A Kid's Table for Thanksgiving
When I was little we never separated into kids table/adults table. We sat at one extremely long table with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and random friends that someone showed up with. And we ate. If there is one thing that my family has always done well, it's eat.
But I love the concept of a table filled with fun. And fun things to do. And fun. There's a chance I will turn the entire table into a 'kid's table' this year. I'm sort of smitten with the idea.
In case you are smitten too, here's what I did:
1. Covered the table with kraft paper. You can draw on it and when you are done it's compostable {at least the kind I bought is compostable}
2. Drew on placemats and place cards. Black pen = outlines for coloring everything else.
3. Created snack cornucopias out of ice cream cones. Here's how to do it :: dip the base of the cone in water for 20 seconds. microwave the cone for 20 seconds. bend the cone around a pencil and let sit until hard. Stale cones work best.
4. Printed out games and activities to play.
5. Made play dough. Arguably, you can buy it too. But more fun to make it.
6. Made handprint turkeys with the little turkeys. Easy, trace their hand, cut it out, glue on. Let them cut it out.
7. Apple juice in milk jars = happy little hands.
Links:
Julie Blanner’s Word Search Printable
Somewhat Simple’s Thankful for Printable Cards
Playdoh Recipe from I Heart Naptime
Super Bowl Sips | Lemonade Shandy
HAPPY SUPER BOWL WEEKEND! We’re so excited in our family. We watch football all fall. When it’s Monday night and football is in the background of dinner, my daughter rolls her eyes and says “football again?” But she still knows the players and teams, so it’s not like she hates it as much as she pretends. It started with my youngest’s obsession with football as a baby and has grown into a full blown preoccupation.
Super Bowl is literally the biggest thing at our house. Once it is over, my youngest sinks into a small depression when football ends and start watching reruns of games from the season. Then there’s combine, the draft, and the preseason. Do don’t worry about him too much. He’s already started setting up his mock draft for this off season.
For the kids cocktails this year I’ve been making fizzy lemonade. They love it. It’s just sparkling water that I stir in powdered lemonade. That’s what they’ll be drinking this Sunday. But it reminded me of beergaritas - also known as the Lemonade Shandy.
Lemonade Shandies are one of my favorite things to mix up when you host a party for a football game. They are boozy but not so boozy that you can’t keep up with the whole game (and the ads). Clearly we aren’t hosting parties this year thanks to the Covid which has literally ended all fun social interactions. I still left the ratios for the ingredients as punch bowl sized. I don’t recommend you drink the whole thing yourself. Think of it as ratios that you can adjust.
SUPER BOWL SHANDY
36 ounce corona beer
2 cups vodka
52 ounces lemonade
In a pitcher or a punch bowl, combine all of the ingredients and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Happy Mother's Day + Mommy & Me Cooking Class
Last week Kim Hildebrand and I hosted a cooking class + mini photo session and it was EPIC! We cooked, we laughed, we ate. It was such a fun class. Not only was it a fun class, but the girls really pitched in and did 90% of the work themselves.
I set up the table the same way I do it for every cooking class with a giant table down the middle of the bay of the fire station. After we’d all cooked together, we went to the bay for our ‘family brunch’ and all ate together. The girls had the best time sitting together, chatting, and then diving into cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes.
The menu for the class was simple. Pearl and I met the girls at the door with a Vanilla Float made with DRY Sparkling Vanilla and the moms with a glass of champagne. Have you tried a float with DRY Sparkling?? It’s just a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with DRY Sparkling Vanilla. It’s so ridiculously good. The Vanilla soda isn’t as sweet as most sodas so it compliments the ice cream perfectly - it still forms the little crust that’s on the top of the ice cream when you make a soda float. Let’s be honest, that’s really the best part.
The girls then made us all Ham & Cheese Puffs - basically on their own! I gave instructions and each girl took on a different job from slicing ingredients to rolling puff pastry to brushing the egg wash on everything. It was adorable how excited each girl got about the tasks - and even more adorable how they all wanted to help in the kitchen! It was proof that if we give our kids age appropriate jobs, they can totally cook dinner for us. If I can get your kids to help AND/OR cook for you once a week then my job is done and I will retire.
