Let them eat...art?????

When Marie Antoinette supposedly uttered the words "Let them eat cake" with reference to peasant complaints about bread scarcity, she certainly wasn't discussing the cake of the 21st century! Cakes today are far too decadent now to speak of so flippantly!

Typically, cakes as we know it have always been associated with celebrations; they usually took the form of a simple, round, iced, spongy baked good that, after admired briefly, is simply a memory after a few bites. The past few years however, have brought about GRAND innovations in cake making that might make anyone think twice about scarfing down a slice or two without enjoying the craftsmanship along the way.

What has led to this cake revolution??? Fondant icing alone has given the cake "engineers" a great material to work with that is pliable and flexible enough to become what it is told to become. Be an airplane! You shout...and therein lies an airplane in your grasp. Ok, so I am being a bit dramatic but I have been watching ALOT of "Cake Pro" TV the past few weeks and have seen many a magical result from fondant wrangling, airplanes included. It seems to me that all the TV networks are trying to get in on the Cake Craze and have chosen to highlight those pastry chefs whose work is worthy enough to keep your attention for more than 2 minutes.

My two favorite shows currently are Ace of Cakes on The Food Network and Amazing Wedding Cakes on WEtv.. A close third would be Cake Boss on TLC. Ace of Cakes is centered around Pastry Chef Duff Goldman who has hired a band of crafty merrymen to assist him in his bid for the title of Master Baker. Duff's company, Charm City Cakes produces cakes that could only be called artwork... Artwork so thrilling that it almost makes you want to cry...seriously... Amazing Wedding Cakes follows a few different pastry chefs however, the Cake Girs ,led by sisters Mary and Brenda Maher are continually pushing their cakes to the limit in beauty and functionality.

In the photo montage below Duff's team created the Mario Bros cake, the Blue Henna cake, the Bubbles cake, and the Beer Barrel with cherry blossoms cake. There is painstaking detail and craftsmanship with each creation and it truly does look like what you would get if you asked an artist to make you a cake! The Turntable cake (it actually spins) the yellow mongoram mini cake, the Curious George cake, the beer mug cake and the Bowling cake are all crafted by the Cake Girls.

In my search for the pictures of these amazing cakes, I did come across some other notable mentions. The iPhone cake was made by Sugarcat cakes and the Vegetarian Sushi Cake was mabe by Whipped Bakeshop. The Singer sewing machine cake was made by Zhanna of St. Petersburg Russia.

(Click on pictures for larger images)

As you can see the possibilities are endless. Once you can dream it up, there is some artisan baker who can make your cake dreams come true!! These cakes would fare very well at birthday parties, anniversaries, weddings (grooms' cakes), engagement parties, baby showers, bachelor parties, company launches, you name it! It will no doubt serve as a focal point of the party, but will also provide a yummy treat for your guests!!

I dare you to not to eat these cakes slowly and with a hint of regret :)

Here comes baby!

As I dabble for the next 3 1/2 years as a beloved "twenty-something" I have no doubt that I will be surrounded by babies-a-plenty spawned from friends, family and former classmates. Just in the past year alone the number of babies in my life has grown exponentially...it has now reached the point where my womb trembles in fear by the simple utterance of the word "preggers....".

As an event-treneur n: ee'vont'tre'nur I cannot help but think of all the lovely welcoming parties that are held in the name of these precious babes. Having attended a few of these functions in my lifetime, I realize that baby showers aren't only a great way to gather good friends, food and family, but that quite frankly, it's a great way for the parents to get useful free stuff for the new baby. Any new mother knows (or will soon learn) that babies are VERY needy and VERY hungry and grow like ivy on an old stone wall...QUICKLY! This fact is what makes the "free-stuff-fiesta" more palatable and now just part of the norm for moms-to-be. It's simply..necessary :)

What should a baby shower look like? Is it a party for the mother or for the baby? Should this influence the decor, the activities, the location and the guest list? For many, this varies. I've been to baby showers where it seemed more like a "bash" for the parents complete with DJs and full meals and then to others that were filled with pastel colors, stuffed toys and cupcakes. Either is fine, depending on the taste and size of the expecting parents' entourage.

Traditional baby showers however tend to all follow a similar pattern. It is restricted to women only, there are poopie games, there are toilet paper bonanzas and there is finger food. However, there are some sophisticated twists that can be levied upon these traditional showers to make it a wonderful representation of an adult celebration for an innocent's arrival.

A few weeks back, I came across this adorable baby shower that was created by Head of the Table. The first thing they established was a theme, which is something I would always recommend, as opposed to doing "everything baby". Themes help with creating a more focused and cohesive event. Kim from Head of the Table used an adorable yellow and gray "alphabets & elephants" theme for her expectant client who did not know the sex of her baby. The decor is simple and an easy DIY project. Kim used a significant amount of handcrafted elements in the party which not only cuts down on costs, but also allows for personal touches.

