Girl Friends "Spicy" Valentine Luncheon ~ 2012

I love to spoil my girlfriends.

They mean the world to me and every year around Valentine's Day I honor them with a party.

desserts & fruit

The last couple of years I have thrown a brunch.  If you want a peek at them you can find them here:

2010

2011

this year's invitation

I try to incorporate something that is a favorite of mine and build around it.  

This year it was Mexican food and Conversation(hearts)

a little look-see at the table

I typically do linen napkins when I have a meal like this, but my inner 13 year old got the best of me when I saw the conversation heart napkins and little treat cups!!

The treat boxes were filled with chocolates, and of course, candy hearts!!

My Mom always got my brother and I a box of conversation hearts for Valentine's Day.  

They have always been a favorite of mine.

I made this centerpiece for the table:

If you click HERE you can see how I did it!!

When I planned the menu I forgot that it was the first Friday of Lent.

So I mixed it up a little.

It worked out well.  

The Menu::

White Chicken Enchiladas

Bean Cheese and Onion Enchiladas and Chili Rellenos & Rice

Tortilla Soup

 Chips and Salsa, Guacamole and lots of toppings!

White Rose infused Sangria

Jarritos and Iced Tea with Lemon

Mexican Brownies

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

Fun was had by all....

But you will have to take my word for it, because I totally forgot to take pictures!!

OOPS!!

I was too busy eating!! ;)

White Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas are all over Pinterest.  

At this point it's hard to tell who actually "made them first!"

white chicken enchiladas

I made them for the first time about a month ago, to "try them out" on my family before I made them for the luncheon with my friends.

My family LOVED them.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe I found, but when don't I?

Here's what you do:

White Chicken Enchiladas

recipe adapted from Joyful Momma's Kitchen

8 burrito sized flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cups chicken broth

3 T. butter

3 T flour

1 - 4oz can diced green chilies

8 ounces of sour cream

8 oz pkg Monterrey Jack cheese shredded

1 - 4oz can sliced black olives, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Evenly divide chicken and half of cheese to fill tortillas.  Roll enchilada style, place in prepared pan.

In a small saucepan melt butter, add flour to make a rue.

Add chicken stock and whisk until combined.  Cook until thick and bubbly.

Add green chilies and sour cream, remove from heat.

Pour over enchiladas.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

Uncover add remaining cheese and bake another 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Top with olives, and serve.

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

strawberry daiquiri cupcakes



When I had my "Spicy Mexican Valentine Luncheon" I knew that
 I needed to come up with desserts (yes..there is an S on desserts!! ;)

that went with the theme.

who doesn't LOVE a cupcake?

Last year I made this decadent Chocolate Bliss Cake that had raspberry sauce, devonshire cream and I even made these homemade chocolate discs and chocolate dipped strawberries.

I went ALL OUT.

Not that I love my friends any less this year, but I needed to figure out something a little less labor intensive!!

one for me and one for you

So I made two different kinds of cupcakes, and Mexican brownies.

Gotta have CHOCOLATE!!

The two cupcakes that I made were pina colada cupcakes and strawberry daiquiri cupcakes.

I packaged up 6 of each and took them to my husband's office, called them
"Thirsty Thursday Cupcakes" 



Here is the quick and easy recipe for the strawberry daiquiri ones!!

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

1 Strawberry Cake Mix

1 pouch of Parrot Bay pre-mixed Strawberry Daiquiri Drink

Make your cake mix as directed on the box, only substitute the drink mix for the water.

Bake as directed.

For the frosting I used my buttercream recipe and changed the milk to daiquiri mix:

Buttercream:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick of butter

1/4 strawberry daiquiri mix

Beat until fluffy!!

Rim the frosted cupcakes in sugar and top with half of a strawberry!!

Cheers!!

How To: Make a Conversation Heart Centerpiece

Conversation Heart Centerpiece

When I found the napkins and treat containers with conversation hearts on them, 

I knew that was the ticket for my party this year.

It's no secret how much I <3 Conversation Hearts!!

I decided to run with the idea for my table and centerpiece.

Years ago I made a centerpiece for Halloween the same way using candy corn,

 it was super cute so I ran with it!!

