Archive for the category ‘home-schooled hostess’

Homeschooled Hostess: Irish Soda Bread!

By Shannon Ayers

So last week was St. Patrick’s Day and I was invited to a Potluck. When my Boyfriend asked what we wanted to take I quickly blurted out Irish Soda Bread! This must be my specialty, you ask? No. Not at all. I’ve actually never made the bread by myself, but I’m Irish so how hard can it be?

Truthfully, I am Irish. In fact, when I was in 3rd grade we had an International Fair. All of the kids in my class had to give a presentation on their heritage and mine included serving traditional Irish Soda bread (beautifully baked my me & my Mom)!

So it had been quite a long time since I even assisted someone in making this but I went after it anyway! This delicious bread is surprisingly simple to make! It only requires a handful of ingredients and it only took about 20 minutes of prep time.  I decided to use Martha Stewart’s recipe which you can read below:

Irish Soda Bread (makes 1 loaf)

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 2 cups golden or dark raisins
  • 1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
  2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

For more information you can view the website here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ideal-irish-soda-bread?lnc=43d5daf376dee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD

** The caraway seeds are optional. They have a black licorice taste to them, which I don’t like, so you can leave it out if desired…the bread will still bake up yummy!

*** A scant cup is a cup that just barely measures a cup; it’s packed lightly.

So all in all this was a great recipe! The bread baked great and it was very simple. I encourage you all to bake this up because it is fun and fairly quick (if you don’t count oven time). And.. this would be fun for kids as it is hands on and a little messy!

Happy Hostessing!

xoxo,

shannon

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This entry was posted on March 23rd, 2010 under columns, featured, home-schooled hostess.

Homeschooled Hostess: Surprise Cake!

By Shannon Ayers

About a month ago an old friend emailed me saying he was coming into town and that he was throwing a big surprise party for our mutual good friend. Knowing my “homeschooled hostess” status he asked me if I wanted to be involved in the planning, and I of course said yes. After volunteering to make the cake I asked him to give me   details of what he thought our friend would want at his party…perhaps a cake themed to go along with his fave movie/ band/ book…. His answer? “Let’s make a cake of his face.”

I had to think about this one … for a while… I can make a cake, I can make a themed cake … I can’t make a cake of someone’s face.

Or so I thought….

So, my friend got into town and we got busy working on our cake face. Since we were experimenting with making homemade fondant we decided to use a simple cake mix.

Once our cake was baked and had cooled to room temperature we were able to frost it entirely in basic vanilla butter cream frosting. Luckily, my friend Nick is an artist. Nick slimmed our 9in round, double layer cake, into an oval face shape and took the extra cake pieces that had been cut and fashioned them into a nose.

The fondant (which was made from marshmallows) was surprisingly easy to work with. We added some gel color (2 drops of yellow, 1 drop of red) and began kneading it into a peachy skin color and then rolled it out. Then we layed the thin layer of fondant over our sculpted cake and Nick began molding the peach colored fondant, adding indintions for a smile, lips and eyes. Our cake began to definitely come to life as we added brown hair and eyebrows.

As the time went by I couldn’t believe we actually created our friends face using yellow cake, butter cream frosting and fondant! It’s unbelievable!

My challenge to you: come up with something you could never imagine being a cake (or think of a cake you would only see on some fancy Food Network show) like a car, a building, an animal … Then by using a basic cake mix and the recipe we found below for homemade marshmallow fondant, simply create. Go with your gut and have fun. You really can’t mess up a cake! No matter what it looks like it will still taste yummy so have fun sculpting and working your fondant into something amazing!

** Tip: After your cakes have cooled you should cut the top rounded layer off before stacking them. By cutting this layer, the cake will sit more even on your surface and will be more structurally sound.

** Note: The glasses used in this cake were real glasses. ($2 dollar reading glasses from Target) We cut them down so they were fit evenly on the cake.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
  • 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
  • 2 tbsp water
  • Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Preparation:

1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.

2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.

3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.

4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet–this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.

5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth–too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.

6. If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.

7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.

*** RECIPE COPIED FROM http://candy.about.com/od/fondantcandyrecipes/r/mm_fondant.htm CHECK OUT THERE SITE FOR A TUTORIAL ON MAKING THIS YUMMY FROSTING.