I don’t always believe in making dessert. But this was a special occasion and we needed something fabulous to finish off our brunch. My friends at Trophy made us Strawberry Cupcakes - a classic that’s always a hit. It’s the most delicious cupcake I have possibly had in a long time. It has strawberry frosting on top & a strawberry jam filling - I did not mean to eat the whole thing, but there you go. It disappeared.
Are you interested in coming to a Mommy & Me class? If so, leave a comment below - it would be a blast to do this again soon! If you want to come to a kid-free cooking class, sign up for notifications on Eventbrite and we’ll find out as soon as it’s posted!
Ham & Cheese Puffs | The simplest Mother's Day Brunch
Mother’s Day at our house is almost always the same; we go to the Pike Place Market, buy flowers, doughnuts, and walk the market. Then we’ll pop into one of my favorite restaurants where Mr. Hedin has never made a reservation and still every year we manage to get into the brunch service and have a marvelous time.
Often we’ll pick up something for dinner while we’re there before we head home. We’ve been known to host a dinner in the evening for friends and family. This year we’ll still not be living in our real house so I’m not sure what will happen this year.
If your plans are also up in the air, try hosting a fabulously simple brunch that your kids could even make for you! Have them watch the video below and they can make it for you! Don’t forget to tag #weeknightsociety on Instagram if you make something so I can see how fabulously it turns out!
HAM & CHEESE PUFFS
serves 4
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350. Roll out puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 pieces
STEP 2
Divide ham and cheese on top of the pastry.
STEP 3
Beat the egg yolk and milk together and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg yolk mixture.
STEP 4
Bring up the pastry corners and pinch them together. Pinch down the sides where the egg wash is painted on.
STEP 5
Brush the tops of the pastry with beaten egg yolk. Bake 10 mins until cheese is bubbly
STEP 6
In a jar or a small bowl combine mustard, honey, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley. Shake vigorously.
½ lb ham, cut into cubes
8 oz gruyere cheese, cut into cubes
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 tbs milk
4 cups mixed greens
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ cup olive oil
When you’re creating a super simple brunch like this, then don’t bother cooking a dessert yourself - especially when Trophy Cupcakes can do such a marvelous job. The new featured flavor for Mother’s Day is Lemon Raspberry Rose - is anything more heavenly than rose scented buttercream??? No. No, there isn’t.
And for a simple cocktail, combine chilled champagne + chambord in a cocktail glass and pop in a raspberry.
Whether you’re a mother, a step-mother, a god-mother, or a child of a mother - I hope you have a wonderful day.
Pin this for later!
Oscar Popcorn Party + the easiest popcorn bars
Watching the Oscars is so fun. So glamorous. So exciting to see who will win! I haven’t seen many of the movies - unless you count the animated series where I am literally rocking the category! It never seems to matter to me if I do know any of the movies; I love seeing the stars in their gowns, the beautiful jewelry, and all of the glitz.
When Pearl was three I had the Oscars on and she came and sat beside me. She was enamored with the same things I am - the glitz, the glamour, the spectacle. Practically one minute into it, she declared “I’m going to be up there one day.” Who knows if that will ever be true. But isn’t that what we all dreamed of as a little girl? Getting to walk a red carpet in a stunning, custom made gown, loaded with gorgeous jewels and drinking champagne?
It’s no movie star party without popcorn. All of the popcorn. I could literally make this my dinner. And I have - on occasion - made popcorn my dinner! This is the night to take popcorn up a notch with every mix-in you can find.
There’s a simple way to host this party - make a popcorn bar! You can even do this for just your little family - the kids will think it’s a real kick. If you’re making this for the kids, then choose toppings that they will like. But if you’re doing it for a crowd, you can get a little more interesting and daring. Unless your kids are daring? Mine are not. Mine would pick only the candy and nothing salty or savory, but I cannot recommend enough adding bacon bits. And wasabi peas. And toasted pecans. OMG they are so good!
