I was so inspired by Lisa’s post on picnics yesterday that we had a picnic this week!  So fun!  In today’s guest post Lisa shares with us some of her top picnic menus and what kind of containers she packs it all in.  She has also included a few photos and recipes for some of her favorite picnic foods!

What are some of your favorite things to take on a picnic?  Here are some of Lisa’s:

Menu #1

Sparkling Apple Juice

Caesar Salad with Leftover BBQ Chicken-box container

Caesar Dressing-condiment container

Rolls with Butter-cookie bag

Brownie-cookie bag

Menu #2

Sparkling Lemonade

Tortilla Soup in Small Canning Jars…four of these fit perfectly in the California Innovations Upright Lunch Bag {available at Costco now} Extra may be packed in a large jar

Chopped Salad

Cornbread Muffin-cookie bag

Tortilla Chips-cookie bag and Salsa in a condiment container

Applesauce with Cinnamon Sugar-glass container { I like the Commercial Straight-Sided Jars from The Container Store}

Menu #3

Lemonade with Mint and Lemon Slices

Chopped Salad-box container

Leftover BBQ Chicken-Chinese take-out box

Balsamic Vinaigrette-condiment container

Mini Focaccia Loaves-cookie bag

Menu #4

Thomas Kemper Root Beer

Tuna Fish Sandwiches-cookie bag

Pita Chips-cookie bag

Monster Cookies-cookie bag

Menu #5

Ginger ale…homemade is so good and good for you!

Peanut Noodle Bowl-large Chinese take-out box

Molasses Cookies

Menu #6

Hanes Berry Soda

Pasta Salad-large Chinese take-out box

Mini Focaccia Loaves-cookie bag

Mini Lemon Cupcakes-mini Chinese take-out box

Menu #7

Italian Sodas-disposable cup with lid and straw in drink carrier

Turkey wraps in Lovash-wrapped in wax paper and put in box container

Kettle Chips-cookie bag

Apple Slices Dipped in Lemon Juice-mini Chinese take-out

Menu #8

Lemonade

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches-put chicken in large canning jar. Transport in Upright Lunch Bag.

Sourdough Hoagie Rolls

Potato Salad-mini Chinese take-out

Carrot and Celery Sticks-small cup with lid

Ranch Dressing-condiment container

Oatmeal Chocolate Chiparoos Cookies-cookie bag

Menu #9

Strawberry Lemonade-disposable cup with lid and straw in drink carrier

Taco Salad-box container

Salsa and Sour Cream-condiment container

Pineapple Chunks-mini Chinese take-out with mini wooden forks

Thanks to Lisa for sharing some of her favorite picnic worthy recipes!  For additional recipes not included in this post be sure and check out Lisa’s blog.

Peanut Noodle Salad

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. package American Beauty Thin Spaghetti Noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

Add to noodles:

1/3 of a head of purple cabbage, sliced and chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped

1 small bag bean sprouts

3 carrots, peeled and shredded.

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced.

1 bunch cilantro…or less…soaked, rinsed, chopped

May be made the night before and stored in large Tupperware

Serve condiments on the side

Peanut Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime

¼ cup hot water

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

3 tablespoons sesame oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup Agave Syrup {Trader Joes or Costco}

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped for measuring purposes

4 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno

Blend all ingredients together in blender until smooth. Pour into canning jar or into recycled glass container. Will keep up to one week in fridge.

Serve condiments on the side: Peanut Dressing, soy sauce, SRIRACHA HOT CHILE SAUCE

Molasses Cookies
Adapted from Brer Rabbit

Note:  It’s going to be a nice and warm day here in Portland so I’m throwing in this extra bonus post and offer today!

Summer is more than half way over!  Hard to believe especially since it feels like summer didn’t really start here in the Northwest until a few weeks ago.  This last week we have enjoyed some nice summer sun and even some temperatures in the 90’s!

The nice hot weather always makes me crave something nice and cool and fruity to drink.  A smoothie sounds just about right.  While I was in Europe in June a PR company representing Jamba Juice sent me some free samples of their new make at home Jamba All Natural Smoothies. I love, love when I can make some of my favorite restaurant foods at home and save money!

They sent me three different flavors – they were actually some of my favorite flavors I always get when I visit Jamba Juice.  Razzmatazz®, Mango-a-go-go® or Strawberries Wild®.

