DIY Herb Bouquet Place Cards

This weekend we are having close friends over for a fun DIY pizza party.  This type of occasion naturally means -- a perfect opportunity to tablescape!  With all of the traveling I have been doing so far this year, it occurred to me that my last dinner party and tablescape was Christmas!  I cannot believe that it is almost May and I have been tablescapeless.  Needless to say, I am thrilled to have the chance to finally create my first tablescape of 2016!

While the full tablescape and menu details will be on the blog next week, I wanted to use today's post to share the details on the DIY project included in this latest table creation - Herb Bouquet Place Cards.  

Place cards are a tablescape essential for my parties because I find that they are a great way to insure that your guests have the opportunity to chat with new people.  In addition to mixing up table conversation, they can also add an extra pop of color or decor to your table setting.  I absolutely love the fresh pop of green these herb bouquets add to each place setting and the blue cards tie in perfectly with my buffalo check napkins.  These bouquets are super easy to make and relatively inexpensive.  Fragrant and very fitting for entertaining during the warmer months, these place cards are a fabulous tablescape addition. 

Supplies (Makes 4 Bouquets)

• Package of Place Cards (pictured in Night)
• Gold Marker Pen (medium-thick point)
• Scissors
• Gold Ink Pad
• Laurel Rubber Stamp
• Raffia Ribbon
• 4 Packages of Fresh Poultry Herbs 
• 1 Package of Fresh Rosemary
• Hole Punch

Instructions

1. Cut each place card on the fold crease to create 2 individual cards
2. Stamp each cut piece and fill in each guest's name
3. Trim the edges of each card
4. Hole punch the top right corner of each card and then set cards aside
5. Cut raffia ribbon into eight 12" long pieces
6. Arrange one package of poultry herbs into a bouquet adding extra sprigs of rosemary or thyme where needed in order to create a beautiful mini bouquet
7. Wrap an entire piece of cut raffia ribbon tightly around the base and secure the ribbon by making a small knot
8. Loop a second piece of ribbon through the hole punched place card and secure the card to the bouquet by tying a bow
9. I recommend keeping these bouquets in the refrigerator until right before you are ready to use them in order to keep them looking fresh and crisp.

Tropical Sangria Recipe

Historically, I have never really been a fan of Sangria.  If I take an honest look back at why this was the case for so many years, the reason probably had to do with the fact that every time I went to try a glass, it always tended to taste like a big boozy sugary fruit cup (yuck!). 

Over the weekend it occurred to me that National Sauvignon Blanc Day and Cinco De Mayo were right around the corner, which naturally had me thinking about ways to celebrate.  Naturally this got me thinking about the obvious elephant in the room (Wine Holiday + Cinco De Mayo = Sangria), so I decided to try my hand at concocting a new sangria recipe that was more suited to my palette (ie. not too sweet and very flavorful).

The result?  An absolutely delicious Sangria recipe that I am beyond thrilled to share with you all today.  I found the starfruit, kiwi berries and lime leaves at my local Whole Foods.  However, if you can't find kiwi berries, regular kiwis (peeled and sliced) will work just fine.  Here is how I went about making this revamped Cinco de Mayo cocktail staple-

Ingredients

• One Bottle Sauvignon Blanc (I recommend Napa Cellars)
• 1/2 c. Cointreau
• 1 Star Fruit
• 1/2 pt Kiwi Berries (sliced in half with ends removed)
• Fresh Lime Juice
• 3 Fresh Lime Leaves (sliced into thin strips)
• Fever-Tree's Premium Bitter Lemon Soda

Instructions

1. In a large pitcher, combine Cointreau, Wine, Starfruit, Kiwi Berries and Lime Leaves
2. Pour contents approximately 2/3-3/4 full in double old fashioned glasses over ice
3. Fill the remainder of the glass with Bitter Lemon Soda
4. Add the juice of 1/2 Lime to each glass
5. Garnish with additional fruit and serve

Creating Floral Centerpieces on a Budget

Last week I co-hosted a surprise bridal shower at work for a colleague/good friend of mine.  We wanted to give her co-workers an opportunity to help her celebrate this wonderful milestone, so my fellow hostesses and I planned an afternoon travel-themed party complete with light refreshments and of course, a game! 

When it came to planning this party, we were all about dividing and conquering.  My assignments for the party prep included food, party paper products, planning the game and table centerpieces.  Our office provided a gorgeous tower of Georgetown Cupcakes, so I focused on savory dishes- an ultimate veggie platter and a chips/salsa/guac station (btw- this recipe for guacamole is an absolute must try!  So beyond delish!).

