Pitcher

I made this for Lars's birthday party.  For the parents, of course, but still it was for a three year old birthday party - I realize it's probably not the 'normal' choice - but it was a hit.  Most parents still stuck around and boy were they thrilled.

Which is exactly why I thought of making this recipe today because I am thrilled to be hosting my friend

Melissa

and her family for dinner tonight at the station.  Be prepared for lots of Instagrams from both of us {

follow me here

and

Melissa here

}.  She's in town for the weekend with her family so we get to hang out for a night.  I can't wait!

There were lots of cool things my friends did this week around the webs.

::  Kam is keeping it real by

saying all of the things

the rest of us mothers live through daily.

::  MJ gave spring

cleaning tips for a mudroom

.  My question is, when do I get a mudroom?

::  Ashley is making

me miss summer

.  And Palm Springs.  And skirts.

::  The girls at Style Me Pretty paired those

cute glasses you registered for with actual cocktails

to put in them!  And who couldn't use a new cocktail recipe?

::  MJ also made a

cool paper daffodil wreath

with her kids.  Love!

See you Monday!

-a

I am so excited to let you in on a project we've been working on for the past two weeks - Black Cod videos + recipes with Metropolitan Market!  I'm totally in love with Metropolitan Market, their gorgeous stores, their amazing staff, and I feel totally honored to get to work with them to create these short videos that help you feel more confident when you buy groceries.

Black Cod is especially delicious.  It's a rich and buttery fish from Alaska that's almost impossible to screw up.  Because of the high oil content {the good kind - Omega 3} the fish is really lenient when it comes to over cooking.  It can be over cooked - don't get me wrong - but if you stay within the window of cooking time you will be ok.

You can check out the entire Black Cod promotion + videos and recipes on the

Metropolitan Market website

.  And then come back and let me know what you think!  I love your feedback.

A classic cake never goes out of style.  But sometimes you want something more fun than a 'classic cake.'  That's why I turned the salted caramel frosting in this dreamy cake pink.  A few drops of gel food coloring and we're not just having a party, we're having a P.A.R.T.Y.    

1 cup butter

2 cup sugar

4 whole eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom of four 8 inch cake pans.  Line each pan with a round of parchment paper and butter the parchment paper.  Set aside.  

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add cocoa powder and whip until creamy.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. 

Equally divide batter among four prepared pans and bake 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Salted Caramel Frosting

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups butter

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat.  When edges begin to turn brown, stir gently {only once or twice} with a wooden spoon.  Let the sugar continue to heat until all of it has turned into an amber syrup.  Remove from heat and quickly whisk in one tablespoon of cream.  The mixture will sputter and steam.  Be careful.  Continue whisking cream in a slow steady stream until completely incorporated.  Pour into a heatproof dish and let cool to room temperature.  

In the bottom of the heat proof bowl from a stand mixer, heat egg whites and remaining sugar to 160 degrees on a candy thermometer whisking often.  When the mixture reaches 160 degrees, attach the bowl to the stand mixer and whisk on medium high speed until the egg whites form a stiff peak.  Switch out to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.  When all butter is incorporated, beat on high for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in room temperature caramel and beat on low until fully combined.  

Use immediately on cooled cake.  

I'm also not wild about trying to frost the whole cake.  I get really OCD crazy trying to make every angle of it perfect.  So I've take to just frosting the middle layers.  It calms my perfectionist tendencies and still looks cool.  Plus, you can lump loads of frosting in the middle layers which is dreamy.

1. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a large opening tip, and pipe a 'bumper' of frosting around the edge of the cake.  

2. Drop a spatula full of frosting in the center of the cake and spread evenly out to the edges with a offset spatula.  

photography by Brooke Clark

Studio B Portraits

Follow Alexandra Hedin's board I love birthdays on Pinterest.

Still Photography by Brooke Clark

Studio B Portraits

I love a birthday.  LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Occasionally, I have found that a birthday sneaks up on you right when you were least expecting it and you are stuck trying to pull off something that seems planned when it really was maybe not *that* planned.  Here are my suggestions for pulling off a fabulously fabulous birthday party in minutes.

