Icing on the Cake!

*Photos by Rebecca (Allyson and I with instructor Summer Pruett left)

Yesterday was the day Allyson and I had been waiting for...the day we were taking the hands-on cake decorating class at the Whole Foods Culinary Center on 6th and Lamar. I unfortunately miscalculated the start time, so we missed the first 20 minutes, but we caught up quickly and jumped right in, cutting, layering, and frosting our individual cakes to decorate. We learned frosting techniques and how to create several icing detail designs as we worked with the buttercream frosting. Summer Pruett, of Stardust Pastry, her very own local Austin "pastry boutique specializing in wedding cakes," and the Texas Culinary Academy, instructed the class of about 15. Her steady hand demonstrated how to ice the cake so well, her final coat was as smooth as fondant. And, she successfully taught all of us how to create a decorative rose out of frosting, complete with leaves and vines. Notice my final work of culinary art that I made for the Austin Breakfast Club which held it's 2nd meeting today! It was a big hit!

My favorite moment during the class, was when Allyson had icing trouble, and actually took her hand, and grabbed the 2-inch less-than-perfect frosting rose, and threw it off of her cake in frustration. But, she got through it (with messy hands), and with Summer's patience and expertise with cake disaster recovery, and the end result didn't show any traces of the struggles Al had just minutes before.

If you're looking for culinary fun, Summer is also teaching a Pastry Workshop on April 9th, a Couture Cupcakes class on April 11th, and a few sushi classes too!

Culinary/Arts, Weekend or Evening Activity Recommendation: Take a cooking class at the Whole Foods Culinary Center! Some are demonstration-based, with tasting, of course, and others, like this one, are hands-on. Take a look at the schedule here (updated monthly). Sign up if you find a class you'd like to take because they fill up fast!

P.S. I also put this under the Green Entertaining category because Whole Foods is based on environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible practices and products.

"What's your flava...tell me what's your flava"

*Photo from designld.com

When it comes to flavor and good taste, whether with botanical design, or creative s'mores, La-Dee-Dah and Treat know how to do it right. This weekend, I was entertaining Jason, a special family friend, during his first trip to the ATX. It was undebatable that we had to show him the quirky Austin trailors, with a stop at Torchy's Tacos at the South Austin Trailor Park & Eatery on S. 1st. As we were waiting for our tacos, I stepped inside the La-Dee-Dah trailor that I had heard so much about. Inside, I was surprised to find such unique botanical creations by Lauren Dolinksy of LD Design Studio made of succulents, colorful rocks, and even branches arranged in such a way that I was drawn to them, admiring every detail. (For those of you who aren't familiar, succulents are plants that retain water, and are therefore eco-friendly, which makes these fall under my Green Entertaining Rebeccamendation category). After talking to the expert working there, I learned that these are "plants for people who kill plants," meaning, they require very little water, mostly misting every few days, and that the only risk is too much watering, not too little. I immediately thought this "botanical couture" (as described on the designld.com website) would be a unique gift for a housewarming party, or really a gift for any occasion, where these living works of art could serve as a conversation-starter centerpiece, or a piece of art to decorate a living space and catch the eye of visiting guests. La-Dee-Dah also houses hand-made headbands, home accessories, cards, gifts, and even "Chai Ya'll" and "Chai Fidelity" specially-designed American Apparel t-shirts.

I also learned that Treat, the flavored "designer" s'mores station at the end of the trailor will be relocating to it's very own airstream trailor home at the South Austin Trailor Park & Eatery near the 2nd week of April. I can't wait to try this spin on the classic outdoor dessert, with flavored marshmallows that range from Raspberry, to Chocomint, to Lavender Lemon. There is even a private campfire for roasting if you visit this tasty trailor.

Entertaining Decor Recommendation: Botanical art by Lauren (LD Design Studio) at La-Dee-Dah

Dessert Entertainment Activity any time: Treat's flavored marshmallow s'mores at the new airstream trailor coming soon this April.

Breakfast Taco/Lunch Recommendation: Torchy's Tacos at the S. Austin Trailor & Eatery, S. 1st.

Opa! Greek Salad Skewers!

*Photos by Rebecca
I saw this recipe for "Skewered Greek Salad," or as I call it, "Greek Salad Skewers," in Self magazine, that was originally taken from Giada DeLaurentis on Giada at Home on the Food Network. I remembered seeing it and thinking it would be an easy and fun appetizer idea, so I looked it up to make it for a dinner I was invited to that was held last night. Although I made about 35 skewers, only 10 were left, so I'm pretty sure they were crowd-pleasers. And, I was a fan, so I'm Rebeccammending it to you as an appetizer idea, and for green entertaining since it's a no-bake recipe, and the bamboo skewers are environmentally friendly!

