Inspiration Board: Summer Lobster Boil

Lobster Bake by lulublue77 on Polyvore.com
Here's my simple inspiration board for a backyard lobster boil party I'm throwing in August. I'm thinking of using the lobster bibs as invites by writing the party details on the front. I'm going for a simple, rustic look with mason jars, Kraft paper, galvanized tubs filled with beer and soda bottles, maybe some spiked sweet tea and of course, lots of seafood spilled out over the center of the table.

Life Is Too Short to Drink Bad Margaritas

My husband and I are admitted margarita snobs. The mix can't be too sweet, it must be strong, and there's gotta be plenty of lime flavor. Whether you opt for a salted rim or not, that's your business (I personally do). But the other elements are non negotiable. So when I was let in on a secret margarita recipe from a friend of a friend the other day, I got busy whipping these up. As we speak, my oven's cranked up to 400 degrees, I have no air in my apartment, and summer is in full swing. What better way to usher in Father's Day weekend than with a batch of these babies.

The clincher is that this cocktail is based on a mix from a surprising source -- Trader Joe's. We've tried just about every margarita mixer under the sun, except this one. The second magic ingredient is Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice, which I've seen in the market but never used. And the third component, good tequila, of course.

It seems so simple, hence its brilliance. I'm not one for superlatives, but this is our new favorite summer margarita recipe ever. Try it this weekend...you won't be sorry!

DIRECTIONS:
Fill a mason jar, or lowball/old-fashioned glass, to the brim with ice. Pour in tequila to the halfway point (this seems like a lot, but it's mostly ice). Then, fill the glass to the top with the Trader Joe's Margarita Mixer. Top it off with one tablespoon of Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy!

The Best Blueberry Muffins

I picked up a flat of blueberries from the market yesterday and was inspired to make my favorite batch of muffins this morning. I'm in love with this recipe, not only because they taste amazing, but because in less than an hour you'll have a fresh-from-the-oven treat to enjoy with your coffee. They're so easy to make and all you need is a bowl, no mixer.

These muffins rise beautifully and the crackly mound of crumb topping is divine. They're seriously delicious and make quite an impression -- especially if you make them for a brunch or give them as a gift. This recipe is forgiving, meaning you can play around with it and customize it. I bake six jumbo muffins and only use half of the topping -- it makes a lot. The thick batter isn't overly sweet, which I love, but if you like your muffins on the sweeter side, add another quarter cup of sugar or pile on even more of the sweet topping. You could easily swap out the blueberries for another berry too. As their name implies, they're to die for.

To-Die-For Blueberry Muffins
(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Tea Cookies

I made these teapot and teacup cookies for my mother in law after being inspired by this fun tutorial from Mischief Mari Cookies. Instead of making a stencil for the cameo image, I put a piece of wax paper over my image and traced over it with royal icing. When the cameo dried, I just peeled it off and applied it on the cookie. Then I painted it with gold luster dust.

World Cup Fever

World Cup fever began at 7 a.m. today in my household. All told, this will be the third World Cup I've endured since meeting my husband. But since it's only every four years, I've learned to roll with the punches -- and by punches I mean very loud dudes in my living room at ungodly hours (4 a.m.), early morning beer drinking, mid-afternoon beer drinking and oh yes, late-night beer drinking. It's a raucous happening, but one I've come to enjoy. I get to see my husband's eyes light up like a kid, and that's the best part. So, to commemorate the 2010 games, I baked a batch of soccer ball cookies to go with all that beer drinking and soccer watching.

Here's a quick and dirty tutorial on how to make these bad boys, though really it's pretty easy. They'll add a touch of class to any World Cup gathering, and you'll score a "gooooooooooal" with anyone who tastes them.

First, bake up a batch of round sugar cookies. I used my favorite recipe for No Fail Sugar Cookies and a round cutter from Michael's. Then, whip up a batch of royal icing using this recipe and flavor it with vanilla or whatever you prefer. Cover the cookies with white icing and let dry for a few hours, preferably overnight.


Cut out a pentagon template. I found a pentagon to fit this particular cookie cutter here.


Place the template in the center of the cookie and trace around it with an edible ink pen -- I used AmeriColor Gourmet Writer in black.


Outline the pentagon with stiff black icing and fill it in with thin black icing.


With stiff black icing, draw a thin line from each point outward to the edge of the cookie.


Add triangles about two-thirds of the way down and fill them in. You'll get the hang of it after one or two attempts.


Here's the finished cookie. It's that easy. Enjoy!

Featured on Party Perfect!

What exciting news to see that my all-time favorite party/event site saraspartyperfect featured my daughter's second birthday party! They've just launched a new website too, which I love. If you haven't checked it out, there's no shortage of party inspiration to be found. I'm soooo thrilled to be featured. It made my year! See the posting here.

Ships Ahoy

For my adorable nephew's first birthday, I did 40 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with pirate-themed toppers. I lined the cupcake tower with woodgrained paper to resemble ship planks. The top cake was chocolate with my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream -- not too sweet and so silky.

Here are the toppers in progress. They included a pirate boy, treasure map, skull and crossbones and a pirate ship.



The cake topper in progress.






My brother-in-law painted the pirate mural on the wall!

Hot Wheels Party

It was a busy spring with lots of parties. This fun Hot Wheel themed birthday was for a five-year-old. I did a cupcake tower with a top cake covered in fondant. It was challenging to hand cut the Hot Wheels logo, but I'm pretty happy with it. The cupcake toppers are molded chocolate.

One Theme, Two Looks

For my daughter's second birthday in March, I planned a woodland forest theme at Ferndell Park. I'm not usually a fan of park parties, but this place is pretty special and fit the theme perfectly. I downloaded the squirrels from Martha Stewart and filled them with toys and treats. Vintage linens gave the party a sweet picnic look, along with bamboo plates and wooden cutlery. The kids fed peanuts to the squirrels, made gnome terrariums and went crazy over the surprise entertainment. It was magical.





Crazy-eyed gnomes up to no good...



The craft table.




The mini unicorn pony!


For the next event, my super talented friend hosted a woodland party for her nephew's first birthday. She used some of the same concepts but with a completely different, and adorable, look. Her centerpieces were amazing! She used grass flats and decorated them with little ceramic woodland creatures found in the dollar bin at Target. I made the woodland sugar cookies as party favors and did a cupcake tower with chocolate and buttermilk vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

Let's get the party started!

Lulu Blue is my baking and party planning business. I do cupcakes, custom cakes, decorated sugar cookies, and any other sweet treats you can dream up. I love to design dessert tables and plan party themes, and see the vision come to fruition. I'm a former caterer and culinary school student, but most importantly, a full-time mom to my two-year-old daughter. This is my online journal of recipes, events and all things entertaining.

Here are a few pics of the latest party I did for my friend's son who just turned three. He loves the ocean so we did an undersea theme at his favorite park.

Thanks for visiting!



The stingray was my favorite.