When trying to decide how I to go about creating arrangements for the party tables that were beautiful, unique and budget friendly, I knew that a bit of research would be required.  It was actually while perusing the dining section at my local CB2 store that floral inspiration struck and I had my "Ah ha moment."

CB2's Marta Midnight Blue Double Old Fashioned Glasses were on sale for $1.99 each, which was significantly cheaper than my original plan for vases (i.e. purchasing $8 stock vases from a flower supply store), and the perfect floral vessel solution for my centerpieces.  From there, I knew that my next step would be to visit Trader Joe's for flowers.  I mean the price and quality of flowers sold at Trader Joe's is superb and I have yet to find a comparable alternative.  

The arrangements ended up costing about $25 to make (insanely great price if you have ever made arrangements before).  Naturally this latest discovery in the world of budget florals was something that I felt compelled to share with you all on the blog.  So for today's post I am walking through how I went about creating these budget friendly floral beauties.  See below for more details.

What you will need- 

• Scissors or Floral Sheers
• Rubberbands (preferably green ones)
• Large kitchen bowl filled with water
• 3 CB2 Midnight Blue Double Old Fashioned Glasses ($1.99/each) 
• 2 3-Stem Bouquets of White Hydrangeas ($5.99)
• 1 Bouquet of Mums ($3.99)
• 1 Bouquet of Wax Flowers or Alstroemerias ($2.99-$3.99)

Instructions

1. Fill CB2 glasses with water (approximately 3/4 full)
2. Starting with hydrangeas, cut stems submerged under standing water in kitchen bowl until desired stem length is reached
3. Place two hydrangeas in each glass
4. Trim stems and remove leaves from Alstroemeria and divide bouquet evenly amongst the three glasses
5. Fill in remaining spaces with either mums or wax flowers
6. Once arranged in the vase, collect the bouquet out of the water and wrap a rubber band around the stems to give them a tighter look.
7. Trim the ends of the bouquet stems to create an even/flat base and re-submerge bouquet back into water.

Healthy Stir Fry Recipe

I'm not sure if it's because I have been making a bunch of Sprouted Kitchen's asian inspired recipes lately (like this one), but about a month ago my husband suggested that we have a stir fry night.  It sounds crazy because I cook fairly frequently, but the thought of making a stir fry recipe (whether it be someone else's recipe or my own) seemed really intimidating.  Not only had I never made stir fry before, but I didn't even have the basics, a wok!  I have always heard great things about woks (especially from my latest favorite cookbook) and recently was presented with the opportunity to create a stir fry recipe using the new Kyocera Ceramic Coated Wok (talk about the stars aligning!).  

I immediately got to work learning everything I could about how to make a stir fry.  Since I have been on such a major Sprouted Kitchen kick lately, I knew I wanted to create a recipe that was healthy and could accommodate an array of dietary needs/restrictions.  I took a trip down to DC's Eastern Market to get a little ingredient inspiration and boy was that successful!  The most amazing baby bok choy was among the delicious produce offerings at the market.  I quickly developed a game plan for this stir fry and it was finally time to put my new recipe to the test.  

Absolutely fabulous is really the best way to sum up my experience with this new wok.  The design of the pan made it easy to cook a large quantity of food in one fell swoop.  The high walls prevented oil from splattering outside of the pan while frying the tofu in coconut oil. The snug lid made steaming the veggies a cinch.  If that weren't enough, the ceramic coating (yay non-toxic!) also made cleaning the pan post-cooking super easy.  I kid you not, I could have easily just wiped it clean with a damp paper towel (don't worry- of course I used soap and water for the sake of hygiene).  I really wouldn't be gushing like this if I didn't feel this way.  This ceramic coated wok by Kyocera is an absolute gem and a piece of cookware that I would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a new wok.  

Oh, and the recipe was absolutely delish to boot!  Below is how I went about creating this flavorful and very healthy stir fry dish. 

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu
• 2 Carrots (washed and cut into matchsticks)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (cut into thin strips)
• 1 c Snow Peas
• 1/4 Red Cabbage (sliced into thin strips)
• 1/2 Red Onion (sliced into thin strips)
• 2 Baby Bok Choy (cut into quarters)
• 3 Tbs Scallions/Green Onions (sliced on the diagonal)
• Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tbs Organic Tamari
• 3 Tbs Water
• 1 Tbs Lite Rice Vinegar
• 2 tsp Sambal Oelek
• 2 Tbs Muscovado Sugar
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 large Clove of Garlic (freshly minced)
• 1/2 tsp Freshly Minced Ginger
• 2 Tbs Corn Starch

Stir Fry Sauce

Before you begin cooking your protein and veggies, you need to make the stir fry sauce.  

