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

Friday Happy Hour: An Arnold Palmer for the Kids

 

Tomorrow is our 4th annual slip and slide party.  So today's happy hour drink is a neighborhood favorite!

The Arnold Palmer!

This unconquerable mixture of iced tea and lemonade was a southern classic way before Arnold Palmer entered the world!  But who cares – Calling it an Arnold Palmer makes it  taste better!

Ingredients –

· Ice

· One-half (½) cup Lemonade

· One-half (½) cup of Iced Tea (my guys prefer sweetened Iced Tea)

Recipe –

· Place the ice in a tall glass.

· Fill the glass halfway with lemonade

· Top with the with iced tea

· Throw in a straw and a sprig of fresh mint and you are good to go!

 

Enjoy!

 

BTW: If the grown-ups prefer to have a little more kick in their Arnold Palmer, consider making a second batch for the adults and adding a little rum.  Yum!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: Baking Bites)  <-- Check out Baking Bites for a more detailed recipe of the Arnold Palmer!

A Special Wedding Reading from Blue Like Jazz

I love special poems and readings for wedding ceremonies.

I came across this passage a little while ago, and I am in love with it!  It would be such a perfect ceremony reading for a bride and groom in love.

 

From the book, Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller

“I will love you, as sure as He loved me.  I will discover what I can discover and though you remain a mystery, save God's own knowledge, what I disclose of you.

I will keep in the warmest chamber of my heart, the very chamber where God has stowed Himself in me.  And I will do this to my death, and to death it may bring me.

I will love you like God, because of God.  I will stop expecting your love, demanding your love, trading for your love, gaming for your love.  I will simply love.

I am giving myself to you, and tomorrow I will do it again.  I suppose the clock itself will wear thin its time before I am ended at this altar of dying and dying again.

God risked Himself on me.  I will risk myself on you.  And together, we will learn to love, and perhaps then, and only then, understand this gravity that drew Him, unto us."

 

Do you have a special wedding ceremony reading that best describes your relationship?

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Photo: Book Cover Photo taken from Amazon.com)

Happy Anniversary to My Guy

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.  -- John Lennon

Happy Anniversary 13th Wedding Anniversary!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Fresh Fig Tarts for a Late Summer Engagement Brunch

 

Now that figs are in season, I cannot resist sharing one of my favorite tart recipes.

I found this recipe almost 10 years ago in an Elle Magazine recipe card <does this magazine still provide recipes?>.

 

And I must tell you that these little tarts are a favorite at my "end of the summer" parties every year.  I think they would be great for a late summer engagement party or brunch.

Ingredients

1. Seven (7) ounces of puff pastry, cold

2. Two and one-fourth (2¼) pounds of ripe figs (green or black)

3. One and one-fourth (1¼) cups of sifted confectioners’ (or powdered) sugar

4. One-fourth (¼) teaspoon of cinnamon

 

Recipe

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the cold pastry into a 7” x 10” rectangle (approximately ⅛” thick).

2. Divide the pastry into six rounds and use one round to line each of the six 3” tartlet pans.

3. Place the pans on the baking sheet and refrigerate for one hour.

4. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 475° F.

5. Rinse and peel the figs.

6. Mash the pulp together with the sugar and cinnamon until it is smooth and well combined.

7. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator.

8. Fill each pastry shell with an equal portion of the fig mixture.

9. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

 

By the way, you can probably purchase the little pastry shells at the grocery store (instead of making them yourself).  No need to wear yourself out!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

A little background information about figs: This mildly sweet fruit is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area.  Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites that trace back to at least 5,000 B.C.

Sweet Potato-Praline/Vanilla, Bourbon-Butterscotch Layered Cake

That was the wedding cake flavor of the Biggest Loser couple, Nicole Brewer and Damien Gurganious.

I don't get excited about many cake flavors, but this one did it for me.  Everything about this cake makes my sweet tooth ache.  Oh!!!

There are no pictures available of their wedding cake yet, but I found a similar recipe worth sharing on the Serial Cooking blog.

Congrats Nicole and Damien!  I wish you a lifetime of happiness, good health and plenty of good lovin'

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: NBC)

Baby Pink Sandals by Donna Karan

Yes.  I would wear these pink Donna Karan sandals to the engagement party, the bridal shower, the meet & greet AND the rehearsal dinner.

