A Semi-DIY Wedding: DIY Fascinators

On March 3rd, 2012 my then boyfriend Aaron proposed to me in front of the Arch de Triomphe in Paris. At that moment I held naïve beliefs a year and a half engagement would be long one. Boy was I wrong. This weekend we were married at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, PA among the photographs my late father took and family and friends. I must say the day was just about perfect. But I definitely had my work cut out for me in planning it.

We don’t have all of photos yet but here are a few sneak peeks from our amazing photographer, Kalim including our DIY projects.

In my case planning a wedding takes a village, six bridesmaids, and a coordinator. This wasn't a "DIY" wedding but we also had several do-it-yourself accents.

 

chalkboard direction signs

 

 planted teacup favors with personalized seed packets

 Photos to come: wedding cake, centerpieces (except flowers)

 

 

bridesmaid gifts: personalized wine glasses for a day of wine tasting

And fascinators...

 

With all that said, DIY weddings aren’t always easy. We considered a lot of DIY options including are flower arrangements, but luckily we left the important things to the professionals. DIY weddings don’t always save you money, so consider what is worth both your time and money.

As more of our professional photos become available, I’ll offer more DIY instructions and tips.

Today, here was one of my favorite accents, which remains one of the easiest.

Worth it:       

Fascinators for myself and all my bridesmaids

 When planning an “English” wedding, you must have hats and fascinators! Buying fascinators can run you anywhere to a few hundred dollars just for one.  In order to makes ours a little easier to assemble, I purchased pre–maid clips from A.C. Moore for our base. These worked well because they provided both an alligator clip to attach to the hair as well as a smooth front for the fascinator to attach more feathers towards the back.

 

I was able to purchase these on clearance for only $1.75 each, but you can get them directly from the maker’s website, still making your fascinator much cheaper.

I also found the best deals for different types of feathers and birdcage netting on Etsy. Shop around and should be able to get several different types for low-cost per fascinator. Depending on quantity of fascinators, each one will cost as little as $4-5.

 

Supplies needed for each fascinator:

1 La Liberi White Feather Blossom Pin & Clip Flower (or alligator clip with back and more feathers)

At least two types of assorted feathers, 1 larger, 1 smaller (10-15)

1 square foot of birdcage netting whether French, English, or Russian style; cut into pieces for desired look

1 button of choice

Hot glue gun an glue

Directions:

Using La Liberi clip, remove safety pin from the back, leaving only the alligator clip.

Arrange desired feathers and desired amount of netting together the way you would like them to appear. Such as larger feathers in the back, netting in between, and smaller wispier feathers right behind the La Liberi clip. Use hot glue gun to attach feathers and netting, making sure they are enough glue to hold. Allow glue to cool between layers.

Once layers are set, use the hot glue gun to attach desired button in the front middle of the fascinator along with any other desired feathers or attachments.

Once cooled and dried, your fascinator is ready to where! For special occasions allow whomever is doing your hair to place the fascinator.

All of our fascinators were a little different, that made it more fun! These are great way to add a little English and vintage elegance to any occasion.

More DYI wedding tips to come! Any preference on what to see next?

Love,

The Married Cuisiner

 

Goodbye to Chifa

Peruvian Cantonese? I asked the same question to myself a year ago before we first went to Chifa, for my birthday, the now closed Peruvian Cantonese restaurant in the Washington Square, Philadelphia neighborhood. 

This photo of Chifa is courtesy of TripAdvisor

 

It was by far the most ambitious of Jose Garces restaurants and apparently a harder sell since it closed one month ago. If you were late to the news like us, the Garces Group has closed Chifa to open a Cuban diner in its place. I get it: you have to sell what appeals to the widest audience. I guess that's why Chifa's most loyal customers liked it, it didn't just appeal to everyone. 

 Based on the cuisine of Cantonese Chinese immigrants who moved to Peru in the 19th century, Chifa was all about Cantonese cooking techniques with Latin flavor. 

