Mason Jar Salads

Looking for the perfect way to feed your guests at the next baby or bridal shower?  The darling Mary Love Koons has the answer!  At the media preview lunch that John Cain Sargent hosted for Monograms for the Home last week, Mary Love created the most delicious salads you can imagine!  Of course, we served them with a selection of my new Halo Home by KSW linen foldover napkins.

Mason Jar Salads

For the southwest salad lovers

Ingredients:

Romaine and Spinach

Fresh corn OR roasted corn

Black Beans

Quinoa

Carrots

3 cheese blend

Italian OR Lime vinaigrette dressing

Lime Vinaigrette:

4 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tbs sugar

2 tbs canola oil

1 tsp seasoned salt

Pepper to taste

In small bowl whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Slowly add the oil in a stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with seasoned salt & pepper to taste. 

Italian Vinaigrette with fresh herbs

2 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 shallot, minced

1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 clove garlic mashed to a paste or minced

6 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp coarsley chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 fresh basil leaves, coarsly chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, shallot, lemon juice, and garlic. Slowly add the olive oil in a stream, whisking to emulsify. Stir in the oregano & basil. Season with sald & pepper to taste. 

For the berry and fruit lovers

Baby Kale and Spinach

Blueberries, Raspberries & Strawberries

Feta cheese

Quinoa

Craisins

Slice almonds

Raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Raspberry Vinaigrette

3 tbs raspberry balsamic vinegar

1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 tbs canola oil

4 fresh raspberries, mashed

Salt & Pepper to taste

Whisk together the vinegar & lemon juice. Add in the oil in a steady stream until emulsified. Stir the mashed raspberries into the dressing. Salt & pepper to taste. 

For the traditional salad lovers

Romaine and Spinach blend 

Carrots

Quinoa

Avocado

Broccoli

Tomatoes

3 cheese blend

Balsamic vinaigrette 

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tsp sugar

6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Season with salt & pepper to taste

Place vinegar in small bowl whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with salt & pepper to taste.  

Assembly: 

With any version of the mason jar salad, the order of assembly is extremely important! You begin with the wet ingredients and dressing. This includes fruit, tomatoes, and anything that has excess moisture. After the wet ingredients you add the quinoa. This will create a nice barrier between the wet ingredients and the lettuce. Following the quinoa, you then put in your moistrure resistent ingredients. This includes broccoli, carrots, etc.  Next, you will add your protein, croutons, nuts, etc. Lastly you will put the lettuce on top! Leave a little room between the top of the salad and the top of the jar so when you shake it all the ingredients will mix evenly. 

Tablescape Tuesday: Baby Shower in Blue and Pink

Celebrating the impending arrival of a new baby is the most fun and inspiring celebration of all time. I adore blue and white anything! It is such a fresh and pretty color combination. Add in some pink and our shower theme was born.

Tablescapes

A white linen tablecloth from Porthault gave my dark wood dining table a bright look, perfect for a luncheon. In the center of the table, I gathered together my collection of blue-and-white containers in various sizes. Various shades of pink roses added depth to the floral arrangement and were the perfect way to tie in the "little girl factor."

Tablescapes

Tablescapes

I placed two wooden figurines in the center of the table - a young girl and a young boy - gifts from my mother-in-law from a Paris flea market.

Tablescapes

Every element needed to fit the color scheme, right down to the place cards, which were bold blue embellished with pink ink. Pink linen napkins with my monogram in white perfectly pulled the color from the center of the table to the fun and colorful place settings; I was thrilled for the opportunity to mix and match some of favorite patterns.

Tablescapes

A beautiful blue-and-white Mottehedah charger was the perfect frame for my favorite china pattern, Mottehedah's "Tobacco Leaf," a gift from my mother, which was used as the service plate. I always like to have a plate that is full of color placed at each setting so that when guests arrive at their seats, their setting looks complete even without food.

This luncheon also gave me an opportunity to show off the Puiforcat silver that my mother-in-law gave Justin and I as a wedding gift. It was the silver she recieved when she married Justin's father. It is engraved with the most exquisite W monogram and each is so beautiful. I was thrilled to be able to use it on such a special occasion.

