Cool Cake!!!

The item pictured above is one of my proudest achievements (other than my son!). Why? Because it was a cake that I'd made & decorated for my son's 6th birthday party. I was so nervous that it wasn't going to turn out well. But with using the Fondant, it not only came out great, it was also quite easy. First, I rolled out the fondant with a rolling pin to a 1/4" thickness. Then, I copied a picture of the Transformer face on my Copier/Printer, blew up it's size an additional 90%, cut out the pieces and placed them on the Blue Fondant. I then cut the pieces of the fondant, carefully, tracing each photo copied piece with a rolling knife (exactly like a pizza cutting knife). After I'd iced the cake, to save myself some time, I spray painted the cake red, with a cake decorator's spray paint. I then carefully placed the blue fondant Transformer face pieces on the cake. Lastly, I sprayed the entire cake & Transformer lightly with black cake decorator's spray paint. Voila! It was all worth seeing the smile and surprise on my little guys face & the surprised faces of his friends.

Note: All items used to decorate were purchased at Party City. The items purchased were white vanilla icing, cake decorator's spray paint & fondant.

Bowled over by the Latte Bowl!!!

I LOVE the Latte Bowls! As I get older, it's the little things that make me happy & the Latte Bowls are one of those little things! When I go to make breakfast in the morning & my little guy is having pancakes, I serve him the maple syrup in a powder blue Mini Latte Bowl. It makes me smile as I poor the syrup into the bowl, looking at the cute, beautiful colored little bowl. When I have company over & I'm serving h'orsdeouvres, it makes me happy serving my homemade guacamole in one (regular sized) aqua Latte Bowl, salsa in a turquoise Latte Bowl & chips in a lime green Latte Bowl. When I'm serving a big fabulous caldron of chili, it makes me happy to serve each bowl in my white Latte Bowls & the toppings in all of the shades of green Latte Bowls I've collected over the years (a mid Yellow-Green, Lime Green, a Dark Yellow-Green). When I serve my son his chicken tenders for dinner, I proudly serve him the ketchup in a white Mini Latte Bowl. Go ahead, call me crazy (& repetitive!), but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than going to a Psychologist! A smile a day, keeps the Dr. away!!! :) :) :)

Note: The Latte Bowl colors change every year, but always come in a great array of colors. The regular sized bowls are $5.00 each and the mini ones are a little over $2.00 each. They can be found in any Anthropologie store, or purchased in sets at Anthropologie.com. :)

Celestial Coasters

When it comes to decorating ones home, it's all in the details, even down to the simplest of items, for example, a coaster. When I entertain, I like to have something as simple as a coaster stand out. Why? Because I'd like to think that it makes my guests feel special. Something that is interesting & beautiful is fun to look at, can lighten the mood & if for nothing else, can be a conversation piece. I have fallen in love with the coasters pictured above. They are little works of art and look like they've been cut from a precious or semi-precious stone and are still in their raw state. They aren't of course. Each of them are made by hand by a Minneapolis potter Kerry Brooks, in her studio. They consist of clay, glass and glaze and can be purchased at Anthropologie, which also happens to be one of my favorite stores. You can also find them at Anthropologie.com. They come in a set of 4 for $32 on the website, but I'm pretty sure you can buy 1 at a time for $8 a piece, in the store. Salud! :)

143 bar taco

143 bar taco

I love bar taco. The same talented owners of Barcelona have done it again. "bar taco" in Port Chester is more than a restaurant. It's like going on an excursion while on vacation & stumbling upon a secret hideaway. As I entered, I was immediately taken to a warmer climate. The decor is so inventive with the handwoven baskets hanging from the ceiling, looking like overgrown groovy lampshades dangling above, each speckled with a lightbulb in it's center. The walls are covered in photographs that look like they were snapped on the beaches of Brazil. To the right, upholstered benches in white and navy blue, coordinating with benches on the outdoor deck, splattered with throws and pillows. There is an enormous aqua, turquoise & white painting, of a pristine beach, painted by Sasa (pronounced Sasha, one of the owners). The walls are painted Navy from the floor to waist level & then white from waist level to the ceiling; the drapes line up perfectly in the same color scheme. And that's just the decor.

Being the purist that I am, I immediately started with their signature margarita. It didn't disappoint. It was all things that it was supposed to be; refreshing & soothing, with a subtle smooth kick of tequila. The guacamole was rich, creamy and fresh. The chopped salad was made of the freshest ingredients, all chopped into the same size, which I love. But my favorite was the spicy beef stew with kaffir lime. It was the most delicious beef stew I've ever had. The broth was wonderfully seasoned & tasted exactly as a beef broth should taste. The beef was so tender & yet still full of flavor; the carrots were firm, yet soft; there were some charred onions & then the most surprisingly wonderful kick of the kaffir lime. One word: brilliant!

I highly recommend "bar taco". It is behind the "Willett House" and across from the movie theater & Cosco. :)