Baby Shower for Morgan and her little dove Cora Elizabeth

One of my favorite things to do is plan a party and of course make food for that party. Every day there is a new reason to celebrate. This past Saturday was my wonderful friend, Morgan's baby shower for her baby girl on the way: Cora Elizabeth. I signed myself up right away to make a few savory and sweet items for the special day.

Morgan's friends did an incredible job, decorating, creating fun games and putting together some additional tasty treats. For Morgan's shower I wanted to take a large onion tart that I had made before and make tartlets. I wanted to do the same for a citrus cake I had made previously, make mini cupcakes. And what good is a baby shower without some onesie cookies...right? Here are my recipes below.

Caramelized Onion Tartlets with Manchego Cheese
3 pie crusts (premade or homemade)
2 medium/large yellow onions
3 pieces of cooked ham (or bacon or proscuitto)
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 stick butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup manchego cheese
1 cup half & half
1 egg
salt
pepper

First you want to take your pie crusts and use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut out some circles. Grease you mini (or regular) muffin tin. Then put the pie circles inside so they look like mini tart shells. Bake these at 425 for about 15 minutes.

Next, heat up your pan or skillet and drop in the butter and oil. While that heats up, peel and thinly slice your onions. Place them in the skillet to caramelize, this will take about 15 or so minutes. Keep your heat to medium low because you don't want them to get crispy. Keep stirring every few minutes. Then chop up your ham (or bacon) add that to your onion mixture. You want to chop up your fresh parsley very finely and add that to the onion mixture as well. Add a bit of salt and pepper and mix around. Remove from heat and once your pie shells are cooled spoon the mixture into your mini shells.

Grate your manchego (you can also use gruyere) cheese and place about a spoonful on top of each tart. Then beat your egg and add in the half and half, add about a spoonful of that onto each tart (this creates your custard for the tart). Bake these at 350 for about 20 minutes. They will be a bubbling golden brown.

Lemon-Chiffon Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Icing

Lemon-Chiffon Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Icing
Topped with Candied Grapefruit and Cranberries
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs separated
3/4 cup orange-banana juice
3 Tbsp orange, grapefruit & lemon zest
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first four ingredients in your standing mixer, in the center add in egg yolks, oil and juice. Beat on a medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth. Stir in zest. Remove from mixer into a large bowl. Clean mixing bowl and add in egg whites and cream of tartar, beat on high until you see stiff peaks (like whipped cream or meringue). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Spoon into your greased mini cupcake tin and bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before adding the icing.

Citrus Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup soft butter
3 Tbsp orange, grapefruit & lemon zest
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice

Beat the butter with the zest on medium speed, when the mixture becomes creamy start slowly adding in your powdered sugar (about 1/3 cup at a time). Then add in your fresh lemon juice. You will begin to see the consistency turn into a frosting. Apply to each cupcake.

Candied Grapefruit and Cranberries
1 grapefruit
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
3 cups water

Add water to a medium sized pot, put heat on medium and add in sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Slice up grapefruit into small pieces (rind intact). Add in cranberries whole. Stir so the sugar water coats each piece of fruit. Let the water come to a gentle bubble. Occasionally stir the fruit around, keep in sugar water for about 30 minutes. This will remove the tartness from the berries and the sourness from the grapefruit rind. Use a piece of parchment paper or foil and spoon the fruit onto the paper to cool. After about 10 minutes check them, they should be sticky, like gummy candy. Place on top of your cupcakes for a unique, delicious topping.

Onesie Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies with  Orange Icing
1 cookie cutter (any shape)
3 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 package of cream cheese
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps vanilla
1 egg

In your standing mixer add in butter and cream cheese. Cream until smooth. Meanwhile add, flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Add sugar into butter mixture, beat for about two minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. On low speed, gradually add in flour mixture. Dough will be soft and sticky.


Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets. Once dough has chilled, roll out and use cookie cutter to cut out 1/4 inch thick cookies. Spread out about two inches apart and bake for about 12 minutes. Let cool before icing.

Orange Poured Fondant Icing (Naturally colored)
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp of orange extract
3-5 tsp light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp beet juice

In your standing mixer, add in milk, corn syrup and 1/3 a cup of confectioner sugar at a time. If you need to use more add more, if you need to add more milk to keep the icing smooth add a bit more. Add orange extract and beet juice. The beet juice is a natural way to color your icing instead of using chemical-laden dye. And you can't even taste it! Plus the color was perfect. Use immediately. When you apply to cookie the icing will dry pretty quickly so decorate right away.


