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Dates, Chocolate and Espresso Dessert and Recipe

Here’s a side note before I get into the chocolate goodness treat of the day – we are going through a fun revamp right now behind the scenes. All good, and really exciting news for our blog and business – it’s just taking all our non-existing free time, so thanks for hanging with us, and our lack of posts.

Now, back to food.

date and espresso brownies

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So, I thought I ate moderately healthy. As I learn more, I continue to eat healthier and I really try, but I have my good and bad days {the ones where I just want cheese, fries and cinnamon bears}. But, my neighbor {who’s fantastic} eats super healthy. I love it because she always surprises me with her yummy recipes and their ‘vegan’ ingredients. She made me some Fudge Babies for Christmas, and I couldn’t stop eating them…and now I can’t stop re-creating them for myself.

I’ve revamped the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie and make it weekly. It’s so easy – 6 ingredients, no-bake, dairy-free and gluten-free! Don’t get me wrong – dates still have sugar, but its not refined sugar. And, this makes the perfect treat that satisfies my cravings. My kids LOVE, LOVE them too – I make them some without espresso.

I couldn’t resist shaping them into hearts with the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday.

Espresso and Chocolate Bites
Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
1.5 cups pitted dates {if the mixture feels too dry and doesn’t ‘stick’ together well, add more dates, up to 1 and ¾ cups pitted dates total}
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground espresso
A dash of sea salt
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

How To
Blend all the ingredients together using a blender or food processor.
Line a loaf pan or small Pyrex with wax paper {this recipe fills a loaf pan and makes semi-thick bars. If you choose to use a small Pyrex, smaller than 9×13, it will fill about ¾ of it}.
Pour blended mixture into pan and press until flat with a spoon or spatula. It should be about 2 inches in thickness.
Cover with the sides of the wax paper and place in the freezer {it’s best when refrigerated or fresh out of the freezer}.
If you want to get festive like I did, use a heart shaped cookie cutter once the blended dates have been in freezer at least 2-3 hours. And, top with a toothpick decorated with a DIY washy tape flag.
Note: If you want to serve these for a party, make them ahead of time, and use your cookie cutter to shape them. Then place in freezer safe bag or container, and then bust them out once its time for desert.

Enjoy! It’s such a treat. I hope you make for a loved one this Valentine’s Day.

{images via Tutto Bella}

dinosaurs and divas

Dinosaur and Diva – two simple d-words that sum up my children’s interests at this point in their lives PERFECTLY. My son does not do anything throughout the day without a dinosaur in hand, and my daughter has a purse hung on her shoulder, glasses on her head and sparkly shoes on her feet all hours of the day.

Being 9 months preggo made this year’s party planning more exhausting than most years, but I LOVE parties, details and DIY projects, and swollen feet and Braxton Hicks contractions weren’t going to stop me from throwing a cute and fun party.

I was on a budget as always, but with some creativity, the help of good ole’ Pinterest, hot glue, friends and family and food and drink, the party was a success.

ON THE MENU
Apps
Mexican 7 layer dip
Artichoke dip with chips and veggies
Queso and chips

Dinner
Taco bar
Fruit skewers
Smothered burritos

Dessert
Homemade dinosaur and flower shortbread cookies partly covered with Ghiradelli chocolate
Candy bar with my kids favorite candy: Red vines, Cinnamon bears, DumDum suckers, Starburst and Ring Pops
Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped off with toy dinosaurs and tiaras

DIY PROJECTS
{All DIY tutorials to follow in the coming weeks}

Turquoise-dyed Coffee filter #2
I wanted to create a fun background for the dessert table. Something different, affordable and eye-catching. I’ve seen coffee filters added to lamp shades, and they looked great with their ruffly effect. So, I tried color dying coffee filters for the first time, and creating an ombre, floral-esque #2 for my daughter}. Check back in for the DIY tutorial…

{p.s. if your interested in purchasing the #2 made of coffee filters or the #4 made of twigs below, please email me at trejsorelle@gmail.com…I no longer need and will sell for cheap}.

Tree branch #4
While playing outside with the kiddos and noticing a lot of dead branches on a nearby bush, I broke off about 50 branches from the bush with the creation of a #4 in mind. With a foam board, burlap, wire and hot glue, here’s how my #4 turned out.  

Dinosaur eggs made of yarn
I saw a lot of yarn eggs around Easter time, so I decided to use the same idea, only to create dinosaur eggs in green and orange. Stay tuned for a DIY tutorial…

Paint chip place cards
I gathered paint chips that coordinated with party colors from my local Home Depot, and within 10 minutes, I had place cards. I used Microsoft Word to type the names of the kids friends, and manually fed the paint chips into the printer. Once all names were printed, I used a blade to cut a slit above and below the names to create the perfect napkin holder.