Here’s the ultimate (and incomplete) list of popcorn mix-ins:
Mini Chocolate Chips
Toasted Pecans
Wasabi Peas
Bacon Bits
Rasinettes
Crumbled Butterfingers
Goldfish Crackers
M’n’M’s
Crushed Oreo Cookies
Mini Marshmallows
Parmesan Cheese
What movies are you rooting for? I’ve only seen a few so I’m not really in for the movies. I’m in for the popcorn and the gowns. Tell me how you celebrate! Are you a fancy gowns type party person or a sweat pants type person? Can’t wait to hear!
EASIEST POPCORN BARS
These are basically like Rice Krispie Treats but with popcorn which makes them delicious and - in my opinion - better than your basic Rice Krispie Treat. Sprinkled with a little salt over the top they are EPIC. There are no tricks, no secrets, etc. It’s just easy.
4 tablespoons butter
10 ounces marshmallows
1/2 cup un-popped popcorn
STEP 1
In an air popper, pop the popcorn until totally popped. Let cool.
STEP 2
In a pan, melt together butter and marshmallows over medium heat until totally melted.
STEP 3
Combine the popped pop corn and the marshmallow mixture until totally coated. Spread in a greased 9x12 pan and pack in a little bit but don’t push too hard. You don’t want to break the popcorn. Let rest about 1 hour until cooled completely. Cut and serve.
Valentine Cocktail Party + 3 simple appetizer recipes
There are so many options for how to spend Valentine’s Day, but a fun way to celebrate with all of your friends is with a simple cocktail party - after all, Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year! Instead of celebrating just as couples, invite everyone over for drinks and small bites and celebrate together. This is especially great if some of your group is ‘coupled up’ and some of your group isn’t. And the planner-ahead-ers can pop over before their dinner reservation!
I have found when you’re hosting a party that the best thing you can do for appetizers is pick three good ones and go ALL IN! So be prepared to make tons of them because no one will dig into a partially empty buffet. I usually make one batch of each of these per every 10 people. But if you are cheese lovers, then maybe add a little more.
BAKED CAMEMBERT
1 wheel of camembert cheese
10 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a bed of rosemary sprigs on a baking sheet and place the unwrapped wheel of cheese on top.
Bake 30-35 minutes until the cheese browns on top. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Move the cheese to a serving dish and discard the cooked rosemary branches. Drizzle the top with honey and sprinkle with walnuts.
Serve with slices of bread or crackers.
I found all of these serving platters at Anko - my new favorite obsession because everything is darling and really well priced. I picked up these pink platters because they’re pink but not PINK. I was friends with a guy who used to call PINK menopause pink because when he was growing up in the south, every woman around 50 years old remodeled her kitchen and added those pink appliances that were so hot for a while. It was the ‘60’s after all. Ever since then I have been super picky about my color pink. I DO NOT WANT menopause pink in my life.
These are not. These are awesome. There are dinner plates and bowls too.
PESTO GORGONZOLA
Undoubtably the simplest appetizer you will ever make. Two ingredients; ten minutes; served hot or cold!
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 baguette, sliced
In bowl, mix together the pesto and gorgonzola until evenly mixed. Spread on the top of toasted bread. Toast again for 2-3 minutes in a broiler - or serve cold. Delicious either way.
CANDY COCKTAIL
1 packet grape poprocks
slice of lemon
1 tablespoon chambord
champagne
Rub the edge of a champagne coupe with the slice of lemon and rim with poprocks. Pour in chambord and top with champagne. Serve quickly!
I love combining new things with my collection of vintage barware. These champagne coupes are from the 1950’s and I adore them. I use them all the time because there is literally never a time when gold rimmed champagne coupes aren’t appropriate. If you can find some yourself, I highly encourage you to grab them! I set them on top of a marble board from Anko. I like to have everything grouped together - the marble is a great landing place for glassware ESPECIALLY if you have marble countertops. The slab creates a spot that’s unique but won’t damage your real marble counters in the event anyone spills.
Pin these for later!
Family Valentine Game Night + Heartthrob Pasta Recipe
There is not only one good way to spend Valentine’s Day but I think this is the best way - with your family at home. This is the best way for loads of reasons: 1. Going out for Valentine’s Day is expensive. 2. Most restaurants have a prix fix menu, servers that are grumpy, and are overly busy. 3. Your kids will feel super special if you spend this day with them instead of out on a date. 4. You can go out on a date tomorrow night when everything is back to normal and you can get a seat at a restaurant.