The baby shower was a huge success! Delicious food and wonderful company. It is a precious time watching all my friends transform from beautiful women to beautiful mothers.




These recipes would be perfect for any party. Your guests will feel incredibly special and your guest of honor will feel showered with love. Enjoy! xo Lo

Early bird gets the worm!

It seems the older I get (and the more pregnant I get) I rise even earlier each morning. And of course what good is a morning without a delicious breakfast? In this post I have compiled two of my favorite breakfast items.

On week day mornings I try to be as healthy as possible...smoothies are the way to go. And so easy! You can add just about anything you want or have on hand into your blender and puree up a scrumptious, healthy start to your work day.

Mean Green Smoothie
3/4 cup Greek plain full fat yogurt
1 banana
1 cup of juice/milk
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 cup spinach/kale mix
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chia seeds

Don't let the word "green" scare you. Trust me, you won't taste the green in this mean green smoothie. The reason I add spinach and kale into my smoothie is to give myself that extra serving of vegetables that are so good for you. You'll taste the fruit you add into the smoothie. You'll notice that I put different examples of a liquid...I usually use the juice we have on hand (orange or apple) but I've also used coconut water and that tasted great. I use full fat Greek yogurt because I want the healthy fats and love the creaminess it adds to my smoothie. Then I pulse this altogether, once it is pureed I slowly add in a few ice cubes until it reaches the consistency that I prefer. Then when I pour it into my cup, I add chia seeds on top and mix it around before I drink. This adds another punch to the super healthy smoothie. This breakfast will give you so much energy and just make you feel good. For you mamas-to-be this is an awesome pregnant breakfast, great for you and amazing for your growing baby.



Quinoa-Citrus-Currant Muffins
2 cups of cooked quinoa (follow instructions on bag)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup dried currants
2 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

Mix wet ingredients together in a standing mixer. Meanwhile, add dry ingredients together and mix with a fork until combined. Slowly add in dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add in currants. Lastly add in juice and zest. Spoon into a greased and floured muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

The fluffy quinoa gives these healthy muffins a moist texture and the currants give you a pop of tartness. You can really add any dried fruit, fresh fruit or nuts that you have on hand as well. I took these to my best friend who had recently had her first baby, a great treat for a loved one.

Both of these breakfasts are winners and don't take long to make. I hope you enjoy! xo Lo

Baby it's cold outside! A day's worth of yummy foods while staying cozy inside.

Whenever it is frigid outside I love to make foods that comfort the soul. Since I've been pregnant (6 months!) I have craved pancakes...in all varieties. And as much as I'd like to go out to eat every morning...our baby budget doesn't quite allow that. So I've given making them myself a go.

This particular morning I looked in my fridge and had fresh raspberries, left over sour cream and honey. I decided to be brave and use all of these ingredients in my pancakes.

Raspberry Sour Cream Pancakes with Orange Blossom Honey
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole milk (or half n half/heavy cream)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 cup of fresh raspberries
honey (or syrup)

Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Melt a tablespoon of butter (or olive oil) into your pan on medium-high heat. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. You should be able to make about three at a time, or depending on the size of pancakes you prefer. Cook until the edges start to bubble and brown, then flip. Cook for another two minutes and your pancakes should be ready to go!

I've been topping my pancakes with honey lately, so much healthier and quite delicious. This Saturday morning I actually had a fancy honey left over from Thanksgiving...orange blossom honey. It was divine on my pancakes. Plus the sour cream makes the batter incredibly fluffy. Hope you enjoy!

The next recipe is a snack fit for a queen by the roaring fire, friends gathered around the firepit outside or a couple cuddled on the couch. An avant-garde cheese plate.

Classique assiette de fromage (Classic Cheese Plate)
Ingredients:
1 bunch of red grapes
1 bunch of green grapes
1 bunch of purple grapes
a handful of fresh or dried figs
2-3 different kinds of cheese
honey
1 pear
1 apple
crackers

You really can put anything on your cheese plate. It just depends on what you prefer to snack on. I am in love with cheese. So I chose a smoked gouda and a Havarti cheese for my plate. I sliced these cheeses up and placed them on a pretty glass cake stand as my plate. Then I sliced my pear, apple and figs and placed them on the plate. Next was washing and placing the grapes in bunches on the plate, along with the crackers of your choice. The last addition was to ladle a bit of honey near the figs onto your cheese plate. You can use any kind of honey, to make this a little more special try a blossom honey, mine was an orange blossom honey and it was superb. Then serve! Trust me, this snack will be gone in no time.

