Engagement Chicken: For Real or Fake!

Today as I browsed the web I came upon an interesting recipe from GLAMOUR Magazine referring  to a dish that every woman should know how to prepare.  This recipe is entitled Engagement Chicken! It started back in 2006 when then, GLAMOUR fashion editor, Kim Bonnell passed her chicken recipe to her assistant, Kathy Suder to prepare a nice homemade dinner for her now HUBBY of 10+ years Ron (they were engaged a month later!).
Kim's chicken recipe began to circulate the office as fast as wedding nuptial plans!  The recipe was passed from assistant to assistant while weddings plans and dates began to fill up the calendar.  It was at this point Kim named the recipe," Engagement Chicken".
As the effects of this chicken recipe began to circulate and single ladies became Mrs., Engagement Chicken has become a common dinner served during the months of November and December which are known as Engagement Season in the wedding industry.  I thought this was a joke, fable or part of tabloid tale until I googled, "Engagement Chicken" and found it on Food Network, prepared by Ina Garten ( I love Ina), Epicurious.com and many other notable cooking-go-to sites.

Now, I don't believe in this myth, but I thought it was cute enough to share with all of you. 

Happy Engagement Season!  And ladies, let your groom find you! Oh...I didn't let you in on the secret.  If he proposed to you after you made him a wonderful meal....he was already going to ask you to become his life long, forever girl anyway! 

Recipe:

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 medium lemons
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• Kosher or Sea Salt Ground black pepper
• Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat 400 degrees. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down in a colander until it reaches room temperature (15 minutes or so).
• Pat dry with paper towels. Pour lemon juice all over chicken, inside and outside.
• Season with salt and pepper. Prick the whole lemons three times with a fork and place deep inside the cavity. (Tip: If the lemons are hard, roll on countertop with palm to get juices flowing)
• Place the bird breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake uncovered 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and turn breast side up (use wooden spoons!); return to oven for 35 minutes more.
• Test for doneness-insert meat thermometer in the thigh-temperature should read 180 degrees or juices should run clear when chicken is pricked with a fork. Continue baking if necessary. Let chicken stand for a few minutes before carving.

Serve with juices on top.

Vacationing off the Beaten Path: Sealander Camper

Looking for a quick getaway?  Want to take a weekend trip with the family, spend a couple of days with your love one or plan a quick turnaround with a few friends?  How about a camping trip? or should I say covert operation 007 Style! 

The Sealander Camper was created and built in Germany for the outdoors man at heart with style.  Hitch it to your car, van or SUV and hit the road.  It's sleek design is modern cool, but what makes this camper stand in a class all its own is that it has an outboard motor that enables the waterproof camper to float in shallow water.  The power generated from the moter supports household ammenities that the average campgrounds don't provide such as a stove, refrigerator and heater.  Now that's camping in style.

It's interior design is attractive and provides the view of the best sunset ever!  Imagine being on the lake in the Sealander Camper, roofless, great company, good food, music.....now that's a Vacation!  Another added benefit, no special liscense is required for towing or boating.  Sold on the Sealander....it will be available for sale in early 2012 for about $20,500. 

Take a sneak peak for yourself!



Sealander on the road.  Happy travels!



I love the sleek, simple design with a pop of color.

The Sealander at every angle!  Wow!

Cash Money Pre-Grammy Party

As an event planner and fan of fashion, furniture, art and design, it's truly exciting to see others execute a plan to perfection! Colin Cowie is one of my favorite event designers and the designer of the Cash Money Pre-Grammy Party.  I'm featuring this design out of appreciation and understanding of the ability to listen to a client and execute their vision and desire.  Colin probably does not listen to the music produced by Cash Money or Young Money artists, but he has executed the look of their BRAND to the fullest with class! 

I will refer to it as ......Young Money Chic!

What an unforgettable way to enter a Cash Money Event.

The Cash Bar!

The VVIP Section.  VIP is no longer the hot spot!

I would want to sit in this lounge. 

Check out the menu on the screen.  Bistro Style Service.  Nice!

So many great options to chose from!

View of the room with gold lights!

Colin.....well done!  All photo's except the last are from Colin's website.

Balancing Life

Today I have so many things I need to do and then there are the things I want to do.  I need to take a moment and evaluate all the thoughts in my mind and put them on paper so I can organize my thoughts, ideas, to-do's and needs for the day.  As a wife, mom and business owner, sometimes it's a challenge to prioritize ALL the things you need to accomplish in a day.  Now that I've actually addmitted that to myself I feel so much better!

Today the lesson is, be true to yourself.  Most of us (Ladies, Moms, Wives) are just use to getting it done, (By Any Means Necessary!) but we can actually get it done with less stress if we take a step back, evaluate the situation, plan, then execute.  Now I'm ready to get somethings done. Happy Monday all!

This week look for me to share some items from one of my favorite furniture stores, a hotel I'm going to visit and a peek into my lunch date with one of my good friends!