Each package contains real fruit, non-fat yogurt, and an antioxidant boost with 100% of your Daily Value of Vitamin C. It is fat-free and gives you one full serving of fruit.  What a fun way to eat your fruits!

Each package makes two, eight-ounce servings and retails for $2.99 to $3.29.

The direction are easy.  Just place all the package ingredients in your blender and just add juice.  The package calls for apple juice but I didn’t have any so I used orange juice – yummy! I ended up having to add a little more juice than the packaged called for to get it to the right consistency.

We had a little family test tasting party. The first one we tried was the Mango-a-go-go®.  Everyone thought it was great.

and then the Razzmatazz® which has always been the flavor I buy when I stop by Jamba Juice.  It was just as good at home! My husband voted this one his favorite too.

and then the Strawberries Wild® which has always been a personal favorite of some of my children.

I have to say they were all great and I am excited to be able to enjoy Jamba Juice at home.  I noticed that Costco is carrying them and I also found them at Haagen locally here in Portland.  Please look for them at a store near you.

In addition to the free samples they sent me some coupons for free smoothies.  If you’d like to give the new make at home Jamba Smoothie a try all you have to do to enter is leave a comment as to which smoothie flavor you would want to try.  You have until Friday, July 30th at 12 midnight(PST) to enter.  Winner will be selected using random.org and will be notified by email.

Good morning!  I’m at the Portland airport waiting to fly out to Minneapolis for Creative Memories Showcase.  Can’t wait to see my good friend Deb and see what all is knew in the scrapbooking world.  I’ll be back on Sunday and I’ll be excited to share with you all that’s new over at Homebased Scrapbooker when I return.

Today I’m guest posting over at Just Another Day in Paradise and I’d love for you to go on over and check it out.  Be sure and leave a comment to let me know you were there!

To find out what I am giving my friends and family for Christmas this year head on over!

This week I am excited to welcome my blogging friend Lisa as a guest poster here at Your Homebased Mom. Lisa blogs over at Simply…This,That and the Other.

Lisa has truly been blessed with the gift of hospitality.  She uses her gift to bless the life of her family and friends.  She adds her special touch to all she does and can take a simple meal and create a fun and memorable experience from it.

She is also the Queen of Picnics.

Summer has finally arrived here in the Northwest and we are enjoying every minute of it.  Summer is the perfect time for a picnic.

Lisa has lots of picnic worthy recipes and knows how to create a pretty and practical picnic basket.  I think one of the tricks to a picnic is being able to be somewhat spontaneous and just pick up and go.  Over the next few days Lisa is going to share some of her best tips and tricks for putting a picnic together.  Everything from what containers to use to some great picnic recipes.   You will be ready for a picnic at a moments notice!

Welcome Lisa!

With summer comes the anticipation of picnics. Lots of them.  Whether it be dining on the bleachers at a ball game or an evening picnic with friends at a park, packing a picnic can be a great alternative to purchasing pricey, un-healthy food at your favorite local drive-through.

I keep a stash of basic containers on hand just for picnics.

Depending on what we are having, I pack everything into an oil cloth bag with dividers or a portable cooler on wheels {COSTCO usually carries these every spring} or both.

Everything is packed so it doesn’t spill or stain anything. Be sure to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

Everybody gets their own container with their “main dish” or their sandwich, unless it is potluck-style where there is a picnic table to put out a large container for everyone to help themselves.  Potluck-style is also used for a very last minute; grab the essentials kind–of-a-picnic when packing things individually is too time-consuming.  It is way more important to make a memory than to have the perfect-looking picnic!  You will need to plan ahead for that…which is also fun!

Sometimes I label the containers with the individual’s name. This is helpful for those who are picky, instead of specifying “no mayo”, “no pickles”, “no meat” etc.

RESTAURANT SUPPLY STORES ARE THE PERFECT PLACE TO PURCHASE PICNIC ESSENTIALS.  Cash and Carry is my #1 choice.  You can’t beat their prices.  If you are limited on storage space, you may consider splitting your goods with a friend.  Think about only purchasing one or two different kinds that may be used for a variety of uses: leftovers, gift boxes, kids’ lunches, etc

A great Internet site is GARNISH.  Garnish carries a large selection of containers that you will LOVE! ! I am personally am in love with all the white containers Garnish carries because even if you don’t embellish it, it still looks classy

Here are some of my favorite Garnish products.

