, if I could just find a lime green wedding dress I would be on my way!

Congrats to our winners and stay tuned in early August for more amazing HH contests!