This past weekend, a few sistahs, rolled into my hood!  Honestly, I didn’t even see them coming!  But, these sistahs look out for one another and I happened to have met one of them through my toddler’s play group.  Cara from Land of Bean, who happened to take home #1 for best family blog in the Mobbie’s Awards last year, (just tootin’ her horn for her!) was kind enough to let me know about the Bloggy Bootcamp coming to Baltimore!  Bloggy Bootcamp was hosted by one of the SITSgirls!  And can I just pause and say here, that SITSgirl is quite the hostess!  (Ok, I’m gonna toot her horn too!)  Tiffany, AKA SITSgirl, amazed me from the moment I walked in to the restaurant on Friday night and she pulled out a chair right next to her and invited me to sit!  I was made to feel immediately like one of the family!  (In a natural, sister kinda way…not a creepy, tryin’ too hard kinda way!)  About 30 gals shared dinner together at McCormick and Schmick’s.  It was a blast!  We exchanged stories, talked about our kids, drank Sangria and were attentively served by Derek!

Now, I have to take a commercial break here for a moment and give a short review of the restaurant, ’cause we are a food blog after all!  I asked Tiffany how the restaurant was to work with.  She said, “Amazing!”  Tiffany set out to have a blogging conference with a low budget because she understands how moms typically don’t have a lot of extra cash to play with.  So, she approached the restaurant with a pretty slim (in my opinion)  budget.  The restaurant had something double that price, in mind.  But, being gifted with the ability to have others believe the SITS vision, Tiffany quickly had them seeing the benefits of keeping the cost affordable.  She negotiated a three course meal for $25.

We had seafood chowder, a choice of chicken or stuffed flounder and an amazingly, generous slice of upside down apple pie.

Our server, Derek was thoughtful and on top of things.  He doted on Tiffany, making sure her sangria glass was never empty for long!  (Oh…the sangria! I’m still dreaming about it!)  That night I met Jacob’s Cure lead twitter girl, Sarah and Dianna from Kennedy’s With 2 Girls. It was a blast and just a little taster of what was to come!

The next day was Bloggy Bootcamp!  It was a day packed with great speakers and enough information to leave a red head dizzy!  It was also beautifully orchestrated!  With each new speaker, we switched tables so we were able to meet and network with tons of women by the end of the day!  Did I mention what a terrific hostess Tiffany was?  The first session was with Scary Mommy, MamaKat from Mama’s Losin’ It! and of course, SITSgirl!  Unfortunately, the first table I sat at, was the last one in the room, so I don’t have any fabulous picks of the three of them…so, you’ll just have to take my word for it, they were fabulous!  They covered so many topics, from branding to comments and communities to twitter.

We stopped for lunch and I met some more sistahs!  I met Motherhood & Me gal!  I know we will be blogger friends as she totally spoke my language!  She went to pastry school at CIA Napa!!  (drool!)  I also met Francesca from Mayhem and Moxie.  I swear she brought a bit of sunshine with her from Cali!  A local pr rep who happens to blog, Numbers Not Invited.  (Congratulations to you and your new hubby!)  And totally adorable Today’s Cliche girl!

After lunch we heard from Resourceful Mommy. She took us on a little journey!  She spread out a PR road map and walked us through each step…getting ready, hitting the PR highway with a plan, setting some directions by knowing our strengths, and troubleshooting should we hit a “Bad Pitch” in the road!  This was a juicy session!

Just when I didn’t think I could pack in any more info in my red head, Tara from Feels Like Home, broke down SEO (search engine optimization) into terms that translated…somehow…into my non technical, all artsy, computer illiterate (ok, truth be told, that’s the old me) brain! (Somehow, Chris Ann and I are actually feeling comfortable with our PCs…or in Chris Ann’s case, imac.)  Thanks to Tara, I now know the difference between good urls and bad ones.  I know the power that a keyword carries!  And I know she loves Sara Lee!

We had a little Jello break (no, there were no shooters!) Where we were given fun, stuffed swag bags!  And I met Desperately Seeking Silence and am so glad she came and we met in person!!

Then there was serious business shared about FTC regulations!  No, really it’s not as scary as you might think.  We were given great advice from attorney Stacey Ferguson, found @justicefergie, on how to be responsible with product reviews and give aways.

Overall?  Amazing!

Take away point…”Know Your Worth”.