Plate and utensil place setting
I used Kraft paper as a table linen, and used a sharpie marker to trace the kids’ place settings. This was a great linen for the kids table because they could get it dirty and once they were done with it I could throw it away, they could draw on it and it was affordable. 
For the rest of the kids table, I spray painted terra-cotta pots orange and filled with plants made to look like trees, and I spray painted olive oil glass containers pink for the white hydrangeas….something for the boys, and something for the girls! Each child had a mason jar with a curly and colorful straw too!

For the adults table, I kept it simple. I bought tiny twig wreaths {to appear like a dino nest} from Wal-Mart for $2, and put a mason jar and hydrangea in it. Then, for a more rustic touch, I lined up the three mason jars along a 6 ft antique piece of wood.

Another notably cute table setting was Jameson’s drink and volcano table because for a unique and free table setting, I used extra grass turf sitting in the garage from my parents putting green in their backyard.

Dumdum tree for candy bar
Living in the mountains, my staples for DIY projects, like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are not an option, so good ole’ Walmart had to do. But….no styrafoam balls! What? Who doesn’t carry those? So, my dreams and love for a Dum Dum topiary will be made a reality at the next party maybe.

Plan B…a Dum Dum tree. Walmart had adorable turquoise and pink striped buckets and a florists green tree-shaped Styrofoam, so I went with it…

Volcano
I remember building a volcano for a grade school science project, so my mom, Jameson and I went to work on creating one for his big party. Stay tuned for a tutorial…


D
uct tape water bottle label
My sister {also my own personal graphic designer} just had a baby, so instead of adding another thing to her already busy plate of running an adorable boutique and being an awesome momma, I tried to find another creative water bottle labels not requiring graphic design}. I removed the labels and added pink and orange duct tape around the water bottles. Then, while playing outside with the kiddos I found small twigs that were damp and easy to bend, which made for the perfect J for Jameson’s initial, then I found .29 cents turquoise necklaces from Party City that I cut and shaped into a G, and glued to water bottle.


Dinosaur and girl footprints
I found online photos of dinosaur footprints and toddler size footprints, print copies on color paper on my computer, printed and tape to the floor.

ACTIVITIES
Dino-fabulous egg hunt: the boys hunted for eggs in  the backyard filled with dinosaurs and the girls hunted for eggs filled with rings, bracelets and candy. The kids used their Ikea favor bags as baskets for their hunt.

Erupting volcano

Manicure and pedicure station and Dress-Up Station
The girls could dress like divas from head to toe, and get their nails painted to match their dress-up outfits.

FAVORS
Ikea bags {orange for boys and pink for girls…75 cents each} at each place setting with custom thank you labels filled with: dinosaur noses, dinosaur egg gumballs and dinosaur figurines for the boys and comb and mirror set, white sunglasses, mini-size nail polish and chapstick rings for the girls.
 
Invites and Labels
Done by none other than my fabulous sister at Fleur de Lis, a paperie, Jenna.
The invite is now available in our etsy shop, click here.
VENDOR LOVE

Cupcakes: Mountain Cupcakes, Vail, Colorado
Photography: Meredith Moran Photography
Frames: Ikea
Favor Bags: Ikea
Invitation and paper accessories: Fleur de Lis, a paperie {online Etsy store available here}

megan + taylor

This wedding is so sweet and genuine. Just reading about Megan’s recollection of her day makes you feel the love and the pure joy that was that day for she and hubby Taylor. The bright bouquets pop of color with the neutral bridesmaid dresses and winter white backdrop was beautiful. And, the DIY touches are charming. Laura Murray from Laura Murray Photography captured the beauty of every moment on a stunning Colorado December day.

In the brides words… I loved every part of our day. Getting ready with my dearest friends and family members was such a blast and they were so supportive and encouraging. My heart deeply cherishes the time I had with my dad moments before he walked me down the aisle. He is a wise, loving man and the perfect one to speak to me before such an important moment in my life. I am so very glad Taylor and I decided not to see each other before the aisle. It really built such a delightful anticipation for us to see each other at our wedding ceremony! The ceremony was so special with Taylor’s dad, Reverend Dan Jessup, as our officiant. Taylor and I washed each others feet as our first act to one another. It was such a moving moment, a beautifully almost inconvenient part of the ceremony.

The reception was so rich and fun! It meant so much to me to be celebrating in a room that so many people poured their love, personality, and creativity into to make it look so fabulous. To look around and see a little piece of so many people who have poured so much into my life in the decorations of our wedding was an honor.

