Everything's Better With Bacon

A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message from my friend Heather that read: "Save the Date - BACON PARTY". Oh my. Email spam marketers can learn from this - if you want people to open your emails, forget about subject lines like "Get a bigger penis" or "Free Money from Nigeria"; just go with BACON PARTY and I'm sure you will have a 100% open-rate. The only thing better than bacon is a party celebrating this glorious meat.

The plan was simple enough - every couple/family attending the party was asked to bring a bacon dish and it didn't matter if it was an app, main dish, side dish, dessert or beverage as long as it featured bacon. Naturally, my bacon-senses starting tingling. I could bring a dip, but was I up for a real challenge? I put the feelers out to the Twitterverse: "what should I bring to a BACON PARTY"... the answers flooded in, but the one that immediately caught my attention was the combination of two of my favorite words: Bacon + Cupcakes. GAH. The thought alone almost made me fall out of my seat.

So I set out to embark upon this mission... the mission to merge the perfect crispy saltiness of bacon with the sweet decadence of a cupcake...

The recipe Maple Bacon Cupcakes came from Bacon Today (yeah, I know), and in actuality is pretty straight forward. When you think about it, the flavor isn't all that strange. Think Sunday brunch with pancakes, bacon and syrup all piled high, cut up and eaten in one bite. After I made the cake part, I felt they were almost a little bland. The recipe did note that the frosting was extra sweet - but I would add more sugar to the batter if I made these again. Trying to think of something to really pump up these bad boys, I started thinking about an interesting topping. In the pictures on Bacon Today, they showed the cupcakes topped with a piece of bacon, but since I was worried they were not sweet enough, I wanted a candy topper. That's where the Bacon Toffee came in...

Before Saturday, I had never candied anything before, but it was actually fairly simple. The end result? Simply AMAZING. Honestly, if you ever make bacon flavored anything in the future, make this. The taste is simply mind numbing. Some may say it's the ultimate in "umami", but I just say OHMYYUM.

One of the best parts of the party was how excited all of the guests were about it. Everyone outdid themselves with thoughtful presentations and creative ideas. From Bacon Vodka to be used in an "Oinker Shooter" (oyster shooter) to bacon wrapped pork bites (bacon ON bacon!), everything was really delicious. Our only disappointment was that no one attempted BACON EXPLOSION. Oh well, there is always a next time.

Summer lovin', having a blast

This weekend we hosted our first summer party of the year! Memorial day + Jason's birthday = a great excuse to have a BBQ. It was a bit of a last minute decision, so because of that I didn't obsess for too long, which left me wracked with anxiety on Sunday for not obsessing earlier! The other thing is that I was doing this party more pot-luck style, which always stresses the planner in me out. Usually I tell people just to bring wine/beer because I can't handle the uncertainty of not knowing what and where the food will go. 

Our home is an outdoor event house. I rely very heavily on our patio and backyard for entertaining... if it's chilly out, people just end up standing around my pink kitchen and peak my self conciousness over my 1958 Kitchen of the Year. Over the past few months I've accumulated some bright colored party decor, so instead of going traditional red, white and blue, I went with a palette of bright colors - very summery and very outdoorsy.

Since Jason is more of a pie guy than a cake guy, I thought that a variety of pies would be a fun table of desserts. Of course, everyone commented on the lack of cake balls... so, note to self, I now can not have a party without my "balls". 

While wine is usually the drink of choice, I also like to have that special cocktail for people to remember the party by. At my birthday party it was the "lemontini" and for this party it was a "Drunken Arnold Palmer". Add some sweet Tea flavored vodka to some lemonade and voila! It's like you are drinking punch. Which is why I labeled it with a warning that this was a special "Adult Only" drink. I could totally see someone giving their kid a cup not realizing the potency of that baby.

Another one of my favorite new touches are the funny cocktail napkins. These purples ones were a gift, but you can find them at Z Gallerie or Sur la Table. They are good for a giggle - especially if you pair them with a novelty wine. Bitch wine is hilarious.. and it's not bad tasting. 

Even tho I ran out plates and didn't make my cake balls, the party was still a wonderful celebration of Jason's birthday and the onset of summer!

 

Even tho I ran out plates and didn't make my cake balls, the party was still a wonderful celebration of Jason's birthday and the onset of summer!

Celebrating the Love

This past weekend I was part of a trio that hosted an engagement party for our friend's Carrie and RJ. It was a wonderful night where friends and family of the happy couple got to come together to formally congratulate the two on their upcoming nuptials.. while eating delicious food and drinking wine, of course!

I loved this party because it was a great combination of what a few people can do together, and how just adding a few special details can really make the event even more special.

Pink and Orange are always such bright, fun colors to use for happy celebrations. The paper circles and circle labels used on the banner both came from Paper Source, as did the butterflies. The sticks in the vase in the middle of the table were on clearance at Michael's and with the bright butterflies, made the perfect center piece for the large table in the high-ceiling dining room. The popcorn cones are made from twisted scrapbooking paper, and all the flowers are just from Trader Joe's. 

While we were tempted to fill the large table with a gazillion desserts, we really didn't need to. I made Bakerella's cake balls again (once again, a HUGE HIT) and those a few bright cupcakes made the table. (side note - Bakerella has a whole book coming out this fall on Cake pops!)

Of course, the most important detail of the night was that Carrie and RJ were happy... which I think they were!