This weekend I’m catching up on spring projects…
Making this Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce
Hiking in Griffith Park and then enjoying brunch with a gal pal at Sqirl
Baking a million batches of Sugar & Spice Pecans to donate to this amazing event
Filling my home with tulips in every color of the rainbow
Happy Weekend!
Lydia
You know you’re getting older when guys demand a healthy snack as entrance to Sunday football. Drew had to bring a Paleo friendly snack to a Playoff viewing two weeks ago and I helped him make this platter. Apple wedges, celery sticks, local honey and freshly ground hazelnut butter from Sqirl LA.
He said it was the first snack to get eaten so I think even if you attend/host a non-Paleo viewing party this platter will be well received. Kids would like this right? You can find freshly ground peanut and almond butter in most health food stores (usually in the bulk bin section) or buy a good quality nut butter in a jar.
Are you trending healthy or unhealthy this year for Super Bowl snacks?
xo,
Lydia
One of our A & O chefs Anjali, got married in September at a farmhouse in San Luis Obispo, Ca. A crafty go-getter she handmade almost EVERY stitch of decor and most of the food and drink for the affair. Her husband Rob contributed a few masculine/hip crafts like a custom mix to welcome guests in their hotels and a timeline of mix cd’s they gave each other over the many years of courtship. Together they infused the entire experience of their wedding weekend with personality, charm and love. And deliciousness. To see the stunning professional pictures strung together in an artful manner, visit A Practical Wedding.
Anjali made countless strands of bunting out of pretty fabrics in the colors of her wedding. Blues, greys and yellow.
The ceremony space was marked by floaty homemade streamers in vibrant hues. I help cut a few of these and let me tell you this was a big project. Totally worth it.
The escort cards for the guests to find their tables were made on little triangles pinned to a line of twine. Echoing the theme of bunting…
The favors were a collection of family recipes spanning many generations and cultures.
The tables were set with mismatched plates that Anjali collected from thrift stores and estate sales. She ordered chic dishtowels with a blue stripe to use as napkins and printed the evening’s menu on paper sandwich bags. She also made those pretty burlap runners with a friend.
On each table was a treasure trove of homemade condiments to compliment our meal. Sweet chili sauce for the Thai-style grilled chicken and Elberta Peach jam made with Jessica of SQIRL LA that was slathered on baguettes with cinnamon butter. Ayeisha proclaimed the combination a success, “it’s like eating peach pie.”
The dinner area was decorated with long rows of the homemade bunting and strands of cafe lights. Farmer’s market flowers marched down the center of the tables in jars that Anjali collected over the year leading up to the big day.
For dessert we feasted on assorted of homemade treats. Friends brought their favorite dessert (I brought the famed A & O Espresso Brownies) and the bride spent the months leading up to the wedding making homemade pies from seasonal fruit and freezing them uncooked. She baked off the pies the day of the wedding with her bridesmaids. PERFECTION.
xo,
LEH