Happy Hostessing!

love,

shannon

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This entry was posted on March 16th, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Homeschooled Hostess: And the Oscar goes to…. meatball?

By Shannon Ayers

Since I love entertaining, my boyfriend and I hosted an Oscar Party this past weekend. Though our event only consisted of a few people and lots of casual lounging around our TV, I still considered our party red carpet ready…

The secret to our success? My grandma’s spaghetti & meatballs!! This amazingly yummy meal can be prepared hours in advance and can be eaten whenever your guests are hungry! I don’t have pictures to share however…I can give you the recipe to the most simple and tasty meatballs you will ever eat!

Grandmama’s Spaghetti & Meatballs

ET: 30 min. of prep / time in oven is personal choice

2 lb. of ground beef

2-3 links of spicy Italian sausage

1 cup of diced red onion

Salt, Pepper & Garlic Salt*

*not required

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Mix the ground beef & sausage together (remove the sausage from its casing to do this)

Step 2: Add your diced red onion

Step 3: Add a shake of salt, pepper and if you want a little of garlic salt. All you need is a good shake from each, not too much! Mix all together.

Step 4: In a large lightly greased pan form the meat mixture into balls and place in hot skillet. Turn the meatballs so that they brown on all sides. We like to cut some of the extra sausage links into pieces to brown with the meatballs. This will provide some extra seasoning as it cooks.

Step 5: Now take your browned meatballs and put them in a large roasting pan/ or baking dish, anything that has a lid! Add your desired sauce (my favorite is Newman’s Own, Sockarooni), cover and place in your pre-heated oven.

Step 6: Every 45 min. take them out of the oven and stir. They should be cooked through after about an hour but I like to cook mine for about 3 hours in the sauce for added flavor. About thirty minutes before you eat you should take them out of the oven so that the scalding hot sauce & meatballs can get to a more desired temperature and the sauce will thicken slightly.

So there you have it, you don’t have to have caviar & champagne to class up your evening, simply make sure you have enough food & drinks so that your guests can sit back and relax and enjoy the show!

This entry is a bit short but check back with me next week and I’ll give you my tips on how to Irish up your life for Saint Patrick’s Day! (because honest…I’m Irish not Italian!!!)

Happy Hostessing!

~Shannon

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This entry was posted on March 9th, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Homeschooled Hostess: Garnish made easy!

By Shannon Ayers

Step 1

Step 1


Okay, so cutting a lime may seem like a very simple task but there really is a correct way to cut a lime so it can easily hang on the edge of a cocktail glass.

Bartenders know this trick and I wanted to share it with all of you! Trust me, these simple cuts will change your cocktail parties forever!

Step 1: Hold the lime in your hand. Cut either end off with a sharp knife.

Step 2

Step 2

Step 2: Place one of the now cut ends flat on your cutting board and cut down the middle so you have two halves.

Step 3: With the two halves slice down the inside of the lime (but don’t cut down to the rind) This cut will help the lime wedges rest on your cocktail glass.

Step 4: Now turn the lime over and slice into wedges for your drinks. (Serve them in their own martini glass for added sophistication!)

Step 3

Step 3

Enjoy!!!

Step 4

Step 4

Finished!

Finished!

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This entry was posted on March 2nd, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Homeschooled Hostess: A Website is Celebrated!

By Shannon Ayers

As far as the world-wide web is concerned, Proposal Magazine, is just a baby. Because we are growing up quick, and making friends :) it was time to thank those friends that have been instrumental in getting us off the ground. What better way to thank them than with a Launch Party!!! As Proposal’s signature hostess, I was fortunate enough to take charge over a few of the tasks for this shin-dig.

Task 1: The cake! Of course, because I’d never baked a coconut cake, I decided to bake this particular dessert for the first time… the day of the event! Why would I do such a thing? Because I love a good challenge. For the record, I didn’t wake up that morning and decide; I had my recipe planned, my

Coconut Cake

My Challenge: the Coconut Cake

ingredients purchased and my pans/ equipment ready!

