{friday cocktail: the prism}

This past summer I got the chance to dream up a fun cocktail to be served as the signature drink for one of our clients at Bliss Weddings & Events.  Ashley & Johnny worked with Cheree Berry Paper to create a beautiful coral colored prism pattern that adorned their invites, welcome bags and day of paper goods which is what prompted the name for their signature cocktail.  They also wanted something colorful, refreshing and vodka-based.  The recipe we ended up with isn't the quickest cocktail to make, but it is well worth the effort!

{photos via Avery House}

Cheers and congrats to the newlyweds Johnny & Ashley!

{gift guide: for the hostess}

With Thanksgiving next week and Christmas coming up in 36 days, it's about time for some gift guides around here!  Let's start out with some unique hostess gifts to bring to along to all those parties and gatherings crowding your social calendar.  Links to all products below or see the round up of all the gift guides and gifts this season by following this pinterest board.

1.  Gold Playing Card Set

2.  French Lavender Hand Cream 

3.  Voluspa Candles

4.  Fresh flowers:  you can never go wrong with a simple bouquet of fresh flowers- I love to buy flowers from the super market, take them out of their tacky plastic wrap and re-wrap them in kraft paper tied with some fun ribbon. 

5. Champagne: any time. any reason. always a good idea.

  

6. West Elm custom monogram cocktail napkins

7. Gold rimmed agate trays

8.  Letterpress cocktail recipe cards

{thanksgiving menu}

We will be hosting 13 of our family and friends here in Chicago for Thanksgiving dinner next week which gave me a mild panic attack when it came to starting to devise a delicious menu!  This past weekend, armed with the latest issues of our favorite food magazines and pinterest, we worked out our entire menu and the subsequent shopping list of over a 100 items!  So to save you a little time with your menu planning or selecting the dish to bring for your Thanksgiving pot luck, I gathered our entire menu and links to the recipes (with some modifications) right here:

Charcuterie & Cheese Tray: after enjoying a morning with this decadent french toast and a dozen mimosas we will put a big spread of charcuterie and cheese for guests to graze on during the cooking.

Batch Cocktails:  I'll whip up a batch each of The Bee's Pajamas & The Brown Derby for our guests to sip on along with the appetizers.

Kale Caesar Salad:  This is a classic salad in our house.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts: This will serve almost as another "salad" option and we will be adding a few cups of brown rice and pancetta to this recipe.

Simple Green Beans: because not everything can be drowning in cream or butter.

Braised Short Ribs on a bed of sweet potatoes:  I love turkey, but I love red meat more and so does most of my family so we will be braising a big batch of short ribs and serving them over sweet potatoes.

Classic Stuffing: most of our guests are coming from out of town, but the one couple coming locally will be bringing their favorite stuffing recipe.

Pioneer Woman Mashed Potatoes:  We have made this recipe a few times in the past and the best part of it besides the fact that its super tasty is that you can make them the day before!

Gulliver's Corn:  This dish is definitely more cream and cheese than corn which seems perectly appropriate for Thanksgiving- plus it's a recipe we have made for the past 20 years of Thanksgivings in my family.

Alton Browns Turkey: because Chris is obsessed with anything Alton Brown does.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sour Cream Marshmallow topping:  this sounds like the fancier more decadent version of pumpkin pie. I'm in!