My next recipe to share on a cold, blustery day would be my warm orange zest biscuits with a variety of toppings and a cup of tea.

Orange Zest Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp cold cubed butter
2 Tbsp cold pieces of cream cheese
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 cup whole milk (or heavy cream)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add cold butter, cream cheese and zest, use fork to combine. Should turn into small pea sized crumbles. Add milk and mix until combined. Make a ball of the dough and flatten, wrap in plastic wrap and let this sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes. After the dough has set, flour your surface and roll out the dough with your rolling pin (or take the easy way and lightly push it out with your hands) make as thin as you prefer. Then use your biscuit cutters or a simple cup and cut out your biscuits. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum or parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes and you'll pretty much want to eat these right away. To serve I set out pumpkin butter, apple butter, sour cherry preserves and creamed honey. You can top with anything you like or even simply butter. Out of all these options...my favorite was the pumpkin butter...but creamed honey topped with sour cherry preserves came in as a close second. Pour a hot cup of tea or coffee and se faire plaisir! (Enjoy yourself!)

My last recipe for the chilly day would be my pumpkin chocolate cake topped with slivered almonds. For some reason baking is one of the best things I like to do when it's cold or when I'm stuck inside. Hence the yummy cake!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease two 8 inch round pans. In a medium bowl mix in flour, baking soda and salt. In a standing mixer/large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Slowly add in the flour mixture and then slowly add in the milk. Divide batter evenly into pans. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center. Make or grab your frosting. Don't be too disappointed, but I didn't make my frosting this time. (I'm still perfecting my baking skills.) I used chocolate frosting and to fancy up the cake a bit I used slivered almonds for the top. Once the cake was cool, I frosted and topped with the almonds. And voila! Enjoy while the cake is still warm.

Hope you enjoyed all my recipes! Please leave any commentary about recipes you tried. xo Lo

Wonton a delicious dinner? Try some dim sum.

My mom bought one of those bamboo steamers for making wontons or any sort of dumpling. She was excited to try out a recipe so we gathered our supplies and got to work.

Pork and Cabbage Dim Sum:

1/2 pound ground pork
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 egg whites
1/2 lemon juiced
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 package of wonton wrappers
savoy cabbage


Mix the filling together, make sure it is all mixed. Take a wonton wrapper, put about a tablespoon of pork mixture into the wrappers then dip your finger into some water and outline the edge of the wrapper with the water. Then use that to seal the dumpling together. Pull up to opposite corners and seal, then pull the opposite corners and seal.

Then on the bottom of each layer cover with a few pieces of savoy cabbage. Continue with the dim sum and place them on top of the cabbage leaves. Then for those who prefer a gluten-free option can use some savoy cabbage leaves as the wonton wrappers. Simply place a tablespoon of mixture in the center of the cooked cabbage and wrap up using the sides like a burrito. Fill up the bamboo steamer basket with one layer only. Bring one to two inches of water in a pot to boil and place steamer on top. Steam for 10-12 minutes. Serve with soy sauce!





Three Bean Salad
1 can kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 can black beans
1 small package of frozen peas
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

For an easy, delicious protein packed side dish we mixed together a variety of beans (you can use whatever you have on hand) added in some sesame oil to keep in the Asian flair and of course salt and pepper. Let marry in the fridge before serving.

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my mom and I did. It was fabulous! xoxo Lo

 
 
 

 

Who says you can't camp in style??

Every year about one third of our population goes camping. There is quite an extensive list of "must take" when you go on a camping trip. Of course, food is a very important part of this trip away. On Memorial Weekend, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were thrilled to immerse ourselves into nature. And to finally put all our collected camp gear to use.

We made the couple hour drive to Estes Park, met up with some friends for lunch. After a couple of Elk burgers our group decided to take a hike with friends. We witnessed a beautiful waterfall, as the winters last breath was leaving the mountains. Before nightfall sprang upon us we needed to set up camp, get our fire going and start dinner. Our campsite was incredible, the campground called it the honeymoon suite and after arrival, we understood why. We had a large site are with gorgeous Longs Peak puffing it's chest at the valleys below. Tall pine trees kept us privately tucked away and we were in heaven. We set up camp and started to ready our evening.