New friends?  Many, too many to mention!

Do I recommend Bloggy Bootcamp?  Absolutely!

Value? priceless

this was my table (from Making It Lovely)-  I would probably eating something lovely like this-

from Canelle et Vanille’s table.  I would have loved to be seated at this table-

from Joy The Baker’s party gals’ On the Lamb.

Unfortunately, I missed sitting at this table, for Kristin’s party.

Yes, I have to admit here, that I did indeed, celebrate my birthday for two weeks!  But, please, don’t see me as indulgent, just doing what a girl needs to do to survive!  You see, Chris Ann and I have been joking that we have somehow switched places this winter.  Usually, in February, Chris Ann is in full hibernation mode.  Between the cold, snow and husband traveling, the winter blues catch up with her! Every year, my perky self, calls to make sure she hasn’t totally holed herself in.  I send her funny books and even recommend tanning as a way to cope!  This year, she was proactive!  She planned a sunny vaca and an inspiring trip to Blissdom.  Where was I?  I was in Baltimore.  This year was like no other.  I didn’t see it coming.  First the clouds enveloped the sky, then the grey descended and snow (after snow, after blizzardy snow), blanketed my city.  My husband was not here on my birthday, both computers crashed, my car went up (twice!), I ran into a parked car (the lady was not nice), my son broke his elbow bone the week of baseball travel team tryouts, a dear friend died (unexpectedly), I pulled a muscle…anyway, you get the picture.  Before I knew it, I was in a very bleak place.  I don’t like this place and it’s not a familiar one for me.  So, I clawed and scratched to grab a hold of a happy place!  Yes, part of that was a birthday that never ended!!

Originally this little soiree was meant to happen on Valentine’s weekend.  But, because of the snow, and lack of parking on our street, we rescheduled for the third weekend in February.  Devon was inspired and created a menu that (he hoped) would bring me back to our trip through Italy!  At first, I was finding it hard to drum up the creative juices to decorate and tablescape (something I normally do with gusto and passion!)  In fact, the day before the party, I was crying on Devon’s shoulder, heaving, “I just want white flowers.” ( Can I just stop here for a sec and tell you how awesome my husband is.  Not only did he get me white flowers, he bought all the white flowers, roses, tulips, hydrangeas, antique roses…he could find!)

The morning of the party, I was still at a bit of a loss.  My big ideas, were really out of reach!  My “fun design” ideas, totally out of grasp.  I decided to go with simple (hopefully) elegance.  White.  Simple.  I had lots of things in white.  So, I ran around my house and gathered the elements and textures that I thought would work together!  Devon put a glass of wine in my hand around noon.  I began to touch a bit of my decorating mojo.  Somehow, it came together.  And honestly, it was beautiful!

Two foot pillar candles from my basement created snow lanterns that I dug in the snow.

Then, I chalked a greeting to our guests.

Strung some lights on my fireplace…

Proceeded to “scape” my table…

Piled high the antique linen napkins…

The room took on a glow and it was bellissimo!

Guests arrived with wine and began to enjoy juicy olives.

Devon chopped and tossed!

There was the first course…our lamb plate loaded with meats and cheeses from Mastellone’s.

There was mushroom polenta that he topped with white bean ragu.

Homemade pasta stuffed with roasted butternut squash.

Devon even recreated a salad we had in Panzano, Italy…mushrooms, pears and gruyere.

There was Bistecca alla pizzaiola (ribeye stewed with all kinds of goodies!)

My beautiful sister, surprised me by making and actually bringing to me, (ah hem, Chris Ann) Baked’s, Root Beer Bundt Cake!  Oh my!  It was delicious!

We sat around the table and talked the night away! There were old friends, new friends and family there. I sat at the table that night and realized it had worked!

Being surrounded with friends, good food and great conversations, I was slowly emerging out of my wintery soil!  Love and hope were sprouting again! (And, yes, this is the end of my birthday celebration!)

I’m just so sorry I didn’t share.  Really.

Had I known you were craving something buttery, chocolaty and warm…I would

have invited you right over.

Since I got this recipe from an old church cook book, I’m fairly sure my sharing side would have kicked in.

Yes, I’m pretty sure I would have shared.

But you could whip up a batch real quick. They are Double Delicious Bars, shared by Mildred Morken many years ago in the Trinity Lutheran Church cookbook.  They are also seen at Bake or Break and most originally from the Eagle Brand Website.  But today….we’ll give Mildred the credit.