For our family game night I made a fun dinner everyone will eat - but also made it a little bit cheeky and really leaned into the ‘valentine’ theme. Kids love it. And, let’s be honest, I love it too.
Our family’s new favorite game is this hilarious combination of pictionary and being blindfolded - it’s called Googly Eyes. It is hilarious! You roll to land on what color glasses you’ll wear while you attempt to draw something as simple as popcorn. The glasses make it surprisingly challenging. Unless you are Pearl and I - we are a dream team.
HEARTTHROB PASTA
serves 4
STEP 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice the beets in half and add them to the water as it begins to boil. When the water has come to a boil, add the pasta.
STEP 2
When the pasta is nearly cooked, turn the heat off and let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
STEP 3
Unroll the package of crescent dough and press together all of the seams. Slice the dough into strips. Twist the dough and form it into a heart.
Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
STEP 4
Heat a skillet with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onion, and garlic over medium heat until softened. Remove the beets from the pasta, remove the skin with a paper towel (by rubbing it off), chop them and add them to the skillet.
STEP 5
Drain the pasta – reserving at least one cup of pasta water – and toss the pasta with the peppers. Add the pasta water and toss until a sauce has formed. Remove from heat and sprinkle parmesan on top.
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
2 beets
½ lb pasta
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 package crescent dough
CUPID SPRITZ
1 ounce pomegranate juice
1 ounce vodka
DRY Sparkling Lavender
In a glass filled with ice, layer vodka and pomegranate juice. Top with DRY Sparkling and serve! For those without booze, just skip the vodka and don’t forget to garnish with a cherry.
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. ALEXANDRA HEDIN HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT OR PRODUCTS IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING. ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS AND COMPANIES I LOVE.
weeknight party | super bowl
Are you hosting a Super Bowl party this year? It's such a fun excuse to have a party. The struggle of course, is that it's an all day type thing. You start at kick off, claim your spot on the couch, and it lasts until well after the awards ceremony.
Here's how I'm making Super Bowl super this year.
Shop the party
Champagne Toast to the New Year + Champagne Risotto
Is champagne ubiquitous for New Year’s just because it’s bubbly and festive? I hadn’t really thought of it before, but it must be, right? I love a good glass of champagne but I didn't know that until I actually ever had a glass of Dom Perignon. I was 22 so it’s not like I had to wait forever to get a decent glass of bubbles. Before that I’d had a glass of Cooks. Ok, possibly a bottle. But even typing that right now gave me a headache. Good champagne makes the world of difference.
Good champagne is really remarkable. Like life changing. Good champagne is so worth the money. Just don’t waste it on people who don’t like it. And don’t mix the good stuff. If you’re going to make it into a cocktail, then buy prosecco - same flavor profile, similar taste, not all of the sugar of cheap champagne, and WAY cheaper.
CHAMPAGNE RISOTTO
serves 4
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ cup butter, divided
¼ lb chanterelle mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
2 cup Arborio rice
2 cup champagne
4 cups room temperature seafood stock
½ cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
8 large sea scallops
STEP 1
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbs butter & 2 tbs olive oil. Cook mushrooms over medium heat until tender. Remove from the pan and set aside. (5 mins)
STEP 2
In the same pan, melt another 2 tbs olive oil with 2 tbs butter. Cook shallot and garlic until softened (4 mins)
STEP 3
Stir Arborio rice into the pan and stir until all of the kernels are coated in oil.
STEP 4
Pour in one cup of champagne and stir constantly to deglaze the bottom of the pan. When most of the champagne has evaporated, add the second cup and stir until that liquid has evaporated.
STEP 5
Pour in one cup of stock and stir until completely incorporated. When most of the stock has dissolved, add another cup of stock. Continue until all of the stock has been added. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
STEP 6
Remove from heat and stir in mushrooms, remaining butter and parmesan cheese.
STEP 7
Bring a dry skillet to high heat. Pat the scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbs butter in the pan and place the scallops into the melted butter.
Cook 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Scallops are properly cooked when slightly firm to the touch.
