A Wedding to Remember

My best friend from childhood was married on August 14th,

 and I had the absolutely pleasure of serving as her Matron of Honor.

The Bride, The Groom and The Wedding were a dream.

In fact, the whole weekend was a dream full of love, family and A LOT of fun!

I enjoyed "playing" with my new camera at the Rehearsal Dinner and took several shots that I wanted to share...

The Mother of the Groom presented each guest with a beautiful glass llama from Peru as a favor.

The U-Shaped table was adorned with roses and hydrangeas...

The guests danced the nite away...

   

The Bride and Groom were united in marriage at a beautiful Mass the following Saturday.

As I was so lucky to be part of the Wedding, I was not behind the camera! 

With the professional's permission, I will hopefully share some of his beautiful art with a beautiful bride.

For now, just pictures by Laura...

 

Happy Photog!

Laura

A Whale of a Watermelon...

It just wouldn't be a "Summer in the South" without a Whale of a Watermelon!

Memories of my childhood involve hot days in central Texas and cool bites of delicious watermelon from a watermelon boat. For years, I watched my mother carefully carve beautiful watermelon boats. My first attempt at a Watermelon Whale was with my dear friend Millie. Again, another hot day in central Texas and her aunt asked me if I could cut up the watermelon. She left the kitchen and when she came back - "There's a Whale in there!"

So, I thought this would be a fun one to share with you.

A Whale of a Watermelon

Number 20

By: Laura Fowell, inspired by Rose Marie Davidson

Ingredients

A Watermelon

(do you know how to properly "thump" a watermelon - see below)

A really good knife

A sharpie (unless you want to freehand)

 

Directions 

1. Pick a design or just go for it

2. Start cutting along your design

3. Begin cutting deeper into the watermelon to remove the delicious treat

4. Use a melon ball to scoop out the watermelon into nice small round bites (great for little fingers!)

5. Smooth the inside with the side of a spoon.

6. Fill with fruit!

(I personally love filling my boat with watermelon, strawberries,

blackberries, blueberries, and cantaloupe - the colors are beautiful!)

B Flat or Be Square???

How to "Thump" a watermelon...

Did you know that there are Watermelon Thumping Festivals?

 You've got to love Texas! Check out this festival in Luling!

Ways to enjoy Watermelon...

Just Plain

Marinated with Mint

Marinated with Vodka

Blended and served as a beverage - Watermelon water

What is your favorite way to enjoy a watermelon?

Happy Carving and Happy Cooking!

Laura

New York Stip

A delicate and flavorful twist on a New York Strip!

A few weeks ago, my sweet Mother in Law and I spent a Friday together - shopping, playing with the twins and Mom even had the chance to get away to get her hair done!

One of our stops - HEB...

Between trying to shop and keeping the twins contained to the cart,

we taste-tested our way through the store.

The follow recipe stood out and we tried it the following weekend...

N.Y. Strip with Thai Garlic Plum Sauce

Number 19

Preparation: 5 minutes

Grilling Time: 8-12 minutes 

Ingredients

1 NY Strip per person

1 Tablespoon Adam's House Rub (per steak)

2 Tablespoons Roberts Reserve Thai Garlic Plum Sauce (per steak)

Directions

Light Charcoal fire or heat gas grill on High for 10 minutes with lid closed

Season steaks with Adam's rub and press the rub into the steak with the back of a spoon

Grill steaks on one side them turn. After turning pour on a couple of tablespoons of the sauce and continue to grill until your desired degree.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Laura

Sticking with the Orange - Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Giada De Laurentiis

Number 18

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.

Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.