I’m not posting the recipe because it was not an original, however, I will give you a few quick tips: you most likely don’t need as much Coconut Flakes as you think; recipes with Creme of Coconut tend to taste better and bake more consistent than those with Coconut Milk & if possible purchase Natural Coconut Extract. I used imitation coconut flavor because that is all my local store had; although this tasted nice, it was a bit strong and I’ve heard that natural coconut tends to be a little more subtle and have an overall more appealing taste.

Task 2: The flowers! It was important to me that we were able to have flowers at our event, because, they really do brighten up a space. The best thing about our Launch Party being on the small side was that we could pay close attention to detail on the centerpieces we created and we didn’t have to purchase too many flowers!

Rosemary Spark's creativity in flowers.

Rosemary Spark's creativity in flowers.

My right hand lady Rosemary Sparks created these absolutely beautiful arrangements using grocery store bouquets. I repeat, GROCERY STORE BOUQUETS! No paying per stem, no high prices. This is remarkably simple because the flowers are already bundled for you, all we had to do was pick the color palette that we needed and Rosemary worked her magic at the event location. Rosemary took three grocery bouquets and opened them all up, getting rid of the greenery the stores use as filler and focusing just on the flowers she had on hand.

Of course, in planning any occasion there was much more that went into it than just cake & flowers, but for the sake of not boring anyone, I’ll end here…and give you more details later!

Thanks for reading :) & thanks again to Rosemary who really is such a creative lady!

Happy Hostessing!!!

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This entry was posted on February 23rd, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Homeschooled Hostess: A Sweet Engagement

By Shannon Ayers

While looking through an old issue of Martha Stewart Weddings I came across this great cupcake design that is the perfect treat for an Engagement Party. Of course, Martha’s cupcakes are stunning, so I wanted to challenge myself and try and create them for myself.

The instructions in the magazine said to cover the cupcakes with fondantcomparingcupcakes however I don’t like the taste of fondant so I used just traditional vanilla frosting. The ring on top is easier to make than you think: you just need fondant (a little bit isn’t too bad) and some fun edible embellishments!

Don’t worry if you have never worked with fondant; just treat it like edible play-doh. Roll the fondant into very small lines that you can mold into a ring shape. Then roll a small ball of fondant and secure on top of your ring shape with a bit of vanilla frosting to act as the glue. Push your sprinkles or “jewels” (I used pearl sprinkles) into the ball of fondant.

As you can see… mine aren’t nearly as perfect as Martha’s!! But they are definitely yummy and they are a very fun and cute way to add a little bit of extra sweetness to your Engagement Party!

This is my very first attempt so I will be trying these again for sure very soon. Hope you are able to try some for yourself! Let me know how they turn out!!

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This entry was posted on February 16th, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Home-Schooled Hostess: A Heartless Valentine’s

By Shannon Ayers

correctcookiephoto

Last night, as I worked on this blog & indulged in my love/hate relationship with The Bachelor, I had an epiphany. The fascination with hearts on Valentine’s Day is purely a lady thing. My boyfriend doesn’t care if his pancakes are heart-shaped or if I wear red. I do those things because of my own love for Valentine’s Day.

I’m not an expert on men, but I do know one thing: men love peanut butter. Peanut butter toast, peanut butter sandwich, peanut butter on a spoon… So this Valentine’s Day I decided to make my man peanut butter cookie sandwiches :) and I thought outside the heart and kept them their usual circle shape.

Now for the cookie recipe (makes about 12):

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened (I set mine on the stove while the oven pre-heats)

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar (I used dark although light is preferred)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1.) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2.) Beat together butter, peanut butter & brown sugar. After they are mostly mixed add the granulated sugar. Beat until creamy. Add egg & vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Now combine flour & baking soda together in a separate bowl. Slowly beat it into peanut butter/ butter mixture.

3.) Put a rounded scoop of cookie dough onto greased cookie sheet. Use a fork to press down on the cookies to flatten and add some texture to the dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

6.) Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool! Once they are cooled put the filling (see recipe for filling below) in between the two cookies to make a sandwich and enjoy!!

Recipe for Filling:

6 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

1.) Beat all ingredients together until they are smooth.

