miniMartha – event designer

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I was stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey when I received a last-minute request from a panicked couple who were getting married the next weekend. Due to unforseen circumstances, they were suddenly without a cake designer. So, terrified yet excited, I agreed to take on their wedding cake!

I spent one week planning, preparing, baking, assembling and decorating the cake. It was a big learning curve and I discovered a lot of new and great tools to make the process easier. Wilton’s cake leveling tool saved my life and ensured we had three even, level cake layers. I also found information on the web about how to make cake baking strips, which are wrapped around the outside of the cake pan while it’s in the oven to ensure that the outside of the cake doesn’t burn before the center is cooked through.

Each tier was a different flavour – bottom tier was French Vanilla. Middle tier was a rich chocolate. The top was a marble cake.

Taking some inspiration from Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes book, I decorated the layers in buttercream with a floral/geometric pattern. The center of each flower was highlighted with a pearl dragée.

The decorative base of the cake was a styrofoam circle, covered in tin foil, then wrapped on the sides with a wide white satin ribbon, which I stitched loosely and then gathered to create a frill effect. I picked up a shiny brooch for the front center of the base, and passed a second purple ribbon through it to add another layer of interest and to tie into the couple’s wedding colours. I topped off the base with a small bunch of white feathers, pinned in by the brooch. The florist brought three purple calla lilies to dress up the top, and I wrapped the three cake tiers in the other theme colour – green.

Delivering the cake was quite a frightening process involving a couple of vehicle changes and hours of driving, but the cake arrived unscathed and turned out great in the photos!

All my best to Mark and Jen, who were so easy to work with on this last-minute emergency cake project!

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Tony and Natasha are a fantastic couple. Tony’s in a band and Natasha has a flair for fashion. They both have a kind of dark, edgy side that makes them perfect for each other.

When Natasha approached me about invitations, I was flattered and totally excited! I knew that she and Tony had great taste and would want to do something a little different, a little more edgy. So we got to work, and the final result was great! We came up with a custom monogram that was used on their save the dates, their invitations, and sticker seals. We came up with a stacked invitation with a coordinating belly band to tie everything together.

Thank you to Tara McMullen for the great photos of the final results, and thank you to Natasha and Tony for a fun and successful project!

I wish these two all the best in what is sure to be a fun and exciting married life!

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Tina has been my closest friend since I was knee-high to a toadstool. Now that she’s pregnant for the first time, she glows with a calm and content smile that makes pregnancy seem like a dream! She was born in Canada but spent much of her growing-up years and early adulthood in the USA. Her husband Lance is a true Californian and a fantastic father-to-be. They both love old world charm, antiques, and historic references. They are fantastic down-to-earth people who enjoy working in the garden, refinishing furniture, knitting, cooking, baking, iced tea on the porch, painting and crafts.

To celebrate the beginning of their journey into parenthood, I wanted to host a special celebration that touched on their values, heritage and personalities. A down-home, vintage shower seemed just right for this couple, so I set to work researching and pulling together colours, patterns, foods and fun that would make the day special and memorable.

The invitation:

Circus, Cowboys and Indians, and old block letters formed the basis of the invitation. The resulting all-text invite felt like it might have been printed on an old letterpress.

Decor notes:

Influenced by the era and charm of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, I assembled a homey mix of gingham, burlap, twine, glass, linen, and lace to set the tone for this charming old-fashioned shower.

Red, White and Brown formed the predominant colour scheme.

A banner made up of linen triangles with a hand-lettered “It’s a Boy!” message spanned the window next to the buffet table.

Pre-garnished Mason jars and glass drink dispensers full of rum punch and iced tea brought a touch of no-fuss class to the table, while big buckets of cherries and kettle corn infused some simple sweetness.

Menu items included mini slider burgers, corn dogs, crudités in french fry boxes, potato salad, coleslaw, and of course, the cake!

To mix it up for the guests, we played Baby Bingo – the squares carried names like Baby Booties and Bottle instead of the standard Bingo numbers. Winners took home door prizes.

As we pass the midpoint of 2011, I am looking back at the posts I shared here last year and reflecting on what I learned:

1. Passion is a beautiful thing, and so much better when shared!
2. Though I do love food, I am not a gourmet chef! Although food is a very important part of any event, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
3. MY PASSION is events – I love to sink my teeth into a good event project. The process of designing the invitations, developing a decor scheme and a menu, and hosting the event for clients, friends or family is an intoxicating experience for me!
4. It’s time to start blogging again! This time, my focus will shift away from dinner parties and towards larger events: Weddings, birthdays, showers, anniversaries, and beyond!

Stay tuned for stories and pics about recent events I designed and/or hosted!

All the best,

Amanda.

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2010. That’s about 5 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 16 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 77 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 169mb. That’s about 1 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was January 4th with 63 views. The most popular post that day was Wine.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, mail.live.com, derek.chezmarcotte.ca, touch.facebook.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for baby shower buffet, baby shower, baby shower tables, baby shower buffet table, and baby shower table.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Wine January 2010
1 comment

How to host a fake baby shower February 2010
6 comments

Good Things January 2010
2 comments

Hostess Helper Links January 2010

Hostessing Tips January 2010

Hello to anyone who hasn’t given up on me! I have been in a bit of a ‘dark night’ as of late, but the light is beginning to peek through the clouds now and I’m finding energy for new posts!