Courtesy of Visit Philly

Aaron and I have done the Chef's tasting menu with my family for my birthday celebration and have gobbled up their amazing happy hour deals more times than I can count. But I guess we were part of the problem, we LOVED Chifa, but we just don't have the money to drop $100 on dinner so instead we spent $40 on happy hour with drinks and tapa bites galore and called it a month. The wait staff and bartenders were always beyond impeccable. Thank you for being as nice to us between 5 and 7 as anyone else. I will miss you expertly done Inigo Montoya cocktail, $6 cava and tofu or pork belly bao buns more than you know.

Courtesy of Philly 2night

Garces other restaurants who are more traditional in their approach seem to be doing fine. Amada, Tinto, Garces Trading Company, Distrito and the list goes on.

 I get the reasoning behind closing Chifa, if you are going to charge what you charge you need to give the people what they want. With Alma de Cuba and Cuba de Libre, and many haute diners like the Continental already established, I wondered if a Cuban Diner concept will really make a splash. But hey, best of luck and I hope it works. You just better have the Inigo Montoya on your cocktail menu or I'm not coming...
 
Good bye Chifa, thanks for being awesome while you still could. Mr. Iron Chef Garces, I'm still kind of mad at you, but I'll get over it in a month...I think. Though I do accept bao buns as apologies. It's an official policy here. 

Love,

The Cuisiner

WIAW #58: The "Bright and Sunny" Cocktail

Once again, I’m late to the party.  But hey, fashionably late right? Sure.

  Well, on top of everything else I’m been so not good with documenting my eats with week due to many events including a wonderful Bride maid’s Outing on Saturday to some Bucks County Wineries. I really hope someone took photos!

But, seriously, what awesome ladies do I have backing me up? ( My Matron of Honor is behind the camera, way to go mom.)

But back to the very few of the eats I did document this week:

 

 

Baked mini ravioli with zucchini, sweet potatoes, and couple sautéed shrimp on top

Half of a stuffed brioche French toast with sautéed strawberries and bananas from work. Yeah, I get to look at this ALL DAY. Yet this is only the second one I have had in the 10 months I’ve worked there. I’m doing well.

 

 

And because this was so good, here is the recipe and recap for my new favorite cocktail, the ‘Bright and Sunny.”

 

Why is it called the Bright and Sunny you may be asking? Well, if you are like me, you may have noticed that “classic” cocktails seem to be popping back up on menus everywhere everywhere lately—including the Dark and Stormy. Seriously, something I have rarely seen before has now been spotted on 4 or 5 menus in the last month. And to answer your other question, no, I haven’t been drinking all of these I’ve seen!

 

The Dark and Stormy is a cocktail traditionally made with Goslings rum and ginger beer. But since ginger beer has fallen in popularity and therefore availability over the years, the drink wasn’t as easy to find. But what I am personally attributing to the rise in popularity of the very delicious and fancy Fever Tree drinks and mixers line, these babies are back.

 

I recently had the chance to try Fever Tree Ginger Beer when Aaron and I went shopping for our wedding libations. I’ve heard about the brand for awhile now, popping up in magazines and as I now see, menus as well. The brand boasts their all-natural ingredients and pledge to offer quality mixers to enhance your cocktails.

I was very happy to try the somewhat cloudy looking ginger beer, but since I found out recently I really don’t like the Dark and Stormy, I had to find another use for it.

 

Voila: the Bright and Sunny was born!

Really the only things this drink has in common with its predecessor is the use of ginger beer and a dark liquer. The Dark and Stormy, is a strong tasting drink. The B&S (yep, just realized my drink is BS,) is crisp and refreshing, therefore perfect for the last month of summer. This would also make a great pitcher drink as well for all of those late summer BBQs….

Reminiscent of a Pimm’s Cup, I promise you will drinking these well into Fall.