Double Delicious Bars

1/2 Cup Butter

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk (Eagle Brand)

12 oz. pkg. Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 Cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips (Variation: Heath Chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Then, in a 9X13 pan,

melt butter in the oven.

Sprinkle cracker crumbs evenly over butter.

Then, evenly pour over condensed milk and top with the chips.

Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool and cut into bars.

And, be nice.  Share.

**Our friend and fellow blogger Janelle from Queen of the House of Boys did just that with her own Classic Brownies……who could you be inspired to LoveBomb with some goodies?

Other nibbles of Bar and Cookie love from LoveFeast Table:

Almond Triangle Recipe

LoveFeast Espresso Cookies

Baking with Baked ’til Baked

Oh Henry Bars Recipe

Love Log at the Ladybug Luncheon

You know you want to open the door and take a peek inside!

Kristin’s (very patient) mom, wood-burned her entire front door!

This is in Kristin’s mom’s study…she free hand painted it.

Look around at some of our fancy walls!

This is a close-up of Chris Ann’s bedroom wall.  Her bedroom is painted in Ralph Lauren’s Candlelight finish called Tea and Sweets.  Who can resist Tea and Sweets?  It has the softest luminescence yet is still modern.

To cure her cabin fever-

Kristin completed this during Snowapocolypse in B’More.

This is Chris Ann’s pink dining room! (Sherwin-Williams Memorable Rose).  Suburbia Man never ever questioned painting a color that looked like pepto-bismol in the dining room.

Chris Ann’s office in a soft suede finish (Pratt & Lambert Classic Suede in Amarula)-it’s a perfect quiet background behind the linen bulletin board.

We just have to show this again, because it’s totally fancy and we love it…so much we have wallpaper envy.

(This wallpaper is currently hung in the house of the Hollywood Housewife)

Things were a bit tight for our family this past Christmas.  I know we weren’t the only ones pinching pennies to try and give our kids a Christmas.  We were honest with the kids.  ”Don’t be disappointed if your pile under the tree is small this year.”  We are small business owners.  We own a home remodeling company and with the recession, not a lot of people were doing home beautification projects.  But, our kids were so understanding and gracious.  They said, “It’s okay.  We understand.  You don’t have to do much, BUT…it won’t be Christmas if we don’t have homemade cinnamon buns!”

Every Christmas, for at least the past 10 years, I have made homemade, ooey, gooey, cream cheese slathered, cinnamon buns.  There was even a year we were in Baguio, Philippines for Christmas.  The kitchen we were using had a tiny oven.  I emailed my mother in law back home for the recipe and I made those cinnamon buns for my family and the other 30 people that were with us for Christmas.  I even left the recipe behind for friends to continue the tradition.

Usually, these bad boys are reserved for Christmas.  But, I have to admit, with all the snow…all the days in doors…and then, all my boys who shoveled and shoveled and shoveled…I wanted to make something that would put a smile on some faces.  My daughter had her bff over and the two girls got to work!

They added the yeast to the warm milk.

They added the flour and formed the dough into a ball.

They put it in a “warming oven” to proof.  (Warming oven: turn oven on 250 degrees for five minutes.  Then turn it off.  It’s a great environment to proof dough.)

They rolled out the dough and spread the softened butter on the dough.

They sprinkled cinnamon sugar.

They rolled it into a long log.

They sliced the log into buns (Ok, I did this part.)

They proofed again and headed into the oven.

Seriously, this is what came out!

Can you taste it?  Can you smell it?  Yup!  It’s Christmas in your mouth…good anytime of year!

Cinnamon Bun Recipe

Rolls:

1 package of active dry yeast

1 C. warm milk (105-110 degrees)

1/2 granulated sugar

1/3 C. butter, melted

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

4 C all purpose flour

Filling:

1 C. packed brown sugar

2 1/2 Tbls. cinnamon

1/3 C. butter, melted

Icing:

8 Tbls. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

Rolls: Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.  Mix together the sugar, butter, salt and eggs.  Add flour and mix well.  Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.  Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size.

Roll the doughout on a lilghtly floured surface.  Roll the dough flat until it is approximately 21 in. long and 16 in. wide.  It should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Filling: Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough and then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar evenly over the surface.  Make sure you spread it all the way to the ends.

