Bachelorette Bash: Cookies & Cocktails!

Love is in the air.

Two of my friends have gotten engaged within the past month and the party planning is in full swing!

It's totally fitting that my guest post today over at Palm Beach Lately is all about celebrating the Bride-to-Be!

What happens when a group of girls hops on a plane and head to the Hamptons for a weekend of bachelorette fun?

They drink champagne and dance on the table, of course.

I'm sharing an extremely fun cocktail that I named the UnBRIDALed Passion Float...

... and my favorite cut-out cookie recipe for any party that needs a touch of sweetness. {Which is every party, in case you were wondering.}

Hop over to Palm Beach Lately for the recipes!

What do you think is the ideal way to celebrate the "final fling before the ring"? I'm helping to plan a bachelorette party and I need ideas! :)

Spinach & Artichoke Orzo

One of my sweet friends recently got engaged and asked me to be part of her bridal party. She did it in such a cute, Pinterest-y way that I just couldn't turn her down!

Plus, she's kind of a cool chick, too. ;)

The planning has already begun... engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette... and, oh yeah, the wedding!

I had forgotten how much work it can take to get everything in order for a wedding. Steve and I got married over 4 years ago and I've since then suffered wedding amnesia. I think it was a defense mechanism from all the long-distance-planning, 180-person-guest-list, DIY-induced stress. {We were living in Texas at the time, but were getting married in Ft. Lauderdale.}

I'm really excited that the other girls in the bridal party are 1. Organized,  2. Nice, 3. Helpful, and 4. Are giving me complete control over the menu. Hehe.

We met up with the bride-to-be a few days ago to help her get her bearings and plan the food options for her upcoming engagement party. It can be really tough to feed people good things on a budget, so we started to brainstorm how we can get the most bang out of each buck without sacrificing quality and, of course, flavor.

Some of the things are going to be purchased pre-made so that it doesn't leave one individual running ragged the day of the party. I think that's just smart planning and is so worth putting a few extra dollars aside. But the girls and I volunteered to fill out the rest of the menu with our cooking services.

Since some of the menu items were already Italian foods, we decided to stick with the cuisine for ease of planning.

So... what's cheap, easy to make, delicious and simple enough to multiply for a crowd?

Pasta!

Specifically, orzo.

I started thinking of crowd pleasing party foods and immediately the idea of Spinach & Artichoke Dip popped into my head. Incidentally, the bride-to-be is not a fan of cold pasta salads; she'd rather pastas that are hot and rich... sort of like she prefers her men. Haha!

A simple garlic-infused Parmesan white sauce comes together in a snap, and one little box of orzo makes a GIANT bowl of pasta. Plenty for a crowd! The taste of this comforting dish reminded me of grown up Mac & Cheese. Mmm.

Just a taste for me, please. I've got a bridesmaid dress to squeeze into! ;)

Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cloves garlic, smashed {but not into tiny pieces so that they're retrievable}
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup quartered marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
4-5 cups {2 huge handfuls} fresh spinach
1 1/3 cups orzo pasta
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook orzo in salted water according to package directions. Leave slightly al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil together. Add flour, whisking constantly. Whisk until flour is incorporated into butter and oil {try not to have any lumps}.

3. While whisking, pour in milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Drop in smashed garlic cloves and allow to simmer lightly until sauce starts to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and discard.

4. Add in Parmesan and stir until smooth. Add artichoke hearts and fresh spinach, and fold in gently until spinach leaves are coated with sauce and begin to wilt. {Taste and season to desired saltiness. Remember, the salted pasta water will add some extra salt, too, so don't overdo it.}

5. Strain cooked orzo and put in a large serving bowl. Pour in a bit of sauce at a time until desired "sauciness" is reached. This made enough pasta to use all of the sauce when I made it.

6. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired.

Serve hot. {Keep covered if not serving right away, sauce and starchy pasta tend to get very sticky together once cooled.}

Serves 6-8 depending on serving size. For a larger group, multiply recipe.

Sweet Love

Why, hello!  I'm back from our Anniversary Weekend Getaway to Sanibel & Captiva tanned and ready to talk food. :)  The hubby & I headed over to the West coast of our state last weekend to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary the best way we know how: Lounging, eating, and spending lots of time on the beach!

June has been overflowing with bridal showers, weddings, anniversaries {and babies... so many babies! But that's a whole different department! ;) }, and I love all of the above. Mostly because all of the occasions I mentioned mean joyful celebrations with family and friends {and, who am I kidding... yummy food!}. What's better than celebrating love with people you love and food you love?? Nothing!

So, in honor of all the lovey-doveyness going on, I thought I'd get a little mushy on you and share a recipe for a classic Italian cookie representing two lives intertwining in marriage or two people "tying the knot". {If you're feeling a bit cynical or jaded today, this post may not be for you... but the cookie will still hit the spot!} :P

I tried this recipe out back in April, when I was invited to my college roomate's bridal shower. I wanted to give her something really special along with the predictable {though lovely!} registry gift. So I dedided to include a "sweet" little addition to the serving platter I purchased... cookies! But not just any cookies. Cookies that reflected her Italian background and her Polish fiance's heritage as well. After doing a little research, I decided on Italian Love Knot cookies and Polish Faworki {big thanks to Anna, Gen's sister-in-law-to-be, for the wonderful suggestion!}.

Italian Love Knots often make an appearance at Steve's family's Christmas dessert table {made deliciously by his Aunt Fran}, decorated in the classic style with white glaze and rainbow colored sprinkles. Decorated with a little romantic flourish, I knew they'd make a great gift to give to a bride-to-be -- especially one who loves food as much as Gen does! ;)

The dough for these cookies comes together quite easily, but their assembly is a bit of a labor of love, so to speak. But don't be intimidated. Once you get the hang of creating the little knots, they're actually pretty easy to crank out. If you start to get frustrated, just recite "Love is patient, love is kind..." a couple of times and you should be fine. ;) 

Below you'll find the recipe for the Love Knots, and I plan on sharing the recipe for the Polish Faworki later in the week. I hope you'll enjoy sharing these with your sweetie or with family & friends. They're a cookie everyone will be sure to LOVE!


The Bride-to-Be & opening her gift. :)

Italian Love Knot Cookies
found on Sprinkle with Salt

You'll Need:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

Icing:

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 to 5 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

1 teaspoon almond extract

Colored sprinkles or heart sprinkles.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets withnon-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper & set aside.

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, add the vanilla, lemon juice and zest.

4. Add the flour mixture slowly, mixing until well combined. {The dough will be relatively soft.} Wrap the dough in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

To Assemble Love Knots:

1. Prepare your surface by dusting lightly with flour. Take pieces of dough that are roughly the size of a golf ball.

2. Roll each ball of dough into a rope shape about 7 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.

3. Carefully tie the dough into a knot as you normally would. One end will poke up in the center. 

4. Place each knot 1-inch apart on your prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly. {The cookies are best iced when they are slightly warm.}

For Icing:

1. In a bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Add in the almond extract and stir until well combined.

{IF your icing is too thick, add more milk a small amount at at time to thin it.}

2. Carefully dip each cookie, top down, into the icing. Flip over and place the cookies on wire racks and allow the excess icing to drip off.  Top with the colored sprinkles while the icing is still wet and allow to dry completely before storing.

These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about 1 week.