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of Grape Tomatos


• 1 package of Feta Cheese (block, not crumbled, so you can cube it)


• Bamboo or wood skewers (I found mine in the fish department at Whole Foods--just ask a WF employee)


• PITTED kalamata or black olives (it's a little tough to find pitted kalamata olives, but that would be difficult to put on a skewer :))


• Fresh oregano (can be found in produce section of grocery store)


• 2 Cucumbers
  
• 2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar


• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil


• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Slice cucumbers into 1/2 inch-thick rounds, then quarter them.


2. Cube the feta cheese block into 1/4-1/2-inch cubes (thick enough to slide onto the skewer)


3. String a tomato, a cucumber piece, a feta cube, an olive, and another tomato onto a skewer


4. Repeat for as many skewers as desired.


5. In a small bowl, whisk together Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, and lemon juice for the dressing


6. Pull the oregano leaves off of the stem, and dice into small pieces, adding to the dressing mixture


7. Place the skewers on a plate (if serving as a separate salad course at a small dinner gathering, or on a large serving platter if for a large party).


8. Drizzle dressing over the skewers.


9. Serve, pick up a skewer and enjoy!
   

*Note: Be cautious when transporting the serving platter to your destination, if not at your house. The dressing could spill off the plate, so wrap tightly in saran wrap.

Pico de Guac!

*Photo by Rebecca Otis. Click on picture for other food fotography on Flickr.
Yes, a self-conceived concept that combines the veggies of pico de gallo with the avocado of guacamole, for a spiced up mexican appetizer (also reminds me of one of my favorite fresh Spanish and Latin American dishes, Ceviche, only without the seafood). I came up with this recipe on the spot, when I was invited to a barbeque while at the grocery store, and had to pick up ingredients spontaneously to whip something up for the event just about 2 hours later. Here's a no-bake, 10-minute recipe for a great mexican, or in this case, outdoor barbeque appetizer!

Green Entertainment (no-bake) Appetizer Recommendation:

Ingredients

• 2 firm roma tomatos
• 1 white onion
• 2 small jalapenos (deep green in color)
• 2 limes
• 1 medium sized avocado (Shouldn't be too firm, but also not mushy when light pressure is applied to the outer shell. Also, the skin shouldn't be too dark, or it might be past-ripe)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• medium sized bowl serving dish
  

Directions

1. Dice tomatos into small pieces (try to remove the seeds and juicy center as you quarter it, so the end result isn't watery)


2. Peel and dice the onion (add as much as you like) and add to the tomatos


3. Cut one of the jalapenos lengthwise, and carefully remove the center and seeds (this is where most of the heat is contained). Dice the two halfs into small pieces, and add to the mixture.


4. Dice the other jalapeno as-is, if you like spiciness, and add to mixture


5. Cut into the avocado around the outer edge lengthwise.


6. Twist the 2 halfs, so they separate.


7. Use a spoon to remove the side without the pit, and dice into small pieces-add to mixture


8. Using a larger knife, use a little force to place the edge of the knife into the pit of the avocado deep enough so that when you twist the knife, the pit comes with it, and is removed easily. Be careful when you try this step. If you're not sure, just cut around the pit :) It's a trick I learned on the Food Network.


9. Slice the 2 limes, and squeeze lime juice into the mixture, tossing as you add juice.


10. Add tsp of cayenne pepper for extra heat, and toss.


11. Cover the Pico de Guac, so the avocados don't turn brown (this happens when they are exposed to oxygen for too long, but the acidity of the lime juice will help with this as well).


12. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers of your choice. Bon appetizer!
    

Go Green for Entertaining!

Green. No longer just a color. According to Wikipedia, it has "become a symbol of environmentalism." We hear it all the time, whether in the context of your "carbon footprint," (the negative environmental impact you personally have), or even in promotional campaigns for reusable grocery store bags, that yes, at chains like HEB, are actually a very vibrant grass green color. Well, what about green entertainment? How can you be a host or be hosted while being environmentally responsible? I've decided to include posts with "Green Entertaining" recommendations for no-bake recipes, and other energy-saving entertainment ideas! Just click on the "Green Entertaining" category link on the right hand column for related posts!

After I wrote this, I realized Evite had a similar idea. Check this out for their Green Entertaining tips.