Short Wedding Dresses

All brides are a vision of beauty on their big day, each with their own style.  How do you feel about short wedding dresses?  Are they appropriate for brides of all ages?  Should they only be worn as second dress options during the reception?  Do you think they are only suitable for weddings at certain locales?

Tell me how you feel while checking out a few of these beauties!

Alfred Angelo - Style 2155

Amsale - Madge

Casablanca Bridal - Style 2015

David's Bridal - Style N9781

Maggie Sottero - Isadora Ann

Watters - Albury

Grilled Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese

Here is a delicious side to the meal introduced last week from Cosmo Magazine, thanks to Katie Lee!

alidaskitchen.blogspot.com

4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes cut in half crosswise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. 

Brush tomatoes with olive oil on both sides, and season cut side with salt and pepper.  Place cut side down on grill, and cook 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn, and top tomatoes with thyme and Parmesan, then cook for 1 additional minute.

Unique Ceremony Decor

Today's post is all about unique quirky ceremony decor.  Your ceremony is the most spiritual part of the entire wedding where you and your spouse commit yourselves to each other, why shouldn't it be just as expressive of the two of you as the reception decor???

There's nothing wrong with a beautiful arch or a little pipe & drape, but there are plenty of other ways to encompass your personalities and wedding styles for the ceremony too!  Below are a few that caught my eye!

Aisle's lined with petals are always gorgeous, I definitely love this geometric pattern this couple has created.

Wedding Bee

If you're using fruit in your reception decoration, why not carry the theme through starting with your ceremony?

The Knot

Look at these cute Pinwheels, I bet they would be gorgeous adorning the alter as well!

Withy Windle

How cute is this?!?!

BV Weddings

This alter idea is super creative, I love the bright fabric pattern the couple has chosen.

The Knot

This is one of my favorites, talk about sprucing up for a backyard wedding!

Ruffled Blog

Steak Chimichurri

I hope everyone is having a great week!  Today's recipe is the entree to a fabulous meal I found in the August 2011 issue of Cosmo Magazine contributed by Katie Lee.  The menu includes Steak Chimichurri, Grilled Tomatoes, Basil Corn Saute and Quick Raspberry Tart.  Yummy Right?!?!  I promise to bring the recipe to the rest of the meal to you over the coming weeks!



stacy-brian.blogspot.com

For the steaks:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds flank steak

For the chimichurri:

1 cup cilantro, minced

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a shallow baking dish, whisk lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add steaks and turn to coat both sides.  Cover and refrigerate for thirty minutes (up to overnight).

While the steaks are marinating, make the chimichurri.  In a bowl, whisk the cilantro, parsley, garlic cloves, and vinegar.  Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. 

Preheat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat.  Cook steaks to desired degree of doneness, about 4 minutes on each side for medium.

Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes, then slice on the diagonal and serve with chimichurri.

Celebrate Good Times!

Sometimes we are so focused on the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we forget to enjoy the simple things.  The other day was simply a good day, nothing more nothing less.  How did I celebrate?!?! With a Mango Misto from Rita's of course!

Cheers to lifes simple pleasures!

Cherry Tomato and Chili Gazpacho

Today's Recipe is comes from a food network show called Giada at Home.  It is a cool refreshing summer soup great for the dog days of summer!

Picture from ifood.tv

Ingredients

Gazpacho:

• 1 pound ripe cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped, or 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

Croutons:

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 tube (9 ounces) store-bought, pre-cooked polenta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

For the gazpacho: Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, chiles, shallots, garlic, vinegar, hot sauce, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, to taste. Refrigerate for 2 hours until ready to serve.

For the croutons: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan with 1 inch of oil. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Working in batches, carefully add the polenta cubes and fry, stirring occasionally to keep the cubes separated, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.


Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the Parmesan.


To serve: Ladle the gazpacho into 4 soup bowls and top with the polenta croutons.

"Sharing Our Love"

This past weekend I had the pleasure of watching an event come together for a wonderful bride that I have been working with for the past 16 months.  The couple had a small intimate ceremony on a beautiful Sunday evening with the theme "Sharing Our Love."  I must say it was such a joy to see this wedding come together perfectly and witness the love and spirtualilty this couple was surrounded with.

As an ode to the theme there were tons of hearts, pink and red all around.  All of the careful planning came together beautifully and everyone had a good time!

Breakfast Casserole

I have no idea where this reciepe came from (kudos to whoever created it!) but I do know that this is one of my absolute favorite dishes my Mom used to make for breakfast when we were younger.  It does take some planning (you have to prep it the night before) but trust me, its worth the work!  If you are a breakfast lover like me, I'm sure you will enjoy this casserole as much as I do.

My Dad always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  Enjoy!

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

1 box seasoned croutons

2 lbs pork sausage, browned and drained

1 cup grated cheddar or American cheese

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of msuhroom soup

2 cups milk

8 eggs

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

Layer croutons and sausage in a 9 1/2 x 13 inch glass casserole dish.  Beat remaining ingredients together and pour over crouton-susage mixtre.  Cover and store in refridgerator overnight.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Uncover casserole and bake for 1 hour.

HAPPY {belated} BIRTHDAY to me!

My Birthday was in July!  Every year in January when one of my best friends birthday's rolls around I get very anxious because I know in a few short months I'll be old too!  Imagine my anxiety around July 1!

This year I wanted a quite celebration with a few of my nearest and dearest friend.  We chose a Sunday evening to go out to dinner and see a movie.  Even though we all live in the same city it seems as if the times we do get to spend with each other are few and far in between.  Of course my sweet friends never cease to amaze me and there were a few surprise gifts and a surprise birthday cake too!

What was most important to me  and the highlight of my birthday was spending time with a few of my besties!  Even though this post is a few weeks late, I just thought it was important to share how much I love, adore and respect these ladies!  Birthdays are a very special occasion, but don't wait around until one comes around to spend some time with those you love!