To clarify, I am no longer cooking a new menu every weekend. Instead, I am doing it whenever I pluck up the courage and find the motivation… a healthier approach, methinks. So I suppose no one will want to make a movie about me (reference to Julie & Julia, my original inspiration for this blog), but that’s okay… this is a personal journey anyway.

So without further ado, here are some pics from the Easter feast I hosted this year!

Main dish: Broiled Red Snapper and Citrus-Soy Sweet Potatoes

Side: Sesame-Spinach Rolls

Dessert: Rice Pudding with Candied Kumquats

At LONG last, I discovered a source for Kumquats and a bunch of other great gourmet ingredients! McEwan’s at the Don Mills Mall has it all!

Since I stumbled on the Kumquats last Saturday, I decided I should seize my opportunity to cook up one last winter recipe before moving on to the spring stuff.

Tonight’s guests were Tina and Lance – being from San Francisco, I thought they’d be pretty good judges of how good my asian cooking skills were!

On today’s menu:
Broiled Red Snapper (actually we used B.C. Snapper)
Citrus-Soy Sweet Potatoes
Sesame-Spinach Rolls
Rice Pudding with CANDIED KUMQUATS

Things I learned:
- Where to find Kumquats and other gourmet ingredients: McEwan’s in Toronto
- Where to find sushi rice (albeit in a massive bag size): Loblaws Superstore

Checking out my giant bag of Sushi rice

- When serving an asian-inspired meal, I found it was nice to complement the meal with a loose-leaf tea instead of wine. I used a tea set that was mailed to us from Korea by Brendan’s cousin Chris and his girlfriend Emily, in celebration of our wedding.

Favourite dish of the evening: Rice pudding with Candied Kumquats

Brendan’s cleanup rating: 15 minutes (this is partly because I cleaned pots and pans as I used them. Brendan didn’t have to do all the cleaning this time!)

Happy Customers: Brendan, Lance, Tina

Thank you to all of you who made great efforts to validate me as a contender in the W Network’s Expert Search. If you visit their page now, you’ll see that they announced their Top 10 Expert candidates on Monday of this week. Among them is a 20-something design expert named Amanda from Whitby, Ontario. It’s just not THIS 20-something Amanda from Whitby! Crazy coincidence, huh?

So no, I am not going to be W Network’s next Event Design expert. But that’s okay. I am happy I made the submission video and spent the time refining my approach to event planning. The process definitely helped me to become a more ‘conscious’ and confident planner. And hey, this is just the beginning. You may just see me on Network television one day…

To all you amateur chefs/foodies/designers/hostesses, keep cooking and celebrating!

Best,

Amanda.

Appetizer: Chicken Liver Mousse with baguette and red currant jelly

Main dish: Mushroom Dumplings in Beef Broth with Leeks, Lemon and Thyme

Dessert (greatest hits): Pear and Dried Cherry Baked Custard

I knew it had to be the end of the winter season when I realized that my plans for this week’s winter dessert (Blood Oranges and Pomegranates) were completely dashed: neither the blood oranges nor the pomegranates were anywhere to be found! For the first time since the beginning of this year-long project, I had to completely abandon one of the recipes from my menu. But as with all clouds (of which there were plenty yesterday), there was a silver lining: here was my opportunity to prepare our favorite winter dessert for a new set of guests! The Pear and Dried Cherry Baked Custard was an even bigger success this week – with every guest (including myself) taking two helpings! Hooray!

This week’s guests: The lovely Derek and Laura Marcotte.

This week’s (modified) menu:
Chicken Liver Mousse with Toast Points
Beef Broth with Leeks, Lemon, and Thyme
Mushroom Dumplings
(the famous) Pear and Dried Cherry Baked Custard

Things I learned:
Different grocery chains have different suppliers. I first checked out my local Loblaws Superstore in search of ingredients and found the wonton wrappers I needed, however there were no fresh chicken livers available (and according to the less-than-pleasant woman at the meat counter, the only form they come in there is frozen). Braving the stormy weather for one more grocery store trip, I found the elusive chicken livers at Sobey’s. They were just sitting there at the end of the fresh chicken section, looking inappropriately unheroic!

During dinner, a comment about the yummy baguette I served with the mousse prompted Derek to share some interesting tidbits about how sourdough bread is made and why it’s so unique. (Derek is a fan and connoisseur of all things yeast-related. He is a budding beer brewer and we have often enjoyed a fresh pint at his place.) Apparently the bacterial cultures in sourdough bread are different depending on where in the world the bread is made. This is because the process of yeast fermentation is taken outside and the yeast is left open to the air, allowing any local airborne bacteria to mix its way into what will eventually become the dough for the bread. The sour taste in the bread is actually a result of Acidophilus getting into the mix. Certain places in the world are particularly famous for their specific breed of sourdough. One of those places is Tina’s (my best friend) old stomping grounds: San Francisco. I remember going to visit Tina in California and being indoctrinated into the local sourdough-loving culture: never had I eaten so much sour bread!