 

Bright and Sunny
(Makes 1 cocktail)

 

         

 

Ingredients:

1 bottle Fever Tree Ginger Beer (yes, it matters, and no it isn’t the same with ginger ale)
2 oz. Grand Marnier Orange Cognac
Juice of one fresh orange (about 4 oz.)
Squeeze of lime
Ice

Garnish:
3 raspberries
1 sprig of fresh mint
1 lime wedge

Directions:Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Grand Marnier, orange juice, lime, and top with ginger beer until ALMOST filled. Add mint sprig, and top with raspberries and lime wedge.

 

Serve immediately and enjoy.

Note: Really love your favorite mixer? Fill an ice tray with your favorite mixer (tonic, ginger ale, ginger beer, seltzer) and freeze until ready to use. This is the absolute perfect way to keep your favorite drink from getting watered down by anything other than yumminess!


Enjoy!

Love,

The Cuisiner

What’s your favorite Summer cocktail/mixer?

WIAW #57: Summer Abundance

I realize I’m a tad late to the party on this one but I thought I would share a few of my week’s eats with you anyway.

I really do love summer meals and now that I’ve finally gone grocery shopping I can actually enjoy some of the beautiful summer produce.

I haven’t come up with anything too brilliant to share the recipe with you but at least you can enjoy the pretty pictures.

What I Ate with Summer Abundance:

 

A cocktail of my own creation, “Bright and Sunny:” Grand Marnier, Fever Tree Ginger beer, fresh orange juice, lime, mint, raspberries

 

Baked Salmon and Trader Joe’s pilaf with pearl couscous and red quinoa. Oneo f my dad’s favorite recipes: sautéed summer squash, onions, and mushrooms, with blue cheese crumble. O.M.G.

 

 

Martha Stewart's Cajun Shrimp Boil with fingerling potatoes, corn on the cob, green onions, parsely, and ohh.....sriracha butter dipping sauce. Yep. Make it now....

Tri-colored rotini with chicken, tomatoes, goat cheese, corn. Yum.

 

Whole Foods'' Organic Almond Chocolate Ice Cream bar with blueberries, and raspberries. Kind of healthy right?

Enjoying the Eakin's Oval on the Ben Franklin Parkway...

More pilaf, caprese bruschetta, dukkah spiced sweet potatoes, baked chicken.

 

Walking along on a Sunny Philadelphia Day.

 

Love,

The Cuisiner

Awesome Fest in Drexel Park with Stitch and Sip

 

As evident from lack of posting, I’ve had a pretty busy simmer so far. Between 55+ hour work week schedule, planning a wedding, and moving, I’ve attempted to do a few fun things. I’ve met a few times with my sister’s Meetup knitting group, Stitch and Sip hosted by the lovely Gina. The group is out of my sister’s neighborhood-Northern Liberties/Fishtown area of Philadelphia and as you guessed it, we basically meet at bars and restaurants, drink, talk, and knit. It’s pretty much the best idea ever. I only started knitting a couple months ago when Mackenzie insisted I learned. (Insisted means literally shoving a ball of yarns and wooden needles in my hand and forcing me to knit stitch.)

 

Luckily for Mackenzie it turns out I’m not half bad at this knitting thing, so I stuck with it. Plus, I like meeting new people and drinking while knitting.

 

A couple of weeks ago I did just that with Mackenzie and organizer-extraordinaire, Gina at The Awesome Fest’s free 80’s movie night at Drexel Park in University City. So this is kind of about both events…and picnicking.

Awesome Fest is responsible for events all over Philadelphia this summer featuring the best 80’s movies, bands, and events. We camped out for Space Balls, the Mel Brooks classic, in my opinion at least. 

We were the first ones there—in order to knit before the movie of course! As Mackenzie is the ultimate picnic connoisseur, we both sat on specially made picnic blankets, (made by her,) drinking wine in plastic “camping” wine glasses, and eating strawberry shortcake in mason jars.

Here’s the impressive spread:


Wine (the only thing I provided)

Individual strawberry shortcakes with separate cream bottle which I envy. Never was a summer dessert so portable and attractive.

 

Plastic camping wine glasses and silverware rollups

Broccoli tuna casserole (yeah, that’s what that is.)

 

Great company and knitting.

Look at this beauty!