Happy Birthday!

Photography by Brooke Clark

Studio B Portraits

Whenever we host a fun dinner night we make sure there is a fun 'mock-tail' for the children.  {full disclosure :: my children get a glass of tonic or a chocolate milk-tail almost nightly}  

For St. Patrick's Day I kicked things up a notch with lemon sorbet and fizzy soda.  If your child is like Pearl and is not a fan of bubbles in their drink, then regular juice works too.  

A cookie cutter shamrock apple looked adorable but also subbed as an impromptu appetizer.  

Buy the Shamrock Cookie Cutter on Etsy

{here's a hot tip  ::  a shot of Citron Vodka is AWESOME in this for a grown up version}

I had a super crap-tastic week last week.  We spent all week battling the stomach flu and all of the glory and loads of laundry that went with it.  On Friday, when I was pretty sure I was on my death bed I texted

Amy Christie

with "I'm dying.  Hopefully I'll talk to you Monday."  She advised me not to die because she was having a rough enough month as it was.

That's why it meant so much to me when I received an email on Friday afternoon letting me know that I - ME - was chosen as one of

Better Homes & Gardens Top Ten Entertaining Blogs

.  I was astounded.  Humbled.  And revived from the dead.

This meant so much to me because of the amazing company that I was in.  Please visit their sites as well because they are an amazing group of ladies who inspire me, make me a better person, and make me a better blogger.

**  Yes, I'm aware my name is spelled wrong - we're working on it  **

Our favorite waiter at our favorite summer time restaurant left Seattle for the sunny skies {and acting jobs} of Los Angeles last fall.  We were sad to see him go, but I was more sad to see his signature cocktail go with him.  So I stole him away during his going away party to steal the recipe.

I've been looking for the right time to share it, and no time seemed better than OSCAR WEEKEND!  I know JJ will be downing these this weekend - and so will I.

Sur la Table Boston Shaker

 ::  

Tiffany Double Old Fashioned Highball Glass

::  Did you see Jamie's guide to

where to eat in NYC?

  Pinned it, printing it, following it.  I've been to most of them - but not all!

::  Have you been following

Oscars Week at Meyers Styles

?  Check out the decor!  FABBY

::  My office is getting more organized this week and

these filing ideas from Lauren are amazing

.  And so simple!

::  Have you met

Amber

?

::  Popcorn + cocktails =

Oscar fun over at the Glitter Guide

See you Monday!

Follow Alexandra Hedin's board I love a cocktail on Pinterest.

What a week.  My children had the week off from school which meant I was the full time entertainment committee.  We went to Whidbey, we hosted playdates, we did art projects and now we are ready for them to go back to school.  Soon.  

Until then, let's sip cocktails and catch up on the fun things some of my friends did this week 

:: Are you sending invitations out for a Oscar Party?  

Kelly at Studio DIY has a printable Oscar Ballot for you.

::  Sharon put together an amazing playlist for our party at Alt Summit.  

Find out how here.

::  

S'mores cupcakes

!!  My brilliant friend Melissa {otherwise known as Lulu the Baker} made these.  

::  Did you see

Amy's red tulle skirt

?  I loved it when I saw it in person and I have been pinning tulle skirts like a maniac.  I think it's time for my own.  

See you Monday!

I'm not sure why it struck me as so surprising that Shirley Temple passed away this week.  But it did. I felt profoundly affected by her passing.  Maybe it's because she has always been such an iconic figure, or maybe it's because Pearl has recently discovered Shirley Temple movies.  

In honor of this day, that is all about love and caring, and beauty - nothing seems more appropriate than the drink named for the darling little girl who brought joy in a dark time and continues to inspire little girls.  

I haven't told Pearl that Shirley Temple has died.  It seems unnecessary.  Pearl believes that fairies live in the woods, that princesses live in castles and fly on carpets, and that Shirley Temple is a tiny little girl who tap dances.  I believe that Shirley Temple deserves to live amongst the fairies and the princesses because that's the kind of magic she carries.  

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day.