JuBella.com – Get Your Creative Dose

We do not really do too much for the Fourth of July. We are just happy to have the hubby home for a long weekend and the little one gets so excited about going to see the fireworks over the Savannah River. Nevertheless, I thought I would share a couple of easy and laid back recipes that are a breeze to fix for your 4th of July gathering!

Frozen Sake Lemonade
I do not like drinks that are heavy on the alcohol and outside of ordering virgin cocktails I usually just enjoy a glass of wine or sake every now and then, So this cool concoction that I came up with of sake, lemons, and sweetness is perfect for a summer gathering with friends.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
zest of one lemon
1 C. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. ginger ale
1/2 C. sake
Ice (about 24 cubes)

1 C. frozen blueberries and strawberries for garnishing

Directions
Stir together your lemon juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Blend all ingredients EXCEPT for your frozen blueberries and strawberries in your blender. Place your frozen blueberries and strawberries in your glasses or pitcher. Pour in your mixture. Serve with a slice of lemon on the side & Enjoy!

Alternative: Take your mixture and let it freeze. When you are ready to use it simply take it out of the freezer and blend in your blender to make a lovely sorbet. Garnish with lemons, berries, and mint!

Berry S’mores

I have to be perfectly honest…my four year old came up with this idea. He wanted me to make smores for a snack but we had no chocolate, so he says, “well, we can use strawberries”. I was in a desperate need of a sweet fix so I agreed to it. These were SO GOOD!!! I am sure they would be a hit for any kid that comes over as well as the adults (I must have eaten quite a few myself) You could also add some fresh blueberries to escalate the whole 4th of July red white and blue theme, but these are great for a snack at anytime!

Ingredients
graham crackers
marshmallows
sliced strawberries
fresh blueberries (optional)

Directions
Simply place your marshmallows on top of your graham crackers and warm it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Your marshmallows should be soft but NOT totally melted. Take your graham crackers out of the microwave and place your berries on top of the marshmallow. Sandwich your graham crackers together. Serve immediately & indulge in the sweet gooey goodness!

There’s a virtual party going on, and the host is none other than the lovely Ez of Creature Comforts. I just love creative ideas and I had SO much fun creating my virtual outfit, party food, and gifts, and since it is virtual money I splurged a bit on the Fendi dress, & Ez, since we are dealing with virtual money here, use your imagination to think of the amount that the Crate & Barrel Gift card is worth! . Okay, so here is my little collage. I started out going after a black clutch to keep in line with the black and gold, but…well..I just couldn’t resist this purple clutch! Thank you Ez for the invite…such a glowing party it is..filled with some pretty creative people & I can’t wait to see who all arrives!

The Outfit: Fendi Silk Gold leaf Dress: mytheresa.com, Gold South Seashell pearl Earrings, Hayden Harnett Positano Guilded Clutch; piperlime.com, Carlos by Carlos Santana Gold Sandals: piperlime.com

The Gifts: Vintage Swallow Bobby Pins: Very Vintage, Little Wren Print: Bad Bird, Crate & Barrel Gift Card, Crate & Barrel.

I like to cook, and sometimes, I pause in the midst of flour on the counters, chocolate covered spoons waiting to be licked by the little one, water boiling over, bread in the oven, and soup simmering to its flavor, to take a few photos of my favorite foods that I try to prepare with love and creativity for my little family of 3!

If you are ever in Southwest England, let’s say somewhere around Exeter (which is the capital city of Devon county & is home to the lovely Exeter Cathedral), then why not entertain your taste buds by stopping by La BoCa! I love the decor of this venue(it’s 4 stories with 4 different restaurants) and the menu consists of Authentic Moroccan cuisine such as cous-cous, dolci, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian tajines, flalafel, stuffed vine leaves, hummus, and so much more! I am getting hungry just thinking about it! Yum!

“La BoCa consists of 4 floors where you can experience the exotic. You can share an authentic tajine, cooked in traditional terracotta pots & served to your table straight from the oven, as you dine in the sumptuous Hareem on mounds of cushions under beautiful silk awnings. No party is too big or small for the Latin Quarter Grill and private function room. From corporate meetings to private parties La BoCa will provide a unique experience in authentic surroundings that will make any gathering a memorable one. On the Ground floor there is El Hamra where you’ll feel like you have been transported to the heart of North Africa, with traditional belly dancing you will also be entertained whilst enjoying your meal. After you have finished your meal you can relax downstairs in Club Maroc with an exquisite Cocktail whilst listening to live Jazz, Flamenco guitar or resident dj’s. Run by the same team who brought you the ever popular Al Beb in Torquay you are sure to have a wonderful time, and look forward to your next visit with anticipation.”