To say the least, I was really impressed by the Awesome Fest set up. The movie was luckily only an hour and a half since it didn’t start until nearly 9pm. I love the inflatable screen and the fact that they gave out tickets to see Flock of Seagulls afterwards…

Watch the progression of attendees...

 

Mackenzie and I are obviously outdoor movie experts due to the local Drive In movie theater we always had in our small town. We got the best spot, which all the latecomers proceeded to crowd all around us blocking our view. Thank goodness I had a blanket out because they went right to the edges! But, hey there was a great view of Center City, “refreshments”

If you are in the Philly area this summer, you still have many chances to catch one of these free movies all over the city, including ones shown at The Oval, right outside the Art Museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which just opened last week.

What are some of your favorite summer events to attend? Fairs, outdoor movies, festivals, clambakes…cassette player swaps, Star Wars conventions, etc. etc.

Love,

The Cuisiner

French Lentil Salad with Tuna Steak

I must say, as much as I love Fall and Winter with their hearty meals and root vegetables, when it is 100+ outside, mashed potatoes just don't do it for me.

That's why I when I get to experiment with them, I really do love Summer meals with fresh vegetables, light dressings, and grilled meats. That's why when I finally got to experiment with green lentils, I chose this light green lentil salad with tuna steak.

I was really happy with the results of my little experiment, adapted from Whole Living.com. You can choose to eat these lentils warm or cold. They honestly taste good either way. I wouldn't suggest piping hot though, as this is most flavorful when slightly warm.

But don't worry! This makes great leftovers for the next day's lunch as the salad lasts up to three days when refrigerated.

And of course, I love how healthy, easy, and satisfying this dish is as a whole meal. This is a great Summer meal that is full of protein and low-fat deliciousness. If you can, try grilling the tuna steak, gently in foil on the grill for the best flavors of summer.

This is also one of the most easy recipes to make vegetarian or vegan: simply omit the tuna steak and substitute water or vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

French Lentil Salad with Tuna Steak

(Adapted from Whole Living)

2-3 meal portions

 Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils (or any type except red which turn to mush)

2 cups chicken broth 

1 carrot diced

1 shallot diced

3 stalks of celery diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

Dressing:

2 tablespoons herb de Provence oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar

5 leaves sage, chopped

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 tsp lemon zest

Juice half lemon

Pepper

Salt to taste

Optional:

6 kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup red cabbage shredded

1/2 cup toasted almonds

Fresh basil or mint on top

Note: If you don't have herb de provence oil, try another infused olive oil such as garlic or truffle. If you don't have herb de provence oil, I recommend buying a bottle immediately!

Directions:

Heat the 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot or saucepan. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.

Add lentils and cover mixture with with 2 inches of chicken broth (water or vegetable broth.)

This  is a difficult measurement to eye-ball, so after 20 minutes, if lentils are still crunchy, simply add ½ cup of broth or water at a time until tender.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients, and whisk together. Set aside. 

Drain lentils if necessary, reserving liquid. Let mixture cool to preference.

In same saucepan, gently combine lentils and dressing, trying not to crush the cooked lentils. 

Mix in optional ingredients and herbs into the lentil mixture. Top with tuna steak.

Tuna steak:

1/4 lb. tuna steak for each serving 

2 leaves sage, torn 

Drizzle herb de Provence oil

1 tsp. salt

Generous sprinkling of ground black pepper

Sprinkle garlic powder

Directions: 

Dress tuna steak with sage, oil, salt and pepper then place in prepared, foil lined baking dish.

Bake in oven at 350 until no longer pink but sill tender. Check around 15-20 minutes, and then continue to bake, adjusting heat if necessary. Tuna steak is much heartier than other fish and should be cooked more like beef or chicken. Just don't over cook!

Shredd tuna with a fork into large pieces and use to top the lentil salad.

Eat and be merry.

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Have you experimented with lentils? What's your favorite lentil recipe?

Our Wedding Photo Book

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Aaron and I just finished our photo guest book for the wedding with photos from our three years together. What do you think?