COOKIE BAGS: great for cookies, bars, chips, some veggies etc.

DELI CONTAINER: Great for extra soup, apple slices, veggie slices, BBQ  Chicken, homemade ice cream, deli salads etc.

CONDIMENT CONTAINER: So nice for ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing, salsa, sour cream etc.

SOUP CONTAINER: Can be used for packing soup, ice cream, cobbler, pasta salad, trifle etc.

PRODUCE CONTAINER: Fun to package a sandwich lunch in. Think of it as a disposable lunchbox.

No time for a side dish? Keep a bag of frozen French fries on hand.  Bake them and line the container with wax paper or a paper towel, put the fries in the box along with a condiment container with ketchup and your “fast-food fries” will be a hit!

Great for morning muffins on a breakfast outing!

BOX CONTAINER: This is awesome for everything! I even take gifts in these boxes!

Other great ideas for picnic containers include:

Mason Jars: Amazing portable containers that can be purchased at thrift stores, garage sales, or sometimes given away by those who are no longer canning.  Ask around before you buy!  You never know.  These are great because there are so many different sizes.  Think about toting soups, trifles, berries and cream, and crisps and cobblers that are hot from the oven.  Just bake as you would in a ramekin, let cool a bit and screw the lid on…these can be placed in a drink carrier and they will not budge…plus they are a bit insulated.

IKEA’S SIOM Bottle with Stopper: A bargain for $2.99. These may be used as an alternative to purchasing plastic water bottles.  Keep them filled with filtered water ready to grab-n-go.  No need to worry about a leaky thermos.  The smaller ones are a great choice for de-cantering soy sauce, syrups for a breakfast picnic or other dressings for potluck-style picnics.  The glass keeps things extra cold or hot!  And they are so charming!

A basket caddy with dividers is perfect to keep stocked with paper plates, napkins, and plastic ware.  You will be able to pack it in your oil cloth bag along with disposable cups and your chilled water bottles for a last minute picnic!

May your summer be filled with many lovely outdoor memories…whether it is a well thought out romantic picnic for two, an embellished homemade take-out for a friend, a last minute gathering at the pool, a picnic dinner prepared for new parents {Baby’s first picnic!}, or a family evening at the park with leftovers wrapped in tin foil, a half-eaten bag of chips and your babes.  Happy Picnicking!

Check back later this week for some of Lisa’s favorite picnic recipes.

Note:  It’s going to be a nice and warm day here in Portland so I’m throwing in this extra bonus post and offer today!

For a chance to win some make at home Jamba Juice smoothies go leave a comment over here.

This is the last of the recipes from my mom’s 80th birthday party.

If you missed any of them you can check out the post on quiche, pink lemonade cake, and salads

Today’s salad recipe was a nice addition to the salad buffet at the party.

It is also an easy one to add chicken to and make into  a main dish.  I did not use chicken in it for the luncheon.

The dressing has a nice sweet and tangy flavor to it.

For the party I used grapes but it also works well with mandarin oranges and pineapple or you could use all three.

The recipe also calls for bacon or ham.  I used bacon.

I prepped as much as I could the day before.  Cut up the onions, the fruit, cooked the bacon, sliced the mushrooms,grated the cheese and made the dressing.  It only took a few minutes before the party to throw it all together. The only thing I cut up at the last minute was the avocado which I didn’t want to turn brown.  The recipe calls for lettuce and spinach.  I used only romaine lettuce since I had spinach in another salad.

Since I was doing all the food for the party myself I needed to have as little last minute prep as possible.  I made all 3 quiches the day before and just kept them refrigerated and made as much of the salads as I could the day before.

The cake was made the week before and frozen.  I got up early the morning of the party and frosted it.  The cupcakes were made the day before and I just frosted them the morning of.  All the advance work really helped me avoid that last minute chaos and panic that can happen before an event.  I also had my kitchen helper, my daughter Tessa, who was a huge help.

Do you have a favorite salad you enjoy in the summer time?  Please share the recipe or leave a link to a post with the recipe in the comments!  I need a few new summer salad ideas.

Sweet & Sour Salad

This recipe has no exact amounts.  Just use as much as you like – it’s the combination of all the yummy ingredients that make it so good.  If there is something you don’t like – leave it out.  If there is something you really like – use more of it!  Make it your own and enjoy!