Happy Friday everybody! I thought that I would end the week with a few images from my recipe journal. I started this journal as a way to keep lovely images of food to inspire me with my own dishes that I fix at home for my family. Usually the images consists of desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Most of these images & collage are from the Fabulous Donna Hay! I love that magazine…the photography and food styling alone just makes my mouth water.

I would like to know, how do you all find inspiration for the meals and desserts that you cook at home? Do you have recipes that have been handed down to you from family? How do you keep your recipes written down, on pretty recipe cards, or do you jot them randomly on notebook paper? Sorry for all the questions, but I am curious to know how others find inspiration for your meals!

I hope this will inspire someone to create a special meal or yummy treat! Have a lovely weekend everybody and I will be back Monday with a couple of creative interviews and fresh new posts. I am off now to go play in the sandbox with the little one! Thank you all so much who come by to visit JuBella…she just loves your company!

I am absolutely in love with the work of Food Stylist and Photographer Beatrice Peltre. Her way of styling food is is a true art form, and I was instantly engaged by her use of color. Her award winning blog La Tartine Gourmande, is filled with some of the most delightful photos of food, her travels abroad, and of course recipes that are all cataloged into tasty categories. She also has a wonderful amazon store that carries some of her favorite culinary reads. If you love food, photography, and traveling as I do, then you might find yourself browsing her blog and website for hours.

Beatrice has officially inspired me to become an Artist within the kitchen. I can honestly feel her passion for food and photography within every picture and that sort of love for something just makes me happy and I commend Beatrice for bringing such beauty to something that is most commonly taken for granted throughout our days. What if we all created art within the kitchen and shared our photos with the world to be enthused by! Thank you Beatrice for being such a creative inspiration!

Here are our top 5 picks from her blog, but to be quite honest every one of her posts are impeccable, and you will just have to taste the goodness of it all by visiting your blog and website yourself:

A Whole World of Sweet Mini-Bites — Tout un monde de petites bouchées sucrées/

Rhubarb and Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops — Sucettes au yaourt glacé rhubarbe et framboise.

Apple Trees Give us a Queen — Les pommiers nous offrent une reine.

Vitamins in a Summer Verrine — Verrine estivale vitaminée

Fall Medley Vegetable Soup — Soupe automnale de légumes variés

oh, and this: A Casual Lavender Crème Brûlée — Crème Brûlée à la lavande à la bonne franquette because those heart shaped handles are just too cute!

I usually prepare a quick and easy flat bread to go with fresh soups, salads, and curry dishes, but lately the flat bread has become a bit of a bore in our house. So, what to do? Why fry up some bread of course! I love the way that this Native American based bread turned out. It was light, soft, slightly chewy, and flavorful. These are most popularly served as the base for making ,Indian Tacos, which I plan to try as well minus the ground beef. I couldn’t help but think that a dough like this with more sugar and maybe some cinnamon and vanilla would be a hit too, so I think I am going to fry up some Bunuelos soon. Bunuelos is a fried sweet bread that is divine, similar to churros in my opinion. They are especially delightful served with a creamy spicy tea or a really good cup of cocoa! With this recipe the key is to not overwork your dough..your dough should be soft and not flaky. Also, do not fill your pot to the rim with oil. You only need enough to cover the bread, about 2-3 C., depending on the size of your rounds. use your better judgement. You don’t want greasy fry bread. They should not leave any grease on your fingers.

Ingredients:

4 C. All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 1/2 C. Cold Water

Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

Directions:

Sift together all of your dry ingredients. Gently mix in your water until you have blended all of your ingredients well. Very LIGHTLY knead and work your dough until you get a soft non-sticky ball of dough (you may have to dust your dough with a bit of flour until it does not stick…do not over work your dough, as this will make your bread tough and too chewy), cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Separate your dough into 7-8 equal pieces. punch down with your finger tip and stretch each of your balls of dough out into 4″ diameter circles at about 1/4″ thick. Be sure not to stretch your dough out to much or else you will end up with crispy bread. Heat your oil to where it is hot but not smoking. You do not want your bread to fry to quickly or burn.

Poke a SMALL hole in the center of your rounds using a toothpick or skewer(just a quick poke, thats all you need, this helps the heat disperse throughout your dough evenly), and then one at a time, fry them in your oil, about 1 minute on each side or until lightly golden brown. transfer to a paper towel lined tray. Serve warm & Enjoy!