Here is what it took:

Two vases, one that fits inside the other with some wiggle room

2 packages of conversation hearts or other candy

Color coordinated flowers

I love to buy flowers at Costco. They always have really unique bunches 

that you can have so much fun arranging.

I bought a bunch of flowers from Costco and in addition to that I purchased a 

dozen roses and eucalyptus to mix in!! 

(Needed the roses for the SANGRIA!! )

Place the smaller vase inside the larger vase and begin to fill the space between with your conversation hearts.

Fill to the top of the small vase.  

I was lucky enough to have a cylinder vase that was the same height, it worked perfectly.

You will have to use a funnel to fill the inside vase with water, being super careful not to get the candy wet!!

Arrange flowers inside water....

DONE!! and SO CUTE!!

White Rose infused Sangria

What is a girlfriend's Mexican Valentine luncheon without SANGRIA?!?

The last two years I have done a brunch, and had Mimosas.

This year I opted for Sangria.

I wish I could give you the measurements of the fruit, but I honestly just kind of added it!!

Note to self: Sangria is a summer drink for a reason, more fruit in season.

I did use a couple of frozen fruits, and I am pretty sure nobody else noticed!!

Here is what I did.

White Rose infused Sangria

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

the petals of 1 large rose ( mine was white...so was my wine...that's where it got it's name!)

Over a medium heat, bring to boil the water sugar and petals.

Remove from heat and let petals steep for about 15 minutes.

Remove petals and set aside. You have just made a rose simple syrup.

2 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc Wine

Fruit of choice: I used frozen peaches, frozen pitted red cherries, clementines, red grapes cut in half, halved strawberries, raspberries and pineapple.

 Cut up fruit and place in an airtight container.

Pour  wine and syrup over fruit.

Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Pour into a pitcher or punch bowl, before serving pour a can of ginger ale over the top to add a little bubble effect.

It was YUMMY!!

Bean, Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

While I was planning my Valentine Luncheon this year, I planned to make my cheesy beef enchiladas.

Then...

I realized, that it would be on a Friday during Lent.

So, I decided to use my base recipe for them, and turn them into bean, cheese and onion.

They turned out AMAZING!!

pictured here with chili rellenos

RECIPE HERE

Bean, Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

1 can of refried beans mixed with 1/4 cup milk

1 two cup package of Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 small onion diced

1 package (8 qty) large flour tortillas

1 large can (14 ounce size) Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Spread about 2 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce on a tortilla.

Do the same (2 Tablespoons, or a good pinch) of cheese

Evenly divide beans and onions between the 8 tortillas, rolling up enchilada style.

Place in pan.

Pour remaining sauce and cheese over the top. 

Cover with non-stick foil and bake for 30 minutes covered.

Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Dry Erase Board made from a Photo and Frame

Happy Valentine's Day to my Hubby!!

For Christmas we gave our kids a trip to see their Grandparents in San Diego.

Our flight left on Valentine's Day.

My husband knows how much I love Valentine's Day, and he always makes it special.  

But we agreed that a plane trip to sunshine was gift enough!

(but I am a little bit of a rule breaker, ya know?)

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back and figured I would give it a try.

We always leave notes to one another on  the bathroom counter.

I just re-did our room and bath in the last year, in browns and kind of a Caribbean blue.

We love our trips to the beach to escape the winter weather!!

I have so many photos from our trips over the years, and shells an"beachy" trinkets, I decided to decorate with all of them.

When I saw this idea to turn a picture into a dry erase board, I knew I wanted to try it.

I found the photo on Google Images.  I just thought it was so darn cute!!

I printed it in a 12x12 size and found a frame at Hobby Lobby.

Before I framed it, I used some scrapbook stickers and stuck 

"I Love You" in the upper left corner.

When honey woke up on Valentine's Day, it was hanging on the wall right behind him and his mirror.

I wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" on it to greet him.

I even found a brown dry erase marker that was cute enough to leave on top of the frame.

Now when he is getting ready in the morning, those two starfish are in the reflection behind him, and even if there isn't a note on it, it always says

 "I love you."

Doesn't everyone need a reminder every now and then??

xoxo