Tablescapes

The menu at this baby shower was inspired by the cravings of the pregnant guest of honor.  Her biggest craving was carrots, so carrot soup was our delicious first course.

Tablescapes

Only the best would do for this formal luncheon, so my favorite stemware came out of the closet, too. The "Primtemps" pattern from Varga is a perfect daytime delight, with its lovely colors and cheerful etchings.

Tablescapes

I hope you've enjoyed taking a look at this special baby shower; it was a beautiful afternoon with a table to suit!

invitation etiquette

I am crazy about this Guide to Baby Invitations by Tiny Prints !  Check it out for etiquette and advice on any Baby event invitation from a baptism to a baby shower.

 Looking for a fun way to celebrate an upcoming birthday, bachelorette party or couples night out?  Look no further!  I have a fun new party idea for you that is rapidly becoming a new trend across the country. Amateur Bartending Class will help you become the next Tom Cruise from Cocktail!  This is as simple as party planning can get. All you need to do is call to schedule your class and gather up your friends.  JC Bartending, Inc will host your two hour amateur bartending class. They have all of the equipment required to learn how to make hundreds of drink recipes.  They supply everything including a gift bag and recipe book that you and your guests can take home.  There are demonstrations, practice time and fun games for all!

Call 972-786-1310 or visit www.jcbartending.com to set up your class

Inspiration Board: Chickadee Sip and See

I love nothing more than when a friend has a new baby.  Is there any greater joy in the world?  I always want to rush to meet the baby and welcome it to the world but I also worry that I will be intruding on a very tired new mother!  Although we loved having well wishing visitors when our son was born, I often felt like we had a revolving door.  It wasn't easy for me to recover or to get our new born on a healthy sleep schedule.  That is why the Sip & See party is so clever!  Ladies in the south have been doing them for generations but my friends from up north seem to latch on to the idea when they hear about it!

Here are my ideas for the perfect Sip & See:

I think this chubby chick invitation is perfect for our party.  It even has corresponding Thank You Note cards that you can order at the same time!  If you are hosting for a friend, order her the Thank you Note suite when you order the invitations as a gift.

Of course, no Chickadee Sip & See would be complete with out a few Chenille Easter Chickies!  Set them on orange cupcakes or arrange them across your mantle!

Use yellow and orange Gerbera Daisies simply by cutting off the stems and placing them face up in small round dishes.  So simple and so dramatic! Check out FiftyFlowers.com to order!

A Sip & See Party should last for two to four hours and be scheduled around the baby's sleep schedule.  Typically, afternoon Champagne Teas are the best format. Setting up a small buffet of tea sandwiches and cupcakes is the perfect!   Check out What's New Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson for fun and fantastic recipies and ideas!

Also set up a drink station so that your guests may help themselves to Coffee, Tea, Champagne, Lemonade, Iced Tea and all of the condiments.  I love this Colin Cowie Flavor-Infusing 20-Cup Glass Beverage Server from HSN!  It holds enough of your drink of choice for 20 guests!  

A few more simple tips:

Set up a handwashing station or keep a bottle of anti-bacterial lotion near the baby.

Have a photographer take photos of your guests with your bambino.

Leave a guest book or small squares of paper out for the guests to write messages to the baby on the way out the door, after they have Sipped and Seen!

Looking Hot at the Hospital...yes...you read that right!

Looking "hot" at the hospital was not something I thought possible until I heard about Annie & Isabel's chic hospital gowns.  Sisters Anna and Selena are both nurses and started making cute hospital gowns after learning that  inadequate, flimsy, worn, and stained hospital gowns are a major patient complaint!  Their "aha moment" came when one of the sisters was in labor and they remarked that it would be nice to have something beautiful to wear for such a joyous occasion.  Anna and Selena saw and opportunity to improve the hospital experiences of their patients by making them feel more comfortable and cute!
They called the company Annie & Isabel in honor of their great-grandmother, Annie, and their grandmother, Isabel.  As little girls, they dreamed of naming their own children after their grandmothers but, six boys later, they settled on honoring them through their work instead.
Not only are the gowns stylish but they also take care of the "draft situation" if you know what I mean!  Annie & Isabel gowns give some dignity and control back to the patients by keeping them covered in style.  
The gowns run $68 and make a fantastic shower gift or a great gift of encouragement for anyone you know who is suffering with an illness that requires time in the hospital.  Imagine what a new hospital gown could do for their morale!