Heck, if I could find a hat and purse to match them, I would wear them to the wedding too!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Photo: Zappos)

Monday Morning Thoughts: Gain Some Perspective with your Type "F"

Wow.  Things are a little crazy in the world right now.

Every now and then we need someone to help us put all of the hectic nonsense in our lives into perspective.

Check out one of my previous posts on the value of having a "Type F" in your life.  It really helped me at the time.

When you plan your wedding, who is your type "F?"

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Bananas Foster is Perfect for a Dessert Reception

 

Over the years, I have probably planned more than 15 events in New Orleans.

One of my favorites was a private dessert reception held at midnight.  The chef prepared Bananas Foster upon request. Yum!

Bananas Foster is probably one of the most famous desserts in New Orleans.  If you are headed to The Special Event in January, be sure to stop by Brennan’s in the French Quarter, and enjoy a really good meal.  And be sure to top off that meal with the Bananas Foster dessert.

For those of you that cannot make it to New Orleans any time soon, I noted the Brennan’s recipe below.

 

Ingredients –

· ¼ cup (or a ½ stick) butter

· One (1) cup brown sugar

· ½ teaspoon cinnamon

· ¼ cup banana liqueur

· Four (4) bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved

· ¼ cup dark rum

· Four (4) scoops vanilla ice cream

Recipe –

1. Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.

2. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

3. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.

4. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.

5. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.

6. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.

7. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: www.family.go.com)

Make Sure You Have Enough Portable Restrooms for Your Outdoor Wedding

With summer in full swing, more and more outdoor events are popping up on your wedding and event calendar.

As you plan your own outdoor wedding or event, how do you know that you have rented enough portable restrooms to accommodate your guests' needs? I know, I know -- this doesn't sound very glamorous.  But take it from me, you don't want your family and friends leaving your reception early because there weren't enough bathrooms.  Believe me, they will never forget it.

Here is a key that I use to help determine the minimum number of portable restrooms needed for an outdoor wedding or event with an open bar.

 

Number of Guests	Event Length	Portable Restrooms
100	1 - 4 Hours	3
100	5 – 10 Hours	4
250	1 – 4 Hours	4
250	5 – 7 Hours	5
250	8 – 10 Hours	7
500	1 – 4 Hours	5
500	5 – 7 Hours	7
500	8 – 10 Hours	9

Specifics to consider when renting portable restrooms --

1. Be mindful of the type of portable restroom that you rent.  Some are meant for construction sites and/or park festivals and some are truly meant for special events.  It goes without saying that you want the nice “special event” restrooms.

 

2. Your portable restrooms should include sinks for hand washing, trash cans for miscellaneous trash, and mirrors for those “beauty checks.”

 

3. Make sure that one of your portable restrooms is in ADA-compliant.  Make sure that this restroom is larger too – then it could double as a family restroom.  Parents of young children typically need a larger space to change diapers.

 

4. You could never go wrong with a few extra restrooms - especially if the majority of your wedding guests are women.  In fact, you might want to double the number of bathrooms if more than 50% of your guests are female.

 

Here are a few questions you should ask when you rent your portable restrooms –

1. How quickly can you get another restroom if yours stops working?

 

2. Does the restroom rental come with an attendant?  Or better yet, who is responsible for cleaning the restrooms in case of an accident?

 

3. How is the bathroom odor controlled?

 

4. Do you have to order the bathroom products, or will the company provide them?  Bathroom products include toilet paper, liquid hand soap, hand towels, and even cleaning supplies.

 

Keep all of these factors in mind when determining your portable restroom needs, and you should be in good shape for your fabulous event.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Photo: Premier Luxury Loos)  

Feathered Hats for a Fashionable Bride

If I ever renew my wedding vows, I intend to wear this gorgeous wedding hat I found at the Boring Sidney shop on Etsy!  It's something about the winter white turkey quills.  This hat is fully covered in them.  It's also lined with cream colored satin, and has a Russian chenille dot veiling delicately covering your eyes.

Now to find the rest of my wedding attire.

 

Another fun wedding hat covered in feathers is this Christine A. Moore hat.  I heard that this hat was featured on the television series, Gossip Girl earlier this year.  It's embellished with Coque feathers and it is made in the Classic Fascinator Style. 

 

How cool is this flapper-style hat made by Topsy Turvy Design!  It’s custom-made using soft white hackle feathers, and it is bejeweled in the center with a beaded and rhinestoned appliqué.