wedding cookies

this past weekend i hosted a bridal shower for my best friend from college. it was great to open up my home to all her friends and celebrate her upcoming wedding. i even used it as an excuse to my husband to buy a beverage container that "every party needs"...

i spent several days trying to figure out the decor and baking details. i got fresh flowers from a local shop (which happens to be having "flower happy hour" every time i go in!), purple rock candy to match her wedding colors and went to the store for all the right ingredients.

alongside the other MOH, i think we pulled off quite a spread of homemade chicken salad on croissants, taco salad (one of amy's favorite meals), veggie pizza, a summer salad, cupcakes and cookie favors! oh, and the lemonade in my new container...

in the process, i did learn that i was a little too eager in my baking and bit off a little more than i could chew. long story short, i was up until 1 am the night before baking, only to realize the first time you make fondant or a two tiered cake shouldn't be right before a shower. so i may or may not have served cupcakes from marsh. i know, i cringed too.

BUT i did have one great success - the favors! below is a step by step documentation of the cookies. and i'll start with confessing these take a lot of time and patience! but they sure were worth it!

homemade pinwheelts for outside!

amy with the pennant banner i made!

strawberry shortcake from scratch

i think it is only proper to greet summer with one of her best gifts - strawberries! for those of you who know me, you know my disinterest in anything "non-chocolate" - but i must admit i've already made this dessert three separate times in the last month! it is pretty quick and easy to make (as long as you have some heavy whipping cream handy) and making the cream in my kitchen aid mixer is so gratifying...i can't believe there was a time in my life when i would stand over a bowl with a hand mixer waiting 5 minutes for "stiff peaks" to form?!

i've also had a few requests to start posting the recipes i make. i had originally considered doing this but since i was essentially just taking them from other blogs and trying them out, i felt guilty just re-posting. i wanted to get good so i can modify them on my own and put my own spin on it. BUT i have been swayed. and to top it off, i actually slightly modified this recipe myself!!

but, due to the lack of time today (and relocating the two blogs i modified these from) i will have start this trend with my next post...which i promise will be sooner rather than later!