We brought most of the "typical" camping foods but tried to jazz it up a little bit. Instead of regular burgers, we brought turkey burgers. We brought sandwich thins, instead of giant hunks of bread. But of course we couldn't help ourselves with bringing bacon and eggs. (They make everything better.) I wanted to relish being out in the middle of nowhere and not have to have fancy food. But I knew there had to be more creative ways to prepare the food. So as my husband collected firewood, I started with our cocktail for the evening.

I found this awesome peach bellini wine freezer...perfect for camping! All I had to do was fill it with wine, water and then freeze. Talk about simple! I poured each of us a glass and felt excited for the camping trip to unfold. Once I had my cocktail to sip on, I started to prepare dinner. We were having bacon-cheese-turkey burgers. We wanted to use the grill that came on the fire pit, so I had to figure out an easy way to keep all the food on the grill. Obviously the turkey burgers and buns would be fine but the bacon, if left alone would probably fall through the cracks into the fire. I had seen people create a bacon lattice on turkeys and chickens and felt this would be a perfect way to cook this bacon for our burgers. I cut a few slices and laced them together creating a bacon patty.  Then we put everything on the grill and waited patiently. As the flame hissed with bacon grease, we enjoy our mountainous bliss. We watched as the sun faded behind the pine trees and scarfed down our healthy yet hearty camp fire meal. We sat by the fire for quite awhile staring into the flames and talking about how much we'd miss Colorado. (We were moving back to Texas in a few short days.) We would miss the smell of the mountains, the chilly summer rains, being the first ones on the ski lifts, grabbing a local brew at the Dam Brewery, being able to spot the mountains from almost any activity we were doing, the color of the autumn leaves and our cousins.

 

The next day we hiked six miles straight up to Green Mountain. I remember my hands swelling up so much I thought my pinky finger pad would pop. Hydration was important. Thankfully we were mostly shaded by the towering trees. Once we reached the top we sat down to enjoy the panoramic view of mountains and valleys. Tiny, social chipmunks scurried up to see if we had any bits of food for them to munch on. Then we found the seal and took a picture of our wedding rings on it to symbolize our exceptional year in colorful Colorado.

When we returned from our hike we realized there were no showers at our campground. We made a discovery trip into Estes Park and found some showers at a Laundromat. Unfortunately it was cash only and our pockets were empty AND to top it all off the place closed in 10 minutes. We were sweaty and desperate for a shower before hunkering down in our tent. The nicest girl doing laundry must have saw the looks of exasperation on our red faces and paid for our showers. We gratefully accepted, offered a Starbuck's gift card (which she refused to accept) and hurried into our cleansing stalls. After a good scrub and rinse we were as good as new, but hungry. We made our way back to the grounds and cheffed up some good ole freeze dried camping food. I chose beef stroganoff and I served Evan cheesy chili mac n cheese. We cuddled next to our fire and ate in silence.

This may have been our last camping trip in 2013 but we knew we'd be back for more.

 

Have a great end of your summer! xoxo Lo

 Oh and if you see a bear locker on your camp site...use it!

“April's air stirs in Willow-leaves...a butterfly Floats and balances” ― Matsuo Bashō, Japanese Haiku

In many states spring has sprung....not in mine. Last night I was cuddling up next to the fire while giant snowflakes drifted upon my daffodils, who were trying so desperately to stay alive. 

But I did not let this "go back into hibernation" feeling get to me, especially to my dinner plate! I love those comforting winter foods during winter but after Easter, I crave that exciting freshness, light, no-guilt feeling spring foods give. 

This past week I created a few spring-inspired meals I would love to share. 

Saturday night after our grocery excursion I was craving a feel-good appetizer. I had purchased an artichoke at the market, since it was on sale, and decided to take a spin with that. Besides, who doesn't love steamed artichokes?! 

Steamed Artichoke

1 artichoke (depending on how many guests you have)

1 Shiner Ruby Red Bird

1 small pot of water

While water is heating up, slice the top inch off of the artichoke, then snip the tips off of the artichoke leaves. When water is boiling, place the artichoke upside down into the water. Let steam for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make your aioli. 

Ginger-Lemon Aioli

3 Tbsp of Asian ginger salad dressing

1/4 cup mayo

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fresh dill

1 tsp olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients together until they are smooth. Taste and if everything seems balanced chill until artichoke is ready to serve. When artichoke is tender, cut off the root until you can place into a bowl easily. Serve with aioli and Shiner Ruby Redbird beer. Delish! 

The next day I had left over artichoke so I decided to make a scrumptious sandwich. 