Selling has never been easier!

Being a mom is wonderful but there is a lot of gear that goes with it!  There are so many baby stages that go by so quickly and they each require a new set of equipment!
Now there is a great new outlet for buying and selling all of the outgrown baby gear that is taking up all of the room in your home!  TradingCradles.com is an on-line marketplace specifically for moms with needs...either needing to get rid of things or needing to purchase things!
Moms out there are probably thinking they don't have the time to take a shower much less sell their extra baby stuff but TradingCradles.com gets that and has made it super simple and crazy quick!  Categories such as cribs, strollers, and clothing make the search easy and posting your own items is as simple as filling out a form and uploading an image.  TradingCradles.com crew claims that it takes less than 30 seconds!

Footprints in the Sand Forever!

Love the Sandy Feel Casting Kit I saw on line today.  What a fun way to commemorate a beach vacation!  This precious kit comes with everything you need to cast your child's footprint.  It makes a great bon voyage gift or baby shower gift as well!

Baby Gifts Galore

My husband and I love going to Flea Markets in whatever town we are visiting and yesterday we found a charming spot while on holiday in a tiny little town in Canada.  The thing that really caught my eye were all of the hand knit and crocheted baby items!  Even though my little man is almost two, I could not resist scooping up these treasures as gifts for friends.  Even though they were not the bargains you might expect from a flea market, I think the fact that they are made with love makes them far more special than any typical gift that could be picked up in any shop with little thought.  It is not easy to find anything made by hand these days so whenever I find these special treasures, I snatch them up!  I wish that I could make them myself, really!  I have been trying to finish the needlepoint on my son's Christmas Stocking for 18 months now and I am not even halfway there! These are the gifts that are sure to become family heirlooms.  If you can't make it to a Flea Market or simply prefer on-line shopping, check out these charming websites:

Bumble Bee Designs from down under (yes, I mean Australia) are truly unique and give the traditional art of knitting and applique and fun and modern new twist.  They are seriously worth the over seas shipping!  Now, if you can tell me that you have ever seen booties this cute then you must send proof!  I think these are just the most precious booties ever ($33 Australian Dollars)!  I love that they make the train design for boys.  Precious boy things are harder to find.

For a very sweet little girl in your life, you might consider this cupcake set ($90).  The set is hand appliqued and about as adorable as it gets!

Green Little Beans (such a cute name!) is filled with wonderful options.  I love their beautiful white blankets but at $80 each I think that they should be reserved for future nieces and nephews!  My other favorites on this site are this hand crocheted bib and bootie set 

in a beautiful and organic natural taupe yarn ($28) 

 

and this precious little yellow number that any baby should really have her portrait made in ($44)!

Patty Cake Fashions has a nice little variety of crocheted booties ($20), sweater and hat sets and little bib shirts made from handkerchiefs ($35).

Greener Gifts...

I just came home from a baby shower that gave a little bit of "green" to the gifts.  The invitation stated:  -for a greener event, please bring your gift unwrapped-!  How great!  Even though I love wrapping gifts this did save me a few minutes of rushing around before the event and I love the concept.  What ideas do you have to make your events more earth friendly?  Write to me at askkim@kimberlyschlegel.com.

Baby Shower Flowers

Here's a little tip for easy baby shower flowers:  Scour your local antique mall for adorable vintage baby vases.  I found these two little baby booties and could not resist filling them with white flowers.  Look for different heights and shapes and layer them or mix them with simple glass containers.  Remember to use a monochromatic color scheme with the flowers so that there is one cohesive color tying all of the different vases together.  Have Fun!