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This is one of my favorite dishes, right next to grilled asparagus, salmon, and stuffed garlic potatoes! Not only does this meal taste great, but it is super easy and quite quick to prepare. Pardon the absence of measurements, as this is a meal that you can measure out the amount you feel you will need to serve your family or guest…I just season and taste until it is to my liking. I usually serve this with jasmine rice, which has a great aroma and some Sangria or a nice lemon tea. The “Spiced Ginger Green Beans” are simply seasoned with a bit of olive oil, bean paste, ground ginger, brown sugar, salt, and drizzled with honey. Yum!

Filling Ingredients:

Cream Cheese

Fresh Spinach leaves, chopped

Paprika

Salt

Sprinkle of Sugar

Mozzarella, shredded

Roma Tomato, sliced into circles

Directions: Simply mix all of your ingredients together with the exception of your sliced tomatoes.

Tilapia Ingredients:

Fresh Tilapia Fillets

De-veined Shrimp

Garlic Powder

Paprika

Coarse Salt

Black Pepper

Lime or Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Honey

Directions: Slice a thin layer of your fillet from the top, cutting your fillet into half, without completely separating the top from the bottom (do not completely cut the top of). Place about 2-3 of your sliced tomato rounds on the bottom, lightly sprinkle the top of your tomatoes with black pepper. Now spoon your cream cheese mixture on top. Fold the top of your fillet on top of your cream cheese mixture.

Now season your tilapia with your spices and drizzle your lime or lemon juice on top. Place your shrimp on top of your seasoned fish and sprinkle a bit of salt and paprika on top of your shrimp. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and honey. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked.

Avocado Salad: Ingredients

Avocados

Roma Tomato

Fresh White Corn, off the cobb

Lime Juice

Coarse Salt

Honey

Olive Oil

Pinch of Garlic Powder

Paprika

Directions: Dice your avocado and tomatoes into small chunks. Mix in your lime juice, corn, salt, paprika, garlic powder, olive oil, and honey. Stir together and serve.

If you are ever in need of entertaining ideas, then the lady to go and see is Entertaining Extroidionaire Jenn Sbranti. She’s The Hostess With The Mostess and her website & blog serves up some of the yummiest entertaining ideas, products, and recipes! Jenn took a few minutes to “entertain” us with some of her favorite inspirations for hosting a great party, as well as some insight on how Hostess With the Mostess came about.

JuBella.com: What was the inspiration behind creating hostesswiththemostess.com, as well as your blog & what things would you like to achieve though them in the future?

Jenn Sbranti: The idea behind hostesswiththemostess.com started when I personally felt the need for a resource like this but wasn’t able to find it. I’ve always loved planning and throwing creative parties, so when my friends starting hitting the era of bridal showers and baby showers, I was excited to host a lot of them myself. I started to search extensively online for cool partyware and creative ideas – but rather than finding “idea” websites – all my searches kept landing me at online stores that sold the same frilly or cheesy-looking partyware designs – painted baby booties and cartoon teddy bears for baby showers, old-fashioned wedding bells or “fancy” floral patterns for bridal showers, etc.

My personal taste is much more on the modern/contemporary side – and I just wasn’t finding that type of inspiration despite hours of searching. I turned to books next, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of great books relating to baby/bridal showers either – and some of the cool ideas that I did find in books were hard to recreate because it wasn’t clear where to find the elements pictured or they were way too expensive.

So, being a graphic/web designer and a big believer in what an amazing, accessible information source the web can and should be, I started thinking that I should try create a resource like this myself. After talking to a lot of others about the idea, I genuinely felt the need for an online resource where people could go to get inspired about party planning and not only find actual ideas that are unique and stylish – but also be directed on where to find the things they need. Planning parties and get-togethers should be a creative and fun experience for the host or hostess, and not overly stressful as it seems to often become. “Hostess with the Mostess” sounded like a fun, memorable name for a company… so, fully expecting the domain name to already be taken, I still decided to check it out just in case. Lo and behold it was available! So my husband and I decided that it must be fate, reserved the domain name and trademarked the name on the spot – and decided to go for it!

Once we started actually getting into planning and developing the site, we realized what a huge undertaking it was going to be and that the timeline wasn’t going to exactly happen “overnight” like we wanted it to – especially since we had to keep our “day jobs” in order to pay the bills and get the startup capital we needed. So we thought that starting a blog might be a good way to reach out to people and start getting some buzz going while the main website was being developed. Never did we expect quite as warm of a welcome as the blog received – and of course we couldn’t be happier about it! Without the blog, we wouldn’t have had an audience to reach out to when the website launched – and it’s opened up a lot of other doors as well.