Special bonus material for this week: Unlucky happenings during our March 13th dinner:
1. For the first time ever, I had to abandon a recipe due to a total lack of available ingredients!
2. The weather all day was dark, wet and miserable.
3. Our coffee machine exploded, spewing coffee grounds and hot murky water all over my food prep area.
4. I clumsily dropped one of three of my favorite shell-shaped pinch bowls (originally purchased for use at our wedding) onto our tile floor, smashing it to smithereens!
5. I set the table for a whole different meal: large dinner plates, forks and knives were of little use to our guests when I served up the beef broth with dumplings

Favorite dish of the night: Chicken liver mousse. Brendan couldn’t get enough, and Derek and I scarfed down a large portion. Laura was happier to munch on the accompanying baguette slices and red currant jelly, but overall, I’d say this was the hit.

Many of our ‘Martha evenings’ wind up involving a game or two. The games vary depending on our guests and their strengths/tastes/willingness. This week, we played two games:

The first was an early birthday gift from Brendan that we played during dinner. It’s called Gravitas. The game is simple: the ‘interviewer’ draws a card from the Gravitas deck and reads out the three questions it contains. One question is selected and then each player takes an opportunity to answer. The interviewer then chooses the answer he or she likes best, and awards that player the card and the chance to play ‘interviewer’ on the next round. The game ends when one of the players wins their fifth card. Here are some of the questions we answered (maybe you can quiz your next dinner party guests!):

1. If you wanted to be a food snob, what would you shop for?
2. Why do we adore sleep so much?
3. What are you going to do with the rest of your wild and wonderful life?
4. What is the next best thing?
5. When should we not utter the thoughts that arise in us?
6. What are you going to do with the mangos?
7. How would you like to harness your excess body heat?
8. If you wanted to really offend someone, what would you do?
9. What saved you?
10. Give an example of how your concerns are more interesting than mine.

Derek and Laura brought along a great game called Carcassonne. It’s a strategy game that involves placing tiles in specific sequences to create a Medieval land where you win points by building fortified castles, productive farmers, well-protected monasteries and strategically placed roadside thieves. We loved it!

Brendan’s cleanup rating for this meal: 22 minutes.

Foodie friends: Brendan, Derek and Laura

Appetizer: Apple and Smoked Trout on Rye Crisps

Main dish: Cauliflower Gratin

Main dish: Radicchio and Walnut Salad

Dessert: Coffee with Cognac and Cardamom

This week we hosted Tina and Lance for a meal that proved to be highly ‘influential’! I’m not sure if Martha Stewart approved of the high dose of Cognac prescribed in the recipe for our dessert this week, but I’ll tell you one thing: that’s one way to keep warm through the harsh New England winters!

On the menu from Martha’s Dinner at Home:
Apples and Smoked Trout on Rye Crisps
Cauliflower Gratin
Radicchio and Chestnut Salad
Coffee with Cognac and Cardamom

Things I learned:
I’ve really come to the conclusion that the only way to create one of these menus without a single ingredient substitution is to plan a whole season in advance. Although these recipes are usefully categorized by season, I think it might be even more beneficial to break them down further into specific months. What was available at the grocery store in December is nowhere to be found in the last weeks of winter. This week, the missing-in-action ingredient was chestnuts. Apparently there’s no demand for them after the holiday season, so grocers stop carrying them. Even the Bulk Barn (my savior on more than one occasion) doesn’t reserve bin or shelf space for this unpopular nut.

Much to my dismay, the only form that I could buy smoked Trout in was WHOLE. I’m generally not too squeamish when it comes to quartering a whole chicken or stuffing a turkey, but there’s something about the cloudy eyes of a dead, smoked fish that puts me off my slaved-over food. Nevertheless, I bravely pressed on by beheading the poor trout, skinning it, removing the meat from its tiny translucent bones, and breaking it up into much more edible chunks for our appetizer. I made sure to do this prior to our guests’ arrival as Tina is particularly sensitive when it comes to eating previously alive creatures (especially ones with eyes).

Final lesson: Coffee and brandy are great together, but only when the ratio is right. Otherwise you’ll have a bunch of sleepy guests on your hands and that’s no good if you’re playing a game like Malarky where you have to think on your feet! (As opposed to snoozing on your back.)

Favorite dish of the night: Cauliflower Gratin. Although there was no meat involved, even Brendan was a fan of this rich, creamy dish. The flavours were rich, and the dish was highly satisfying even for a personal trainer-sized appetite.

Least favorite dish: Radicchio salad. The recipe called for raw red onion and it was generally felt that this ingredient overpowered the other flavours (radicchio leaves, cranberries and walnuts).

Most satisfied customer: Probably either Brendan or Lance.

Brendan’s cleanup rating: News flash! Brendan has changed up his rating system. Now he will be providing a more objective method of measurement: time. So, this cleanup apparently took a total of 28 minutes.

This week's lab rats: Brendan, Lance and Tina