Lettuce and spinach, washed and torn into pieces

Mushrooms, fresh and thinly sliced

Sweet Onions, purple, thinly sliced

Avocado, sliced in small pieces

Bacon (or ham) cooked and cut into small pieces

Swiss cheese, grated

Fruit:  grapes, mandarin oranges or pineapple (fresh or canned, drained)

Sweet & Sour Dressing

Heaping 1/2 C sugar (5/8 to be exact)

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/3 C vinegar

1 C canola oil

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds together.  Then add poppy seeds.  Add dressing to lettuce/spinach at the last minute and toss gently.

Do you remember having your senior picture taken?

If it was anything like mine – you showed up at school on a Saturday with your cute Dorothy Hamill haircut, you sat on a stool and they took your picture. About ten minutes later you were done.  That was it. Everyone sat on the same stool with the same exact background. Boring!!

If you don’t or haven’t had a graduating high school senior in your house in the last few years, you may not know that having your senior pictures taken can be a completely different, amazing and fun experience now.

My baby, Tessa, is graduating from high school in 2011 – I’m already depressed about it.

Several weeks ago Tessa had her senior pictures taken by our friend Meg of Megan Elle Photography - you’ve heard me talk about her before and I’ve shared her work with you. She is an amazing photographer and has a sixth sense when it comes to photographing young women. She has the ability to really “get” who they are and reflect that in the pictures she takes of them.  She also makes them feel like a princess.

This is what Meg has to say about her own work:

“The essence of my work is in the details of light, wardrobe, location, ambiance and emotion. I am a creative, natural light photographer in love with the process of creating artistic photographs and stylizing a personal and meaningful session for each individual client.”

Meg did just that for Tessa.  captured the essence of who Tessa is now, at this point in her life and reflected that in the photos she took.

Tessa wanted something a little different for her pictures – not the current day standard, cookie cutter look that so many photographers use where they have a set of standard backgrounds they use and they just move their subject from one to another.

Meg took the time to get to know Tessa, what she loves, what she is about and then came up with a backdrop and wardrobe suggestions as well as a mood and feeling in her pictures that reflected all that.

Tessa loves all things vintage.  Meg’s vision was to go for a vintage Barbie type of feel for the photo shoot.  We borrowed a few vintage pieces from the high school costume shop and I found a great dress at a local vintage shop that worked great.  We headed downtown to the train station, found a vintage shop that allowed us to take pictures inside and then did some in an open field.

I can’t tell you how excited we were when we saw the photos – they are amazing!  We loved them all but I think this one was my favorite.

Meg has put together a video showing herself at work – in fact it is Tessa’s photo session.  Look quick and you’ll even see me in the video too!

Click here to view the embedded video.

More of Meg’s work with senior girls can be found here on her blog.

Meg also does amazing wedding photography!

If you or someone you know  needs senior pictures taken please give Meg a call – you won’t be sorry.  I promise!!!  She’s got an early booking special going so be sure and take advantage.

I learned something this past week.

It takes A LOT of food to feed 55 people 3 meals a day for 5 days!

We filled 3 flat beds and 3 carts at Costco one evening and that was only HALF the food!!

We were the only family that lived locally so a lot of the planning and executing  for the reunion fell on us which we were  very happy to do.

As you know, I had a pretty wild June.  Ten days in Europe, a week at Girl’s Camp and a big 80th  birthday luncheon for my mother left me a little short on time.  Fortunately for me my darling niece Emily (she is more like a sister to me than a niece) really came through and helped me out!  Everyone needs an Emily in their life!!

Our group was divided between three houses.  We stocked each house with breakfast and lunch food so they could eat when they wanted.

Breakfast foods included lots of cold cereal for all those kids, eggs, sausage, pancakes, bacon and bread for french toast.

Lunch foods included lunch meat, cheese and condiments, top ramen, mac & cheese and hotdogs.

There was lots of snack food too – chips, fruit, Goldfish crackers, licorice, fruit snacks, granola bars, trail mix, animal crackers, juice boxes, etc.  No one went hungry!

Dinner menus were preselected and then assigned to various family members.  We all ate dinner together each night.  The house that was cooking that night hosted dinner at their house.