Here are a few tips for your own baby shower:

1. Money should be spent on the food, the drinks and keeping the guests happy, decor is a little less important in the grand scheme. If money is tight, stick to a simple theme; balloons, teddy bears, ducks or even flowers and create a few simple key decorative pieces so that you can put the money saved to use elsewhere.
2. Invitations should be sent at least one month before the party to your family and friends. Your guests will need time to participate in the gift registry as well as they will need time to put it in their calendars as a priority. No ambush baby showers...please... :)
3. If you don't know the sex of the baby, try to use neutral colours. Like the example above, yellow is a neutral hue. Green, Purple and Orange could also be used for either sex.
4. Think of ways to keep your guests entertained. Try new activities; create a quiz about the mother, have everyone create a "welcome baby" note to accompany their picture in a keepsake album. The sky is the limit! Think outside the box!
   

Here's a look at some of the elements of the alphabets & elephants party...It certainly is inspiring to see what a little imagination and creativity can produce... Poopie games optional o_O

Signature Sangria...and more!

Signature cocktails have been all the rage the past few years. While I've seen them featured mostly at weddings, I actually think that they are a great, personalized feature that any host/hostess can implement into their event to make it memorable.

At my own apartment warming in 2008, my roommate and I decided to go a bit crazy and have two signature drinks..one drink was a delicious passion fruit, white wine sangria, complete with delicious summer citrus and green grapes while the other was a variation of a margarita using a pre-made mix purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond and infused with various juices and of course tequila...

Not only did we have the signature drinks, but I also "hired" one of my sister's college friends to serve the drinks to our guests for "cocktail hour"..These drinks were somewhat simple to make, VERY tasty, and took the hum-drum out of the regular "wine and beer" fare so often served at intimate gatherings. Having a server also added a special touch because we were able to allow guests to avoid crowding around a makeshift bar, jostling for a glass of wine, and instead spend time engaged in great conversation and laughter...

So for your next home event, I think it is a great investment of time to create a signature cocktail to wow your guests. Some great cocktail options are flavored margaritas, mojitos, martinis, rum punches and of course sangrias, white and red...Don't be afraid to invoke your inner bartender and have fun with different recipes. The internet has made DIY projects easier than ever before and trying them out is the best part :)

I've had many a glass of sangria since touching feet upon New York City....concrete...but this recipe is one of my favorites. Here is my personal go-to recipe for some scintillating sips...

Taheera's Go-To Sangria

Ingredients:

1 Bottle red Riunite (for fizz)
1 Bottle of your favourite red wine
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 Red apple
1/4 cup of Chambord or Cointreau (any fruity liquer)
1 cup Orange Juice

Other items you may need:

1 Large pitcher (glass pitchers make for a better presentation)
1 Wooden spoon
Ice
1 College student eager to make some extra cash ;)

How-to-prepare:

First cut the orange and the lemon into round slices. Cut the apple in half, core it, then slice (N.B. not too thin to prevent breakage later on). Place the fruit in a large pitcher and pour the entire bottle of Riunite over it. Next, add the liquer and the orange juice. Mix with the wooden spoon then cover the pitcher with plastic wrap or foil and leave in the fridge to soak for at least 2 hours...When the event is about to start, remove pitcher from the fridge and add as much red wine as it takes to fill the pitcher. Mix with the wooden spoon carefully without muddling the fruit. Add some ice and stir, right before you serve... Voila!! A delicious fruity cocktail!

Of course, this is just one take on sangria..there are many other recipes that are equally as yummy!!! Here are a few other options you may consider from About.com:

http://wine.about.com/od/howwineismade/a/sangriaessentia.htm

Happy planning (and drinking :)!!

My AHA moment was born......

I've been toying with the idea of event planning for quite some time. The excitement elicited in me by the prospect of throwing a casual dinner party or even planning a big 25th birthday bash was often un-containable....Said excitement usually resulted in many a shift in priorities as a grad student, an employee for "The Man" and a pseudo event planner.... pseudo event planner priorities shining above the rest shamelessly...

I found that I could scour the net for hours, obsessively identifying the perfect locations, the perfect menus and the perfect decor for events, whilst there was an ever-growing workload for my more important duties, perched upon my shoulder, waiting for my attention...

My AHA moment was thus born...I always believed that a person should go after their passion, that thing that excited them the most and not only brings them pleasure but a paycheck as well (a girl has bills ^_^) I realized that I got great satisfaction in organising people, things, food and places in such a way that memories are borne and stomachs and minds are nourished.

I then decided that I would try to pursue this "event planning thing" more seriously after I completed my grad degree so that I could give my business the TLC that it needed to flourish and grow. Here I am today, one semester left and unable to wait much longer to make my own dreams a reality.

The name. I came up with the name "Beaux Reves" because I wanted to "make dreams come true" While this is a trite expression, I can think of no other words that describe what I want to do better than these...I am in love with the French language and thought it added a nice elegant flair to the sentiment "Sweet dreams"..the same elegance I intend to bring to each event.

In this blog I will identify those other bloggers and artisans who have put together magical checklists, whimsical party ideas and crafty doodle crafts, while infusing my own tips, sharing my experiences, and offering my event planning services for the lucky New Yorkers who are interested in putting on a memorable affair.

Just as a warning, I will focus more on the typically "girly" kind of events..Weddings, Dinner Parties, Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, Holiday parties and maybe even Bachelorette parties (of the PG13 persuasion), if there are any other types of parties you'd love me to give a shot, I'm always up for the challenge.

To my readers I hope you enjoy the content, please feel free to make comments and suggestions, and I look forward to embarking on this exciting journey...

Happy Reading!