And yes ladies balance.  Balance is so important!  God is helping me get back on track.  I was consumed in family and work for a minute, but now I'm going to incorporate some me time....just an hour or two.....so I can laugh a little, share a little and encourage a little! Iron sharpens Iron and I was getting a little rusty.  Thank you Lord for Friends!

Cheers to Munaluchi Bridal Magazine

I absolutely love, love, love this magazine!  I love all things wedding, but this magazine has a special place in my heart.  Being a bride of color 16 years ago, there was no magazine that I could pick up and say,"Oh!  that would look great on me!" or see myself in the women pictured on the pages.  I thought of developing my own magazine, but I love Wedding and Event Planning and if you've ever planned an event you know it takes lots of creative time and energy and so does a magazine!..... so I stuck to planning.  However, Munaluchi has come along and I'm PROUD to see it on the shelves of Book Stores in ALL areas.  This magazine has been mentioned on Blogs and in other magazines which proves there is an audience of women that like what Munaluchi is doing.

I'm also excited that today most bridal magazines do a great job at representing Brides of color from every background.  As a planner I have witnessed beautiful events from all cultural backgrounds and I've seen inspiring pictures that have educated me about the heritage of others background and that is a wonderful thing to see.

I saw these pictures yesterday while browsing around The Brides Cafe which is a wonderful blog for every bride that will keep you inspired far after your wedding day.  Janie, the Brides Cafe editor is now the floral specialist for Munaluchi! Congratulation Janie!

Anyhow, aren't these pictures FABulous!  Two claps and a big smile for Munaluchi!

The soft blue of this dress is awesome!  How about that fascinator?

For the bride that's not scared of a little color.

What welcoming southern feel these flowers bring!

The bright colored flower adds a whimsical look to this classy dress.

What a sexy, but subtle dress.  Hot Pink shoe!  Love them.

Romantic!

The photos are  fantastic!  I love the wedding gowns, flowers, shoes and the fascinator in the first picture was a wonderful accent!  Details, details, details!  It's always in the details!

"Black OPS" at the wedding!

I had to come back and show this to you immediately!  Call of Duty is such a popular game right now.  I've seen it on billboards, Best Buy opened at midnight the morning of its last release to sale 'Call of Duty Modern War Fare' to the GAMERS that had to have it first.  I resently saw the "Black Ops" Jeep, a limited edition Cheeroke model for those that can't get enough the game on the rode while at the gas station. I must say it was very nice!  However, I never thought I would see the love for this video game cross over into the wedding world!  Wow!  I found this while searching the web  today.  A little creativity, thought and design will definately add a personal touch to your wedding or event.

Prevent Event Munchies

Have you ever attended a wedding, party, conference or found yourself hanging out with friends late in the evening and wanted a snack because you've worked off the dinner you ate three hours earlier?  Well,  the savvy host has has found a few solutions for this after dinner hunger by offering either a late night menu or snack.

This past weekend I attended two weddings and both had after dinner snacks that ALL the guests loved and welcomed after an evening full of fun, dancing and entertainment.  The avid host has come to realized that after a long day of events and an early dinner, they themselves as well as their guests would love to have a "Small Bite" or a "Sweet Treat".  Check out these pictures below to see what the savvy host has been up to!



How cute is this late night sweet treat!



Santa is not the only one who loves cookies and milk before bed!

Great Balls on Wheels

The food truck craze is the perfect answer for the host that wants to have a specific vendor prepare their late night snack and not have to clean up the kitchen!  Great Balls on Wheels is one of my favorite food truck vendors!  These mini gourmet burgers are super juicy, flavorful and fun to eat!  What a way to say goodnite before departing an event and you won't have to visit the drive-thru on your way home.

 

To find out more information about food trucks simply google "FOOD TRUCKS" along with your city and you'll wind up with a long list of trucks that service your area.  It will be hard to choose!  However, what's great about the food truck craze is you can find out where the next food truck event will take place and you'll be able to taste them all before you choose!

So, whatever your favorite food is or maybe you want to serve the first meal you and your husband ate on your first date, may be ice cream,.....the choices are limitless, just go for something you and your guests will love.  They'll thank you for not sending them home looking for something to munch on! 

Cake toppers......who still uses a cake topper?  Everyone does!  Whether you have fresh or artificial flowers, marzipan designed to accent your wedding decor, blinged out initials or the traditional bride and groom situated on the top of your wedding cake all of the above are considered cake toppers.  It's pretty much the norm to have something that represents you and your loved one on the top of a wedding cake! 
But what about having YOU, yes, YOU and the one you want to spend the rest of your live with on the top of your wedding cake? Take a look at these actual couples transformed into cake toppers.....We love them!  Where can you find them?  Keep reading.

While searching ETSY.com, one of my favorite places to find unique bridal items and a great place to get inspired, I found Mark who designs personalized cake toppers from your photos and a few questions!  How cute! Check them out for yourself! 

Find Mark on Etsy if you're looking for a creative way to add something special to your wedding day.