Friday night was our arrival day.  Since we couldn’t check into the houses until 4 p.m. we needed to make sure dinner was quick and easy.  We made a stop at Costco on our way out of town and picked up lasagna, salad and garlic bread for dinner.  Brownie bites and pineapple upside down cake was for dessert – all bought at Costco.  We love Costco!!

Saturday night was our cookout.  We had hoped to do it on the beach but it was a little windy so we opted for the backyard.  The kids had a great time roasting their hot dogs over the fire pit and we put the burgers on the grill.  Thanks to my niece Brendy for making the great JDawg sauce for the hot dogs.  It was yummy and I even ate a hot dog!  I’ll be sharing the recipe soon.

My two handsome boys were home!

For dessert of course there were s’mores.  What would a cookout be without s’mores.

They were enjoyed by all!

Isn’t little Carter Man adorable!

And cousin Matthew too!

I found the huge marshmallows at Winco!

On Sunday we had a special celebration for my in law’s 60th wedding anniversary.  We rented the Community Hall in Manzanita and had a lovely program and dinner of roast, potatoes and carrots, salad, watermelon and rolls.  Dessert was brownie sundaes with fresh berries.

Look at all these handsome boys lined up waiting so patiently to eat!  Letting the girl cousins go first.

Monday’s menu was Hawaiian Haystack. One of the great things about this meal is people can personalize it to their own taste.  We had a table full of lots of fun different toppings.

Cheese, celery, pineapple, peanuts, chow mein noodles, sunflower seeds, bananas, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and I’m sure I have forgotten something!

Tuesday was our final day and that was Cafe Rio night!  Yum!!

We had sweet pork, lime cilantro rice and black beans.  There was also a yummy cilantro dressing for the salad.   I think there was watermelon at every meal!  Dessert was banana pudding.

On Tuesday morning we headed down to Tillamook to hike Cape Lookout.  No trip to Tillamook is complete without a stop at the cheese factory for lunch!  Cheeseburgers!!

and of course ice cream!!

Pre-planning the meals really worked out great and people appreciated not having to decide what they were going to make.  Between Emily and I we did all the shopping and then just divided all the food up between the three houses.

Most of the dinners could be made ahead of time and just kept warm in the oven or crock pot.  I took my two crock pots and rice cooker from home which helped a lot as well as a couple of additional bigger roasting pans.

The great thing about Hawaiian Haystack and Cafe Rio is that people can tailor it to their own taste.  Adding on or leaving off whatever they want.

We ate well and no one had to spend every day slaving away in the kitchen.

Would love to hear what you have done for food at your family gatherings or reunions!  Leave a comment and let me know.

I am in love!

If I doubted the fact that I had absolutely and totally fallen in love with England there were no doubts after our day in the Cotswolds!

The Cotswolds is a hilly area in west-central England, sometimes called the “Heart of England.”  The  meaning of the word Cotswold is said to mean “sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides.” During the Middle Ages the area became very prosperous as a result of the sheep/wool industry.  The area is famous and known for its lovely homes and shops built from Cotswold stone which is a  yellow oolitic limestone.

Our tour took us to 3 Cotswold villages.  Our first stop was Burford.

There is a lovely little church and cemetery in the village.

I think I mentioned before I have a bit of a thing about cemeteries.  I love them!  I think it must be those family history genes my mother gave me!  I love reading the tombstones and imagining what the lives of those people must have been like.

OK, enough of the tombstones.  Just one more!

The church in the cemetery was quite lovely.

While in Europe I also began quite a love affair with doors.  Doors can be so mysterious.  What’s behind them?  Where do they lead?

From Burford we headed over to Bibury which was a very small but a VERY charming and picturesque village.  Probably my favorite of the three we went to.

I would take one of these pretty little cottages over Buckingham Palace any day!

I loved the beautiful flowers and found many of the same flowers I have at home in my garden.

And then there were some lovely little doors too

.

We enjoyed lunch at a small little hotel in Bibury.  The main local business in the village today is perch farming so we were served perch for lunch which I decided I don’t really care for.  Besides the fact that it has a million bones it is a little too strong of a fish for me.  But the rhubarb crisp with clotted cream ice cream was yummy!

Such a pretty place!

Our next stop on the tour was to Burton on the Water a larger Cotswold Village.  There were lots of little shops and tea houses.

I found this darling little bakery and picked up a few goodies, including a jar of lemon curd and orange marmalade to bring home with me.