Working carefully from the top (the 21 inch side), roll the dough down to the bottom edge.

Cut the rolled dough into 12 slices and placein a lightly greased baking pan.  Let the rolls rise again until double in size (about 30 min).  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

Icing: While the rolls are baking, combine all icing ingredients.  Beat well in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

When the rolls come out of the oven, coat each, generously with icing.

Note: I will make these Christmas Eve.  After I have sliced the rolls and put them in a pan, I cover them and put them in the fridge.  Christmas morning, I pull them out first thing.  They have to come to room temperature than rise until doubled in bulk.  It can take about 2-3 hours.  But, then after all the gifts are opened, I pop them in the oven and we have them for breakfast!

(this recipe was given to me by my mother in law…it’s not original, but I’m not sure where she got the recipe.)

This Almond Triangle recipe is the Holiday Cookie Contest winner from the 2009 Taste Section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  The contest winner, Charlotte Midthun, first found the recipe from a 15 year old First for Women magazine.  December’s not so far away and these cookies are the best!  They are not so sweet that you feel guilty…I think the nuts add a little protein right?  They are the perfect treat for a mid-blogging snack.

You do have to have a 10X15 inch rimmed cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.   Also, make in advanced…they tasted better the next day, some things just do.

Almond Triangles

Ingredients:

2 Cups (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature, divided

3/4 Cup granulated Sugar, divided

1 Egg

3/4 Tsp. Almond Extract

1/2 Tsp. Salt

2 3/4 Cup Flour

1 Cup packed Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream, at room temperature

1 lb. (about 5 1/4 Cups) Sliced Almonds

Directions:

Carefully line the cookie sheet or pan with aluminum foil, shiny side up.  (OK, stop right there.  Personally, I didn’t like this plan.  I did it according to the directions, but the aluminum foil did annoyingly stick to the cookie.  Could I have used parchment, or spray instead?  Let me know what you think.)

To make the dough:

Mix, on medium speed, 1 cup butter (2 sticks), until creamy, about 1 minute.  Then, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, almond extract, and salt, and beat until combined.  Reduce speed of mixer to low and add flour and mix until incorporated.

Press the dough evenly into pan and push dough up the sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven o 375 degrees.  Prick dough in about 24 places with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.  Then, remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.

To make the topping:

Combine brown sugar, honey, and remaining 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar into a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.  Then increase heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 3 minutes without stirring.  Remove from heat and stir in cream.  Stir in almonds.

Then, spread almond mixture evenly over crust.  Return the pan to oven and bake until bubbling, about 14 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.  While bars are still slightly warm, cut into triangles.

Now, don’t worry…unlike the previous Oh Henry Bars, and because you use a 10X15 pan, there will be plenty to share!  I think Oh Henry Bars and Almond Triangles would be great served together actually… sort of a yin and yang for bar cookies.

So, come on now…will you share a favorite bar cookie recipe with us?  One that tastes like  a contest winner, is a family secret, or good enough to make you not want to share?  If you have one email us at lovefeasttable@gmail.com….if not, please add your comment anyway!

Good memories and times at the table can often be traced back to a place, the atmosphere, and of course great food.  Heidi’s Restaurant was just the type of place to leave you with with memorable moments.  Sadly, on the same day Stewart Woodman was chosen as a 2010 James Beard Award semifinalist for best Midwestern chef, Heidi’s Restaurant was destroyed in a terrible fire.  We were so shocked and sad to hear this news, since Heidi’s was one of our favorite restaurants.

Through the years, LoveFeast Table has had many special times at the table.  These are times when the conversation flows, the food is beyond wonderful, the atmosphere and decor just perfect… the servers so charming.  When a restaurant hits all these pieces in perfect cadence, the meal becomes a pleasurable dance and the memory a treasure.

This was our experience at Heidi’s.  We had been there a couple of times in the past.  Todd and I knew for sure when Kristin and Devon visited us again this was a place we were taking them.  Our expectations for a perfect night were not disappointed.

We hope that Stewart, Heidi, and Frank and the charming and delightful servers that we enjoyed so much will continue on to create yet another place that pulls together so many wonderful elements for a memorable night out.

We are saddened by your loss.  And our hope for you is that you will go on to create another beautiful place and bring those talents again, to the table.  We thank you for what you gave us…a special night, a treasured memory and a story to tell.