1. In a bowl, combine Tamari, Water, Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, Sugar, Garlic, 1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil, Sambal Oelek, Ginger
2. Set bowl aside along with 2 Tbs of Corn Starch (which you will mix in right before adding the sauce to the stir fry)

Instructions

1. Cube tofu in roughly 1" pieces, place between paper towels with a weighted object on top and allow tofu to sit for about 20minutes.  This will help to press the water out of the tofu, which will yield crispier pieces when cooked.  See this post from The Kitchn for more detailed instructions. 
2. Once tofu has been pressed, heat one heaping spoonful of coconut oil and a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot, add tofu and cook until just crispy on all sides.
4. Remove tofu from wok and set aside on a plate lined with a few paper towels
5. Return the wok to the heat, with the remaining oil.  You should have enough oil to sufficiently coat the pan, but if not then add a little more.  
6. Once the oil piping hot add the veggies, stir them around and then cover with the lid for about 3 minutes until they turn bright in color and have an al dente cooked texture
7. Remove lid, add tofu back in along with the scallions/green onions and stir to incorporate
8. Before adding sauce to the wok, mix the cornstarch into the sauce.  The cornstarch will help the sauce to thicken and create a stir fry slurry. 
9. Add the sauce to wok and stir contents until everything is well incorporated.  
10. Allow contents to cook for about 2 more minutes until you see the sauce has thickened. 
11. Remove wok from heat and serve stir fry over a bed of long grain brown rice.   I am a huge fan of Lotus Foods Organic Brown Rice.
12. Garnish with black sesame seeds and serve. 
13. Note- you can easily substitute chicken for tofu in this recipe.  Simply chop chicken breasts into 1" pieces and cook in the same mixture of coconut oil and toasted sesame oil. 

Thank you Kyocera for sponsoring this post. Recipe and opinions are my own.

How to Create the Ultimate Vegetable Platter

Crudités platters have become a staple in my menu repertoire when hosting a cocktail party during the spring and summer months.  Not only are they healthy, colorful and accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions, but they are also an assembly-only hors d'oeuvres option!  If you have ever purchased a crudites platter from the store, it most likely included baby carrots, broccoli, chunky celery sticks and grape tomatoes.  While that is certainly a fine and dandy nibble option when pressed for time, I have personally grown tired of the typical crudites offerings.  Knowing that there are so many fabulous options when it comes to creating a veggie platter, has really turned me off from ever wanting to serve baby carrots to my guests again.  With a little extra effort, you can make a stunning tray of veggies that will have your guests coming back for seconds.   Here is how I went about creating my ultimate vegetable platter:

Veggie Platter Details

To create this most delicious platter, I started with the foundations - a large rectangular serving platter from CB2 and two Marta Tasting Glasses to hold the dips for the board.  Really, its all about the types of veggies used and the way in which you opt to present the produce that can transform you average platter into a true showstopper.  For this platter, I included the following veggies sliced in unique formats using either a peeler, mini mandoline slicer or paring knife.

• Mini English Cucumbers, sliced on the diagonal
• Mini Heirloom Tomatoes
• Peeled Carrots, stems removed and placed below carrots for garnish
• Red and Yellow Peppers, sliced thin
• Tri-colored Carrots (purple, white and orange), sliced on the diagonal
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Radishes, served both whole and sliced thin
• Celery, sliced on the diagonal
• Asparagus, top half only

Veggie Dips

I opted to serve both a lemon hummus and roasted red pepper hummus along side this platter.  Both hummuses were store bought, so I decided to elevate their respective presentations by topping each with a unique/no-fuss garnish.  For the red pepper hummus, I added a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes to kick up the heat a notch.   As for the lemon hummus, I opted to include a few fresh thyme leaves and long thin strips of fresh lemon zest to highlight the current flavors and add some additional flavor complexity.  

This platter was so much fun to assemble and it made for a great addition to yesterday's party menu.  I hope this post has inspired you to look beyond the baby carrots the next time you have to create your own veggie platter and include more unique and seasonal items.  Assembling an ultimate veggie platter is a great/refreshing way to keep a healthy option in the mix at your next party.