I had originally seen a recipe like this in an issue of Cottage Living from 2008 (I was able to find a photo from the article, because my own photo didn’t do the cookies justice!) but I’ve altered it to fit my own taste, alter it to fit yours and please feel free to share your changes with me!

Happy Valentines Day!!! :)

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This entry was posted on February 9th, 2010 under home-schooled hostess.

My Wedding Cake Anniversary

By Shannon Ayers
My "perfect" cake!

My "perfect" cake!

It was a year ago when I met with one of my best friends. She was going through the stresses of planning her wedding and she expressed concern about purchasing her wedding cake.

With no thought I boldly offered to bake her cake. I know…I’m crazy, right?

I was attending a Chef Course at the time and baking nearly twice a week, so I assumed it would be an easy task. Later that day, I called my sister and my mom and explained to them my newest adventure. Both of them seemed nervous at the pressure I had put upon myself.

Well, I had five months to go before her wedding when slowly, the reality began to set in. I am baking a wedding cake? Sure, I bake cakes all the time, but I’m no professional. Suddenly the fear crept in, how will I transport this cake? What if the fondant doesn’t look good? And plenty more where that comes from.

The thing that got me through this challenge, and that hopefully will help others who want to attempt what seems to be “the impossible” is to just simply practice. The truth is, it takes practice cakes, practice frostings and lots of time.

I do not suggest that a bride bake her own cake. Believe me, the money you spend on your cake will be well worth it. However, to those friends and family who love to bake: go for it! Take baby steps and just practice what you are going to do beforehand so there are no surprises.

Create a plan. I baked every layer of my cake and crumb-coated it the day before the wedding. Then on the morning of the wedding, I frosted each layer to perfection. I placed each tier in its own cake box and then put the cake together at the reception hall (before the ceremony).

I’ll be honest, my cake was not perfect, but it was my gift to my friend and I made it with love for her and her groom.

When baking a homemade wedding cake, please keep a few very important things in mind.

1. Structure of a cake. My practice cakes were like a well-planned building. But when I built my cake in the reception hall my nerves made me forget some of my dowels at home. Luckily, the reception hall had some chopsticks and crisis was averted when some of the female relatives came to the rescue.

2. If you use real flowers… You must purchase ones that are made for cakes. That is, ask your florist if they have flowers that have no pesticides to place on your cake. Florists are used to this and should be able to help you if you talk with them in advance.

3. Have a helper. My sister helped me bake the cakes and she was instrumental in making sure all of my measurements were accurate. Having an assistant can really help keep things moving in the right direction.

4. Have fun! This might be the one and only time you will bake something that holds such a significance to someone. Have fun and go with the flow. If your bride has agreed to you baking the cake, she must be an easy-going and unique bride. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Yes, you are hopefully saving your loved one money, but they are getting a truly unique and special gift. Enjoy the moment and don’t forget to take pictures.

*** For the curious: my wedding cake was a chocolate cake with a White Chocolate Mousse filling & Vanilla Frosting. We didn’t go with fondant; partly due to my inexperience and partly because of the flavorless taste. :-)

If you have any other questions about my experience, leave a comment and I’ll get right back to you!

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This entry was posted on February 2nd, 2010 under home-schooled hostess.

The Home-Schooled Hostess

By Shannon Ayers
My Pie!

My Pie!

I consider myself a home-schooled hostess. I am untrained, and I make mistakes. I am not another Martha Stewart; I’m just a girl who likes to entertain.

I’m using this column to challenge my creativity as I learn more about the art of entertaining & wedding planning. I’ve attached a photo of my Thanksgiving table & my pumpkin pie. I know they are old photos but you can learn more about my hostess style :-) As you can see, the settings consist of mismatched white plates from the Goodwill and the centerpieces are re-arranged flowers from a grocery store & the pie’s leaves were just cut with a paring knife.

Thanksgiving Table 2008

Thanksgiving Table 2008

Thank you for reading my column and I look forward to sharing my exploration of this art form!

My New Year ‘s Resolutions:

1. To not be afraid of spontaneous parties…no matter how messy the apartment is.

2. Learn something new everyday & look for inspiration everywhere.

3. Share my findings with others! Perhaps…in a blog?

4. Never stop celebrating life, no matter how difficult times are.

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This entry was posted on January 1st, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.