Charming, Delightful, Delicious, and Memorable.

That’s the way it was.

I am drawn to fancy. I’ve been chasing the glitter since I was a little girl. This led me from a small town in Oklahoma to the sparkly lights of Los Angeles, and I’ve never looked back. (That’s not true. I look back all the time. But Los Angeles does achieve all levels of Fancy.) Naturally, I appreciate high drama in a home. I’ve filled our 1920’s abode in the Hollywood hills with things that make me smile. Things that are a little unexpected. Like the red flocked wallpaper in the bathroom off the kitchen. I was inspired by the wallpaper at a Mexican food restaurant and I couldn’t get it out of my head. So I found something similar at Walnut Wallpaper.

Also please vote for us, here - scroll down and leave a comment and a tweet to vote!  That would be lovely!

My husband made it back the day after my birthday, a day before the next storm hit! You know that saying, “Love makes the heart grow fonder”?  I missed him and was so happy to see him!  He arrived and a wrapped package appeared on the table.  The kids gathered around and Little Man proceeded to help me tear off the paper.  I was shocked!!  Absolutely stunned!  Behind the wrapping paper was a much longed for upgrade to my camera…a new Nikon!  I really was surprised.  I thought a new camera was a bit further in the future, but evidently my family pooled their resources and made it happen! (Thank you family!)

Then, it snowed again the next day…and the next.  Overall we received like 50+ inches.  This week of snow set records in Baltimore!  Because of the snow and lack of parking spaces, we had to cancel the shin dig we had planned that weekend for my birthday.  But, my mom still wanted the kids overnight and I was dieing to escape my house.  So, we made a few calls and a bunch of us braved the mounds of snow and chilling cold to venture to Joe2 (Joe Squared).  I just wanted a beer and live music!

This was our first time to Joe Squared.  I had driven by Joe Squared many times and had just assumed it was a college pizza joint.  Then a few months ago, we began to hear the buzz that it was a music venue as well.  After a little inquiry with some friends, we discovered it was quite a foodie/artist joint!  My interest was peaked! After being stuck in the house for so long, I really needed a pizza/beer/artist-y/foodie/music-y type place to be re-inspired!

Devon and I got to the restaurant before our friends, we pulled up a chair at the bar and ordered a much needed beer, Devon a Chimay (on tap) and me, Stella Artois.  (It was on my birthday wish list!)  Tom Reyes, a jazz band was playing.  I sunk into my chair, swigged on my Stella and took it all in.  The bar, dining area and stage are in one open room.  The lights were dim, but not too.  There was art on the wall…some fun piece about Sheila Dixon being “framed”.  But, the best part, I was out of my house, next to my husband.

Our friends arrived and after waiting a bit for a table we were finally seated.  (The place was a bit busy with lots of people braving the elements!)  We were greeted by our waitress and she took our drink order…beer, by the pitcher.  Devon and Derek started with wings.   Devon had the 9 Spice Wings and Derek the Ginger Pine Nut wings.  Both of which were the bomb!  They really were delicious!  Melissa ordered the Broccoli Cheddar Potato Skins.  They were good.

Then, I decided to order their specialty, pizza!  Their pizzas are all square and the crust is made from a 200 year old starter.  I ordered the Mushroom Lovers Pizza.  It arrived and can I just say, it was love at first sight!  It was a beautiful pizza!  One bite in and I knew we would be lovers forever!  It really was good.  The flavors were simple, the toppings perfectly placed and every bite was as good as the first!

Devon and Derek split the lamb cheese steak, as did Diana and Cliff.  Devon said, “The sub didn’t leave me craving more.  There were no distinct flavors other than mint. It was tasteless.”  Devon is the kind of guy that loves that lamb flavor! Melissa ordered pizza her way, with a bunch of different ingredients, and she loved it!

Then, as we wrapped up our meal, our server brought us the check…um, we weren’t done…but, felt like we were being pushed to wrap it up.  We stopped our server and asked her for another round of beers and for information about desserts.  Honestly, she wasn’t real sure how to describe the desserts.  So, she pulled another server over and he went into detail about the desserts.  Armed with info, we ordered a slice of Earl Grey Cake and Mocha Toffee Cake.

The evening ended with much laughter!  Joe Squared delivered just what this birthday girl needed…a fun night out with good food…and beer.