Ginger Chicken-Artichoke Sammy with Muenster and power greens

 2 slices of Ezekial whole grain bread

remaining artichokes, sliced thinly

1/2 Ginger chicken breast sliced thinly (leftover chicken, I marinated in Asian ginger dressing)

3 thin slices of Muenster cheese

1 Tbsp mayo

small bunch of power greens (baby spinach, baby kale, etc)

Assemble your sandwich by spreading the mayo, top with artichoke and cheese. Then place the chicken on top of that and heat up until the cheese is melted. Add greens and serve with blackberries and beverage of choice. This sandwich reigns with antioxidants and nutrients. 

A few nights later I had some pork chops and hadn't decided what to do with them. I chose the following recipe. 

Italian Pork Chops with Spaghetti Squash and a Red Bean Puree

1 spaghetti squash

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dill

1 tsp oregano

2 pork chops

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 can red beans (or kidney beans)

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

pinch salt 

pinch pepper

Start by slicing your spaghetti squash in half, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dill and oregano. Roast at 425 for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, marinate your pork chops in the milk to help tenderize them. After the spaghetti squash is done, dip your pork chops into the bread crumbs and place them on a greased baking sheet. Roast pork chops on 375 for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 345 for 20 more minutes. This will help keep the pork tender and juicy. While the pork is roasting assemble your red bean puree. Heat the beans up on the stove then, place beans in a medium sized bowl. Add in Greek yogurt and pinch of salt and pepper. Use an emulsifier to blend the beans 
into a smooth puree. (Or you can use a blender.)

Once spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrap the squash from the skin (should look like strings of spaghetti). Place in a saute pan with olive oil and handful of power greens. Make sure the heat is on low and stir until the greens have wilted. Once the pork is done, let rest for a few minutes. When serving, place beans on plate first, put spaghetti squash on the side and top with the pork chop. These easy, delicious and extremely healthy flavors will leave you satisfied and guilt-free!

Mexico City Tacos

1 pound of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage 

1 cup of Italian bread crumbs

1 egg (beaten)

2 Tbsp adobo sauce

1 tsp cumin

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Chipotle Sauce

1 small can of spicy V8 juice 

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 Tbsp adobo sauce

1/2 yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup beef broth

Toppings

avocado

mango

plain Greek yogurt

cilantro

cheese

To start making these tacos, heat a skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil and add in diced onion. Next, blend the V8, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce until smooth in a blender. Once the onion is golden add in minced garlic, let cook for a few minutes then add in chipotle sauce. Cook down for 5 minutes then add in beef broth. Simmer on low for 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make your meatballs. Put turkey, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, adobo sauce, salt and pepper into a medium sized bowl. Use your hands to blend the meat mixture together. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spread some olive oil on top then use a cookie scooper to scoop out your meatballs. Will make about 24 meatballs. Roast at 425 for 6 minutes then broil for 2 1/2 minutes. Then add into the chipotle sauce, stir to coat each meatball with sauce. 

To assemble the tacos, place cheese on tortilla (optional) top with chipotle, meatball mixture and then add a scoop of plain Greek yogurt (acts like sour cream!), diced avocado, diced mango and a sprinkle of cilantro. These tacos are seriously good. They have all the elements your taste buds are looking for; spicy, sweet, tart, cool and creamy! Serve these with margaritas for a dinner party and you will win over every single guest there. 

As always, enjoy! xo Lo

Lucas's 1st Birthday!

Helping plan parties is one of my all time favorite things to do. I helped one of my dear friends, Cara, with her son's first birthday. We came up with a menu that not only served to be convenient but also comforting during frigid January days. 

One of favorite ideas was a hot chocolate bar! 

We made some delicious hot chocolate: 

14 cups milk (depending on the size of your party)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate

6 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Scald the milk and pour in your chocolate, remove from heat and stir until the chocolate is melted competely. Add in sugar and spices. Put in a crockpot to keep warm for guests. 

Toppings: we made frozen whipped cream dollops! Easy and no mess, use either canned whipped cream or homemade. Serve with hot chocolate. We also had cinnamon sticks out as stirrers. 

Our main course was mini pizzas. We wanted them to be portable since moms were running after their kiddos and lil kids would be eating them too. We bought our dough from Whole Foods (super convenient!) and rolled them out very thin. We used a cookie cutter and baked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then we added our toppings. You can choose whatever you'd like. We had mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, red, yellow and orange peppers, purple onion and spinach with marinara sauce. Everyone loved these little guys!

Lucas's 1st birthday was a huge success! Your next birthday party can be this simple too! 

Enjoy! xoxo Lo