And then I found a few more doorways to take pictures of….

and fell in love with the streets.

Our final stop on the tour was Stratford Upon Avon which s the birthplace of Shakespeare,

Basically it is just one big tourist trap. It was full of loud tourists and after the loveliness of the Cotswold Villages I couldn’t wait to leave Stratford.

We arrived back in London in time to grab some fish and chips for dinner and head over to the West End to see Jersey Boys – a fun musical about the life and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Today was our first full day in London.   We decided to hit all the major sites.

We began the day on one of those double decker buses which took us from site to site.  Our first stop was this arch – I can’t remember what it is called and Cali’s not home to ask.  Here it is anyway.

From there we headed over to Big Ben – it is big!

And the beautiful House of Parliament.

Cali wanted to take a “jumping” picture so we did.

She looks very cute and then she talked me into doing one too.  I don’t look quite as cute and that guy to the right of me (barely in the picture) had a good time watching an old lady try to jump up into the air!

From there we drove by Trafalgar Square.  There weren’t any demonstrations going on that day.

It was then time to hop off the bus and head over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.  We got there nice and early and staked out our spot, right up against the fence.  It’s big too – everything is so big!

The guard marched in and then they played some tunes.  They did a medley from Mama Mia!  There is just something a little surreal about standing in front of Buckingham Palace listening to a bunch of guys in big furry hats play “Dancing Queen” from Mama Mia!! It was great.

From there we walked through St. James Park and headed over to Westminster Abbey.  First built in the 11th Century Westminster Abbey is not only old and big but amazingly beautiful.

Many amazing people including queens, kings, authors etc. are buried there or there are monuments to them.  My favorite part of the Abbey was Poet’s Corner. Many famous poets are buried there and there is a memorial to one of my favorite writers -  Jane Austen.   Coronations are held in the Abbey and we were able to see the Coronation Chair (photos are not allowed inside.)  The funeral of Princess Diana was also held here.

After the Abbey we had to stop and take the traditional London phone booth photo!

After all our walking we were getting a little hungry so we stopped at a little French bakery and picked up some sandwiches and headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral and sat on the steps and ate.  St. Paul’s is the church where Mary Poppins introduces the children to the Bird Women and sings “Feed the Birds.”

We then walked over the Millennium Bridge.  I guess this bridge is super cool because it is the bridge that Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters destroy in one of the Harry Potter movies.

On the other side of the bridge is the Globe Theater  which was built in the 16th century and used by Shakespeare’s playing company.  Cali had been able to see a few plays there.

We were just about walked out so we hoped on the Underground, we did that a lot and headed over to Covenant Gardens before they closed.

Covenant Gardens is a fun little shopping/market area.  I picked up an antique toast holder – something every English woman should own!  We enjoyed some mango yogurt on a waffle covered in strawberries – is that British??

We hurried back to our hotel to change and then literally ran most of the way to the theater to see a wonderful production of “All My Sons”.  It is an Arthur Miller play and I loved it.  I highly recommend it if you have the chance to see it.   We also made a stop at a grocery store to stock up on a bunch of English candy that Clark had requested we bring home with us.

Read about London – Day One, Day Two and Day Three.

Today is my mother’s 80th birthday.

I think that makes her officially vintage.

The definition of vintage is “characterized by excellence, maturity and enduring appeal; classic.  Yes, my mother is vintage.  She is beautiful and vibrant and lives a full life.

It is not everyday someone turns 80 so I wanted to do something special to honor my mother on her birthday.  I decided to put together a vintage themed luncheon for her and her friends.  No boys were allowed although my dad and husband hung out in the kitchen eating and doing all the dishes!!

I had so much fun putting it together and prayed for good weather because I wanted to do it out in the garden.  We haven’t had a lot of good weather around here this summer but my prayers were answered and the day of her party was the first warm and sunny day we have had about all summer.

To read all the details about the party and see all the photos you will have to head on over to Your Homebased Parties but here are a few to give you a little preview.

There were pretty decorations…

and of course lots of good food.  I’ll be sharing the menu and several new recipes over the next week or so.

I made four different salads:

Asian Chicken Salad

Sweet & Sour Salad

Corn & Blueberry Salad

Thai Noodle Salad

And 3 types of quiche:

Quiche Lorraine

Calico Quiche

and the hit of the party  Salmon Hazelnut Quiche

I promise all the recipes that aren’t currently on the blog will be come soon!