The first stage of the website finally launched in April 2007, and we have so much more we want to do with it and add to it – including things like message boards, interactive party planning tools, wish lists for our fabulous finds and fabulous gift sections, and even online invitation functionality. Our goal is to have a full-fledged interactive party planning resource that is extremely stylish, loaded with visual inspiration & imagery, and extremely helpful information.

JuBella: Favorite 5 on-line shops/boutiques for hosting gifts?

Jenn Sbranti: www.wrapables.com, www.wishingfish.com, www.redenvelope.com, www.patinastores.com, and www.perpetualkid.com

JuBella: In your opinion, what are 5 key elements one must haves to host a
memorable party?

1. A Theme – even if it’s as simple as a color theme or theme based on the type of cuisine you’ll be serving such as an Italian dinner or afternoon BBQ. Having a theme to guide you makes it easier to make decisions regarding partyware, decorative accents, and food & drink options – and it also creates a more festive atmosphere for guests – giving them the feeling that they’re at a “special” event.

2. A Signature Drink: whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic – a signature drink with a creative garnish adds a fun element to the party and is a great opportunity for a cool beverage display.

3. Good Lighting: I’m a sucker for white twinkle lights and break them out all year long for outdoor parties – not just around the holidays! Colorful paper lanterns, candles, disco balls (when relevant) and dimmed lights are great for controlling the party “mood” as well.

4. Food & Drink “Stations”: Rather than having all of your food and drinks in one place, create a few smaller stations around the room – to encourage mingling and movement – and stop potential traffic jams!

5. Great Music: that coordinates with your theme – keeps the festive energy up and the party going!

JuBella: Could you share with us one of your favorite recipes for casual
entertaining?

Jenn Sbranti: This appetizer is going to seem ridiculously simple but it always gets devoured first at get-togethers:

Sesame Cream Cheese & Crackers:

Ingredients: 1 cube cream cheese, soy sauce, sesame seeds, & water crackers.

Directions: Place cream cheese in the center of your serving plate. Pour soy sauce generously over the cube. Cover thoroughly with sesame seeds. Serve with water crackers. Done!

JuBella: Favorite books & magazines about entertaining?

Favorite books: Simple Stunning Weddings by Karen Bussen, InStyle Parties from InStyle Magazine, Easy Entertaining by Darina Allen, and Celebrations from Real Simple.

Favorite Magazines: Real Simple,Cooking Light, and pretty much everything from Martha Stewart Omnimedia – especially the Weddings, Living, Everyday Food, and Kids magazines

JuBella: What are some of your favorite flowers and/or arrangements for the
dinner table?

Jenn Sbranti: Tight bunches of flowers are always best for the dinner table – and make sure to keep them low if you plan to leave them on the table during dinner. I love china mums, button mums, and gerbera daisies – or gorgeous cymbidium orchids – either stemmed or floating in clear glass bowls.

JuBella: What has been one of the most unique gifts that you have given or
received thus far?

Jenn Sbranti: For father’s day I’m actually giving my dad a personalized steak branding iron. This is a fun, unique gift for someone that loves cooking and grilling. You can have one created with your loved one’s initials or a full monogram, using 2-3 letters.

JuBella: What do you love most about the art of entertaining?

Jenn Sbranti: The chance to be creative – especially when there’s an out-of-the-ordinary theme – and the reaction from guests when they come in and are excited about what they see.

JuBella: Thus far what has been your favorite table setting that you have
styled?

Jenn Sbranti: I love Hawaii and anything tropical – so the http://www.hostesswiththemostess.com/themes/bridal_showers/love_in_paradise/ “Love in Paradise” table setting is probably my favorite so far. It can be used for a bridal shower, engagement party, or an anytime celebration if you just take out the “LOVE” letters. I feel like there’s a good mix of both modern style and elegance here – and it’s the perfect setting for a good Mai Tai!

JuBella: Share with us your favorites of the following:

Dinner: Fancy: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/miso-salmon-with-cilantro-salsa Miso Salmon or http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001681seared_ahi_tuna.php Seared Ahi, Cranberry/Walnut Spinach Salad, warm French Bread with butter, & Grilled Asparagus. Casual: Chicken Enchiladas.

Dessert: Kimo Pie (a Hawaiian favorite!) or Strawberry Shortcake.

Beverage: Cocktail: Red Wine or Margarita on the Rocks Mocktail: Strawberry Lemonade.

Appetizer: Fancy: Bacon-wrapped Scallops, Casual: Pigs in a Blanket or the Sesame Cream Cheese mentioned above.