The greatest surprise of the day came during the reception from my new husband! He sat alone on a chair on the dance floor, played his guitar, and sang to me. Earlier that day, I walked down to an electric violin instrumental of “Marry Me” by train. I also surprised Taylor by having the lyrics of that song wrapped around our wedding cake. It came full circle when he opened his mouth and sang to me, our song. What a lucky woman I am! It was such a gift that I will forever cherish. The dance was an absolute blast! From interpretive group performances to talent to non-stop wiggly kiddos, it was the perfect way to rejoice together.

The Lord, my husband, and all the people who came to be a part of our day made it so perfectly unforgettable and I am so thankful for what our wedding day was!

VENDOR LOVE
Photography: Laura Murray Photography
Flowers: Mountain Meadows Flowers & Gifts
DJ: Sunset Productions Entertainment Company
Venue: Trail West Lodge
Bride’s Dress: The French Door
Ties: The Dotted Duck by Kim Doughan
Bridesmaids hair pieces: Etsy shop Jessica Rayes
MakeUp: Erica McCarthy
Dance floor: All Pro Rents

{images via Laura Murray Photography}

styled shoot at cordillera

Frosted trees. White snow. Colorado’s natural beauty.
There’s definitely something to be said about love in the Rocky Mountains…

This styled shoot at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera from fun and fabulous Colorado Wedding Photographers, Chris and Adrienne Scott Photography, will definitely have you feelin’ the love.

From Sarah, the stylist and coordinator of the shoot … My inspiration came from my pink rose silk scarf that kept me warm (during a visit to starbucks on a cold Colorado day) and a pinecone I found in my front yard. Though they are two different textures, colors, and tangible objects, I wanted to see the two come together in an elegant fashion. Because I live in Colorado, I wanted to take advantage of a mountain vendor [The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera] that allowed me to use my creativity and bring my idea to life. The overall look that I was going for was soft elegance meets the mountains. I was risking a lot due to the changing Colorado weather, but it turned out beautiful and the models were fantastic – despite the inch of snow that fell the night before!

This was me and my hubby’s very first styled shoot {I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear a wedding dress again?!}
What a great, fun and freezing experience it was! Enjoy 🙂


VENDOR LOVE
Photography: Chris & Adrienne Scott Photographers, visit their blog here
Stylist/Coordinator: Sarah Flanagan
Location: The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera
Florals: Petal & Bean
Stationery: Fleur de Lis (a paperie)
Gown: Anna Be Bridal Boutique
Suit: Joseph A. Banks
Accessories: Stella & Dot, Hope Bridal & Go Go Chapeaux
Makeup: Janelle Lewis
Hair: Sara Bearss

{images via Chris & Adrienne Scott Photography}

Real Housewives of Denver Bachelorette Party Ideas, Part 2

{continued…}

The erotic food was home-made and delicious.

 

For dessert, we offered Orgasmic Desserts – cupcakes with custom-made toppers {from Fleur de Lis, a paperie}, Jodi’s favorite candy Milk Duds, cinnamon bears and Red Vines. And, it wouldn’t be complete without a male body-part {the naughty body part) cake. 🙂

The stocked bar was a popular gathering spot for the ladies. Vodka cranberry, SkinnyGirl Margarita created by a housewife of New York City, Bethenny Frankel and red and white wine. And, water in between drinks was essential to help us with our hangover. Custom labels were designed by none other than Jenna, at Fleur de Lis, a paperie.

Every gal received fabulous party fare. Animal print bandannas stuffed inside personalized cups were essentials for the night ~ a cup to drink in one hand, and the bandanna on the lap to prevent stains on our festive outfits from the yummy food.

And, inside vintage cigar boxes lined with cheetah print, were animal print goody bags that contained hair spray for new jersey-style big hair, a condom, a recipe from real housewife of New Jersey, Therese Guidice cookbook, appropriately titled “the quickie,” and gum for minty fresh breath for
our evening out on the town.

You can never have enough animal print. Pillows from Jodi’s bed at home-made for a wild and cozy addition on the couch.

Between the drinks, decor, food, naughty and nice games and a video {made with love and A LOT of time from Jenna} a mini-dance party, a surprise limo and stop at an all male revue late in to the night and early morning ~ it was a party to remember.

Vendors
venue: spire, downtown
cake: La Sensual
cupcakes: Gigi
invite, cupcake toppers, signs: Fleur de Lis, a paperie
event decor: Jessica, Jenna and bride’s mom Julie
set-up: thanks to Jessica, Savannah, Kristina, Annie, Lori, Susan, aunt Traci and Julie

{images via Tutto Bella}