I loved how the serving table turned out.  For more details, info and photos of it be sure and head over here to Your Homebased Parties.

Of course there was birthday cake.  My mom loves chocolate so I used my Best Chocolate Cake recipe to make cupcakes.  I also had Perfect Lemon cupcakes. But this was a birthday party and we had to have a cake!

One of new blogging friends, Lisa, had recently shared a recipe with me for pink lemonade cake.  Lisa is an amazing cook and hostess so when she told me it would be my new favorite cake I trusted her.  I also thought the lovely, light pink color of the cake would fit right in with my color scheme for the party!

Lisa is right, the cake is delicious and was a big hit!

I decided 80 candles might be a little much for this dainty little cake so I only used 8 – one for each decade!

Tessa was my party assistant.  She was a huge help in the kitchen acting as my sous chef and then put on her pretty vintage dress and helped serve at the party.  Of course all the women loved her dress and kept commenting on how they use to have one just like it!! (Cali had to work so she missed all the party prep and the fun)

I was so pleased with the way everything turned out.  It was lovely weather, everything looked pretty, there was lots of good food and good friends.  Just what every party should be.

Happy Birthday mom!

Pink Lemonade Cake

Note:  I actually made the cake for the party a week ahead of time and froze it. I just wrapped the two layers of cake individually in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. I frosted it the day of the party.   It worked great.  I used two 6 inch cake pans for the birthday cake – I wanted a small, dainty cake.  There was enough batter left t over to fill a regular 8 inch cake pan and I split that layer in half and frosted it up for us to taste test and enjoy right then.  Here is a photo of that version of the cake so you can see the lovely light, pink color of the cake.

1 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 C sugar

1/2 C Country Time Pink Lemonade Drink Mix

3 eggs, room temperature

1 Tbsp. soy flour (or you could add one additional egg)  I bought the soy flour in the bulk food section at Winco

1 tsp pure lemon extract

4 C cake flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 1/2 C buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour.  Beat butter, sugar and ry drink mix at medium speed until fluffy.

Add eggs and lemon extract.

In a separate bowl combine cake flour, baking powder and salt  Add dry mix with butter mix.  Mix and add buttermilk.  Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 24-30 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cook in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pans and let cool.

Frost with your favorite buttercream frosting. For a little extra lemon flavor I put a  couple of tablespoons of lemon into the frosting I used between the layers.  I used just regular buttercream to frost the outside of the cake.

I hope you all enjoyed a fun holiday weekend!

Our Fourth started out with church and then a fun cul de sac party/BBQ.  I decided to put together an ice cream sandwich bar for part of the dessert.  I think I had as much fun putting it together as the neighborhood kids did eating it.

I baked up 3 different batches of cookies and my neighbor Katie provided a batch too.

There were Oatmeal Crispies.

and Chocolate Chip Cookies

My neighbor Katie provided a batch of chocolate Whoopie cookies – yum!

and there were Peanut Butter cookies too but I didn’t get a picture of them.

Then there were four different types of ice cream.  I scooped the ice cream ahead of time and froze the scoops on a cookie sheet.  It made it much easier to serve than trying to scoop ice cream during the party.  We had vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and Udderly Chocolate, our family favorite from Tillamook Ice Cream.

So they chose two cookies and their favorite flavor ice cream to make an ice cream sandwich.  It was fun to see what combinations they came up with.

And then the fun part.  They got to roll the edges of their ice cream sandwich in the different toppings.  We had mini chocolate chips, mini M & M’s, rainbow sprinkles and crushed Oreo cookie.

I provided ice cream cones too for those who didn’t want to make a sandwich.  The kids and adults had a great time making their own ice cream sandwich!

But of course the best part was eating them!!

I think the kids would agree that making and eating your own ice cream sandwich is almost as fun as shooting off the neighbor’s potato gun!

Here are my two cute patriotic girls!

And I was there too but this is where you usually find me, if it’s not in the kitchen, behind the camera.  Thanks  Katie for snapping this photo!

Putting together an ice cream sandwich bar is easy and fun and it could be adapted for any holiday.  It would make a very fun addition to a birthday party too!   You could pick ice cream flavors and toppings  to match your color scheme.  Ooh…. the possibilities are endless.  I can’t wait to do another one.  Anyone have a birthday coming up???

Enjoy!